Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Avon
Page Length: 384 pages
Format: Trade Copy Paperback
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mr. Darcy‘s Rating: “I love, I love, I love you.”
A Chasing Mr. Darcy Review
A Princess in Theory was gifted to me by my friend Hannah who runs @thepaperbackbruncher bookstagram account, and we buddy read this title together. I had really high expectations for this book after hearing wonderful things about it, and the ending kind of left me going “meh” honestly. Initially, though, this book hooked me in fast.
Here’s a plot synopsis from Amazon: 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?
I really liked Naledi, and I found her character to be smart and sassy. I thought she was really impressive in as a scientist, and I love reading about women in the stem field. At times, though, Naledi was a bit annoying because she had a huge chip on her shoulder. She went through a lot in this book, and she had a lot of surprises thrown at her. At times, though, she was downright rude, and I didn’t like those qualities in her character.
I thought Thabiso was a fun male lead, and I really enjoyed the dynamic between him and his assistant. He was a fun, flirty male lead, and I liked his somewhat laissez faire attitude about life and love. He initially went to New York with something to prove, and he ended up loving what he found in America, Naledi included. I did find his character to be a bit one dimensional, though, when I was expecting some layers to him. Accepting his character at face value didn’t make me like him any less; I was just hoping for a bit of depth to his character.
As a romance, this book had a decent amount of steam and a lot of chemistry between the two leads. There was a bit of instant love, which I’m not a huge fan of, but otherwise the connection between the two was really authentic. I rated this book three stars, though, because the ending was completely rushed. I read the entire book to have the “conflicts” in the story solved in only a matter of a few pages in a completely unrealistic way. I was not happy with the ending of the book, and it completely detracted from the first 2/3 of the story.
If you enjoy romances, I would encourage you to pick up this book and make your own judgment about the ending because the first 2/3 of the story was really engaging!
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