Forces of Destiny

Shackles of Royalty

Romance - Contemporary
292 Pages
Reviewed on 02/19/2019
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Ade Akinosho was born in Lagos, one of the fastest growing city in the world. She now resides in Schaumburg IL, after living in Dubai for two and a half years, with her husband and four children. A move she says gave her the opportunity to meet interesting and amazing people. By day, Ade considers herself Mom and house driver taking care of her children and by night she lets her imagination run wild writing romance novels where she feels she is literally seating in the room with her characters.
Ade is a Linguistics and English major who went on to work in the business operations world with an MBA. Now back to her original passion for writing, something she started doing at the age of 10, Ade describes herself as a voracious reader, lover of the art of words and a traveler. She is known to scribble on just about anything that comes to her when the words fill her mind. Publishing her first novel “Falsified” is a dream come true for someone who has always had a passion for writing and love for reading.
When she is not busy writing or fulfilling an activity for her children, you can always find her reading a book, binging on chocolate or checking out interesting places in the world.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Deborah Lloyd for Readers' Favorite

Although Adetola grew up in Chicago with her mother, Charlotte, and her stepfather, she was not your average young American woman. Her friends knew her as Tola, but before Charlotte died, she revealed Tola’s true lineage. Tola’s full name was Princess Naomi Adetola Adetoye, and her father was a king of a West African nation. The king had not been aware of her existence for the first decades of her life. Tola, however, now had a specific destiny – she had to marry someone of royal blood to continue the lineage. The king arranged a marriage to a man with whom she was not in love. Through her friend, Allison, and an unusual set of circumstances, Tola and Kyle Ellis met. The many complications of this love relationship unfold in Forces of Destiny: Shackles of Royalty, written by A. Akinosho. Tola has no choice but to eventually reveal her true identity to Kyle. Finding a way to fulfill her destiny, without losing this relationship, is at the heart of the book.

This novel engages the reader throughout the story. There is a cast of intriguing characters, including Tola and Kyle, their family members and friends. Even Tola’s bodyguard and Kyle’s housekeeper add layers to their relationship. The author has interwoven several subplots together in a seamless way. The writing flows in an easy-to-read style. The most compelling part of the novel is the ending; it is fascinating and unforeseen. Author A. Akinosho has written a truly captivating romance novel in Forces of Destiny: Shackles of Royalty. It is a unique story indeed!

Edith Wairimu

When Kyle and Tola meet, they both know they are attracted to each other. Yet, each hesitates. For Tola, her betrothal to another man constantly comes up in her mind. She knows she has to fight off her feelings for Kyle. Her destiny has been set and for the sake of her people and her father, she is willing to sacrifice her own happiness for them. Still, the feelings do not go away and Kyle is relentless in his pursuit. Everything about her intrigues him and the thought of their parting is simply heartbreaking. Even with an uncertain future, they allow their love to take over but their relationship is doomed from the start. Forces of Destiny: Shackles of Royalty by A. Akinosho follows the story of these two lovebirds as they encounter and overcome obstacles.

The main plot in A. Akinosho’s Forces of Destiny is focused on the two main characters. This is enhanced by the point of view from which the story is told, which constantly changes mainly between Tola and Kyle. This allows the main characters to play a significant role in the story. The pace is measured which gives readers time to take in each scene. Tola and Kyle’s relationship is characterized by fear of the future, insecurity between the main characters, and their conflict with the people around them who want to break them apart. A daunting responsibility for Tola gives the plot focus and creates a conflict that is hard to overcome. Forces of Destiny contains strands of African literature but also has a modern edge.

K.C. Finn

Forces of Destiny: Shackles of Royalty is a work of contemporary romance penned by author A. Akinosho. Part mystery novel and part romantic tale, the book is centred around the feisty Tola, a young woman who grew up in a not very wealthy part of Chicago. After death and disease threaten to leave Tola totally alone and penniless in the world, a sudden ray of light shines through as her biological father appears. He has a royal destiny in mind for Tola, but chasing down that dream might be too much to handle, especially when love appears at the exact same time.

I found Tola’s tale to be a classic romance of the modern genre, with all the ingredients that one would expect from a rags to riches fairytale. The contrast of the gritty streets of Chicago versus the glamorous royal life that Tola is being offered made for great atmosphere and conflict, although I did feel that some parts of the tale were very instant and contrived. Readers who enjoy insta-love and getting to the point of romance very quickly will forgive this though, as the love story told by A. Akinosho is very tender, entertaining and well formed the more the book goes along. I liked Tola as a central heroine for her fighting spirit and emotional connections to her past, and her dialogue really gave her a great sense of character. Overall, Forces of Destiny: Shackles of Royalty is well worth a read for romantic fiction fans.