A Prince on Paper

I definitely haven't read widely enough to make the following sweeping statement, but I'm going to make it anyway: Alyssa Cole is the best romance author working today. I say this after reading a mere three of her books. But those books are just so good. And she's clearly incredibly versatile (contemporary romances about modern royalty, historicals set during the Civil War, a series of dystopian romances, novels and novellas and compelling characters from every sort of background you can imagine). So even though I have a lot of her backlog left to get through, I'm gonna go ahead and say she's one of the best in the business.

I just finished her most recent release, A Prince on Paper. Sheltered Nya and Playboy Johan find themselves thrown together in a fake engagement to distract the press while they both figure out some stuff. Nya is dealing with the fallout of her traitorous father and trying to break free from the image he crafted for her. Johan is trying to distract from his younger brother's shenanigans as his country gears up to vote on a referendum that may alter their entire government. And through it the two of them learn to open up to and support each other and actually begin to deal with some of their baggage.

Nya is fantastic, but I actually found Johan's story to be slightly more interesting. It's a fascinating examination of some of the more subtle effects of toxic masculinity. Johan himself is a pretty incredible dude, hiding behind his public persona while he privately continues his mother's legacy of charitable giving and is an excellent friend to anyone who comes his way. That persona was initially created as a shield when he was bullied in high school. And his attempts to shield his brother from the same bullying, while well-meaning and coming from a place of love, end up conveying the message that his brother needs to stay closeted for his own good. It's a lovely story about family love and legacy and good intentions and what support actually looks like.

I've loved every one of Alyssa Cole's books so far, and I'm anxious to track down the rest of her work. The only question is where to go now that I've finished her contemporary work - the war-torn past or the dystopian future.

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