First Comes Like (Modern Love #3) by Alisha Rai

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The author of The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral returns with a story about finding love in all the wrong inboxes...

Beauty expert and influencer Jia Ahmed has her eye on the prize: conquering the internet today, the entire makeup industry tomorrow, and finally, finally proving herself to her big opinionated family. She has little time for love, and even less time for the men in her private messages—until the day a certain international superstar slides into her DMs, and she falls hard and fast.

There’s just one wrinkle: he has no idea who she is.

The son of a powerful Bollywood family, soap opera star Dev Dixit is used to drama, but a strange woman who accuses him of wooing her online, well, that’s a new one. As much as he’d like to focus on his Hollywood fresh start, he can’t get Jia out of his head. Especially once he starts to suspect who might have used his famous name to catfish her…

When paparazzi blast their private business into the public eye, Dev is happy to engage in some friendly fake dating to calm the gossips and to dazzle her family. But as the whole world swoons over their relationship, Jia can’t help but wonder: Can an online romance-turned-offline-fauxmance ever become love in real life? 

Source: digital ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

In her third book in the Modern Love series, Alisha Rai opts out of insta-lust and instead goes for a bit of a slowburn romance that perfectly fits the natures of Jia and Dev.

It all starts with an unfortunate case of catfishing. Jia was convinced that she'd been exchanging those sweet texts with Bollywood star, Dev. She decides to make the bold move to meet him in person when he's in LA to film a new show. Their interaction is the stuff of nightmares because Dev is caught off guard and has no idea who she is. Humiliated and angry, she runs off leaving a perplexed Dev to fight out what just happened. Sure enough he does and feels this immense responsibility to make things right with her. Right there, THAT is what sets Dev apart immediately. He's so super conscientious about things and people, he can't let go of what happened so he reaches out to Jia. She initially wants nothing to do with him ever but when being seen with him might get her parents and family off her back for her career choices, she offers up a different way for him to make it up to her. A fauxmance could serve them both well.

First Comes Like has a different tone to it. It's not flashy and as I said earlier, it's not insta-lust. It's a gradual progression to romance based on becoming friends first and then leading to more. Dev has always maintained a low profile opposite to that of the rest of the men in his family. It's like his goal is to be under the radar and not be embroiled in scandals. What's most wonderful about this story is how much their different cultural backgrounds play in to their relationship for which there's a deep mutual respect. There's no deep conversation about it just that it's something they get about each other. Which reminds me, can we please take a moment to adore this cover and acknowledge how monumental it is that there is a brown, hijab-wearing Muslim woman on the cover of a romance novel? This means the world to so many women looking for representation. And on the same level, Dev is a huge supporter of Jia's career. Being an influencer is still a suspect choice in the eyes of some families, but he sees her remarkable skills and encourages her. He's seriously a sweetheart.

The hardest time I had with this was when the families became involved. I'm just so uncomfortable with families in general pushing for marriage before the parties involved even know how they feel or have any feelings for each other in the first place. I felt their presence only rushed matters and I guess it didn't feel quite as romantic to me because it wasn't an outcome that happened in its own due time. It also seems that Jia and Dev become weird around each other after that, like they've suddenly forgotten how to communicate. They had such a good rhythm going and then it was all thrown off. 

I enjoyed First Comes Like because of its different approach to a romance based on the personalities and cultures of its hero and heroine. I'm glad for the change of pace and it just fed my soul to read two genuinely lovely, decent people become closer. Alisha Rai is a supberb writer and I'll go on reading this series as long as she keeps churning them out.

~ Bel

Love at First Like by Hannah Orenstein

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Eliza Roth and her sister Sophie co-own a jewelry shop in Brooklyn. One night, after learning of an ex’s engagement, Eliza accidentally posts a photo of herself wearing a diamond ring on that finger to her Instagram account beloved by 100,000 followers. Sales skyrocket, press rolls in, and Eliza learns that her personal life is good for business. So she has a choice: continue the ruse or clear up the misunderstanding. With mounting financial pressure, Eliza sets off to find a fake fiancé.

Fellow entrepreneur Blake seems like the perfect match on paper. And in real life he shows promise, too. He would be perfect, if only Eliza didn’t feel also drawn to someone else. But Blake doesn’t know Eliza is “engaged”; Sophie asks Eliza for an impossible sum of money; and Eliza’s lies start to spiral out of control. She can either stay engaged online or fall in love in real life. 

Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review

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When I saw the cover and blurb for Love at First Like I immediately snapped it up because it sounded cute and I was hoping for a rom-com-like, full of shenanigans and bloopers kind of story. It seemed to start off that way but wound up being something different. 

In this age of everyone living their best life on social media with the aim of selling a perfect image, I totally get why Eliza would be tempted to take advantage of everyone's misunderstanding of her unintended post on Instagram. It looked like she was publicly declaring her engagement and it's big news when the co-owner of one of the city's finest jewelers is getting married and showing off a larger-than-life sparkling ring. At first, Eliza is mortified by her blunder but then her practical side kicks in. She sees the advantage in letting people draw that conclusion because it's good for business. That one post alone has already brought in major sales, and for a small business that's amazing. She feels the pressure for their success and wants to guarantee a steady income to ensure everyone's livelihood, including that of her business partner/sister, Sophie. So if people believe she's engaged, she'll go ahead and make that happen, and there begins my uneasiness with the plot.

Eliza stops at no end to find a suitor or to secure more tie-ins to her "wedding". She doesn't even officially have a fake fiancé yet but she's already accepting free bridal wear or a reception venue in exchange for free promotion. The confounding part is that no one in her close circle of friends or even her sister tells Eliza that what she'd doing is dishonest. Sophie, who initially had misgivings about Eliza's plan, adds more pressure on her because she and her partner desperately need money for IVF treatments. Eliza can't say no or better yet, put it to Sophie straight about their company's finances. Instead, she continues to string along Blake, the prospective groom, all the while convincing herself that they'll fall in love for real after he pops the question and they get married. As she's maneuvering for that, she's falling for another guy, Raj who knows what she's up to but doesn't have a problem with it. He seems to think it's amusing. 

I just couldn't. I was waiting for that defining moment when Eliza would come clean and then work backward to fix everything, as painful as that would be. I also wanted to see Eliza have an honest talk with her sister about the state of things and how they're taking a toll on her. I know it's a tall order but it felt like everyone purposely glossed over reality and it got out of control. I can place the exact moment when Eliza and the story lost me: after she had told Blake the truth and they broke off their engagement, she asks to meet him with the idea to convince him to marry her regardless because of the cross-promotional commitments she'd made. She even had the gall to say to him that since she'd apologized to him already, and that if he indeed had loved her, he'd forgive her and help her. Wait. What?  His feelings were beside the point here, apparently. She continued to manipulate him and everyone around her to continue the lie on her behalf. 

Had Eliza's character arc shifted toward growth and more importantly, remorse, I think I would've felt differently. However, the manipulation, lies and exploitation were too much for me to digest. The only character to show their moral compass was Blake who refused to participate in the charade once he was made aware of it. I so wanted to enjoy this book but instead found the direction of the story and its ending unsettling.  

~ Bel

A Prince on Paper (Reluctant Royals #3) by Alyssa Cole

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The Reluctant Royals series returns with a good girl searching for the life that’s not too big, and not too small, and the bad boy prince who might be just right for her…

Nya Jerami fled Thesolo for the glitz and glamour of NYC but discovered that her Prince Charming only exists in her virtual dating games. When Nya returns home for a royal wedding, she accidentally finds herself up close and personal—in bed—with the real-life celebrity prince who she loves to hate.

For Johan von Braustein, the red-headed step-prince of Liechtienbourg, acting as paparazzi bait is a ruse that protects his brother—the heir to the throne—and his own heart. When a royal referendum threatens his brother’s future, a fake engagement is the perfect way to keep the cameras on him.

Nya and Johan both have good reasons to avoid love, but as desires are laid bare behind palace doors, they must decide if their fake romance will lead to a happily-ever-after.

Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review


Naledi's cousin, Nya, returns to Thesolo to attend the social event of the year - Naledi and Thabiso's wedding! All eyes will be on the happy couple while simultaneously giving the evil side eye to Nya. Her family's considered scandalous after her father was found to have a hand in Naledi's parents' deaths many years ago. While he's been in prison, Nya set off for New York. She longed to get away from the gossip and the pitying looks, and hoped the anonymity in the big city would serve as a springboard for an epic adventure, something she'd never thought possible for herself. Only it didn't turn out the way she had hoped and she quickly realized that she wasn't suited to the crazy pace of life there. She didn't find that epic love she hoped for either so instead found solace in a gaming app where she could date a virtual version of her ultimate prince. And speaking of princes, she did come into contact with Johan a few times and none of their encounters were pleasant. Thabiso's best friend seemed to brush her off or look down at her. Little did Nya know that Johan was hiding his true feelings. Being protective of Thabiso, he had originally been suspicious of her role in what happened to Naledi and her family but then soon found her irresistible and charming. However, he had a ridiculous alter ego to maintain so he did all he could to keep her at arm's length. The royal wedding brings them together and in unexpected ways. Turns out that their new "friendship" could prove beneficial to Johan and his country if they pretend to be engaged. Since it also helps Nya with her own problems, she agrees. 

The set up is weird at first. For someone so reluctant to be in the spotlight, Nya seems all too willing to go along with a plan that will thrust her front and center. There are so many fake engagement stories so I wanted her to have convincing reasons to do this, and she does. One, she wants to show everyone who doubts her that she's not the weakling she's been made out to be and neither is she her father's puppet. Two, she does this simply to defy her father. Considering her upbringing at his hand and the strained relationship she has with him as an adult, she's certainly allowed to feel that way. Between the Nya and Joahn, I was more in tune to Nya's growth and how she was overcoming her insecurities. Johan was like a fortress holding tightly to all his thoughts and emotions while putting others ahead of him. I like the idea of his secret good side known to a select. The fake engagement of a playboy prince to an elegant, sweet woman would be the perfect way to distract the press and his people from the issues plaguing his monarchy. There is also a subplot: another potential royal crisis for Johan to manage which involves his younger half brother. I did think that was smoothed over rather quickly but there wasn't time to explore that to its full potential here. I wouldn't mind if Cole revisited that in the future. We'll just add that to my wishlist ;-)

The Reluctant Royals series is about revamping fairy tales and having them come true in a modern world. Amidst all the craziness and hardships, these characters have persevered and achieved their own happiness. Nya may have started out romanticizing about her Prince Charming, and Johan may have thought that he'd forever have to sacrifice his happiness to take care of others, but they both found each other and are setting the rules their way. Cole is such a brilliant writer whom I never want to miss and A Prince on Paper is a dreamy, delightful read to add to your list!

~ Bel