These Cruel Vows

The Broken Kingdoms #0.5

by L.J. Andrews

He's the future king.
He's the friend he was never supposed to love.
Together they will unravel their world.

Sol Ferus is the heir of fae kingdom of Etta and knows the burden of the crown will one day be his. The royal council has plans for their future king, and Torsten Bror was never supposed to be part of them.

When the feelings for his best friend take hold, Sol cannot deny Tor is the choice of his heart.

But there are vipers hidden in plain sight waiting to strike, and Sol and Tor must decide if their love will last or if it will burn.


These Cruel Vows is a M/M fantasy romance that follows the love story of Sol and Tor from the Broken Kingdoms series. Readers are encouraged to review content and spoiler warnings inside.

Genres: Romantasy, Fantasy

139 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 21, 2025

About the author

Writing is a beautiful thing.

I consider myself blessed I'm able to do this for a living. I live for fantasy books as a reader and author. I adore books like An Ember in the Ashes, The Night Angel Trilogy, Harry Potter, The Great Library series...I could go on.

Before I write I have four young humans I keep alive and love them to the stars and back again. I live in Utah with my sexy husband, the kiddos, two paranoid dogs, and a sinister cat. Between finishing a second degree, running a business, and eating too much chocolate, I love writing early in the morning when no one is awake. If you can't tell, I basically function on caffeine.

Reviews

[Ali Alley EscapeThroughABook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love LJ Andrews as an author, and her writing of this little novella is one of the many reasons why. Did she have to give us an inside look into Tor and Sol’s beginnings? Nope. But she did. It just deepens the story for me. I love the Broken Kingdoms series so much, but I always felt like we could’ve known more about these two. Especially seeing them in the Ever Seas series. I really appreciate this novella and love seeing how their love blossomed… even though they had plenty of hardships (and trauma) to endure along the way. I also think this book really brings awareness to the lack of boundaries we sometimes do to men. They can have SA, and they do not want our advances just like we do not always want theirs. It is often overlooked, and this book does shine a light on that. Great book.

This fantasy romance novella is .5 in the Broken Kingdom series. It can be read in order or any time during the series. This book does have some darker topics and scenes. The romance in this book is friends to lovers. This book is spicy with open door spicy scenes. Tor and Sol have been friends, but both their hearts long for more. With their family and their people’s expectations upon them, they know they shouldn’t want each other, but they do.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
📱Ebook

[Katharine Knoodle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella adds so much heart to Sol and Tor’s story. The betrayal they face comes from outside sources in the most devastating way, and I appreciated the way the book acknowledges that men can also be victims of sexual violence. Sol’s experience is written with care, and Tor’s support makes their bond even stronger.

The themes of family and loyalty shine, and the reveal about Uter’s earlier connection to their story was such a great surprise. If you love The Broken Kingdom, this is one you should not skip.

[Tommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this short story, wish it could have been longer. I loved reading about Sol and Tor but I wish we got to read more about what happened during the war.