Found this story tedious and pedantic, to be honest. The hero was a jerk throughout, and every other page of his POV seemed to have the fact his brother died because of him, he left the weight of it all on his brother's back... But he was the spare, their father didn't groom him for any role, and he even mentions his brother, the heir, didn't need him to rule. So why all the guilt, then? This got heavy and much too cumbersome to read about at every turn. Then there's absolutely zero chemistry between him and Natalia, who sounds like an ingenue one second then a fiery Valkyrie the next. It also annoyed me that much of the thoughts repeated one paragraph later, different words but same idea/concept, which got repetitive very quickly.
All in all, this one left me frustrated more than anything, with the writing itself, the characters, and the plot which was going nowhere, it seemed.

Prince Luciano and Prince Angelo are twins, Luciano the eldest is destined to become King: due to a tragic accident Angelo has had to step back into his shoes and also marry the woman to whom he was engaged - Princess Natalia La Morte, a princess from the neighbouring kingdom. Angelo has secretly been n live with Natalia for 3 years but as he is devastated by his twin’s death remains aloof from his new bride. Natalia hates her life as a princess and Samson her horse is her only escape. She won’t leave, however, as she is duty oriented. Passions still rise as the pair spend time together but will they be able to move from the past and make a future together?
I found Natalie’s character likeable due to the fact she escaped with Samson for a ride everyday and seemed as though she would have been happier as a normal citizen. Angelo wasn’t a particularly likeable character.
I have slowly lost interest with all the imaginary kingdom/ Prince tropes that appear every month. They don’t really fit the “Modern’ imprint. Can’t they be published under Cherish or true love?

Natalia was promised to Angelo's Brother from birth, but when he dies in a tragic accident, Angelo steps into his place. What Natalia doesnt know is that Angelo first saw Natalia three years ago when he was pretending to be his brother, and the pull he felt for the young princess was immediate and he has spent the years trying to ignore his attraction to her, but now she is his Queen and it is getting harder to say no to her but then he comes up with a plan which may just work, when the flame is lit they are no longer King and Queen but just man and woman but how long can the lines stay set?

Marriage of convenience? SIGN ME UP!

After Angelo ‘s Brothers death, he is now to king and must marry the women who was promised to his brother, Natalia. With a sheltered-up brining, Natalia wants nothing more than to be loved and change for her people. Angelo, feeling the guilt of being where his brother should be, pushes Natalia away in hopes of being married but separate. But we know that's never the case...

This was a super-fast paced, royal family marriage of convenience. Easy to follow, passionate spicy scenes and enjoyable characters!

The king she shouldn't crave is a romance novel by Lela May Wight.
This was easy to follow and quick to read. I read it in a day. The character's chemistry was very spicy and off the charts. Those who love easy to follow spicy novels will love it. I did find it a bit slow at times but still enjoyed the story and would recommend it.
❤️ Thank you to netgalley and Mills and Boon Insiders for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The King She Shouldn’t Crave👑🤍✨
Mills and Boon Arc

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The King She Shouldn’t Crave is an extremely gripping royalty romance read with loads of spice! In this book the two main characters Natalia and Angelo have an arranged marriage to follow duty as Angelo is King and Natalia’s duty is to be Queen.

Although they are married they see their relationship as forbidden which creates an entertaining tension between them. Throughout the book Angelo is resentful as his twin brother was meant to be King which adds to the forbidden romance between him and Natalia.

Angelo is extremely dedicated to his duty and pushed Natalia away throughout the book as he thinks it’s best to stay as far away from her as possible to hide his desire for her but she slowly but surely breaks down his barriers to his surprise.

This book was extremely gripping and I raced through it because I couldn’t put it down. I was sitting on the edge of my seat the full time reading it because of how tense and thrilling it was to read as well as the extreme spice throughout🤭

The thing I loved most about this book was how strong and independent Natalia was. She always stood her own ground and I loved that about her! 👸🏻

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley.

It took me a while to get into this story, guess it’s been a while since I’ve read a romance… it’s a slow burner but has a really good feeling to it… towards the middle I found I didn’t want to put it down and thoroughly enjoyed the ending!!!

For me, a very old fashioned tale. A king and princess, an arranged marriage, no love and then something happens to break the ice. The book was slow, each meeting covered in a lot of detail, however without the emotion. Neither Natalia nor Angelo are appealing as personalities, they have no spark or drive and I struggled to find much to redeem them.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry but I couldn’t engage with the characters, or the plot in this book.

I’m fed up with royal stories that are set in some medievalised version of a tiny European monarchy, mostly ruled by cruel and tyrannical idiots. I really found this one disappointing. The hero was such a outrageously miserable, cold and cruel jerk (towards the heroine and his mother) for more than 90% of the book and I found nothing to explain why he’d be so cruel to Natalya.
His guilt over the death of his brother, seemed totally out of proportion; and it did not explain his nastiness at all.

I read romantic fiction because I want to feel the romance, but sadly I didn’t feel it here.

The fashion for interior monologuing has reached a crescendo and it feels like far too much of the book is spent inside the h/H head but without ever really learning much about them. When couched in flowery, overblown language which seems to obfuscate rather than clarify the reader’s understanding, the long periods of interiority become an obstacle.

I hate to be so critical when I know how much work the author will have put into this book. She can clearly write, and write well - but I just didn’t like this book. Others might well adore it. 2.5 stars.

A royal marriage of convenience masks a forbidden love between Angelo, the imposter King, and Natalia, whose duty is to be Queen. Angelo covered for his twin brother, the heir to the throne, at his marriage settlement negotiations. Unfortunately for Angelo, he is powerfully attracted to Natalia, his brother's intended bride. His brother's death in a tragic accident makes Angelo King, and he marries Natalia, the woman he desires. Driven by self-loathing, Angelo refuses to give in to his forbidden love. Natalia wants to be loved, not protected and is determined to have the marriage she desires. The attraction between the couple is tangible, and the romance is increasingly passionate, mirrored by their emotional commitment even though neither initially acknowledges this. It's a vibrant and intense story full of guilt and yearning. I like the intensity of the forced proximity, the romance and the dynamic between Angelo and Natalia.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.