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Reluctant Royals #2.6
Can't Escape Love
Regina Hobbs is nerdy by nature, businesswoman by nurture. She's finally taking her pop culture-centered media enterprise, Girls with Glasses, to the next level, but the stress is forcing her to face a familiar supervillain: insomnia. The only thing that helps her sleep when things get this bad is the deep, soothing voice of puzzle-obsessed live streamer Gustave Nguyen. The problem? His archive has been deleted.
Gus has been tasked with creating an escape room themed around a romance anime…except he knows nothing about romance or anime. Then mega-nerd and anime expert Reggie comes calling, and they make a trade: his voice for her knowledge. But when their online friendship has IRL chemistry, will they be able to escape love?
Gus has been tasked with creating an escape room themed around a romance anime…except he knows nothing about romance or anime. Then mega-nerd and anime expert Reggie comes calling, and they make a trade: his voice for her knowledge. But when their online friendship has IRL chemistry, will they be able to escape love?
192 pages, ebook
First published March 19, 2019
319 people are currently reading
3930 people want to read
About the author
Alyssa Cole
42 books6,439 followersAlyssa Cole is an award-winning author of historical, contemporary, and sci-fi romance. Her Civil War-set espionage romance An Extraordinary Union was the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award’s Best Book of 2017 and the American Library Association’s RUSA Best Romance for 2018, and A Princess in Theory was one of the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2018. She’s contributed to publications including Bustle, Shondaland, The Toast, Vulture, RT Book Reviews, and Heroes and Heartbreakers, and her books have received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Library Journal, BuzzFeed, Kirkus, Booklist, Jezebel, Vulture, Book Riot, Entertainment Weekly, and various other outlets. When she’s not working, she can usually be found watching anime or wrangling her pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 975 reviews
July 6, 2020
Probably my favorite of the series so far. This was SO CUTE.
January 31, 2024
4/5 ⭐️ This novella was so good! I loved it! Reggie and Gus were so cute together. This had me with a smile on my face the whole time.
It was just so cute! It also has a unique premise. I loved that Gus’ voice was the only thing that helped Reggie sleep when her insomnia got bad 🥺❤️.
It was just a great read! I’ll definitely be reading more books by this author.
If you’re looking for a sweet and beautiful romance about two lovely and nerdy characters, then give this one a try. I highly recommend!
And I melted whenever Gus or Reggie blushed! So adorable 🥹.
It was just so cute! It also has a unique premise. I loved that Gus’ voice was the only thing that helped Reggie sleep when her insomnia got bad 🥺❤️.
It was just a great read! I’ll definitely be reading more books by this author.
If you’re looking for a sweet and beautiful romance about two lovely and nerdy characters, then give this one a try. I highly recommend!
And I melted whenever Gus or Reggie blushed! So adorable 🥹.
September 24, 2019
4 stars
Since I met Reggie in earlier books in this series, I've been dying for her story. I'm glad I finally made time to read this novella.
Reggie is a twin. She's the smart twin, the successful twin, the twin with direction. Reggie also suffers from insomnia and the only cure is this particular guys voice. Gus is a super smart guy who is great at puzzles. He used to have a channel that Reggie listened to but now it's no more. She needs his voice. After they talk some, he realizes he needs her too. Gus is working on an escape room centered around something Reggie is passionate about and he could use her expertise.
I love Alyssa Cole's writing and Karen Chilton's narration. Every book I've read by Alyssa I've listened to and this narrator does an amazing job voicing the characters. As a fellow nerdy girl, I could appreciate Reggie's character. She's strong, independent, and it was nice to see someone who was successful in business want a man as well. She could have it all. I also loved Gus and his nice voice and big brain. They were a fantastic pairing. For such a short read, it was a bit of a slow burn.
Also, if you've read 'Duke by Default' it was nice to see things from this side. This was a short and cute read. It only took a few hours and I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to catching up to the other books in this series I've missed.
Since I met Reggie in earlier books in this series, I've been dying for her story. I'm glad I finally made time to read this novella.
Reggie is a twin. She's the smart twin, the successful twin, the twin with direction. Reggie also suffers from insomnia and the only cure is this particular guys voice. Gus is a super smart guy who is great at puzzles. He used to have a channel that Reggie listened to but now it's no more. She needs his voice. After they talk some, he realizes he needs her too. Gus is working on an escape room centered around something Reggie is passionate about and he could use her expertise.
I love Alyssa Cole's writing and Karen Chilton's narration. Every book I've read by Alyssa I've listened to and this narrator does an amazing job voicing the characters. As a fellow nerdy girl, I could appreciate Reggie's character. She's strong, independent, and it was nice to see someone who was successful in business want a man as well. She could have it all. I also loved Gus and his nice voice and big brain. They were a fantastic pairing. For such a short read, it was a bit of a slow burn.
Also, if you've read 'Duke by Default' it was nice to see things from this side. This was a short and cute read. It only took a few hours and I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to catching up to the other books in this series I've missed.
February 22, 2019
I have literally never disliked anything by Alyssa Cole and this continues the trend. The representation her is amazing. Black woman, Vietnamese-American man, both neurodiverse and she in a wheelchair. Alyssa does a fabulous job of challenging stereotypes against disabled and neurodiverse people, all while creating this incredible, sexy, amazing love story. I don't know how she does it but I hope she never stops.
June 30, 2023
PERFECTION AS ALWAYS
June 17, 2021
Thanks to Agla for this rec!! 💜❤
This was so sweet and lovely, it was short that's my only complaint, but what the author wrote was real and swoon worthy. I loved both characters, how they were unique in their own ways and how they complemented/accepted each other. I admired how Reggie fought for her independence no matter what, I take my crown off for you gurl. 👑👐🏻
The worldbuilding was small but done well and it was interesting to see how everything mixed. Anyways, to sum it up:
"but everything they said to each other seemed to be dipped in innuendo sauce and served with a side of ‘let’s bang’ fries".
See? Lovely. 🥰💜❤
This was so sweet and lovely, it was short that's my only complaint, but what the author wrote was real and swoon worthy. I loved both characters, how they were unique in their own ways and how they complemented/accepted each other. I admired how Reggie fought for her independence no matter what, I take my crown off for you gurl. 👑👐🏻
The worldbuilding was small but done well and it was interesting to see how everything mixed. Anyways, to sum it up:
"but everything they said to each other seemed to be dipped in innuendo sauce and served with a side of ‘let’s bang’ fries".
See? Lovely. 🥰💜❤
August 30, 2020
This one was soooooo good. I didn't read all the other books yet but I'm going back now and reading them!
July 3, 2019
My favorite of this series! I loved the geekdom and the whole set up between these characters (internet crush). Gus is such a considerate love interest! I wish this had been a full length novel. <3 <3
February 27, 2019
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
She's a nerd. With glasses. In a wheelchair. He is an escape room creator, among other things, including having a live stream where she was his only follower. Who are they? Regina Hobbs and Gustave Nguyen. They met online years ago, and will soon meet in person.
Reggie is a successful businesswoman and she runs Girls with Glasses. Currently she is over-stressed and is coping with insomnia. Reggie has been attending Gus's live streams and realizes that only his voice can relax her enough into sleep.
Gus has a challenge. His job in creating an escape room is supposed to center around a romance anime. The fact that Reggie is an anime expert is valuable to him. When she makes an unusual request, he realizes they can make a very nice trade and this just might allow him to be successful in his endeavor.
What a cute little story. Can't Escape Love is a great addition to the Reluctant Royals series. We even see snippets of Reggie's conversations with her twin Portia, from Book 2 in the series, A Duke by Default. This is a sweet story that includes the fun of game play and puzzles and a sizzling romance. Delightfully, as the cover shows, it is another interracial romance. Although it could do well as a standalone, why not gobble up the entire series?
Many thanks to Avon Impulse and Edelweiss for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
She's a nerd. With glasses. In a wheelchair. He is an escape room creator, among other things, including having a live stream where she was his only follower. Who are they? Regina Hobbs and Gustave Nguyen. They met online years ago, and will soon meet in person.
Reggie is a successful businesswoman and she runs Girls with Glasses. Currently she is over-stressed and is coping with insomnia. Reggie has been attending Gus's live streams and realizes that only his voice can relax her enough into sleep.
Gus has a challenge. His job in creating an escape room is supposed to center around a romance anime. The fact that Reggie is an anime expert is valuable to him. When she makes an unusual request, he realizes they can make a very nice trade and this just might allow him to be successful in his endeavor.
What a cute little story. Can't Escape Love is a great addition to the Reluctant Royals series. We even see snippets of Reggie's conversations with her twin Portia, from Book 2 in the series, A Duke by Default. This is a sweet story that includes the fun of game play and puzzles and a sizzling romance. Delightfully, as the cover shows, it is another interracial romance. Although it could do well as a standalone, why not gobble up the entire series?
Many thanks to Avon Impulse and Edelweiss for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Read
April 11, 2019Before Reading
Hi. I'm a nerd with glasses who uses a wheelchair. Reggie is basically me, but with a successful career. *Heart eyes*
GIVE. THIS. TO. ME. ASAP!
After Reading
It's so tempting to rate this 4 stars on principle alone, because THE REPRESENTATION OF MARGINALIZED GROUPS IN FICTION MATTERS!!! I loved that Reggie owned her disability. I loved that Cole showed readers a successful disabled woman, particularly because she wasn't rendered as inspiration porn, merely a smart, hard-working person who happens use a wheelchair. (Though, as my highlights point out, there were times I wished Reggie's physical capabilities had been a little further from the bell curve of normal. I loved that Cole took the time to acknowledge very real issues: accessibility, the way others perceive/want to "fix" us, the ways in lack of wealth limits our ability to thrive. I also appreciated the representation Gus provides for neuro-diverse people. He is so wonderfully sweet and blunt and passionate.
But like Once Ghosted, I just can't bring myself to rate something so short. A bit hypocritical perhaps, given that I've rated each of Seanan Mcguire's Wayward Children novellas, but the latter are nearly twice the length and boast a full cast of characters, albeit some more fully realized than others. As much as I'm glad to see characters like Reggie and Gus get page time, there were missed opportunities for added depth via other characters. Reggie's Lunettes, for example, but particularly Reggie's sister Portia and their parents, to whom too much (in my opinion) of Reggie's internal monologue is devoted to if they were never going to appear outside of texts/phone calls.
Still, thank you Alyssa Cole for giving us disabled girls the light and fun romance we deserve. I said I hoped to see Likotsi and Fab in book three, but my desire for that is nothing compared to my hankering for more Reggie and Gus. *Pretty please?*
Hi. I'm a nerd with glasses who uses a wheelchair. Reggie is basically me, but with a successful career. *Heart eyes*
GIVE. THIS. TO. ME. ASAP!
After Reading
It's so tempting to rate this 4 stars on principle alone, because THE REPRESENTATION OF MARGINALIZED GROUPS IN FICTION MATTERS!!! I loved that Reggie owned her disability. I loved that Cole showed readers a successful disabled woman, particularly because she wasn't rendered as inspiration porn, merely a smart, hard-working person who happens use a wheelchair. (Though, as my highlights point out, there were times I wished Reggie's physical capabilities had been a little further from the bell curve of normal. I loved that Cole took the time to acknowledge very real issues: accessibility, the way others perceive/want to "fix" us, the ways in lack of wealth limits our ability to thrive. I also appreciated the representation Gus provides for neuro-diverse people. He is so wonderfully sweet and blunt and passionate.
But like Once Ghosted, I just can't bring myself to rate something so short. A bit hypocritical perhaps, given that I've rated each of Seanan Mcguire's Wayward Children novellas, but the latter are nearly twice the length and boast a full cast of characters, albeit some more fully realized than others. As much as I'm glad to see characters like Reggie and Gus get page time, there were missed opportunities for added depth via other characters. Reggie's Lunettes, for example, but particularly Reggie's sister Portia and their parents, to whom too much (in my opinion) of Reggie's internal monologue is devoted to if they were never going to appear outside of texts/phone calls.
Still, thank you Alyssa Cole for giving us disabled girls the light and fun romance we deserve. I said I hoped to see Likotsi and Fab in book three, but my desire for that is nothing compared to my hankering for more Reggie and Gus. *Pretty please?*
June 10, 2019
3.5 stars
I really wish this was a full length novel there’s so many amazing elements here and I adored Reggie. I really like Gus and their relationship and the discussion of fandom and nerd spaces and inclusivity. I loved reading about two neurodiverse poc in a romance novel. I loved seeing a disabled black woman be written as strong, self sufficient and she doesn’t need saving or fixing. There was so much here to enjoy but it was so surface level, the development coming at breakneck pace and it feels like such a disservice to these characters. Also it felt like the anime con escape room subplot didn’t get any real attention and that was so interesting. 😪 Coupled with the rushed toxic family dynamic subplot I was just left wanting. We needed more time to do justice to these characters, the romance and the subplots.
Also like 30% of the ebook was taken up with an excerpt from one of her forthcoming books in the series so i felt even more robbed. We deserved more time with these characters, we deserved more pages more development more depth. And I’m so sad we didn’t get it. If that 30% had been used to focus on Reggie and Gus this could’ve easily been five stars.
I really wish this was a full length novel there’s so many amazing elements here and I adored Reggie. I really like Gus and their relationship and the discussion of fandom and nerd spaces and inclusivity. I loved reading about two neurodiverse poc in a romance novel. I loved seeing a disabled black woman be written as strong, self sufficient and she doesn’t need saving or fixing. There was so much here to enjoy but it was so surface level, the development coming at breakneck pace and it feels like such a disservice to these characters. Also it felt like the anime con escape room subplot didn’t get any real attention and that was so interesting. 😪 Coupled with the rushed toxic family dynamic subplot I was just left wanting. We needed more time to do justice to these characters, the romance and the subplots.
Also like 30% of the ebook was taken up with an excerpt from one of her forthcoming books in the series so i felt even more robbed. We deserved more time with these characters, we deserved more pages more development more depth. And I’m so sad we didn’t get it. If that 30% had been used to focus on Reggie and Gus this could’ve easily been five stars.
June 9, 2020
I've had fairly middling to low ratings for this series upto this point but this novella? Was so sweet, so swoony, so lovely, so adorable. More of this in book three, I hope!
3.75 stars
3.75 stars
April 4, 2019
***3 Stars***
This was...nice. I guess that's the overall feeling I have after finishing the book.
I really liked Reggie and Gus together...but I didn't feel any passion between them. I didn't get that spark and sizzle.
Their banter and awkward flirting was adorable, and the slow burn was just the right pace. I like how they both respected each other's interests and understood what it's like to geek out over things. There's something special about bonding with someone about your nerdiness. I absolutely loved that!
But other than that, everything felt so polite and too perfect...especially Gus. He basically did everyting right all the time.
Also, there's a lot of, I'm not sure what the right word is...fandom? references in this book. About 90% of them went right over my head. I had to make a choice between pulling myself out of the moment to look up the reference or read on and not get the full affect the author was going for since I had no clue what the reference meant. Either option put a dent in my enjoyment of the story.
The ending was a bit rushed and I'd say is more of a HFN. Do I believe these two will be together forever? I'm not sure. But I do think they'll work at it and try.
January 13, 2020
My nerdy disabled heart loved this!
April 7, 2019
2.5 stars
I stress bought this one after a bad night, not looking at where it was in the series (my bad) and wasn't till I started reading it that I saw it was 3.5 in the series... whoopsie.
By then I was already a nice portion through so I just reading, my stubbornness to leave it unfinished to blame.
The good:
Reggie and Gus were interesting people and they had good chemistry.
Their passions for Anime/Geek culture and puzzles respectively, had me smiling.
The banter was super cute.
Con:
It felt a little overlong at times, which is kinda funny since this isn't a full length book. I found it easy to put down at times and not think about it.
Didn't feel the same pull as I did into Likotsi and Fabiola's story. While it was fun watching these two find their way towards each other, just wasn't as invested.
I have lots of vague impressions on why this didn't work for me but this about sums it up. Now part may be/probably is that I read these out of order but the half *points up*
Whirlwind romances can be fun to read but this one fell flat, even though it wasn't.
That makes more sense in my head probably but there you go.
I stress bought this one after a bad night, not looking at where it was in the series (my bad) and wasn't till I started reading it that I saw it was 3.5 in the series... whoopsie.
By then I was already a nice portion through so I just reading, my stubbornness to leave it unfinished to blame.
The good:
Reggie and Gus were interesting people and they had good chemistry.
Their passions for Anime/Geek culture and puzzles respectively, had me smiling.
The banter was super cute.
Con:
It felt a little overlong at times, which is kinda funny since this isn't a full length book. I found it easy to put down at times and not think about it.
Didn't feel the same pull as I did into Likotsi and Fabiola's story. While it was fun watching these two find their way towards each other, just wasn't as invested.
I have lots of vague impressions on why this didn't work for me but this about sums it up. Now part may be/probably is that I read these out of order but the half *points up*
Whirlwind romances can be fun to read but this one fell flat, even though it wasn't.
That makes more sense in my head probably but there you go.
July 14, 2019
Another great romance from Alyssa Cole, following Regina this time, Portia’s twin. It might actually be my favourite of the series, and that’s considering this is a novella!
Why? Not only do we have a diverse cast, featuring a black woman and a Vietnamese-American man, but both are neurodiverse too. Then there is the geek side, which let’s face it, I love. Regina is a driven business woman/social media guru with her site GirlsWithGlasses (her use of ‘Lunettes’ had me smile so much - yep, I wear glasses), while Gus sees everything in terms of solving puzzles, which often makes so much sense. Their interactions totally worked.
Cole does a great job at challenging stereotypes while making it FUN! :O)
Why? Not only do we have a diverse cast, featuring a black woman and a Vietnamese-American man, but both are neurodiverse too. Then there is the geek side, which let’s face it, I love. Regina is a driven business woman/social media guru with her site GirlsWithGlasses (her use of ‘Lunettes’ had me smile so much - yep, I wear glasses), while Gus sees everything in terms of solving puzzles, which often makes so much sense. Their interactions totally worked.
Cole does a great job at challenging stereotypes while making it FUN! :O)
July 26, 2021
So refreshing!
I loved Reggie and Gus’ story! First of all it’s a multicultural romance and that’s always a win in my book. Reggie, the heroine was in a wheel chair and is a very successful business woman. She is very on top of her game, but missing one thing that everyone around her assumed she didn’t need...love. Gus was an escape room designer for lack of a better word and a very handsome Asian man whose “voice” put Reggie to sleep every night. Who knew that love was knocking at their door and all they had to do was open it up. Love this!!
I loved Reggie and Gus’ story! First of all it’s a multicultural romance and that’s always a win in my book. Reggie, the heroine was in a wheel chair and is a very successful business woman. She is very on top of her game, but missing one thing that everyone around her assumed she didn’t need...love. Gus was an escape room designer for lack of a better word and a very handsome Asian man whose “voice” put Reggie to sleep every night. Who knew that love was knocking at their door and all they had to do was open it up. Love this!!
June 3, 2020
This is my favorite Alyssa Cole yet!!! Such joyful sweet nerdy love! It was so much fun seeing two MCs who are deeply passionate about a particular thing (fandom & puzzles) and getting to watch them share their nerdery in the cutest of ways!
Also, really thoughtful, lovely representation of identities which are chronically underrepresented in the genre!
I only wish this were a novel instead of a novella, because I could have spent SO much more time with these sweethearts!
Rep: MCs are a Black woman who uses a wheelchair & an Autistic Vietnamese-American man
Also, really thoughtful, lovely representation of identities which are chronically underrepresented in the genre!
I only wish this were a novel instead of a novella, because I could have spent SO much more time with these sweethearts!
Rep: MCs are a Black woman who uses a wheelchair & an Autistic Vietnamese-American man
August 1, 2019
3.5/5
Cute. While it feels a bit rushed, I enjoyed this adorable story. The two had enough chemistry for a full novel.
C'est la vie.
Cute. While it feels a bit rushed, I enjoyed this adorable story. The two had enough chemistry for a full novel.
C'est la vie.
August 21, 2019
THIS WAS SO CUTE! AND NERDY! AND REGGIE AND GUS ARE PERFECT TOGETHER!
January 11, 2020
I didn't want this novella to end, Reggie and Gus are the cutest couple!!!! I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
April 8, 2019
Read as an e-book on Scribd!
Alyssa Cole has done it once again. A beautifully written romance with disability representation and neurodiverse characters. It was a fun, quick read following main character Reggie, who is in a wheelchair but is a motivated woman who runs a website for geeky women called Girls With Glasses. She used to interact online with a guy called Gus, who now designs escape rooms. A chance encounter via emails brings the two of them together, in nerdiness and harmony. At the time of writing this review, I had not yet read book 2 in the main Reluctant Royals series, so I did get a tiny bit spoiled for that book. However, the writing style worked really well for me. Again, one that I could see myself re-reading in the future!
Alyssa Cole has done it once again. A beautifully written romance with disability representation and neurodiverse characters. It was a fun, quick read following main character Reggie, who is in a wheelchair but is a motivated woman who runs a website for geeky women called Girls With Glasses. She used to interact online with a guy called Gus, who now designs escape rooms. A chance encounter via emails brings the two of them together, in nerdiness and harmony. At the time of writing this review, I had not yet read book 2 in the main Reluctant Royals series, so I did get a tiny bit spoiled for that book. However, the writing style worked really well for me. Again, one that I could see myself re-reading in the future!
July 14, 2021
So stinking sweet! ❤️
What a great nod to weeb/anime/manga culture. The talks about OPs, EPs, and OVAs were amazing (iykyk).
Just wished this would've been longer.
✨Rep: heroine in a wheelchair, Vietnamese hero
⚠️ TW: talks of ableism
*audio listened on hoopla
What a great nod to weeb/anime/manga culture. The talks about OPs, EPs, and OVAs were amazing (iykyk).
Just wished this would've been longer.
✨Rep: heroine in a wheelchair, Vietnamese hero
⚠️ TW: talks of ableism
*audio listened on hoopla
March 24, 2019
Halfway through reading this novella, I had to take a break to email one of my closest friends and shout that she HAS to get this novella and read it because SHE WOULD LOVE IT (even though she's not a frequent romance-reader), and basically, that's what I want to tell ALL of my wonderful geek-girl friends. This story is for us! Read it! YOU WILL LOVE IT.
Reggie is not only a proud geek-girl whose love for various f/sf shows, books and animes has made her life a thousand times better; she's also the founder of a geek-girl website, GirlsWithGlasses.com - and can I just say how desperately I wish her site was real? In this novella, her obsession with a wonderful romance anime (one which, again, I truly wish was real, after all the loving descriptions in this novella!) brings her together with Gus, a puzzle designer who's been commissioned to create an escape room based on that anime for an upcoming con. They're both brilliant and obsessed with their work, and they're just perfect for each other.
As side-notes, they're also both neuro-diverse, and Reggie has a disability that means she uses a wheelchair, among other things. As a reader who also has an acquired disability (M.E. in my case, unlike Reggie's, but again, something that developed later in my life rather than something I was born with, making it a slightly different journey), I really loved the matter-of-fact way Alyssa Cole wrote Reggie's life and attitudes towards her disability. I thought the way she wrote it was absolutely spot-on, as was the way that Gus's neurodiversity was written. (He's on the ASD spectrum, knows that he sometimes has trouble recognizing other people's emotions, and has come up with strategies to deal with that.)
However, what I really loved about both of those things was that they were just ordinary character notes, NOT what the whole story was about. Emotionally, Reggie is used to being "the strong one" because that's her role in her birth family - according to their parents, her twin is "the hot mess" and Reggie's "the successful one," which means that she's terrified of admitting vulnerability to anyone (an issue in building a romantic relationship), and that's only been exacerbated by previous romantic experiences where boyfriends treated her as weak because of her disability. Gus knows he doesn't always interpret other people's emotions correctly, which means (in combination with Reggie's fear of exposing vulnerability) that he worries about whether Reggie feels as strongly about him as he feels about her. But they're both super-smart people who can work things out when they talk, and they're just so funny and awesome together.
I loved every bit of their story and their world, and I only wish I could read more and more stories about them!
Reggie is not only a proud geek-girl whose love for various f/sf shows, books and animes has made her life a thousand times better; she's also the founder of a geek-girl website, GirlsWithGlasses.com - and can I just say how desperately I wish her site was real? In this novella, her obsession with a wonderful romance anime (one which, again, I truly wish was real, after all the loving descriptions in this novella!) brings her together with Gus, a puzzle designer who's been commissioned to create an escape room based on that anime for an upcoming con. They're both brilliant and obsessed with their work, and they're just perfect for each other.
As side-notes, they're also both neuro-diverse, and Reggie has a disability that means she uses a wheelchair, among other things. As a reader who also has an acquired disability (M.E. in my case, unlike Reggie's, but again, something that developed later in my life rather than something I was born with, making it a slightly different journey), I really loved the matter-of-fact way Alyssa Cole wrote Reggie's life and attitudes towards her disability. I thought the way she wrote it was absolutely spot-on, as was the way that Gus's neurodiversity was written. (He's on the ASD spectrum, knows that he sometimes has trouble recognizing other people's emotions, and has come up with strategies to deal with that.)
However, what I really loved about both of those things was that they were just ordinary character notes, NOT what the whole story was about. Emotionally, Reggie is used to being "the strong one" because that's her role in her birth family - according to their parents, her twin is "the hot mess" and Reggie's "the successful one," which means that she's terrified of admitting vulnerability to anyone (an issue in building a romantic relationship), and that's only been exacerbated by previous romantic experiences where boyfriends treated her as weak because of her disability. Gus knows he doesn't always interpret other people's emotions correctly, which means (in combination with Reggie's fear of exposing vulnerability) that he worries about whether Reggie feels as strongly about him as he feels about her. But they're both super-smart people who can work things out when they talk, and they're just so funny and awesome together.
I loved every bit of their story and their world, and I only wish I could read more and more stories about them!
April 5, 2019
My 4th Alyssa Cole book and by far my favourite. I guess I really appreciate geeks in love?? I'm bummed this was only a novella because I wanted more about Reggie and Gus! I loved how unabashedly nerdy they were. She runs a website for nerds who are POC, women, disabled, or otherwise excluded from mainstream nerd culture. He has a puzzle livestream and designs escape rooms. Also thought the representation of disability (physical and mental) was great.
May 22, 2019
My heart while reading this: 💜💖💚💕💛💖💛❤️💚♥️💕💖💛❤️♥️💜💜💕❤️💛💕💛💛💜💜💛💖💚💗💚💗💜💖💜❤️💜♥️💚💙💖💛💜💜♥️
March 31, 2019
Another excellent entry in this series, this time focusing on Regina, the twin sister to the protagonist of the second novel with a story told during the events of that novel. (We get the other side of the devastating phone call between Portia and Regina at an important part of this story).
Regina is a dynamo of social media nerdery whose barely slowed down by a brain injury that has her mostly wheelchair-bound. But a side effect of that brain injury is problems with sleeping, but that's ok because Regina knows the cure: the voice of a livestreamer from a couple of years earlier who she was the only follower of. Now his archive has gone off the air, and she can't sleep.
Cue a very awkward conversation, and Regina finds herself getting to know Gus Nguyen who turns out to need something from Regina as well.
This is wonderful, capturing most of what I loved in the two novels of this series and putting in place a far more substantial relationship than in the other novella in this series. The story shines when its protagonists do, from Regina's fangirl obsessions to Gus's taking everything in life as a puzzle.
Regina is a dynamo of social media nerdery whose barely slowed down by a brain injury that has her mostly wheelchair-bound. But a side effect of that brain injury is problems with sleeping, but that's ok because Regina knows the cure: the voice of a livestreamer from a couple of years earlier who she was the only follower of. Now his archive has gone off the air, and she can't sleep.
Cue a very awkward conversation, and Regina finds herself getting to know Gus Nguyen who turns out to need something from Regina as well.
This is wonderful, capturing most of what I loved in the two novels of this series and putting in place a far more substantial relationship than in the other novella in this series. The story shines when its protagonists do, from Regina's fangirl obsessions to Gus's taking everything in life as a puzzle.
March 20, 2019
AHHHHHHH! That was amazing and I’m so mad because I want MORE REGGIE AND GUS. They’d better get a full-length book of their own sometime in this series! Novellas are fab but I was NOT ready to leave this couple.
April 28, 2019
I’ve been enjoying Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals contemporary romance series, with A Princess in Theory well deserving of its spot on my top ten of 2018 list. After reading book two, A Duke by Default, I was definitely curious about Portia’s sister Reggie, and Ms. Cole has fulfilled my wish of writing a story for her with this delightful geek-culture filled novella, Can’t Escape Love.
Regina Hobbs can’t sleep. With all the work going into her website and social media empire, Girls With Glasses, and the constant research of current anime and comic culture, she’s got a bad case of insomnia she doesn’t have time for. A few years ago she’d developed an online friendship of sorts with a puzzle master, a man whose voice had often soothed her to sleep in his online videos but they’ve disappeared from the net so she can’t even replay them anymore. With help from her sister Portia (currently engaged in her own swashbuckling adventure in Scotland) she’s been able to get in touch with the man of her dreams, so to speak.
Gustave Nguyen knows he’s a bit different than the rest of his family, but puzzles have always clicked with him and his latest assignment, to build an escape room for an anime convention based on the popular romance anime Reject Squad Ultra is an exciting but problematic task. The trouble is, he knows nothing about the story, and even when he’s watched it, he doesn’t really get the hype. When Reggie contacts him with her strange request, he very much remembers her. She’s the one fan he’d had, a person he’d shared a lot with in the few months they’d connected via chat messages and he’s missed that contact. Plus, she’s the one who’d inspired him to get into escape room planning. He agrees to her ‘sleep voice’ request but wants to do it live with nightly phone calls.
During one such call, they discover that they actually live really close to one another, close enough, in fact, to meet in person if they want to. And when Reggie finds out about Gus’s escape room assignment, and that it involves her absolute favorite anime in the world she proposes an agreement to help him make it the best ever in return for his help with her insomnia. Can an online friendship turn into a real life love story?
If you are at all a fan of superheroes and comics and puzzles and anime culture, this story will be a delightful reading experience! The author captures all of the current trends in one story package, complete with a sexy romance for a witty, smart and self-assured black heroine and her friendly, intelligent and sensitive Vietnamese-American hero. Kudos to the Cover Gods too as the book cover is exactly how I picture this couple.
Reggie is in a wheelchair due to ataxia, a condition brought on by a childhood bout of meningitis. She’s fortunate to come from a well-off family so she has her own house built with the specifications for easier day to day living. She’s also got a selection of wheelchairs for different purposes – ones for comic conventions with specific paint jobs and others for hardier daily outdoor activity. While she is able to walk with a walker, it is more painful and less convenient than using a chair. She has a good amount of upper body strength honed from lifting herself in and out of her chair and her weekly physio sessions, and is very independent. She chafes at people doing things for her that she is fully capable of doing for herself.
The author has done an excellent job of portraying that Reggie’s challenges come more from other people’s expectations of her than from her own take on her disability. It’s one of the most positive disability representations I’ve read in a romance and shows how Reggie deals with everything from physical tasks to her new burgeoning relationship with Gus. Gus is attracted to Reggie for her looks as well as her brain but also tries to be sensitive without being presumptuous. Reggie is used to previous boyfriends trying to ‘fix’ her while Gus believes she’s perfect as she is. Gus understands what it’s like to be different. The logic of puzzles makes more sense to him than feelings and social niceties. Watching these two connect emotionally and physically is sweet (and the love scenes are sexy!).
Reggie and her sister Portia have a strained relationship because after her meningitis, her parents never treated them the same way again. Coddling Reggie and ignoring Portia, they did damage to both girls and their sibling relationship that they themselves are still trying to repair. Portia’s been helping Reggie’s website by providing some inside scoops from Scotland. As this story takes place concurrently with A Duke by Default, there are some spoilers for that story here.
Can’t Escape Love is an easy, low-angst read that has a lot going for it. What feels to me like authentic disability representation, a fun and interesting anime story that would be awesome to read in real life, appealing characters and a sweet and sexy romance. Just a note too, as I tend to judge story arcs by the percentage shown on my ereader that this one ends at 75% with some chapter excerpts of the author’s next full length novel making up the remainder, so the ending came a bit earlier than I expected – but did not lessen my enjoyment of the overall story (I was just sad there wasn’t more!).
This review also appears at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss for review.
Regina Hobbs can’t sleep. With all the work going into her website and social media empire, Girls With Glasses, and the constant research of current anime and comic culture, she’s got a bad case of insomnia she doesn’t have time for. A few years ago she’d developed an online friendship of sorts with a puzzle master, a man whose voice had often soothed her to sleep in his online videos but they’ve disappeared from the net so she can’t even replay them anymore. With help from her sister Portia (currently engaged in her own swashbuckling adventure in Scotland) she’s been able to get in touch with the man of her dreams, so to speak.
Gustave Nguyen knows he’s a bit different than the rest of his family, but puzzles have always clicked with him and his latest assignment, to build an escape room for an anime convention based on the popular romance anime Reject Squad Ultra is an exciting but problematic task. The trouble is, he knows nothing about the story, and even when he’s watched it, he doesn’t really get the hype. When Reggie contacts him with her strange request, he very much remembers her. She’s the one fan he’d had, a person he’d shared a lot with in the few months they’d connected via chat messages and he’s missed that contact. Plus, she’s the one who’d inspired him to get into escape room planning. He agrees to her ‘sleep voice’ request but wants to do it live with nightly phone calls.
During one such call, they discover that they actually live really close to one another, close enough, in fact, to meet in person if they want to. And when Reggie finds out about Gus’s escape room assignment, and that it involves her absolute favorite anime in the world she proposes an agreement to help him make it the best ever in return for his help with her insomnia. Can an online friendship turn into a real life love story?
If you are at all a fan of superheroes and comics and puzzles and anime culture, this story will be a delightful reading experience! The author captures all of the current trends in one story package, complete with a sexy romance for a witty, smart and self-assured black heroine and her friendly, intelligent and sensitive Vietnamese-American hero. Kudos to the Cover Gods too as the book cover is exactly how I picture this couple.
Reggie is in a wheelchair due to ataxia, a condition brought on by a childhood bout of meningitis. She’s fortunate to come from a well-off family so she has her own house built with the specifications for easier day to day living. She’s also got a selection of wheelchairs for different purposes – ones for comic conventions with specific paint jobs and others for hardier daily outdoor activity. While she is able to walk with a walker, it is more painful and less convenient than using a chair. She has a good amount of upper body strength honed from lifting herself in and out of her chair and her weekly physio sessions, and is very independent. She chafes at people doing things for her that she is fully capable of doing for herself.
The author has done an excellent job of portraying that Reggie’s challenges come more from other people’s expectations of her than from her own take on her disability. It’s one of the most positive disability representations I’ve read in a romance and shows how Reggie deals with everything from physical tasks to her new burgeoning relationship with Gus. Gus is attracted to Reggie for her looks as well as her brain but also tries to be sensitive without being presumptuous. Reggie is used to previous boyfriends trying to ‘fix’ her while Gus believes she’s perfect as she is. Gus understands what it’s like to be different. The logic of puzzles makes more sense to him than feelings and social niceties. Watching these two connect emotionally and physically is sweet (and the love scenes are sexy!).
Reggie and her sister Portia have a strained relationship because after her meningitis, her parents never treated them the same way again. Coddling Reggie and ignoring Portia, they did damage to both girls and their sibling relationship that they themselves are still trying to repair. Portia’s been helping Reggie’s website by providing some inside scoops from Scotland. As this story takes place concurrently with A Duke by Default, there are some spoilers for that story here.
Can’t Escape Love is an easy, low-angst read that has a lot going for it. What feels to me like authentic disability representation, a fun and interesting anime story that would be awesome to read in real life, appealing characters and a sweet and sexy romance. Just a note too, as I tend to judge story arcs by the percentage shown on my ereader that this one ends at 75% with some chapter excerpts of the author’s next full length novel making up the remainder, so the ending came a bit earlier than I expected – but did not lessen my enjoyment of the overall story (I was just sad there wasn’t more!).
This review also appears at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss for review.
March 18, 2019
I had to think long and hard about how I felt about this book, but realized I cannot in good conscience give it a better rating, and it breaks my heart, beacause I loved the characters and the writing, as is usual with Alyssa Cole's books.
I loved the characters. I've wanted to know more about Reggie ever since she showed up and Gus was just wonderful. Their chemistry was sweet and charged and made me giggle through the whole story. Their dynamics was just the best! Two people who think the other hung the stars and the moon, with this soft kind of earnestness. It's two people who are good friends, who have known each other for ages, finding their way towards each other. Their romance is beautiful, and funny, and tender, and I loved it. I also loved the disability rep- Reggie is a wheelchair user with anxiety and adhd and Gus is autistic, and it's handled with care. I also loved how this story fleshes out Portia's book, A Duke by Default, adds in important characterization between the twins and to the events at the end of that book and how it all ties in together. Seeing Reggie call their parents out on thei bullshit was especially cathartic.
BUT. And here comes the crux of the matter. This book is unfinished. The first two books in this series had abrupt endings, yes, but at least their stories were all wrapped up. This one? No. Can't Escape Love sets it's story around Reggie and Gus collaborating on an escape room based on Reggie's favourite anime, for Anime Con (and let me tell you, as a frequent con goer, that's such a cringy nothing name, I'm sorry but "Anime Con"?? Literally any name would be better. Hell, make it AniCon and it works. Anime Con for fuck's sake) where it will debut. It's a huge deal. The story makes it a huge deal. Which is why it's so bad that the story just drops it?? They have their dark moment, they confess their love and then the story ends. What?? I thought it was a joke! If I didn't know any better, I'd think my copy was damaged and was missing the last chapter! A simple epilogue with one line saying "And then they went to the con and it was a huge success" would (almost) be enough! Be we don't even get that. Not to mention we don't get to see Reggie and Gus work as a couple, the story just ends the moment they confess. And to add insult to injury, there's a two chapter preview of the next book, A Prince on Paper, that takes up a whooping 25%. Yes, the story of the book you're reading, ends up at SEVENTY-FIVE %. Who at Avon thought "yes, let's add in a preview to the NOVELLA that takes up SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT of the book, this is a great idea that will not piss off any readers."
So the ending, or a lack thereof, majorly spoils the wonderful mood there characters got me into. And now I'm mostly disappointed.
I loved the characters. I've wanted to know more about Reggie ever since she showed up and Gus was just wonderful. Their chemistry was sweet and charged and made me giggle through the whole story. Their dynamics was just the best! Two people who think the other hung the stars and the moon, with this soft kind of earnestness. It's two people who are good friends, who have known each other for ages, finding their way towards each other. Their romance is beautiful, and funny, and tender, and I loved it. I also loved the disability rep- Reggie is a wheelchair user with anxiety and adhd and Gus is autistic, and it's handled with care. I also loved how this story fleshes out Portia's book, A Duke by Default, adds in important characterization between the twins and to the events at the end of that book and how it all ties in together. Seeing Reggie call their parents out on thei bullshit was especially cathartic.
BUT. And here comes the crux of the matter. This book is unfinished. The first two books in this series had abrupt endings, yes, but at least their stories were all wrapped up. This one? No. Can't Escape Love sets it's story around Reggie and Gus collaborating on an escape room based on Reggie's favourite anime, for Anime Con (and let me tell you, as a frequent con goer, that's such a cringy nothing name, I'm sorry but "Anime Con"?? Literally any name would be better. Hell, make it AniCon and it works. Anime Con for fuck's sake) where it will debut. It's a huge deal. The story makes it a huge deal. Which is why it's so bad that the story just drops it?? They have their dark moment, they confess their love and then the story ends. What?? I thought it was a joke! If I didn't know any better, I'd think my copy was damaged and was missing the last chapter! A simple epilogue with one line saying "And then they went to the con and it was a huge success" would (almost) be enough! Be we don't even get that. Not to mention we don't get to see Reggie and Gus work as a couple, the story just ends the moment they confess. And to add insult to injury, there's a two chapter preview of the next book, A Prince on Paper, that takes up a whooping 25%. Yes, the story of the book you're reading, ends up at SEVENTY-FIVE %. Who at Avon thought "yes, let's add in a preview to the NOVELLA that takes up SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT of the book, this is a great idea that will not piss off any readers."
So the ending, or a lack thereof, majorly spoils the wonderful mood there characters got me into. And now I'm mostly disappointed.
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