I received this book for free from Avon in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole
Also in this series: A Princess in Theory, A Duke by Default, Once Ghosted, Twice Shy
Series: Reluctant Royals #3
Published by Avon on April 30, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Royalty
Reading Challenges: Bad Boys of Romance 2019
The Reluctant Royals series returns with a good girl searching for the life that’s not too big, and not too small, and the bad boy prince who might be just right for her…
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.
*May Contain Spoilers*
A Prince on Paper is the third full-length installment in the Reluctant Royals series and I am not sure if this author plans on more books in this series, but if not I have adored every moment in reading these books and I love the humor and endearing qualities that we have seen in this series. I always get a kick out of a well written royal romance, and man no one does it better than Alyssa Cole. Ever since Duke By Default, I have been so stoked for this story, I loved seeing these two characters in the previous books and I had a delightful time seeing them find their own happily ever after.
A Prince on Paper begins with our heroine, Nya Jerami, who once fled Thesolo, wanting to be free and find herself in the glamour of New York City. But it just didn’t work out that way for her. New York City wasn’t quite the experience that she was hoping for and now with her cousin and friend having their wedding in Thesolo, she will be going back home and back to the painful memories. But on the plane ride home, she finds herself in a bed with the bad boy prince….Johan von Braustein. There has always been a bit of chemistry between Nya and Johan but with the distance between them, nothing has really cemented between them until they come to close quarters with each other and for the first time Nya is beginning to find herself and see beneath the bad boy exterior that Johan hides behind.
Johan and Nya are both hiding from their pasts. Johan hides from emotion, ever since his mother died he has never been able to open himself up. He hides behind the man the paparazzi knows and to protect his younger brother who is the heir to Liechtienbourg. But secretly he supports multiple charities with his own funds, in a way to honor his mother. But he can’t let anyone know the truth, its something he wants to do on his own without any recognition so he can help others without it being tainted by his bad reputation. But Johan has secretly had a love for Nya but hides it until the wedding in Thesolo and he sees a woman of courage and strength that he wants to bring out in the light, a woman who hides a big part of herself. But when they go on a journey together, from the wilds of Thesolo to the city of Liechtienbourg, their love for each other will be revealed and a passion neither of them realized until now…
A Prince on Paper is a beautiful romance that delivers in every way possible. I had such a blast with this book and still debating which book in the series is my favorite but honestly….a Prince on Paper is a good match for the previous two books. I loved it just as much as the previous books and I just devoured this story. There is something that Alyssa Cole does with these books that are so amazing and I can’t ever get enough of her writing especially in her contemporary love stories. There is quite a bit that we see happen in this story and boy all the diverse themes that we get introduced to including a surprising character that is a transgender but not quite in the way I have ever seen in a romance gave me all the delightful feels.
When he looked into Nya’s eyes. He saw the bait that was laid down for the follish protagonist in every fairy tale. Love. Shelter. Kindness. He saw it and he wanted it–wanted her–even though he knew the bait was inside a cage of eventual despair. Despair seemed worth it, just then.
The romance between Johan and Nya has a mix of unrequited love, royalty mix, road trip adventure, and fake relationship. We first get to see their interaction when they find themselves in the same bed and boy do sparks fly between these two here. Then we skip to when Nya arrives in Thesolo and all of her friends are there including the couple from “Once Ghosted Twice Shy” so it was fun seeing them again for a brief moment. Then we have Nya having to face up to some painful memories and how her father is still trying to torment her. We get a more in-depth look on the crimes that her father committed against Nya. It’s so heartbreaking to see her face up to these memories but also how the people in Thesolo treat her, always talking behind her back as if she committed the crimes too. But we see that Nya was a victim and a survivor. But she is still learning about her own strengths and capabilities and trying to find herself. We see how the bantering that happens between Johan and Nya is what they both really need. You see them both come out of their shells and the covers they hide behind and love seeing this unveiling.
But when Nya agrees to act as the fake fiancee for Johan, they go on an adventure together. I enjoyed seeing Nya and Johan explore their sexuality with each other while trying to act like what they have is just a temporary situation. But both their hearts are becoming involved with the act that they are trying to play and trying to solve the mystery of who is sabotaging the royal family. There was a couple that we did meet that are having marriage problems….would love to see their story for sure!!
There is so much unexpected emotion that I didn’t expect and I swear that Alyssa Cole does this on PURPOSE!! I swear she breaks my heart each and every time I pick up one of her books, but in a positive way. I love how much these two are in tune with each other, the ways they bring out the best in each other and always help each other become better. There is so much intimate growth in their relationship that we see happen and this is a delightful development that we see happen between Johan and Nya. I adored every single moment of this novel and was so sad to see it end because I fell head over heels in love with Johan and Nya.
Overall I found A Prince on Paper a delightful fairy tale of true love in the least expected moments, a story of hidden emotion, secret courage and plenty of amusing antics to delight you from head to toe!! A SPARKLING GEM!