Brielle Adebayo always wanted to know more about her father. But her mother seemed reluctant to talk about the man who died when right before she was born. Then circumstances changed, and Bri had to know more. Her grandfather, who happened to be the monarch of an African island, was dying and wanted her to become the next ruler. Suddenly Bri’s life changes beyond what she could have imagined.

I felt like this book was a fresh take on a fictional royal title. How everything could have fallen into place made sense to me. I loved the fact that Bri’s best friend, Iris, played such an important role in the story. All of the other characters added so much to the storyline.

As a geography teacher, I have studied Africa several times with students. I think that the author’s choice to create a “new” country was a great idea since there could not be any accidental errors with actual history. But she did not take the easy way out by keeping everything vague. Instead she created a new language and customs to reflect this country’s culture. To do so, she studied other African countries, so that there would be consistencies. I think she did a brilliant job at all of this.

What I appreciated the most was Bri’s heart in seeking God repeatedly for wisdom. She did not want to act on her own accord. As others start to play an additional part in the story, she asks them to pray as well. This was how she approached whether or not she should rule. Later she prayed about who she should marry once that became a part of the plot.

As the title implies, this could be considered a romance. But this book is not driven by passion, and I really appreciated that. Instead, Bri deliberates and really thinks through what type of person she wants to marry. As she becomes connected with that person, their relationship unfolds in such a beautiful way.

The one complicated part for me personally? Determining if women should definitively be the ones to rule a country. Perhaps a person should not be kept from ruling simply she is a woman. Yet sometimes certain men can be more suited for leadership. The one redeeming part was the fact that she listened to God’s calling. But the fact that others were hesitant about her ruling made sense to me, and I did not feel like that was necessarily prejudicial or misogynistic (that “buzz” word might have been used a few too many times in my personal opinion.) Still, I appreciate a book that makes me ponder how the situation would work in really life. This one definitely did that.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed the book. This is one that I will continue to recommend. And it will be a part of my keeper shelf as I will want to reread it sometime.

One last thought … the cover. I truly think this is one of the most striking and beautiful covers that I have seen. I HAD TO READ the book once I saw the cover. And I am happy to say that the words inside were just as beautiful.

Thank you to the author for letting me read an early copy of this book. I requested to review it. All opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way by receiving the book.