He’s a wicked jester. She’s a righteous princess. It’s forbidden love.In the Kingdom of Spring, Poet is renowned. He’s young and pretty, a lover of men and women. He performs for the court, kisses like a scoundrel, and mocks with a silver tongue.Yet allow him this: It’s only the most cunning and manipulative soul who can play the fool.For beyond the castle walls, Poet guards a secret.One the … Poet guards a secret.
One the Crown would shackle him for. One that he’ll risk everything to protect.
Alas, it will take more than clever words to deceive Princess Briar.
Convinced that he’s juggling lies as well as verse, this righteous nuisance of a girl is determined to expose him.
But not all falsehoods are fiendish. Poet’s secret is delicate, binding the jester and princess in an unlikely alliance—and kindling a breathless attraction, as alluring as it is forbidden.
Trick is the first book in the Foolish Kingdoms historical fantasy series by Natalia Jaster. If you like strong princesses, seductive heroes, and magical royalty romance, this steamy enemies-to-lovers story will enchant you. Ready for a book hangover? Pick up your copy now!
Mature young adult/new adult: sexual content and language. For readers 17 and older.
For fans of Grace Draven, Miranda Honfleur, and Emma Hamm.
What Readers are Saying:
“Just. Read. This. Book. It’s everything and nothing like I’ve read before…” – Scarlett Dawn, NYT bestselling author
“I can’t stop thinking about how perfect it is!” – Audrey Grey, USA Today Bestselling Author
“SWOON!!! I can’t get over this book and probably never will!” – Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★
”…a magically written tale that you should not miss out on.” – Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★
”…these characters leeched out of the pages and inked themselves across my heart.” – Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★
more
I’ve seen this author and book recommended by various fantasy romance authors. I’m so glad I was able to check this out. Just the way how Natalia wrote the story makes it feel otherworldly and authentic. I loved how some different elements were added to the story to make it fresh. This book was just different for me in a good way.
Cornell Collins, Lauren Sweet narrations were so perfect for this book. The way how Cornell speaks as the hero Poet, makes me feel like he’s putting me under a spell, almost with a lyrical tone (you’ll see why when you listen). I also loved his other voices for the different characters.
I received this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Trick is a spellbinding and magical fantasy romance. We meet the uptight and restrained Autumn Princess, Briar, as she attends the Spring Court. Cue Poet, the alluring, charming, roguish jester. During the festivities, he singles Briar out as the butt of a joke and thus begins their back and forth battle of wills. But it’s not what you think. This isn’t some silly bad-boy-meets-stuffy-girl routine. Briar can hold her own. She’s a strong character in her own right. And Poet… *sigh* Poet tied a ribbon around my heart and pinned it to a tree. He is not what he appears.
The third main character is the prose. Sweet heavens above, the prose is fantastic. Now normally, I’d read the first few chapters and think “uh oh, purple prose here we come” but Natalia Jaster has a command of her writing like I’ve rarely seen. Yes, it’s flowery, but it’s beautiful, stunning in fact, and in this world, that’s the point. There are some absolutely cracking lines, mostly from Poet, who wields words like throwing knives. It’s fantastic.
Another surprise is how this author sympathetically dealt with LGBT characters and those with disability. It’s such a refreshing change and one I adored.
A stunning book.
(Adult themes and on-page sex)
Wow, I don’t even know where to begin with this book. I saw an ad on Amazon that painted the story as a wicked jester against a virtuous princess, and I was intrigued by this premise since it’s a romance, which meant there’d be plenty of fun banter between the two characters.
Seriously, no words I write could do this book justice. First of all, the author’s writing style is among the most beautiful I’ve ever read – right up there with Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black. Her way of describing things was so unique and refreshing, not to mention heartachingly poetic. I had to re-read a few passages more than once just to savor the way she strung the words together.
The characters were incredibly fleshed out. I particularly liked how much Briar changes over the course of the book, from an uptight and rigid rule-following Royal… to a girl who finds something to be passionate about and stands up for it with all her heart (not to mention a girl who allows herself to love and be loved).
And the world-building! Wow! I loved the idea of there being four kingdoms, each representing a season. And I loved how thought out each kingdom was – their climates, what they’re known for as far as talents and trade, and the personalities of their royals. (Oh, and props for the diversity in the book as well – it was nice to see that one kingdom had two queens as a couple).
My favorite thing, however, was (SPOILER AHEAD) …. the secret of Poet’s son. I adored Nicu. He was so precious. And there were plenty of times when I teared up while reading about Poet’s love for him. Which brings me to the concept of ‘born fools’ that the author created. Wow! I really felt the emotion there. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was based on a certain prejudice the author’s had to experience in her life because it just felt so raw and real and vulnerable in the story. It really added depth to the story, giving it a layer that set it apart and made you root for the characters.
This is one author I’ll definitely be following more closely from here on out. Gorgeous writing, lovable characters, immersive world-building… what more could you ask for? 🙂
Seriously love this book!!! Poet is total swoon and the world is just amazing!! Definitely one of my favorite reads!
This was the first book I’d read by Natalia Jaster. It had been on my TBR for a while, having fallen in love with the cover art (because duh, it’s amazingly beautiful) but I was also struggling to find a hard copy. Soooo glad I finally found one because Trick was absolutely GORGEOUS. It’s the first in a series of 4 books in the Foolish Kingdoms series (see also Dare, Lie and Dream) and they are all fantastic . If you love the hard copies but also want ease of access, these are all available on Kindle Unlimited .
Trick is a tale of forbidden love (and so much more) set in the Kingdom of Spring (each book in the series is set within a different kingdom, or focuses on a character specific to one of them – spring, summer, autumn, winter). Poet is a jester of the Spring court, but he’s no fool. He’s insanely attractive to both men and women (and he plays on it!) but he gets close to no-one. And he has a secret.
Princess Briar is from the Kingdom of Autumn, sassy, opinionated and always ready to stand up for what’s right, consequences be damned. When she stumbles upon Trick’s secret, things in the Kingdoms will change forever…
I’ve now read all of Natalia’s books, including the Selfish Myths series (more on that in later reviews) and they are TO DIE FOR. The writing is exquisite, as is the world building and the character development is just sublime. If you adore fantasy romance, slow burn leading to steamy scenes, diversity in your MCs and real life relevance to boot, this is the book (and the series!) for you.
Love love love .
ALL THE STARS
Loved this book! It reminded me of Shakespeare meets Princess Bride! Great world building, original concept, and developed characters.
This series is amazing! If you like fantasy romance with a strong female lead, you will love all of these books!
Unique and beautifully written!
Where do I even begin? Trick really was an imaginative and unique way of describing the four seasons. Not only were they given characters and personalities that went perfectly with the season they represented,but also the conflicts, rules and flaws too complemented each other. This story seeped originality through every page hooking me to the story for dear life.
As much as I loved how one-of-a-kind sort of story it was, it wasn’t mainly the uniqueness of it that drew me in. No, Poet and Briar was the fishing line that reeled me in fully. Such a well developed and complex couple is difficult to find in the world of books (trust me, I know. I’m a huge bookworm). That it is so rare really tells what a challenge it is for an author to create such a relationship, but Natalia Jaster made a splendid job! The execution was spot on. In the beginning she made sure Poet’s and Briar’s differences and social class created tension between them, bordering on dislike, but at the same time intrigue of each other’s secrets, differences and thoughts. Then came the big twist drawing them together against their better judgement and will. And wow, what an unpredictable twist that was! Knowing his secret and her starting to open up and see him through new eyes made me myself see both of them through new eyes. How comfortable and playful they could be around each other, as well as passionate with their exploring of each other’s hearts and bodies. Plus the fact that they had to keep their love from public knowledge was the perfect recipe for a forbidden romance. It made me want them together like my life depended on it. Indeed a romance well done!
Although an addictive story and forbidden romance and as much of a page-turner this story turned out to be for me it was not without its struggles. For English not being my first language I pride myself with being pretty decent at it (reading and writing that is) but I have to admit that the writing was at times a bit too difficult to understand. A lot of the words felt too sophisticated and old fashioned for what I am used to reading. As much as I get why it was written that way, it still meant that I had to reread some parts to fully grasp what was said or what was happening, which was somewhat of a mood killer and disrupted the flow of the story. It makes me wonder if I only struggled because of said non-English nationality or if even the ordinary English speaking person had the same issues.
After finishing Trick there is still one question, one small detail left in the dark that I am dying to find out. What was Poet’s real name? Is the author so cruel as to never revealing it at all? Or will I find out reading the next installment of Foolish Kingdoms? Either way I can’t wait to get my hands on Dare!