A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

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A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole
Reluctant Royals #1
Published by Avon on February 27, 2018
Age Group & Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Representation: Black main and side characters, queer side character
Format: eBook
Source: Library

From acclaimed author Alyssa Cole comes the tale of a city Cinderella and her Prince Charming in disguise . . .

Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn’t have time for fairy tales…or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she’s betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! As a former foster kid, she’s learned that the only things she can depend on are herself and the scientific method, and a silly e-mail won’t convince her otherwise.

Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list? His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can’t resist the chance to experience life—and love—without the burden of his crown.

The chemistry between them is instant and irresistible, and flirty friendship quickly evolves into passionate nights. But when the truth is revealed, can a princess in theory become a princess ever after?

Trigger & Content Warnings: illness/pandemic, abandonment, death of a loved one (parents), attempted murder, racism, sexism

I didn’t think I needed A Princess in Theory in my life until I actually read it, then sat contemplating after finishing, because I have feels and thoughts. Most of my 2023 reads have been blatantly feel-good HEAs (because my personal life is taking me for a wild and not so grand ride), so a lot of them are unsurprisingly romance novels! Bonus points if they’re cute and fun, and Alyssa Cole definitely delivered with the first book in her Reluctant Royals trilogy.

The book follows Naledi (Ledi), a graduate student and epidemiologist working multiple jobs to get by. When she gets emails from someone named Likotsi claiming she’s betrothed to Prince Thabiso of Thesolo, a small country in Africa, she reasonably thinks the emails are spam and opts to ignore it. But that doesn’t stop Thesolo from searching for his betrothed.

A Princess in Theory is told in two POVs: Ledi and Thabiso. I adored Ledi so much, and I loved Cole explores her experiences not only as a WOC, but as a WOC in a STEM field. There were so many quotes and passages I highlighted with notes going “I FEEL THIS” because I just felt like I was being completely seen while reading. I wish I was in a much better headspace when I first picked this up, though, because I definitely took some breaks here and there. But I don’t regret pushing through at all (otherwise it’ll just join the rest of my perpetual Current Reads).

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Thabiso because honestly, that boy is way too privileged. To an extent, he’s in a rich boy bubble that came with the default of being born a prince, and you can absolutely see this in his chapters. But he’s so comical sometimes — it’s probably the only reason I made it through his chapters (that and Likotsi: I just love her so much).

Looking back, however, I actually really like the polarization from Ledi’s POV a lot (or at least, an appreciation)! We find out Ledi’s parents died when she was young, so she was placed in the foster care system. Because of her experiences in the system over the years, she’s learned to depend on no one but herself to lessen the disappointment.

She was like a faulty piece of Velcro; people tried to stick to her, but there was something intrinsically wrong in her design.

Ledi mentions her defective Velcro theory a lot throughout A Princess in Theory, and it’s just so sad — it hit me hard right into the depths of my soul. While Thabiso also has his struggles as well, he grew up in an entirely different world. He’s mostly loved by his people and supported, and he’s had opportunities with doors open for him. Ledi has to work twice as hard to even pry the door open in comparison (and sometimes that door remains closed); I just loved that Cole touches upon this throughout.

As much as I enjoyed this, there were, however, a few things that didn’t work out for me.

The miscommunication trope plays a big role here. We know this early on when the two have a chance encounter during a rough day at one of Ledi’s jobs and she mistakes Thabiso as Jamal, a new coworker. He rolls with it at first and then continues rolling with it despite Likotsi constantly advising him to tell Ledi the truth of who he is.

Typically, I don’t mind communication issues in books (I used to hate it) because communication is very complex and hard, but it’s a part of everyday life. Like yes, it’s easy to tell your parents you don’t want to go into a practical field like nursing because the thought of blood and needles? It gives you anxiety. But is it really that easy? There’s a lot of factors involved with miscommunication: language barriers, mental health stigma in a culture, relationship with them, etc. There’s so much more to it, and I could probably go on an entire tangent on this.

But something about the miscommunication trope in A Princess in Theory bugs me a lot. I feel like there were many opportunities that presented itself where he could’ve told Ledi who he really was, but he just keeps rolling with it. I get why, because Jamal is like a completely separate identity where he can truly be himself around Ledi without the bells and whistles of being a prince. There’s no pressure, no expectation — it’s freeing and invigorating. But something here just didn’t sit right with me and I can’t put my finger exactly on what’s truly bothering me.

This one is a very minor and personal preference, but the side characters are truly side characters who sit on the sidelines so the main ones can shine. And there’s nothing wrong with this at all (because that’s the whole point of having side characters)! I just love side characters who get page/screen time and feel developed without outshining the main ones, especially the ones who are getting their own books later on.

But Portia didn’t feel developed as a side character. She’s the protagonist in the next book, and I’m a little put off from reading it because of this, which disappoints me greatly. She’s a terrible friend, and I honestly hated how the friendship between her and Ledi was depicted and handled. It felt important to the story, but it also felt very… glossed over. We need more strong and positive female friendships in books!

There’s also a minor plot point that doesn’t get fully wrapped up, which I won’t spoil. I felt like it got touched upon briefly, but it didn’t feel sufficient considering the role it plays. Given this is a standalone series, I highly doubt it’ll be something that will come up in a later book.

Despite my qualms about this, it was cute and fun, and it was a delight reading A Princess in Theory overall. It’ll probably be a bit before I pick up the sequel though, and I’ll likely read Likotsi’s novella first before getting around to the rest.