As expected Alyssa Cole delivers another wonderful story featuring strong female characters. The female protagonist could easily fall into a stereotypical role of a woman wanting to be Queen just for the title. However, Cole's character wants to be Queen as a way to help people. She spends years learning about various ways in which monarchies can work with their people to make their country a better place. That isn't something you typically see in a romance novel, but knowing Cole's previous work it doesn't surprise me. The women are strong, but the romance is still there and much more real. These women are no ordinary damsels. They are real women who just about anyone can identify with.

How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole


A Runaway Royals book I
I am completely fangirling over this royally epic romance that Alyssa Cole has written. For many reasons but first that it has encumbered so many of my favorite tropes and done amazingly. (But we already knew this, Cole does no wrong!)

We have our female lead and bad ass woman, Shanti. She has grown up being groomed to be a future queen. Her parents did not care what kingdom she would eventually rule, but they did know that she WOULD rule alongside a king one day. They catered to her education, groomed her good looks, and sharpened her knowledge of politics to ensure she would be the complete package of a queen.

Insert our male lead and newly crowned king, Sanyu. His father passes away in the very beginning pushing forward Sanyu to be crowned and take on the royal duties right away. In order for him to be rightfully crowned he must also marry, which is why his royal advisors bring Shanti to him and arrange the quick marriage.

Now I must point out that Sanyu is extremely intimidated by the crown and all the responsibilities that come along with it. Since he was young he had always envisioned himself running away and living out a normal life. Sanyu does not believe he could ever fill in his father’s shoes. He doubts he will ever gain the same amount of respect.

For their quick encounter Sanyu and Shanti have an immediate and intense spark between them. He sees Shanti for the strong woman she is and is also intimidated by her. After their quick marriage Sanyu does almost everything to keep his distance from her and they rarely have encounters. Which was such a bummer at first, I kept craving that sizzling connection between these two, it was just so invigorating and addictive!

Now the book obviously goes into this way deeper but the country that Sanyu rules, Njaza the marriages to the king run a little differently than we are used to. There is a “trial period,” and historically Sanyu’s father never kept ANY bride longer than the trial period, including Sanyu’s mother. So during Sanyu and Shanti’s trial period, Sanyu successfully avoids Shanti al-throughout.

Except for on the eve of the end of their trial period, Shanti speaks out during a council meeting and draws Sanyu to her. They begin meeting in secret because Shanti’s sharp mind and even sharper tongue spark a curiosity in the king. The secret meetings become their very own personal council sessions, Sanyu seeking advice and council from Shanti, Shanti expertly teaching Sanyu about politics and economics.

Things seem to be going great until there is chaos and uprising. And then, Shanti runs away. Now Sanyu is left with a political mess and a need to find this queen of his that sparked so much passion and bravery in him.

How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole is a royally epic slow burn romance. It has all the notes that Cole hits so eloquently including the steam, the political accuracy, a bad ass female lead, an elaborate plot that has built such an intricate universe. I look forward to finding out more about these Runaway Royals series!

I highly recommend How to Catch a Queen. The read is super entertaining filled with laugh out loud moments that only Alyssa can muster (during the most serious of moments, ah, it’s the best.)

Alyssa Cole’s How to Catch a Queen gets 4.5 stars from me, and I semi-patiently wait for the next in the series.

Alyssa Cole is a queen, so it only makes sense that her books about queens always delight me. Her newest series, Runaway Royals, brings to readers a new set of royals to fall in love with, but there are plenty of connections to beloved characters from her Reluctant Royals series.

In How to Catch a Queen we meet Shanti Mohapi, who weds the king of Njaza. From the moment of their marriage, a clock starts. She's on trial, hoping to win his heart and become the true queen of Njaza so that she can enact her vision of social change. She doesn't expect the chemistry she feels, however, that threatens everything.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I loved Alyssa Cole's other royals series so of course I had high hopes diving into this new one. It did take me a bit to like our heroine who at first introduction seemed more aloof. However, once we got to know her everything clicked and I admired her big heart and ambition. Our hero was likewise cold at first but we learn his traumatic past formed his defensive nature. The two had good chemistry right away and I enjoyed their story. The world of this kingdom and others is fascinating. I of course loved seeing our beloved characters still making an appearance in texts and support for these two new lovers. Great premise and I expect I'll keep enjoying the series as we get more.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO HOW TO CATCH A QUEEN BY ALYSSA COLE?
Alyssa Cole is one of the best romance writers out there (and also, I want to check out her thriller too). So, it just made sense to listen to How To Catch A Queen – particularly as I’ve listened to both of her novellas as well as A Princess In Theory and A Duke By Default. With my powerbeats on the ears, I was beyond READY to give this book a listen, and even more exciting? It is the start to a new series from Cole – Runaway Royals.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
Shanti has dreamed of becoming a queen. It is what she has worked her whole life for, after all she wants to make a difference in the lives of people on a large scale. A royal matchmaking app sets her up with the king of Njaza. Luckily Shanti and Sanyu are immediately attracted to each other, however, they don’t really act on that attraction. Also? Shanti’s dreams don’t turn out how she expected. She’s treated as an outsider by the court of Njaza and by the people. She doesn’t really get a voice and instead is relegated to scanning old documents in the national archive.

Meanwhile, Sanyu has been taught to be like his father and rule with an iron fist. His advisor seems to have more say than he does. Sanyu gives speeches that are more his dad’s style, than his style. Plus, he won’t let himself get attached to Shanti, because Njaza history shows that queens don’t stick around. Rather, they last for a couple months and then it is on to the next one. Still, he cannot deny the attraction to Shanti. Plus, she’s got excellent political skills and a very analytical mind. But, by day, he’s really quite distant from her.

HOW DID I LIKE HOW TO CATCH A QUEEN?
Cole’s How To Catch A Queen is a great start to a new series. I could relate to Shanti’s need to be of service and of use. I liked that she chafed against not really having a purpose or being allowed to grow to her full potential while in Njaza. She’s an admirable and wonderful main character. As for Sanyu, I wasn’t a huge fan at first. He’s kind of a jerk to Shanti. However, he has the most dynamic character journey. Plus, I can get why he was the way that he was and kind of want to chalk it up to attachment issues, given he didn’t really have a mother figure and his father figure was not super affectionate or loving. I ended up coming around to Sanyu’s character and then rooting for this couple to get it right.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook narrator is Karen Chilton. It is 10 hours and 53 minutes unabridged. This is not my first time listening to a Chilton narrated audiobook and it certainly won’t be my last. Chilton is an excellent narrator with a lovely voice. She narrates in a way that is not overwrought or annoying. How To Catch A Queen is wonderful in audiobook form and of course, I’d recommend.

I think I read the first chapter 3 times and then I gave up for a while because I just didn't vibe with Sanyu... Then the fourth (?) time was the charm! As soon as Shanti was introduced to the story I flew through the book (we're talking one day/sitting). I loved how strong and fierce and intelligent and unwilling to put up with bullshit she is. It was utterly inspiring. I also loved how vulnerable and emotional Sanyu is, as well as the bit of mystery we get in the plot. I really appreciated Shanti's struggle with developing female friendships and her work/ambition/life balance. She might just be my favorite Alyssa Cole character to date!

4 out of 5 wine glasses

This one was a lot harder to get into than some of Cole's author modern royals stories. Sanyu and Shanti were up against a lot, and especially in the beginning I felt like there was a huge disconnect with Sanyu's struggles with anxiety versus his outwards display of being rough and almost mean. I just didn't think he would be capable of being that gruff when inside he was feeling so self-conscious.

But Cole really built a good story and I was really happy with how it all wrapped up. It was just hard to support Sanyu when he would let everyone treat Shanti like that. And Musoke is still not redeemed for me. I had a hard time with that guy. A seriously doubt that guy would have been willing to go to a therapist, but I don't know...

I posted about the book a few times on my instagram feed and in my stories, see links below. I'm still very happy with the book and Cole continues to just rock the romance genre.

I really enjoyed How to Catch a Queen. Sanyu is the prince of Njaza and when he learns his father is dying, he must quickly wed before he takes the throne. He is matched with Shanti and they are quickly married. Shanti has always dreamt of being queen and leading a country by her husband’s side - but that is not what she finds. She is new to Njaza, doesn’t speak the language and is mostly left on her own or given busy work. Can she help the new king see what needs to be done for the people of Njaza?

Shortly before listening to this book I listened to the episode of Brene Brown’s podcast where she interviewed (now President-elect) Joe Biden before that election. In that episode, Brown spoke about power and specifically the difference between leaders who come from a place of “power over” and those who lead from a mindset of “power with”. Power Over leaders see power as finite and work to minimize others and maximize their own power. Power With leaders believe in leadership in service to others and that power expands when shared.

I loved the experience of reading this book with that information in the front of my mind and seeing the ways that Shanti and Sanyu discussed the monarchy and decisions for their (fictional) country. I also loved the explorations of patriarchy and true partnership in marriage. I felt like the romance between the two was really secondary - but I didn’t miss it. I was thoroughly enthralled by the story and look forward to more books in this series.

Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for the advance reading copies. I also listened to the audiobook which I highly recommend - the narration was excellent.

Perception vs. reality - that is what this book starts with. A royal prince and later king that doesn’t want any responsibilities of being a king and wants to run away and a commoner who has grandiose plans about making changes in the world by being a queen after watching royalty on stage and on television. It’s a rather interesting conundrum that the author talks about in this book. I loved thinking about this perspective and especially as I met Shanti and Sanyu. Their personalities were molded due to the way they were brought up. A prince who was constantly criticized became a king that doubted his every word and action while the commoner that was supported in her dreams by her parents even when the entire world laughed at them, believed in herself enough to become a queen. The chemistry between them is really hot and I loved how their relationship matured. I would highly recommend this book. This is book one from the Runaway Royals series and I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in this series.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

Arranged marriage? Meets a woman determined to be a Queen to make change? I was hooked. Shanti has to be one of my favorite heroines from Cole's books! She's determined to make a difference and immersed in a world of traditions and sexism. Haven't you ever wanted, so badly, to make your mark in the world? To change it for the better and believe in the possibility of change? I was rooting for her from the very beginning especially as she fights a system that is mired in traditions for tradition sake.

There's nothing wrong with traditions. But when you let them hold you back from change, from progress, that becomes a problem. You have to figure out a way to honor the past, while moving into the future. How to Catch a Queen is even more than that. Cole manages to deliver not only a steamy romance, but also a story that examines the ways history and stories change. The ways they are written by the victors and can hide secrets and power.

As always, Alyssa Cole delivers smart & sexy romance. A hero with anxiety and a determined heroine determined to make him the true king he ought to be make for a delightful read.

I really liked this book - the setting and the characters! I appreciated how both of the main characters learned from each other, and grew as a result. I thought the texting between the royals from different countries was endearing and fun, and it made me want to read other titles by Alyssa Cole.

How to Catch a Queen is the first book in the Reluctant Royals series. We’ve met Shanti Mohapi in previous books by Ms. Cole. Her home country is Thesolo. She has spent her life preparing to be a Queen. Thanks to a post in “Royalmatch.com”, she has finally gotten her chance. Even though she has married King Sanyu II, we still don’t know if she will ever be respected as the Queen of Njaza. Prince Sanyu is thrust into the role of King after his father’s death and he questions if he has what it takes to truly be King.

Ms. Cole is a true story teller who makes sure we know the ins and outs of this fictional African country. She is so good with analogies to make her point. It was interesting to read the customs where kings were not supposed to love their own wives. Sanyu’s body didn’t know anything about this rule! His interest and attraction in his own wife is considered strange. He originally didn’t care about finding his one true Queen, but started to question if Shanti could be it. There are some steamy scenes when Sanyu and Shanti give in to their attraction. It’s interesting how Ms. Cole continues to use formal terms even when they were physically connecting.

Lumu was Sanyu’s confidant and counselor. He attempted to instruct him about the matters of love, but wasn’t sure Sanyu was getting it. I enjoyed their almost brotherly interactions. Shanti was adopted as a friend by Nya, Portia and even Ledi tried to lend a helping hand.

Sanyu and Shanti had both been positively and negatively influenced by their families and traditions. However, they were both rebelling to do things their own way. There are quite a few missteps as Sanyu navigates his new world a King and Shanti navigates as Queen. Ms. Cole teaches them a lot about themselves along the way. How to Catch a Queen is a good start to a new series.

Dreams and Wishes

This was a slow start for me I was ready to give up on the story when it kicked in with a bang. As a young girl, Shanti has always wished, dreamed, and played the part of a queen. What's a girl to do so that her dream may come true? In this day and age, you join the Royal Matching Making site. On the Royal side, we have a Prince who could care less about being a Prince. The country of Njaza doesn't make life easy for Shanti or Sanya. This story was full of loving characters, especially Kenyatta the guardswoman who had no problem speaking her mind. I enjoyed learning about the. culture

Thank you to Harper Collins and Net Galley for an advance copy of How To Catch A Queen To read and give an honest review..

#NetGalley#HowtoCatchaQueen #Cilliasbookmaniacs #Mamatoni

I really enjoyed this book, it was a quick and fun read and a nice change from the typical royal romances. Great chemistry with the characters and especially loved the heroine and how she grows in her role.

“Keep moving toward your goals, even when they seem impossible. In fact, you should be moving toward the goal that follows your initial one, with certainty you’ll achieve the first.”

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I also miraculously got my first win of a giveaway on Goodreads, so thank you again to Goodreads and Avon for a mass market paperback copy as well!

How to Catch a Queen is a modern day arranged marriage romance set in the isolated Njaza.

Many little girls have the dream of being a princess or queen, but Shanti not only kept said dream as a young woman, but also spent her entire life taking steps to actually achieve that goal! Unfortunately, the title of Queen means almost less than nothing in Njaza, where the soon-to-be King Sanyu II is expected to have a new wife every four months...

I was not expecting to enjoy this book, as I rarely ever like modern day royalty plots. Even in this busy month of holidays, though, I had a hard time putting this story down! The humorous text messages had me laughing out loud, the friendships were real and pure, I enjoyed all the side characters and learning about their lives, and there were a plethora quotes I found motivational.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys slow burn romance, modern day royalty, or arranged marriage tropes. I look forward to reading more by Alyssa Cole in the near future!

Notes: I should have this review up on Instagram by the end of the week when I get computer access again!

If I'm honest, this wasn't my favorite Alyssa Cole, and it didn't hit me in the feels as strongly as her Reluctant Royals series. I had trouble relating to her hero because he seemed so entirely out of touch with his own emotions (and not just romantically), and I just wanted to shake her heroine because she could do so much better than an emotionally stunted man-child with supreme daddy issues. Very little of this improved over the course of the book, and a seeming deus ex machina supposedly redeems the villain of the tale, which rung false for me.

Shanti has always had one dream in life: become a queen. So when she finally achieves this goal by marrying the king of the isolated kingdom of Njaza, she should be elated. But Njaza is a kingdom where queens last only four-months, and her king is less than enthused about marrying her. Shanti, however, isn't going to let that stop her.

I LOVED THIS.

How to Catch a Queen is the start of a new trilogy (I hope!) that are companion novels to the Reluctant Royals trilogy, operating in the same world and with secondary characters from the other books. Shanti had featured briefly in A Princess in Theory, as the crown-grasping girl who Naledi throws up on. She didn't get a lot of page-time in that book, and what page-time she had was unflattering, to say the least, but I was so happy to see her shine and get a chance to grow.

And grow she did. Her goal of queenship was not a naive child's dream, but one where she had evaluated the world and her place in it, and decided on the best ways to make real change. And she dedicated herself to her dream, from a commoner striving into royalty for a reason—she knew politics, she knew history, she was well-versed in ruling, government, economy, agriculture, revolution and everything else.

So throwing her into a queenship at last, and to have that queenship be in a world where women have been silenced—and the most important woman in the country was a revolving door of endless wives—was a slap to the face.
He'd been raised to be a warrior king in a world that didn't need one, but somehow he'd never won a battle of stubbon will with this whip-thin old man who'd never raised a hand to him.

However, as enjoyable as Shanti's storyline was, I was more intrigued by her love interest, the taciturn king, Sanyu. Whoooo that man had some emotional baggage and unresolved trauma.

Sanyu's character was fascinating, as he was a sensitive man who had had his sensitivity and compassion nearly beaten out of him. He had suppressed all memories of kindness from women, and had repressed any affection for the queens who had flitted in and out of his life so much. He had also been emotionally and physically abused by his father and his father's main advisor, who had been trying to train him into caricatures of themselves in an attempt to shoehorn Sanyu into a world that didn't need a warrior king, but a leader with flexibility, vision and compassion.

So Sanyu coped with all this—and the death of his father—by shutting down emotionally and walling himself off. Which...is a coping mechanism often used by victims of emotional abuse.
If the most important woman in the land is little more than a temporary trinket—not even a trophy, which is shown off—then the seamstress and the shop owner and the shepherdess shouldn't expect any better. There's an ugly brilliance to it, and the fact that it might not have been purposeful makes it worse.

Ugh, how do I even begin to describe or sum up the layers to this book?! The romance is cute and all that, and I enjoyed the marriage before love trope, but the real ways this book shines is in its commentary about women's place in society and how history is told.

Sanyu lived his entire life surrounded by and steeped in propaganda. When he was born, a song was made up about him filled with heroism and rousing rah-rah-nationalism. He grew up with the living legends of his father and his advisor, in a land that had recently thrown off its colonizers and adapted its own history to fit the legend of the king.

The book thoroughly explores what happens in a land where history is rewritten by the victors—who is left out, what truths are told and what lies are promoted and for what purpose? What happens to those whose voices are silenced, either voluntarily or by force? What is the purpose of history, after all, and what happens when leaders forget their purpose in favor of a mythologized past?
Johan: Before you go, I was wondering if you could share your workout routine? I thought my thigh game was top-tier, but I'm trying to get on your level.
Sanyu: Try twenty-eight years of training with the Njazan Royal Guard.
Johan: Hm. I'll do more lunges and see what happens.

Last but not least—I loved the secondary characters! Old favorites pop up, particularly Johan and Nya (and Johan's family's history as Njaza's colonizers), and they are delightful and provide (often reluctant) frameworks of support for both Shanti and Sanyu.

Plus, I loved the woman who appeared in the novel, particularly the grumpy librarian and Shanti's revolutionaries, who lived a forgotten history. I can't say anything more without spoiling things, but there was a van ride that had me tearing up so badly.

Also, I really, really need Cole to write the screenplay of that fantasy romance, because I need some ridiculous but incredibly serious chickenshifters with a romance between a rooster, an alpha hen and a beta hen. I need more!

I cannot wait for book 2!

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Going into How To Catch A Queen, I expected a light fun read featuring a modern royalty romance. It ended up being a bit too politically heavy for me, in my opinion. I found this a bit tedious because politics were a large factor of the book rather than romance. Not much happens in the beginning and it’s quite slow. As for the characters, I liked Shanti because she was a strong feminist character. She wanted to be queen to make a difference for people rather than just for the title or the prince/king so this was refreshing to me. Sanyu was alright, I warmed up to a bit later but there wasn’t anything necessarily great about him. I couldn’t really connect with the romance for some reason, not sure if it was because Sanyu was just mediocre or what. I couldn’t explain that but there was something about it lacking to me, possibly because there wasn’t enough interactions between the two of them. I do have to say I love this cover!

Thanks to Netgalley and to Harper Collins/Avon publishers for the advanced copy of this book!

I’ve heard great thing about Alyssa Cole so I was excited to receive a copy however I could not get into the story or the romance between the characters. It felt way too impersonal but I do still want to read another book from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.