How to Find a Princess: Runaway Royals (Runaway Royals, 2)

Makeda Hicks loses her job and her girlfriend in the same day. Reeling, she's forced to move back with her grandmother and help out at her bed and breakfast. Being back with Grandmore means hearing more about when Grandmore supposedly had a passionate affair with the Prince of Ibarania--leading to Makeda's mother. Makeda has no patience for this story, as her mother's obsession with being a Princess dominated Makeda's entire childhood. When it never panned out, she disconnected from life (and Makeda), receding into alcoholism and forcing Makeda to grow up fast. When Beznaria Chetchevaliere, an investigator for the World Federation of Monarchies shows up at the B&B, claiming to be looking for Ibarania's missing heir, Makeda wants nothing to do with it. But the beautiful and chaotic investigator is surprisingly persuasive. Can she convince Makeda to go with her--and is Makeda indeed the heir to Ibarania?

"No adventures, no drama, and always there to lend a helping hand, even when her hands were full, that was Makeda."

This was one of my #Pride reads for June, and it sounded so cute. There were definitely funny and enjoyable moments, and I'm always glad to see queer romances in the world, but overall, this one didn't really work for me. I am a sucker for a good Hallmark movie, but even I couldn't get into this crazy idea--an unhinged royal investigator, a reluctant heir... and eventually a lot of fakedating and a cargo ship. It was all too much.

It's hard to believe the instachemistry between Bez and Makeda, especially as we do not get a lot of backstory on the two women. Makeda's "will I go with Bez or won't I" takes an inordinately long time--it was incredibly frustrating. Just decide already! Things are repeated over and over, making the story feel inordinately long. Being unable to get into the characters or their romance, it was just hard to really love this one. The pacing and timing always seemed off. I wound up skimming the last half just to find out what would happen, otherwise it would have been a DNF.

This was not a good summer for me. My nineteen year old cat who I loved more than anything in existence died.
What does this have to do with this book? After my boy left me I decided to do everything I could to distract myself and power through the worst of the pain, and having discovered this book on an online list of good wlw romance novels, I decided to give it a go.
I first brought this book with me to the beach one week after my cat's death. I was pretty sure I would not have the mental bandwidth to do much of anything, and was hoping that being in one of my favorite places would help.
To my surprise this book managed to hold my attention perfectly, and I managed to finish it over the course of two separate trips to the beach that week. It made me smile, it made me laugh, and it brought me much needed joy during a very painful loss.
There even was a cute cat in it, a black cat just like my boy was.
In short: if you are looking for a fun read that will capture you even in the worst mental place imaginable, this is the book for you. My only complaint is that the author doesn't seem to have many other wlw focused books because I would truly love to read more by her!

Alyssa Cole is my favorite romance writer, and this title doesn’t disappoint! Great relationships and characters. Fun plot. I was hoping for more actual sex on the page though. Not having that feels particularly disappointing to me with lesbian characters just because it feels like it (even unintentionally) fits with stereotypes of lesbian bed death.

Oh my god, this book brought me so much joy! Alyssa Cole once against has written an absolutely wonderful romance with characters who make me feel all the feelings.

Beznaria Chetchevaliere was first introduced in How to Catch a Queen as part of the World Federation of Monarchists (WFM) and also as par of Damsel in Distress Rescuer, and I almost immediately wanted her to get a girlfriend. Learning this book would be following her, and she would get the girl (this is a romance after all!) I was immediately grabby hands, and then the cover was revealed!

Makeda Hicks is used to fixing everything and taking care of people, especially as her mother has been obsessed with proving they’re descended from the lost queen of Ibarania and when she wasn’t believed she turned to alcohol and gambling, forcing Makeda to grow up faster to ensure things were taken care of. After losing her job and her girlfriend in the same day, Makeda decides its time to start being selfish and stop giving all her sweetness away. When Bez arrives at her grandmother’s B&B saying she believes she really is the lost princess, Makeda finally relents on going to Ibarania with every intention of proving she isn’t the princess so she can finally be free from the trauma that belief has brought her.

This book really brought me so much joy to read and I love Makeda and Bez so much. Especially Bez, with her brain fireflies and chaotic adherence to her personal code of honor. I loved the romance that develops between them, as well as the ways consent and communication are shown. This was so sweet on many levels, even as both Makeda and Beznaria have internal stress about how choices are playing out and what the future may hold for them.

This was an excellent modern day royals romance that I’m looking forward to rereading many times. It was funny and sweet, with hints of angst that just increased the intensity of the romance.

I fell immediately in love with Bez in the first book in the Runaway Royals series, How to Catch a Queen. I remember thinking "OH DANG, she is amazing. Please tell me she gets her own book." I ran to Goodreads to check and HECK YES, not only does she get her own book but it's sapphic.

I ADORE that Alyssa Cole is mixing her series up with her pairings. The first book has a M/F pairing, and I can't remember if they're queer. I was pumped to see a F/F pairing in the same series. I'm so used to seeing series where every book is either straight couples, or the entire series is same sex couples (I read a lot of M/M hockey romance, OK). It's great to see this series where the first book had a M/F couple and the next has a F/F couple and it's just like "this is how it is." Because it IS just how it is! Alexandria Bellefleur's currently releasing Written in the Stars series seems to be doing a similar thing, where the first book had a F/F pairing and the second has a queer M/F couple. I just love to see it, and I'm so glad I'm seeing more of it. Let's please normalize seeing all sorts of couples, and not requiring different types of love to be relegated to their own series. :)

OKAY, that was a bit of a rant, sorry about that! As I said, I was so excited for Beznaria's book - give me those strong, sexy, queer neurodivergent heroines, yessss. I also really liked Makeda. Her story really touched me, and her struggle to find who she is and how to practice healthy boundaries was just really well-written and believable and I wanted to HUG HER. She goes through an incredible amount of growth, and it's written in a really great and human way - she's too much of a "smiling doormat" and when she wants to fix it she sort of over-corrects into being a grump (and still sort of a doormat, just not happy about it anymore...) And then the chemistry between her and Bez! And the combination of your typical fake relationship misunderstandings plus some caused by Makeda's history of letting people walk all over her and Bez's brain working in it's very Bez-like way, and ugh. I die a thousand glorious deaths, it's so good.

I do feel like the resolution and falling action was a bit abrupt and could have been developed more. It's almost like Alyssa Cole took us on this incredible journey and then when we arrived at the port of call went "Okee doke, we're here, happy ending now! *shove off ship*" I wish we'd gotten one more chapter or an epilogue that resolved some of the weird, mad scramble at the end. Still, I loved the journey as a whole so much, I can't be mad.

This is the second book in the Runaway Royals series, and can be read as a stand alone. As I mentioned before, Bez makes an appearance in the first book in the series, How to Catch a Queen, which is an amazing book and you should definitely read it, but it's not required to read it before this one.

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

How to Find a Princess is a queer Anastasia retelling which, granted I only found out after, but makes SO MUCH SENSE. Now that I know, everything clicks about why I loved the plot, the seafaring adventures, and all the bickering! It only reinforces my love for anything Anastasia-esque and if you are as obsessed as me, please read this book! My favorite element from How to Find a Princess has to be the characters, and their tension. There were pieces of myself I loved dearly in each of them.

The ways Makeda takes care of people, but also just wants someone to take care of her. To be able to stand up for herself and not letting herself change for others, catering to their whims. Whereas Beznaria, a side character from How to Catch a Queen, has this charm in how she barrels forward full steam ahead. She's also neurodivergent - which I sorely need to see more in the romance genre - and her relationships with her family are fantastic.

This was my first time to read Alyssa Cole, who has been at the top of the TBR author pile for too long.

I would say this book is a re-telling of Anastasia. Bez, the woman entrusted to get the long lost Princess back to her country but also against the advice of her superiors and then Makeda, the long lost Princess who doesn’t want to be royalty. Cole did a wonderful giving voice to two characters who are incredibly similar but making them each different and unique.

The book and interactions between Bez and Makeda were very entertaining. The only drawback was that the ending was very rushed. There should definitely have been some stuff cut from the beginning so that the ending could be given its due. I also wouldn’t necessarily call this a romance which it’s labeled as. We get the tension between the two women and a couple kisses for 95% of the book then two scenes are crammed into at the last minute.

I would recommend this book to those who love a sapphic romance and a Princess retelling. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC copy in exchange for a honest review.

This is the second book in the series, but I feel it can standalone very well!

Makeda Hicks is a doormat. She lets people walk all over her, and she goes out of her way to do things for others, even when they don't deserve it, or didn't ask for it. When she loses her job and her girlfriend on the same day, she knows things need to change. She heads home to her grandmother's B&B to stay, and help out. But when an investigator shows up, convinced Makeda is the long lost princess of Ibarania, she isn't having it. It brings up a lot of painful memories of her mom's downward spiral trying to investigate that very connection, and she wants nothing to do with it.

Beznaria Chetchevaliere works for the World Federation of Monarchies, but she only ever follows her own rules. She's in the U.S. investigating a bunch of (so far ALL bogus) claims to the Ibaranian throne, when she comes upon one from the grandmother of Makeda Hicks, Ora. Ora had a short affair with a supposed prince of Ibarania, to whom she birthed a daughter. Since this is the only promising lead Bez has had, she's determined to follow it, regardless of what her bosses say. Ora is thrilled to meet her, but Makeda, not so much. However, Bez has sworn to return the rightful heir to Ibarania, and she isn't going to take no for an answer.

Bez and Makeda had sparks flying all over the place from the first meeting, but they both had very good reasons to ignore them, and not pursue anything between them. Makeda only has bad memories associated with Ibarania, after growing up with her mother, who was OBSESSED with the idea that they were royalty. It caused a downward spiral for her mother, which led to a fracture in their relationship. It also led to Makeda being bullied in school, among other things. She has ZERO interest in helping to prove that her mother may have been right, as she fears the consequences of that. Bez's family has held shame for years over the disappearance of the former queen, as her grandmother was head of the royal guard at the time it happened. As a child, Bez promised her grandmother that she would help prove her innocence, and she is still determined to do so.

Both women's grandmothers played a big role in both their lives, and in the storyline of the book. I enjoyed their relationships, and how that was an aspect of what they respected about each other too. The side characters from the cargo ship were a delight, and I can only presume that AK will be the hero in the next book?! I was so intrigued by him, and I can't wait to learn more. That whole plot of their travel by sea was such fun, and I enjoyed how their close quarters led them to understanding each other so much better.

This was quite the slow burn, and the heat level wasn't as high as book 1 in the series. I did understand that Makeda and Bez working at cross-purposes meant it would need to be a slow burn situation, but I think it was even slower than I expected. I enjoyed their connection, and the unique aspects of their personalities, and how they fit together so well. But, towards the end, I felt things were a little rushed. I would've liked to see some things on page that we didn't get to see, like some sort of final resolution with Makeda's mother.

This was a cute story, with a bit of intrigue, and many fun, unique characters, and I enjoyed it. If AK is the hero of the next book, I'll DEFINITELY be back for more in this series!