cover image To Win a Prince

To Win a Prince

Toni Shiloh. Bethany House, $16.99 trade paper (368p) ISBN 978-0-7642-3896-3

A disgraced prince falls for a rising fashion star in the sweet latest from Shiloh (In Search of a Prince). After 28-year-old Prince Ekon Diallo confesses his complicity in a scheme to stop Brielle Adebayo from assuming her rightful position as queen of Ọlọrọ Ilé in Africa, Brielle follows her Christian conviction in the power of mercy and hands him the relatively light punishment of revoking his title and sentencing him to 320 service hours as a business consultant for a fashion start-up run by Brielle’s best friend Iris Blakely, so that he might help raise the international profile of the country’s textile industry. Worse, Ekon’s father takes away the servants and penthouse he had bankrolled for his son and forces Ekon to make his own way. Meanwhile, Iris is grateful to have Ekon’s help, but his betrayal of Brielle makes her wary of him, no matter how attractive she finds him. Facing homelessness, Ekon confides in Iris and she helps him find a new place, learn how to cook, and realize what a privileged life he’s led. However, he’s reluctant to embrace Iris’s belief in God until a family secret upends his world and leaves him yearning for answers. With a humorous touch, Shiloh cleverly updates the parable of the prodigal son, offering smart lessons on serving one’s community. This Bible-inflected modern fairy tale charms. (Sept.)