Becoming King

by Josephine Carnes

Norden grew up as a lord's son and he dreamed of becoming a valiant knight one day. As a boy, he was eager to learn to fight. As a teen, his dream comes true when his childhood hero comes back from campaigns and takes him on as a squire. He quickly learns, however, that being a knight sometimes means that you have to question the ideals you had as a child. When the rose-shaded glasses he wore fall off, will he choose to hold true to his oath to the king? Or will he choose the people over his reigning monarch?

IAC Content Level 3 for violence, miscarriage (described in minimal detail), some gore (medieval world, beheading, not descriptive), and hard topics (such as grief and infertility) that may not be suitable for those under 18. Parental discretion is advised. There is no swearing. IAC spice level 1 for fade-to-black, closed-door romance within a marriage.

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2025

About the author

Josephine Carnes is a born and raised Alaskan. She enjoys writing fantasy fiction full of interesting people and creatures. She also enjoys the quiet solace of nature, grilling, camping, and road trips. She lives in Big Lake, Alaska with her husband, daughter, three stepchildren, and her black cat named Midnight.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book! I feel like it gives some great character building, and helps really set up the story to understand a lot of the backstory and context to what you read in Prophecies and Expectations.

Love:
- Really get a full understanding of the evil king and how things used to be.
- You understand the current kings rise, his motivators, and how he came to be.
- Fairly quick read that gives you a lot of information but not a lot of fluff. It spans over quite a few years to give you all the info you need, but doesn’t linger if it isn’t advancing the storyline.
- The book can be pretty serious, but still has some great moments with humor. Without any spoilers there’s a moment right toward the end that made me cackle when I read it because the author just set it up so perfectly that I could literally see the whole scene playing out in my head and it was perfection.