First, I loved the presentation. The cover is beautiful and the book formatting is well done. If anyone knows me, I love princesses (and knights) and royal kingdoms, even more, when we get Black characters in these settings.

This is a self-contained short story, but I wish it were longer. Or at least there were a few more scenes of bonding time between Avery and her soon-to-be king. The basis for the relationship is light Stockholm syndrome, but it still manages to be cute. Also, the male lead is NBA height, y'all lol.

Avery, the main character, has felt insecure about a facial disfigurement that everyone thinks means she’s cursed. She had a lot of emotional insecurity and tenderness, but she was also no pushover. Even when overpowered, she still fought back. Her relationship with her parents also shaped her. Her impending marriage brought the possibility of a new opportunity and a new fear of being rejected for her.

Male lead was pretty charming despite acting Surprise Pikachu when obviously dumb actions resulted in dumb results. Still, I liked his banter with Avery.

Overall, this was a cute story though I had a question about the worldbuilding. Did magic exist here or not, or were the people just superstitious? There were a few suggestive lines and some fight scenes, but most ages could read this with no issue (middle grade and up). I'd be interested in reading more from this author.