Alyssa Cole delivers another fun, sexy romance novella in the Reluctant Royals series!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, … 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?
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Lovely novella. Alyssa Cole is a brilliant writer who crafts exceptional characters.
5 happy, teary stars.
I adored this romance so much. A novella that really packs a punch. It was brilliantly written. A+ Autistic representation. I’m always wary when I know a character is autistic, as someone who is autistic, I’m afraid of being disappointed.
This book did not disappoint.
I loved the premise and how they came together.
Just brilliant. This was such a lovely, happy read for me.
The best one of the entire series!
Can’t Escape Love by Alyssa Cole is book 3.5 in A Reluctant Royals Series. This is the story of Regina ‘Reggie’ Hobb and Gustave ‘Gus’ Nguyen. I haven’t yet read the previous books, so for me this was a standalone book. Reggie suffers from insomnia and the only thing she found that helps is Gus’s voice on the Pod Cast. Reggie is a nerd and when Gus needs help with getting a escape room theme of Romance going she steps up to help. Of course sparks fly.
This was a fun cute read. Enjoyed their Story!
THIS BOOK. OMG. THIS BOOK! It is the best thing. If you enjoy romance and geek culture you NEED this book in your life. Right now.
Love the fandom elements and the way they worked out how to respect the importance of each other’s interests and needs.
My favourite parts of A Duke By Default was the sister relationship. the sister getting her HEA with a puzzle nerd? How can I dislike that? This was cute, fun and everything I needed. My favourite of the series so far, but I still have a book and a novella to read. But Ms. Cole is really going to have to knock it out the park to beat this little slice of heaven.
Reggie is battling with a case of insomnia which is messing with her work. She can’t have that so she decides to take care of it, and the only fail-safe cure is the soothing voice of a man she met online. I wondered why she didn’t just take a pill, since nothing was said in the story about allergies or anything, but hey it’s fiction. Anyway, Reggie’s sister is able to track down the voice, whose name turns out to be Gustave (Gus). As it turns out, Gus has also not been able to forget about Reggie. Their interaction is quite sweet and had me smiling quite a bit as I read.
Reggie is a very strong female, who despite (or maybe because of) being wheelchair bound, is determined not to give off any weakness vibes. There were a few times I had to role my eyes, but I guess she had a reason for being constantly on her guard.
Gustave has autism, which makes him quite observant and intuitive. He is quick to note Reggie’s need to not ask for help etc. Together, they make a cute couple.
Being that this is a novella, not much happens beyond them meeting and getting together. Gus happens to be working on a project for which he needs Reggie’s knowledge. Given how pivotal that was to their romance, I expected a bit more closure there.
To be honest some of my favourite parts were scenes in this story overlap with scenes from A Duke By Default (Reggie’s sister, Portia’s story). In fact, at one point, I went back to A Duke By Default to re-read that scene. This story also gave Reggie’s side of the relationship with her sister. (PS. you do not have to have read A Duke By Default to enjoy Can’t Escape Love).
This is a great story for readers looking for some diversity. Not only does it feature people of color, but also brings in various conditions and disabilities which remind us that everyone can and deserves to find love. Precisely, because of this, I hope Ms Cole considers doing something like this for a full-length novel where she can fully explore the characters and plot.
This is a quick read, a sweet romance you can enjoy on the go. Just go in with the mindset that this is a short story!
Cute romance. I had trouble connecting to Reggie who I thought came across as being too detached from herself and others. She did thaw out a bit toward the end but I still couldn’t get too much into her character who seemed (and probably was) to be trying so hard to prove she was independent she became almost inhuman. Gus was another matter. I loved him. I think Alyssa Cole did an awesome job at depicting someone who is perceived as cold and incapable of relating to others but who in fact loves and feels deeply. I so identified and fell in love with him. An enjoyable short, quick and easy read.
I am once again enamored with Alyssa Cole’s ability to be inclusive without pandering to her audience or coming off as condescending or exploitive. I only wish that with characters as diverse, unique, and interesting as Reggie and Gus, we were given more time with them – a full length novel would have been perfection! I enjoyed the overlap between Can’t Escape Love and A Duke By Default and I especially appreciated getting Reggie’s POV on her relationship with her twin and their parents after reading Portia’s side in the previous book. I look forward to joyfully reading the rest of this series! 4 out of 5 wine glasses.
Book 3.5 In the Reluctant Royals series. My only complaint is I wanted more. This novella focuses on Portia’s twin sister, wheelchair-bound savvy businesswoman Regina, Her love interest is an escape room designer, Gustave Nguyen who faces a certain neurological challenge. They both love anime and greek myths and I love both of them. Alyssa Cole takes on every diverse challenge and makes me see and love them on a pan-human level.
amazing novella with great characters
Reggie and Gus in all their nerdy glory totally stole my heart. I loved all the pop culture winks. This novella is the perfect companion to A Duke By Default (one of my favorites) but also stands up on it’s own as a lovely, quick romantic read.
I liked this novella a lot but it could have been a little longer. Due to space constraints the story had to be very tight but I would have liked to have seen more of Gus’s family and his interactions with them and Gus meet Regina’s parents. This is a wonderful addition to the series and I can only hope that the author is able to give these characters a full length book in the future. I particularly impressed by the fact that both characters had special needs and were able to have the lives they want as independent people without relying on anyone for daily tasks. The fears and strategies of persons with disabilities were highlighted but not in such a way to make the reader feel sorry for the characters. I would advise that “A Duke By Default” be read before this book as some of the relationship issues Regina has with her family are more fully explained in that book. A quick, satisfying read with protagonists which are not usually represented in mainstream books as the main characters.
I adore Alyssa Cole’s historicals, but I was in the mood for a contemporary so I picked this one up. Okay, now I’m buying the entire series because of this novella. Just a beautiful story that made me smile the entire time I read. I love Reggie and Gus together.
I just finished CAN’T ESCAPE LOVE by Alyssa Cole today and I LOVED it. The heroine runs a feminist geeky website (like io9 or The Mary Sue), and the hero is designing an escape room and needs her help. It is SO ADORABLE. CAN’T ESCAPE LOVE is also an interracial romance with an autistic Asian hero and a black heroine who uses a wheelchair because of some neurological damage suffered from meningitis as a teenager. Speaking as a non-disabled person, I thought the autism & disability rep in the book were handled sensitively and well. Reggie is a confidant, smart, successful woman who’s pretty matter of fact about her disability, and the hero has a similar frankness about his own challenges. Reggie and Gus are also ADORABLE together. They fall in love binge watching anime and cooking, and their chemistry made this book such a warm, funny read. This is another strong entry in a really fun contemporary romance series from Alyssa Cole.
I’m grateful Ms. Cole is throwing some novellas our way as we wait for the next novel. This is short, sexy and light–a perfect wine-down-the-day book.
Reggie Hobbs is the heroine of Can’t Escape Love (and is Portia’s twin sister – see A Duke by Default). Reggie is a nerdy, social-media mogul who runs a site called GirlsWithGlasses. She also has a problem sleeping – a problem that Gustave Nguyen can help solve with his voice.
Reggie asks Gustave if she can record his voice; she is willing to pay. But Gus proposes that they just talk on the phone while Reggie is trying to fall asleep. This works. But during the course of their conversation, Gus realizes that Reggie can help him.
Gus is working on an escape room design that is based upon a romance anime, one that he really doesn’t get. But Reggie doesn’t only gets it, she loves it. And she doesn’t want Gus to mess it up. The two start working together to help Gus get the subject matter.
The romance in Can’t Escape Love is quick. Once Gus and Reggie start hanging out, they soon start to explore a sexual and romantic relationship. The two are great together. There is little conflict between them, mostly the conflict results from Reggie’s hesitation to fall in love.
Gus is quick to fall in love with Reggie and to express his feelings. Reggie holds back, afraid mostly due to unresolved issues with her family that stem from how they treat her because of her disability (Reggie uses a wheelchair) versus how they treat her sister.
And this it a good time to note that Can’t Escape Love takes place contemporaneously with A Duke by Default (which is really fun). Reggie and Gus follow along online as news of Portia’s exploits and love life go viral.
I adore the fact that Gus is huge fan of puzzles. In fact, his one-time online name was Kakuro Kendoku which are two types of Japanese pencil puzzles – and Kakuro is one of my all-time favorites (with nurikabe).
Gus is a total sweetheart of a hero who is perfect for the edgier Reggie. Reggie is a take-charge sort of woman who has created a very impressive business empire based upon her love of pop-culture (I’m totally jealous).
Can’t Escape Love is a perfect addition to the Reluctant Royals series. It is a quick read that will fill reader’s hearts with love and joy. While this book can be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend starting this series in order, because it is that good.
Book Disclosure: An ebook was provided by the publisher via edelweiss.
**4.5 Stars**
I didn’t know for sure until I read this novella, but this was the story I needed in 2019. CAN’T ESCAPE LOVE is novella gold and as soon as I got to “the end” I wanted to start it all over again so I could relive the warm fuzzies. I think we all know Alyssa Cole is a little bit magic by this point, but to combine so many relevant and thought-provoking themes/topics into one easy to read, yet romantic novella? I bow down to the queen.
The story (which can totally standalone) is about two online friends who have reconnected. That is a totally simplistic description of a multi-layered and utterly charming novella. If you want a thoroughly modern story, this is the book for you.
Regina is a fantastic heroine. She’s self-assured, successful, and completely human. Gus *swoon* Gus has my heart. He’s the puzzle nerd of my dreams. Following along as Gus and Reggie figure out their relationship and their growing more-than-friendship feelings was delightfully fun. I had a big silly grin on my face the whole book.
My only minor complaint with this book is I wish we could have seen the completed escape room at the convention. I understand the limits of a novella though!
Overall, I can’t recommend this novella more. If you haven’t tried out an Alyssa Cole book, give this one a try. I think this will be one of my bests of 2019!
**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**