How to Catch a Queen

APPLE BOOKS REVIEW

You won’t find the kingdom of Njaza on any map, but this exciting romance will make you feel like you’ve actually traveled to the fictional African locale. The book’s heroine, Shanti, is Njaza’s newly crowned queen, but things aren’t going as she’d hoped. Shanti’s arranged marriage to the handsome but sexist King Sanyu seems destined to fail, especially when she demonstrates a superior handle on their regal responsibilities and challenges all of his antiquated beliefs. We were totally rooting for Alyssa Cole’s idealistic, strong-willed Black heroine and her fight to do what’s right for her country. At the same time, we couldn’t deny that her chemistry with the bullheaded Sanyu gave us serious butterflies. Karen Chilton narrates the tale with so much elegance and grace that she sounds like a queen herself, making us feel like part of the royal court. And we loved the way Cole even subtly weaves in important themes of postcolonialism to her swoon-worthy romance. Bring on the sequel!