This series just keeps getting better and better! While it could read as a stand-alone, I highly recommended starting with the first in the series.

I read a lot of romance books - highlanders, pirates, historical etc.
This book was a modern tale with touch of everything in it.
I was different! I was romantic enough to capture my interest and pushed me to finish this book fast.
I did not read anything from this author in the past, but I will definitely read more books from Alyssa Cole in the future!
Recommended!

Received an advanced copy in exchange for a fair review.

This book does a lot. In the third book in the series, Alyssa Cole GOES FOR IT in a way that was cathartic to read and I absolutely adored.

A Prince on Paper is about emotional intelligence, honesty, compassion, mental health, politics and resilience. Johan and Nya have been in past books and this is the first book in the series I would truly say you can't read without the first two.

Johan fakes a playboy persona to pull focus from his half brother, heir to the throne (but that's backfiring). Nya is still learning to trust her instincts after growing up with an emotionally abusive father (with only a moderate degree of success). Both characters have rich inner lives as they come together as friends then more only to be faced with a choice about how vulnerable they are willing to be. No one compromises and they are both honest in key moments about what they want and what they refuse to accept.

The story moves between fictional kingdoms with varying levels of court intrigue. Liechtienbourg is a LITTLE Hallmark movie fake country-ish but still charming (in the way fake Hallmark countries are) and the politics there are a great stand-in for Cole to make some none-to-subtle points (yeah, she gets political).

The emotional ending for the main characters and the side characters is pitch-perfect and earned. I could read one of these books a year forever.

I didn't know this was part of a series. I thought it was a standalone so I must go back and try to catch up because I have so many questions...

I love this continuation of the Reluctant Royals series. Johan seems like a very stereotypical romance antihero, but his truth is much more compelling. Nya is ready to be brave and get what she wants, which Johan is more than willing to give. I loved that they both had their own independent lives that came together, rather than either giving things up entirely for the other. And a Happily Ever After is never a bad thing.

I liked the first book in the Reluctant Royals series, and I think each book has gotten even better. A Prince on Paper is about Nya, the cousin of Naledi, the main character in the first book. Her love interest is Johan, the bad boy step-prince friend of Ledi's husband Prince Thabiso. I like a book series that shifts the focus between characters and when minor characters from one book become the protagonists of the next.

Nya is returning to Thesolo from NYC for Naledi and Thabiso's wedding and dreading being back in her homeland after the terrible actions of her now-imprisoned father. On the way home, she runs into Johan, and hijinx ensue. Johan's going through some royal family trouble himself, with his tiny European city-state facing a referendum on the monarchy. I really enjoyed the romance between Nya and Johan. The backdrop of the royal wedding and luxurious spas and parties add to the fantasy, but the interactions between the characters were pretty realistic. I found myself really liking both characters and the story. It's very steamy, too.

If you're looking for romance with people of color and people with a range of sexualities and gender expressions, you might want to look into this series. I see the fourth book will be about Likotsi, Prince Thabiso's chief of staff, who is a queer woman. I'm really looking forward to it.

i really liked the first in this series but LOVED the second one. i had high hopes for this one. i love alyssa cole's writing. before i get too far into the review i just want to say she has been killing it with the covers lately - this one is absolutely stunning. love it.

ok, on to the book. i liked it. i liked it a lot. johan was such a sweetie and i wanted to squeeze his cheeks. i *loved* getting his pov, all of his thoughts. seriously, so adorable. i really liked nya - she was inexperienced in life, but still strong. i loved the dating games she played, they sound like my jam. i liked the main characters together. i love the snippets we got of the previous characters, though if this is the end i wish we got a big wrap up kind of epilogue. i love a good fake engagement trope, and i liked the way this one was handled, almost backseat. i thought a conflict would arise with johan not telling nya something but then it was nipped in the bud immediately, and i liked that a lot. the epilogue was too adorable, it made me smile so much. of course, the book was hot AF as well. johan was the star of this book for me though. i just wanted to scoop him up and put him in my pocket.

i hope that one king and his wife get some sort of book or novella or spin off!

Each Reluctant Royals series gets better and better! I love just how nuanced Nya and Johans relationship is and how they both are able to immediately admit when they are in the wrong.

There were several lines that made me laugh, and the diversity was incredible. Also, I appreciate the fact that Lukas’s story is told without including lots of phobic people and lack of acceptance from family.

Such a delightful end to a really fun series, featuring a hero and heroine who each carry their own emotional baggage, and who learn that that burden is lighter when shared. Possibly my favorite installment of the entire Reluctant Royals series.

4.5 stars. This was a super cute love story about an almost prince, who hides his pain behind lies and a fake playboy persona. No one knows the real Johan under the lies, until he meets Nya. She can see the real him and he can’t lie to her. Though she’s hurt and inexperienced with people due to her father’s abuse keeping her locked up in her home. I love how these characters built a solid friendship, helped each other heal and grow, then slowly fell in love. Beautiful.

*I think my rating may have been higher if I’d read this as part of a series, not a stand alone. I think there was probably more character background in previous books, though I’m only guessing based on this book.

Title : A Prince On Paper

Series: Reluctant Royals #3

Author: Alyssa Cole

Pages:

Genre:Romance

Harper Collins Publishers

Book synopsis

Nya Jerami fled Thesolo for the glitz and glamour of NYC but discovered that her Prince Charming only exists in her virtual dating games. When Nya returns home for a royal wedding, she accidentally finds herself up close and personal—in bed—with the real-life celebrity prince who she loves to hate.

For Johan von Braustein, the red-headed step-prince of Liechtienbourg, acting as paparazzi bait is a ruse that protects his brother—the heir to the throne—and his own heart. When a royal referendum threatens his brother’s future, a fake engagement is the perfect way to keep the cameras on him.

Nya and Johan both have good reasons to avoid love, but as desires are laid bare behind palace doors, they must decide if their fake romance will lead to a happily-ever-after.



My thoughts

Rating:4

Would I recommend it? Yes

Would I read anything else by this author ?Yes

Stars off slow but that's because the Main Character Nya is like a cry baby ,all she can think about is.her father ,and.it's like it's all about me ,because of that it took me a little while to get into the story and once I did I actually started to like it . I loved the male character Johan and I started to even liked the interacting between the 2 which surprised me with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

I mean, what else was I to expect with an Alyssa Cole story? The characters are fantastic. The story is fun. The romance is sweet and lovely. This entire series is going to be my go-to books for when I need a happy place.

Alyssa Cole makes my heart burst with joy yet again. The plot here is a bit ramblier and harder to follow than the others in the series, but the characters are so delightful it's easy to forgive. Johan and Nya both have some serious emotional Issues, but they both get the chance to learn and grow and heal together, which is immensely satisfying. Loved the inclusion of a signficant nonbinary character, whose plotline is handled really well, I think. As always, Cole writes fantastic erotic scenes, and I really appreciated that Nya gets the chance to explore her sexuality slowly and on her own terms with Johan, instead of jumping from virgin to sex goddess in one night like too many other romantic heroines. The weird mashup of French and German that Johan occasionally speaks takes a little getting used to, but there's so much humor and heart here. Another great installation in a great series.

I would die for Nya and Lukas. I fucking loved this Reluctant Royal, for sure top 3. The ending had me shooken and I think I'd like to see Nya's father IN THE ELECTRIC CHAIR. My bad bitches Ledi and Portia continue to be bad bitches!

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review**
I discovered Alyssa Cole last month and really enjoyed the way she weaves pop culture into the stories without it taking over.
This installment focuses Nya, who we met in the first book, and Johan. Johan’s backstory is recognizable: a red haired prince who lost his beloved royal, charity focused mother and hides behind a bad boy persona.
Nya’s father created s myriad of problems in her home country and raised her to believe she could not make any decisions on her own.
I love that the characters in her books have difficult conversations. They make mistakes. They hurt people. They apologize. And they figure their shit out.
This book also has a non binary character. I have heard the term but I don’t know a lot about it. I love a book that can help me learn something new.
There was so much to love in this book. It was an easy read and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

A quick, fun, dirty read based on the old trope of a snarky rake falling for the shy wallflower. Through in a modern setting and some colorful characters and you've got a fun read!

Let me be upfront. I love Alyssa Cole. And I freakin’ adore this series.

Nya and Johan are both struggling. Nya is struggling to find out who she is and what she wants after years of emotional manipulation and being repressed by her father. Johan has been struggling to keep a lid on his emotions since his mother passed away years ago.

I loved this book, the journey these characters took, their individual evolution and growth, as well as how their relationship developed. I loved Johan’s not to secret hidden depth (he WAS nice!) and Nya’s desire to be her own hero and rise up from her past. These were two excellent characters to root for, both of whom, despite the tragedies their lives had handed them, found enough strength and fortitude to take a risk on the biggest gamble life has to offer...love.

5 solid stars.

Alyssa Cole just keeps knocking this series out of the park. I feel like I've been waiting for Johan's book forever. His prominent appearance in a Duke by Default had me desperate to read his love story. Nya has been soft spoken in the other books and I didn't know how I would feel about her story. But now I can safety say she was one of the best parts of this book. Nya isn't soft spoken and timid. We get a better understanding of her viewpoint and how she feels about her life. Her progression in this book is amazing.

We get still get a decent amount of Portia and Ledi too, which I was hoping for! I don't want this series to ever end. This is everything I want in a romance; geeky girls, royalty, and sass. If you liked the previous installments this is a must read!

ARC provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It’s not often that I love a book so deliriously much that not only do I stay up late on a work night because I HAVE to read the ending, but I also procrastinate for a week on writing the review because I’m afraid that I won’t do it justice, AND I also have book hangover for a week. But that was exactly how I felt about A Prince on Paper.
Going into reading this book, I expected to enjoy it. Alyssa Cole is one of my favorite historical romance novelists, and this story sounded like it had a Prince Harry fanfic feel to it, which sounded fun. A Princess in Theory, the first in this series, was a solid romance, but I didn’t wildly love it, and I haven’t read the second book, because I didn’t like Portia and wasn’t sure I wanted to read a whole novel about her. So I didn’t actually remember much about Nya going into this story (which, it turns out, wasn’t a hindrance to enjoying the story). Which is all to say, I didn’t have huge expectations for this story, other than that I expected it to be at least moderately enjoyable. Well, and also I really loved the cover. Gorgeous!
Yet somehow, from the very beginning, I was sucked in by Nya and Johan and their story. Perhaps I could relate to a traumatized and shy but courageous nerdy heroine. Perhaps I love the damaged bad boys (who really aren’t so bad). But certainly I loved these two. Nya is carrying so much at the start of this book. Not only trauma from a lifetime of emotional manipulation and abuse at the hand of her father, but also the stigma that came from being the daughter of a convicted traitor and terrorist of her own country. So while she is dealing with the trauma of being wronged by the same person as everyone else had been, she has to contend with that with lots of additional unkind scrutiny and hostility, without many of the connections and relationships that most of us take for granted in our support networks. It’s such a pleasure to see her grow and become stronger and more confident throughout this story.
Meanwhile, Johan, or the playboy “JoJo,” as the press knows him, is one person to the outside world, and another person within himself, and yet another person, a weird combination of public and private persona, with a select and trusted few friends and family. I found Johan so utterly refreshing as a male lead in a romance. He is openly bisexual (I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance with a bisexual hero before.), and highly sensitive, in a world that has made it clear that his sensitivity is unwelcome. So his tender heart of gold is buried so far far down where it’s safe. He has so many defense mechanisms–and probably an attachment disorder or two. That made me really sad for him (although sometimes also very frustrated). He’s also hilarious. The scene where he tries to amuse/ distract Nya by “talking dirty” to her is absolutely hilarious. I laughed so much reading it that I had to read it to my spouse, who also laughed at it. That’s not his only funny line, but it might be my favorite.

Alyssa Cole has outdone herself in character development of these two, and at sharp, smart, insightful dialogue. I highlighted so many passages, which I cannot quote directly, due to having read an ARC. Whether discussing the hard realities of the world we live in, or the silly elements of romantic relationships, the dialogue felt rich and real and immersive. Even the fictional home countries of the two main characters were drawn in rich and believable detail. I could imagine I was walking around their streets and through their gardens. I also found the lack of American setting at all to be a welcome change of pace.
The story also had so many romantic novel firsts for me, a long-time romance reader. Not just a bisexual hero, but also a character who comes out as *spoiler*. A heroine who is believably virginal, to the point of having learned most sexual concepts from her online dating games. A heroine who is also better at online gaming than at live human interactions. Having the heroine’s menstruation contribute a significant point to the plot. Matter-of-fact references to beauty from an African woman’s perspective, from worries about preventing ashy skin to both traditional and modern African clothing styles to repeated mention of Nya’s braids. Even the sexual interactions between Nya and Johan were different than I’d read in romance novels before. No spoilers about them. They were just different from stereotypical romance novel sex scenes.
Being me, of course I have a few small critiques. For instance, Johan is just about superhumanly selfless in many sexual interactions in this book. I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, or is totally unrealistic, but I thought it stretched credulity a little that he didn’t even ask/ try for anything more for so very long. Also, the three couples from previous stories in the series didn’t add a lot to this story for me, aside from moving the plot line along by being supportive of the two main characters, adding advice and providing encouragement. Otherwise they got really boring with their flawless happiness. I’m glad they were still happy. It just wasn’t very interesting to read about. And while I suppose it’s realistic for a moody teenager, Johan’s little brother Lukas was a real brat a lot of the time. Finally, a major plot point got resolved way too easily at the end, in my opinion. The perpetrator did not appear to face appropriate consequences for the often cruel sabotage they’d enacted, and it was all just breezily dismissed from the story, even though it seemed like there would have been national or even international repercussions. Speaking of endings, I also really rolled my eyes at the epilogue. This book ended perfectly without it, in my opinion, but the cheesy stereotypical romance novel epilogue dragged that ending down a little for me. It didn’t seem to flow with the nuanced telling of the rest of the story, and I was disappointed.
But while I may have had some gripes, I still absolutely loved this story. I read it in 48 hours, to the detriment of a full night of sleep. I laughed repeatedly, often out loud. I felt deeply for both Nya and Johan, and was completely absorbed in the hope of a happy resolution for both of them. This was a delightful story, and one of my very favorite romance novels in a long time. I will be buying a copy of this to share. I hope you’ll pick up a copy to read as well.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved Alyssa Cole’s latest book, A Prince on Paper. Sometimes by the time an author reaches the third book in a series, it feels redundant, but not this time. Nya and Johan are fresh characters that are three dimensional people the reader wants to spend time with.

Both Nya and Johan are members of Ledi and Biso’s royal wedding party (from A Princess in Theory). They’ve each tried to avoid their attraction to each other but with no luck. Add in family drama, adorable nicknames and a fake engagement, and all the elements of a fabulous romance are in place.

Once they are pushed together, they realize the playboy prince and the naive royal have more in common than it seems. Their banter and bickering are fantastic. Nya in particular shows how she’s developing a sense of herself. Having the strength to bicker and tease someone without fear, especially Johan, is a big step forward for her. I love the ways they both take advantage of their tight knit friend networks, too. This book is a fantastic conclusion to the Reluctant Royals series. I’m sad to say goodbye to these characters, but I couldn’t have asked for a more satisfying conclusion.