The Reluctant Consort

The Reluctant Consort #1

by Suilan Lee

Duke Silver takes on Jihan Kamran who is determined to protect his big sister from an arranged marriage. A powerful emperor watches and waits for them to make a mistake so he can get his way.

Jihan
Jihan is the master of Kamran Estate. He runs a wealthy merchant network and is soon forced to supply a war by his villainous father. After the war with West Nation ends, Jihan's powerful network gains the Emperor's attention. The Emperor orders a member of the Kamran family must wed into the royal family so that he can gain control of Jihan's wealth.

Kastan (Duke Silver)
Duke Silver is the second prince in the Akasha Imperial Family. The Empress of Akasha is afraid of his immense military power. Kastan uncovers her plot to murder him and approaches the Emperor. The Emperor decides that Kastan's marriage to a Kamran will keep Jihan's family in check, and in turn, the vast Kamran wealth will protect Kastan from the Empress's jealousy.

Will Kastan and Jihan understand each other in the end? Can they be one when so many are against them?

This is an #mmromance. The Reluctant Consort is a boy meets boy world.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, M M Romance, Historical, Gay

325 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2023

About the author

Suilan Lee creates fiction set in a boy meets boy world. She has written The Reluctant Consort, The Prince and His Royal Guard, The Assassin, and The Morgan Lore, among others.

When she's not writing, she teaches others how to farm sustainability. She lives with her husband, and their beautiful family of four.

Reviews

[lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing felt juvenile. I would’ve thought this book was amazing if I were still a teen on wattpad. But I’m not lol.

The pacing was good. But the characters felt one dimensional and would contradict themselves frequently. Also the secret Kamran network needed more time to be a secret—it felt like everyone and their mommas was aware of the noToriUs merchant network before the half way point. It didn’t feel believable. Also a lot of the “Aha!” moments fell flat. Like that moment when Jihan handed himself to the enemies and then revealed himself to Kastan at the raven inn; that set up was very dumb, which contradicts the SMART stereotype Jinan is associated with. Then the insta love after Kastan and Firuz saved him was EYE ROLL INDUCINGGGGG. Listen I love me some insta love but it just wasn’t BELIEVABLE! I felt like I missed 7 chapters because why was Kastan already caressing Jihan’s cheek, giving him his cloak, and admitting he preferred him with his hair down???? At that point they’ve only met 2 times and their convos probably total up to 15 minutes—like what do y’all even actually like about each other?? And if you’re gonna do insta love, go the whole ten miles! WHY did the author omit the smut scenes 😭 everything felt really summarized. Even the PG ones! Like fine, take away the smut, but at least give us the cute moments! Like that card game moment sounded so cuuute but we only got short recountings of it. Author, what do you know about SHOW, DONT TELLLLLL! Ugh idk. I’m just complaining at this point lol.

I would give this 2 stars but I won’t lie the author has potential and I am rooting for their growth.

DNF @ 72%

[Mary Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlimited Kindle freebee, but

Much better than some books I have bought. I was hooked after the free sample, and not disappointed as I added the whole book to my Kindle. I finished the book in one day. The characters and story kept growing in intensity and the climax made me want more. So, I will be starting the next book as soon as I can download it.

[V.ya]

The prologue is interesting & has high tension. Then there’s chapter 1, which starts from the first gear… and kinda stays there. On to the other main character in chapter 2, and I noticed even more how the writing is meandering and amateurish. I read another review that says the romance wasn’t worth it either, so nah.

DNF @ 14%

[Christina Blank · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

Rarely do you find a man loves man romance, that is written with such skill. Not only are the characters rich, but the plot line the twist the politics. The whole structure of the story is just beautiful. I cannot wait to read the next book. I’m so excited there’s a sequel. I cannot wait to visit the amazing world created by the author.

[MA · Rating 5 out of 5]

LS's world-building always blends Asian cultures seamlessly into a tight narrative that has plot, action, intrigue, romance, political maneuvering. Strong characterization - and strong characters, both male and female - make this such a lovely read, and re-read. Don't hesitate to start it.

[Maria Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Book Ever

Love, love, love this book. Sunlamps Lee has outdone herself with this one. All of her books are outstanding, but this one is the cream of the crop. I have all her books and this one is definitely my favorite. Keep them coming.

[B. Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this definitely reads like a translated xianxia. I really enjoyed it despite some of the errors. It's a little stilted in some ways, but I think the plot of the story is enjoyable, as well as the characters. I was engaged the entire time, but that's also because I have read other Chinese inspired fantasy as well as watched things like The Untamed. Maybe it's not for everyone, but it was for me.

[Duke Silver's Duchess · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE READ IN 2024!!!!!

Holy cow, if you are looking for a BL Chinese Historical Drama in book form, LOOK NO FURTHER!!! It was AMAZING. Everything you normally get in a c-drama but BETTER because its not all so fade-to-black and no censoring on the MM romance!

Getting this in paperback to add to my shelf!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. It has action, political intrigue, danger, interesting world-building, and a touch of magic. The romance between Duke Silver and Jihan is magnificent, passionate, and forever. The supporting characters provided depth and interest to the story. I look forward to reading Bk 2.

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this tale of the merchant and the high-ranking official. A delicate, beautifully told love story and also one of scheming palace officials and social climbing family members. I loved Jihan and Kastan's characters, and the closing pages were sumptuous. Not high in spice, but a graciously told story of restrained passion and duty to family. Not my usual read, but I couldn't put it down.

[Seneca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book But,

Thks is my kind of M/M story combining romance with sword and sorcery. My only complaint is the excessive dialogue and internal conflict. In sum I would definitely read again after edits.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty solid fun read

[Orion Lilith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, Interesting Period Piece

Had a cute couple, with lots of pining. Was a light, quick read. Was really easy to sit and read for hours.

[Cristiane Pereira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maravilhoso 😍😍😍😍

[Jennifer Pusak]

DUKE SILVER

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 45%. Monotonous.

[Mirrol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read like a bad translation of any mediocre danmei I've come across the internet, like some of the other comments have accurately noted. The ideas were there, and there was potential for something actually good here, but the frequency of the contradictions in situations and wanting your characters to be all things at once (naive/smart, backed into a corner/ten steps ahead etc.) took a lot out of it, never mind the unbelievable circumstances and frankly weird political situation, like Jihan being supposedly caught out by the emperor except it's Jihan that actually has a lot of the leverage(??) that he's not using bc it's not him that needs the emperor but the other way around (also the Empress being a traitor to a nation would and should have lead to her beheading? no emperor in history would have let it just linger there after something so blatant). However, this was entertaining in a better-this-than-bored-commuting-to-work way, and since I bought the second book at the same time, I'll tackle that as well in between other books and free moments.