Prince Allen has trained his entire life to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious mother, who has made their kingdom one of the wealthiest and most influential in the empire. For the past few years he has trained to become the new consort of the High King. The only thing no one prepared him for was the stubborn, arrogant High King himself, who declares Allen useless and throws him out of … court.
High King Sarrica is ruling an empire at war, and that war will grow exponentially worse if his carefully laid plans do not come to fruition. He’s overwhelmed and needs help, as much as he hates to admit it, but it must be someone like his late consort: a soldier, someone who understands war, who is not unfamiliar with or afraid of the harsher elements of rule. What he doesn’t need is the delicate, pretty little politician foisted on him right as everything goes wrong.
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Highly recommended! I always love Megan Derr’s fantasy books and this was no exception. Ms. Derr expanded on a freebie novella and turned it into a long, satisfying read. I absolutely loved it and recommend it highly. My only wish is for even more of this universe and she delivered with several sequels I need to check out. Unf. Loved it so much.
This book remains one of my all time favorites from this author. The “golden tongue” in question is so much more than a pretty face, and I LOVE his character arc.
Wow. I can’t believe I’ve never read this before! The world building and inhabitants of that world created exactly the kind of story I crave, with a sweet but underestimated (and determined) character and the powerful man who comes to regret that underestimation, and learns to appreciate getting what he needs as opposed to what he wants.
Due to little time to read, I listened to this story on audio-book, and the brilliant descriptions allowed clear visions in my mind. What really shone for me was the interactions between the characters, how natural and logical the dialog seemed. The king’s banter-filled conversations with his best friend, juxtaposed with his treatment of Prince Allen, shows that he’s not a bad guy, just maybe has his head too far up his arse a bit to realize that Allen isn’t trying to replace his former lover, merely create an entirely new relationship, one that is mutually beneficial as well as advantageous to the kingdom.
Allen comes across as first as pampered, but as the story unfolds, we see how lonely and abusive his past has been. My heart broke for this poor guy who deserved so much more, and who hid a backbone of steel beneath his gold and lace finery.
This part might be a spoiler, but for me, the brief, fade-to-black scene where a despondent Allen takes comfort in the arms of another, is so logical, and only drives home his loneliness. Besides, he’s been rejected by the king, and even if they do forge a formal relationship, there is not much chance of love or intimacy. My heart broke for him.
I also felt for King Serrica, still mourning a lost love and slogging through life without really moving on. His best friend was the perfect foil, and I dearly enjoyed their witty repartee and the empty threats they hurled at each other.
The secondary characters were fully realized and so endearing that I’ve gone on to buy the second installment of the series in order to see someone else receive an HEA.
This is the first book by this author that I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last.
I love great M/M fantasy reads, and this is one of my absolute favourites. It can be hard to really nail that balance between solid, intricate world-building and equally as solid characterisation, but that’s exactly what’s managed here, and the emotional payoff is just wonderful. Definitely a story that can be revisited multiple times.
This series has great diversity with a romantic focus and various kinds of relationships among the cast of characters.