3.75 Stars rounded up
Tropes: Marriage of convenience, Royalty
I really appreciated the opportunity to read a Presents set in Africa. While the bulk of the action is set in the fictional country of Djoboro, the heroine, Tobi, is from Nigeria, so we get a glimpse into some of the cultural norms of the filthy rich west Africans.
Akil, our hero, enters into a marriage of convenience with Tobi. For them, the marriage is an opportunity for financial independence and the ability to get out from under the thumbs of their overbearing families. While the two nearly bang it out the night of their wedding, Akil backs off.
When Akil's older brother dies, he is suddenly launched into the position of being the king for Djoboro, and if he's going to have any luck winning the people over after his self-imposed exile, he's going to need his wife who he hasn't spoken to in three years. I'm sure nothing will go wrong.
Akil is...a mess, riddled with anxiety he shoves down and haunted by demons from his familial past. Pretty much every conflict in this book is the result of him being utterly bullheaded when it comes to facing his own mess. But he does have a really good grovel at the end.
Tobi, underappreciated in her family, is trying to find her purpose. She slots in pretty well as queen, go figure. Her primary issue is that Akil, trying to spare his own feelings, keeps making her feel Less Than in the process. I think a bit more could have gone into her becoming her own person, but the word count doesn't really support two people drowning in their own trauma.
An enjoyable read, bumped up by the new cultural perspective, the relative normalcy of the characters, and a dang good grovel.