As next in line for the Evergreen crown, Prince Merrick Davendall’s future involves ruling, marriage, and producing an heir of his own. But he’s long been tormented by desires that are far from princely. Especially when the beautiful Cassius is promoted to be his new valet, and Merrick is struck by a longing like never before—a longing to know him far beyond royal and servant.After his father’s … father’s passing, Cassius Havendale’s sole duty is to provide for his family. A promotion to serve a pampered prince is something he endures only for their sake. Surely Prince Merrick has no understanding of the true suffering of the common people, nor could he possibly understand what it’s like to desperately desire something he cannot have.
Except the prince is not at all what Cassius imagined. Kind, humorous, and caring to those in need, he also shares Cassius’s affinity for the arts. In fact, Merrick understands his deepest vulnerabilities in a most remarkable way.
As their affection deepens, the underlying tension between them becomes unbearable and they’re unable to ignore it any longer. But when the queen prepares a lavish ball with all the eligible ladies in the land in attendance, Merrick must fulfill his obligations to his country, and Cassius has the needs of his family to consider. They’ve long known their stolen moments would have to come to an end, but are they ready to give up one another and the idea of a happily-ever-after?
***PLEASE NOTE: EVER AFTER is a romantic fairy tale—minus the magic—that features one compassionate prince, one brooding valet, and plenty of angsty, forbidden love. It’s loosely based on a certain treasured fairy tale in a wintery make-believe setting that wouldn’t be considered contemporary but also isn’t based on any specific time period and doesn’t play by any traditional rules. *Please be sure to read the Dear Reader letter in the book before you begin.
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Ever After by Riley Hart and Christina Lee is a sweet, magical, and passionate story all wrapped with a happily Ever After. No pun intended. It’s a fantasy story about a young prince being pressured to chose a bride, but he instead finds himself falling in love with his new valet. Although Merrick, the prince, and Cassius, his valet come from different backgrounds, they are very similar. They’re both simple men who enjoy art and nature and want nothing more than the freedom to live and love openly.
There was so much to love about this book, some highlights:
-Exquisite relationship development.
-The dialogue. The way Merrick and Cas spoke to each other would hit me right in the feels. I’d find myself sighing or grinning.
-The characters were lovable- even Merrick’s dad, the king, who could come across as gruff.
-Alternating POVs.
-Forbidden love. There’s something about secret rendezvous that always make my heart and race and deliriously happy.
I’d also like to give kudos to Riley Hart and Christina Lee for trying something different, outside their comfort zone. It paid off because this was such a joy to read. I’m hoping there will be more stories- maybe the Duke of Lexington?
I’m giving Ever After 5 “Magical” Stars!!
A Magical Fairytale in a Non-Magical World
Fairytales have been told and retold in so many different ways. Sometimes the retelling is mediocre, sometimes it falls flat, but the special moments are when you find a retelling of fairytale that is so wonderful it truly feels magical. Ever After is one of those wonderful, magical retellings.
In this fairytale world there is no magic, and no easy solution to the dilemma Prince Merrick and Cas face. They are in love, but a gay relationship for the heir to the throne is unthinkable. Prince Merrick must marry a woman and have children for the good of his kingdom. It is an agonizing fate for a man who finds no attraction to the opposite sex, and has already found his one true love in Cas, his handsome valet. As a reader I felt the agony and heartbreak Merrick and Cas experienced as they fell in love knowing their love had no future. I felt the joy and elation when, in true fairytale fashion, Merrick and Cas had their happy ever after.
The writing in this book was phenomenal. The prose was gorgeous and flowed smoothly. The authors were able to create such a magical tone throughout the book – I truly felt like I was transported into the fairytale – even without any use of magic within the plot. The characters were well developed and not only did I like them, I became invested in their happiness. The secondary characters were wonderful as well, and I enjoyed seeing strong, supportive women who helped Merrick and Cas achieve their happy ending. There was no evil stepmother tropes or wicked villains in this story. There was no need for that, and I did not think the story lacked anything with their absences.
Overall Rating: 5 Stars. The writing was so lovely and pretty, and the characters so well developed and crafted. It’s a beautiful story that left a smile on my face after I read it.
KU. 3.5 rounded to 4. This was a solid enjoyable & sweet read. No real complaints, but it’s not like there was anything earth shattering or that it’s something I’d read over and over again.
What an absolutely beautiful story!!!!
The imagery is perfection and I immediately fell in love with both Merrick and Cassius. In this fictitious world, Merrick, the young Prince who is attracted to his new vallet.
Cassius is the footman to Prince Merrick who gets promoted to his personal vallet when his current one falls ill and must retire. While he is distractingly attracted to the Prince, he is almost disgusted at how much of a process it is, the princes daily life. Why can’t a grown man dress himself? He quickly learns that Merrick is much, much more than his title. When both men’s’ bodies betray their lust to each other, they realize that they both seek men, not women, as partners. But, how can they be together when Merrick is supposed to be searching for a potential wife to produce an heir to the throne?
Omg this story was adorable and the love the two men share is beautiful. Not to mention, the cover was freaking gorgeous.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! This story was so unique and had all the feels!
Riley Hart and Christina Lee have stolen my heart, and I’m not even mad about it. As soon as they announced the release of EVER AFTER, I knew this would be a book that would check all my boxes. My body was ready for a sweet, whimsical, romantic read.
Spoiler Alert: I WAS NOT READY.
This book had so many more layers. Instead of the simple read I was expecting, I got a story of unlikely love, desperate longing, stolen moments coupled with impossible decisions. I got a story of two souls that belonged together, desperate for a way to rise above the societal conventions that would keep them apart. This was a story of many different kinds of love; the love between partners, family, and friends. A story of sacrifice and acceptance, a story of people trying to do what they think is best, even when it hurts.
These characters were beautifully drawn, giving and selfless, their inherent goodness coming across so easily. The secondary characters were fantastic, their wisdom, their humor, their support and love adding so much to this book.
Cassius and Merrick’s love story simmered and sparked, the chemistry between the two of the gripping me, while their realizations that they could never live out that love story together pulled at my heart, causing my own emotions to toss and pitch right along with theirs. Along with sizzling attraction and emotions between the two men, there were moments of levity that had me laughing out loud.
I listened to this book on audio, knowing that Joel Leslie would breathe life into this story in the way that only he can. His impassioned portrayal of Cas and his prince had me rapt, at times holding my breath in anticipation of what was to come, at other times weeping as this story caused fissures in my heart I could only hope the authors would heal.
This story and this narrator are a match made in audiobook heaven, an inspired pairing that elevated the book to a whole new level, allowing this ethereal world to almost become real in the listener’s mind.
EVER AFTER was unlike anything I’ve read before, a book without roots in any particular time or place, but a story so vividly told and performed, the reader can’t help but get lost in this world. The love story of Merrick and Cassius is stitched upon my heart, and I’ll go back to Evergreen to visit them again and again.
4.5*
I really loved Merrick and Cassius’s fairytale! It’s sweetly endearing, passionate and sexy, a bit angsty, and even made me a little teary-eyed. Their story will tug at your heart strings, because theirs is a forbidden love, in more ways than one. The prince and the valet, the yearning for what they can’t have- you could just *feel* the desire radiating off the pages.
I adored both Merrick and Cas and the world Ms. Lee and Ms. Hart created for them. And even though there were automobiles and modern day conveniences it felt like I was transported to another time and place. I loved that the focus of the story was on them- their love, their journeys as individuals, and their quest to be together.
You won’t find a villain in this story, but you will get that fairytale happily ever after!