Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An arranged marriage leads to unexpected desire, in the first book of Alyssa Cole's

Runaway Royals series...

When Shanti Mohapi weds the king of Njaza, her dream of becoming a queen finally comes true. But it's nothing like she imagined. Shanti and her husband may share an immediate and powerful attraction, but her subjects see her as an outsider, and everything she was taught about being the perfect wife goes disastrously wrong.

A king must rule with an iron fist, and newly crowned King Sanyu was born perfectly fitted for the gauntlet, even if he wishes he weren't. He agrees to take a wife as is required of him, though he doesn't expect to actually fall in love. Even more vexing His beguiling new queen seems to have the answers to his country's problems--except no one will listen to her.

By day, they lead separate lives. By night, she wears the crown, and he bows to her demands in matters of politics and passion. When turmoil erupts in their kingdom and their marriage, Shanti goes on the run, and Sanyu must learn whether he has what it takes both to lead his people and to catch his queen.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Sanyu wasn't prepared to become Sanyu II, King of Njaza. And he certainly wasn't ready to get married, but tradition dictates he wed before taking the throne, and it's his father's dying wish. His match from RoyalMatch.com is Shanti Mohapi of Thesolo, a commoner whose dream and life goal has been to become a queen so she'll have the power to help people. The initial sparks that fly seem to fizzle during the four-month trial marriage, but Shanti isn't giving up on her dream, and Sanyu is seeing a greater world through her eyes. But will his insecurities and unwillingness to topple tradition allow for his own happily ever after? VERDICT Cole (An Extraordinary Union) launches the "Runaway Royals" series with a bang, introducing a sexy but shy king, a determined and caring queen, and a host of characters who leap off the page into the reader's imagination. Fans of the "Reluctant Royals" series will adore cameos by some of their favorites, but this is a solid starting point for new readers.--Melanie C. Duncan, Washington Memorial Lib., Macon, GA

Publishers Weekly Review

Cole (A Princess on Paper) launches the Runaway Royals series with this thoroughly modern firecracker of a romance about a "trial marriage" between near opposites. No one expects a love match to grow from the hasty pairing between King Sanyu II of the fictional African kingdom of Njaza--who was raised to rule but struggles with debilitating anxiety and doubts his own fitness for the crown--and Shanti Mohapti, an ambitious former farm girl who believes she was born to be a queen. Though Shanti's confidence and political savvy are just what Sanyu needs, Sanyu's upbringing in a deeply sexist society hasn't prepared him to value an educated, outspoken woman, much less to know how to woo her. Sanyu longs for love but is afraid to go after it, and Shanti's more wedded to her political agenda than to their relationship. Luckily, Cole provides a brilliant cast of secondary characters to prod them toward each other while enhancing the plot with humor and wisdom. Genre traditionalists may balk at the abundant attention to politics and slow emotional burn, but the vivid prose, lively characters, and steamy encounters will keep readers hooked, and the intersections between politics, gender, and ideology will resonate the world over. This strikingly feminist saga raises the bar for contemporary romance. Agent: Lucienne Diver, the Knight Agency. (Dec.)

Booklist Review

Cole's majestic new Runaway Royals series spins off from her excellent Reluctant Royals trilogy, adding more dazzling depth to a romantic world of dashing young aristocrats hoping to unite ancestral traditions and modern multicultural values. King Sanyu II is grieving the loss of his father, doubting his own ability as king, and relying heavily on elderly advisers opposed to change and women in power. Tradition states that he must marry before accepting the crown, so a speedy contract is arranged, and a beautiful commoner is procured from RoyalMatch.com. But their marriage of convenience is set to end in four months, when he will marry another woman and so on, until Sanyu finds his one true queen. Despite her humble birth, Shanti is determined to be a queen, even though this short-term arrangement allows her little time to demonstrate her governing skills and vision for bringing the kingdom into the modern age. In the privacy of the queen's chambers, they explore their sizzling sexual chemistry as equals, and Shanti can freely share her brilliant ideas. Their passion heightens the tension as the clock ticks down. Will Sanyu summon the courage to declare Shanti the kingdom's true queen? Cole's contemporary romances shine with unique settings and complex characters. Fans will eagerly await her next royal match.

Kirkus Book Review

The newly crowned king of Njaza must grapple with the pressures of his role, including a hastily arranged marriage to a woman he's never met. As heir to the throne of Njaza, Sanyu could never feel joy at the prospect of being king, only terrible pressure, anxiety, and responsibility. Sanyu wants to be a good king, but Musoke, his father's most powerful adviser, insists on valorizing Njaza's glorious past and ignoring its current problems. As the old king lies on his deathbed, Musoke coerces Sanyu to honor his father's wishes by marrying Shanti Mohapti, a woman from the neighboring country of Thesolo (the setting of Cole's Reluctant Royals trilogy), a more forward-thinking and modern kingdom, who was the best candidate they could find at the last minute. Sanyu's father had more than 30 wives, with each marriage lasting around four months; only if a king finds "the True Queen" will a royal marriage endure. Shanti, who was born to a family of goatherders, has wanted to be a queen her entire life, and she studied and learned about modern monarchies with unwavering devotion. Her goal is not wealth and fame but rather the ability to help her people and change the world for the better. Once the old king dies, Sanyu is overwhelmed by grief for his father and anxiety about his new role; Shanti's eager readiness to be queen helps him understand that ruling a kingdom doesn't have to be a burden. Sanyu must learn to wield his power as king while Shanti must reconcile her personal desires with the constraints of her new society. Since the novel focuses on each of their personal journeys as they ascend to the monarchy, their romance seems almost perfunctory. Political intrigue greatly overshadows the romance plot, but interesting worldbuilding might draw readers in. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.