Synopsis
Brielle Adebayo is fully content teaching at a New York City public school and taking annual summer vacations with her mother to Martha’s Vineyard. But everything changes when her mom drops the mother of all bombshells–Brielle is a princess in the kingdom of Ọlọrọ Ilé, Africa, and she must immediately assume her royal position, since the health of her grandfather, King Tiwa Jimoh Adebayo, is failing.
Distraught by her mother’s betrayal, Brielle is further left spinning when the Ọlọrọ Ilé Royal Council brings up an old edict that states she must marry before assuming the throne or the crown will be passed to another. Uncertain who to choose from the council’s list of bachelors, she struggles with the decision along with the weight of her new role in a new country. With her world totally shaken, she must take a chance on love and brave the perils a wrong decision may bring.
The Good
💍Faith and having relationship with God as a constant in the story was thought provoking – makes me realize how absent faith & religion is to many stories.
💍Lore of the world
💍Representation of God and Godly vision was interesting.
💍The different conflicts
💍Bachelorette-esque meeting of the romantic options was fun
The Bad
💍The story…
~Could have done more in terms of conflicts?
~Can feel low stakes at times
~Skips interesting events- kings death, wedding, romantic build up (we really do not get to see them bond & the love interest is eh)
~Does not sit with the characters enough – so villain(s) reveal could have been better.
The Meh
💍Does the story work better as a contemporary more than a romance?
Thoughts
💍Faith & romance – interesting reading this with the increase of open door/spicy romances
💍How does religion effect the story? The pace? The stakes? The romance?
💍Did religion/faith step in the way of fully sitting with conflicts? (This is not to put down the presence of faith in the story)
💍Trope of the American coming in fixing Africa with their advanced American ways can be messy
💍Does the story lowkey talk down the kingdom of Ọlọrọ? Is the king a good king if he cannot buy folks bibles?
(cover and synopsis are from goodreads)
my book club won this from Bethany House Publishers
themollyweather 