Once again, Cole impresses me with her ability to weave timelines together within different stories. This series interlude fills in some of the gaps of the second Reluctant Royals book, including interactions between the main heroine and her parents.
I adore Regina, and I don’t even pity her for not getting to become a “royal” herself. Because she doesn’t need to be. She’s already the queen of her own online domain, and she certainly doesn’t need a king to help rule it.
But a consort for the real world can’t hurt, and Gus is an adorable potential partner. So many issues are flipped on their head in this story, and it’s always an intriguing read when the guy is the one who attempts to move “too fast.” This shows how societal biases can creep into anything, especially when characters with disabilities (of all sorts) are so often infantalized in American culture.
Cole delivers a real treat with this love story between characters of color and different abilities. All of the nerdy pop culture references I thoroughly enjoyed were simply icing on the cake.
Rating: 5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.