First things first: L.R. Jackson needs her flowers and then some. Now that we've established that, let's get into this review.

Dafari has a great responsibility bestowed upon him. He has been crowned the new King of Mafachiko, Africa and must assume the throne after the death of the previous king, his father. He and his trusted advisor decide to take a trip to America to investigate his father's murder. Once in America, as fate would have it, he would run into Ebony…literally. Once the two meet again and rekindle their romance their story takes an unexpected turn. We are then shown a captivating romantic suspense story with the perfect combination of angst and love.

Ebony has such a beautiful soul. She is resilient, selfless and strong. Her stubbornness is a blessing and a curse. It allowed her the strength to refuse to give up but hindered her advancement in her goal to succeed by refusing any help. I could feel Dafari's frustration with her willingness to struggle. Dafari is patient, generous and protective. His dedication to his country is admirable.

I absolutely loved Dafari's mom. It was refreshing to read about a loving mother figure. Baas!!!! I loved the ride-or-die loyalty he has with Dafari. Shaya is a real one too. This book appears to be a standalone, however, hopefully there will be more from these characters in future books or even a series.

The plot is so engaging I could hardly put it down! The Accidental Queen has drama, romance, love, betrayal, angst, suspense, friendship and family and did not disappoint!

Favorite Quote: "She leans down and lifts my chin up softly. "You're a queen now. You bow to no one."

**Thank you to Black Odyssey Media and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

The Accidental Queen is my first book from this author, so I was excited to read it as I love discovering new authors. This story was an okay and one-time read type of story for me. I was expecting a romance story, and I didn't get any type of romance feeling from this story. In this book we get Ebony (Maci) and Dafari's story. They were okay characters, but I couldn't connect with them, and it was hard to believe in their love for each other. The story goes from past to present, which I think the author was trying to show the connection between Ebony and Dafari, but it just wasn't there. Ebony had a rough childhood after the death of her parents and as an adult her life hasn't changed much. She's barely hanging on financially but thankfully. her best friend Shaya has been there for her in more ways than one. Dafari, King of Mafachiko does not have the same struggles as Ebony, but he is determined to find his father's killer. His journey back to the states brings him face to face with the woman he never stopped loving. He's finally found Ebony, and he's determined to keep her in his life. However, Ebony's boyfriend Tori has other plans, but Tori has been keeping a huge secret of his own. I disliked Tori with every fiber of my being and could not for the life of me understand why Ebony would continue to put up with him. The sex could not be that good and his attitude killed it for me. I don't want to give too much away but this story had death, abuse, drama, betrayal, steamy scenes, surprises, bombs being dropped and more. Even with all of the things I listed, the pace of the story hurt this story for me. It was too slow, and it made the story drag. The main this was the connection between the main characters for me, it just wasn't there. There were also parts of the story regarding the characters actions that seemed a bit unbelievable, but the main characters got a HEA. This wasn't a terrible story, but it also wasn't a favorite for me. I would still recommend that readers give this story a try to see if it's a story for them.

This is a romantic “Coming to America” style Cinderella story. The king is a bit of a playboy at the beginning, but he’s devoted to the heroine.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.

This was a pretty quick read, and I enjoyed it.

I loved the premise; I'm a sucker for second chance romances. I'm glad that the main characters pursued other people in their time apart, but that there was minimal/no jealousy about it when they reunited. I do wish there was just... more. There's a lot of talking and not as much describing. I wish that some of the side characters got more time, since they really just felt like background decorations. The ending felt a little rushed. But, it was still a very enjoyable read overall!

𝐞𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
5 🌟
-
First, this cover is gorgeous 😍 and caught my attention, but the storyline is what held my attention as well! The Accidental Queen will give you Coming to America vibes. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and devoured it in one day.
I can't even express how much I love this storyline, and how the marrying a prince trope was done.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬:
•Second Chance Romance
•Black Romance
•Dual POV
•African Prince
-
Thank you, Netgalley, and Black Odyssey Media for the eBook in exchange for my honest review.