Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: A Tale of Two Princes

Author: Eric Geron

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Diversity: Gay MC, Queer (mostly identified as gay, but also as queer) MC, Gay characters, MM romances, Black non-binary gender-nonconforming character, Queer characters

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, alternate reality Canada, queer, LGBT, romance, retellings, Gay, MM romance

Publication Date: January 10, 2023

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Age Relevance: 14+ (cancer, parental death, homophobia, death, anxiety attack, animal slaughter)

Explanation of Above: There are mentions of cancer and parental death. Homophobia is shown and mentioned throughout the book. Death is discussed and talked about. There are a couple of scenes where an anxiety attack is shown. There is a mention of animal slaughter with cows once in the book.

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Pages: 448

Synopsis: Edward Dinnissen, Crown Prince of Canada, loves getting the royal treatment at his exclusive Manhattan private school and living in a fancy mansion on Park Avenue. But despite living a royal life of luxury, Edward is unsure how to tell his parents, his expectant country, and his adoring fans that he’s gay.

Billy Boone couldn’t be happier: he loves small-town life and his family’s Montana ranch, and his boyfriend is the cutest guy at Little Timber High. But this out-and-proud cowboy is finally admitting to himself that he feels destined for more . . .

When Edward and Billy meet by chance in New York City and discover that they are long-lost twins, their lives are forever changed. Will the twin princes—“twinces”— be able to take on high school, coming out, and coronations together? Or will this royal reunion quickly become a royal disaster?

Review: This was a cute book and I loved the alternate reality of it. The book, which follows two twin princes as they navigate suddenly finding each other and handling the passing of the monarchy from one twin to another, takes place dually in Canada (where the monarchy reigns) and America. I liked the story, it reminded me a little of the Prince and the Pauper, but also had a lot of Princess Diary and Sister Sister vibes to it. The book had a great feel to it and it flowed pretty well. The character development was great as was the world building.

However, I had a couple of issues with the book. I thought that the character of Pax was a bit too stereotyped in a few places, but I’m not an ownvoice reviewer in that aspect so please refer to ownvoice reviewers about their thoughts on the character. I also absolutely hated everyone in this book except for Billy (and Pax mostly). Every character rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn’t help but feel for Billy the most, even though he was blamed the most. It infuriated me to say the least and I don’t know if it was my personal feelings on the matter or the book’s writing that caused me to feel like this.

Verdict: It was good!