A Kingdom's Heart

by Calisa Azmelle

Princess Iris lives a life of comfort and duty, but she longs for something real. One evening, she slips away from the castle to watch a play, pretending to be a simple healer. There she meets William, a young knight soon to be honored by the king. His quiet strength and sincerity capture her attention in a way she did not expect.

****

William is devoted to his duty and the life he has trained for. When he meets a gentle healer at the theatre, he finds himself wanting to see her again. She is kind and thoughtful, yet there is something about her he cannot quite understand.

****

As their paths continue to cross, Iris struggles to keep her secret, and William begins to sense the truth. If he learns who she truly is, his loyalty to the crown will be tested, and Iris will have to face what her choices have set in motion.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Forbidden Romance, Fantasy Romance, Royalty, Princesses

450 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 3, 2025

Reviews

[Clara 𐙚 free 🇵🇸 (studying)]

pre-read ⋆˙⟡

i have been influenced by those princess x knight tiktoks

[Calisa Azmelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

yippie, I was finally able to become a Goodreads author

Edit: i published this book at 17 and I’ve been 18 now for a week
I spent most of my lunch breaks writing the book + my nights even though I had school the other day. Will I be doing so for my next books? Prob😭

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

'I nodded my voice steady now. "You asked me what my favorite flower is. It's you." Her lips parted, but no words came out. I could see the faint color rise deeper into her cheeks as she looked away, her fingers tracing the fabric of her gown. "I'm not a flower," she whispered. A faint smile curved my lips "You are to me."

"Then we'll make one," I whispered. "No matter what happens I'll keep finding my way back to you. Even if the world keeps us apart."

AAAHHH This book was so good😭 I had a hard time picking what quotes to put, because I marked so many. I found this book on TikTok and I'm so happy that I did. I can't believe the author is in high school, Calisa if you ever read this review please keep writing, you have so much potential and the book world needs more stories like yours.

William and Iris are everything to me, they are so cute🥰 There were just so many things I loved about this one. The setting, the plot, and especially the characters. I loved Iris as a character, and I feel like we need more books with FMCs like her. I loved how Iris was strong when she needed to be, but she had a delicate and soft personality, but that didn't make her weak, her love and kindness is her strength. Listen I can totally get behind a warrior badass or sassy FMC from time to time, but I just feel that it's getting repetitive, and it is so hard to find books at least to me that have softer FMCs. I also just love softer FMCs in general, because they remind me a little more of myself. So it was really refreshing to have a main character like Iris, she's a princess, she's kind, and she's gentle, but that doesn't take away from her strength or her fighting spirit to be with William. William was also a refreshing MMC to read about as well, although William was tough when he needed to be, he was also so gentle with Iris. Their love and romance together in general was just so cute, innocent, and really romantic. I loved every page of it. Now I wasn't aware that this is going to be a series, so I will be definitely looking forward to reading the next one whenever it comes out. Until then I'm just going to act like I never read the epilogue and everything is happy lol (if you read the book you'll know why😭) Overall, I really loved A Kingdom's Heart! I found it when I was scouring TikTok for Princess X Knight stories, because my fyp was full of videos about that trope and I'm so glad I found this one. If you want a romantic and wholesome story between a princess and a knight, but also want some high stakes thrown in, I would highly recommend this one☺️

[daria the enchantress · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely liked this. It was an interesting plot and I liked how the relationship between main characters progressed. It was really cute. Of course there are things to work on but it was amazing for the first time. Better written than some established and popular authors I’ve read❤️❤️❤️

[Lexi Salerno · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is W O W. The world building, the heartbreaking plot, the utter yearning that these characters have for each other, the DETAILS in the writing, I truly felt like I was there. Calisa Azmelle, you have managed to go head to head with authors twice your age! I am SO excited to see what happens next in this series!

[Emma Noernberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the recent knight x princess trope trending on social media, I was desperately searching for a book that matched the vibe… And this was it!!!! This is a fantastic book that I read extremely fast and left me wanting more! I am so excited for the series to continue and to watch Iris and William’s story grow.

[Brenda Archibeque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real rating is 4.5/5 stars. Only because I feel like the writing is a little sloppy and there’s grammar and spelling issues, which is a big pet peeve for me. But I’m giving the author the benefit of the doubt because it is a new book. All over super easy read. I enjoyed it a lot. I wish there was more fmc character building though. She slowly becomes more and more strong and badass, so hopefully in book 2?

[Isla Laxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good. I was immediately hooked right from the start, and couldn’t put it down. The ending was INCREDIBLE, I was bawling near the end. Definitely worth buying!

[Keira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really really good I couldn't stop reading it!! It perfectly fits the princess x knight trope.

[Kamila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much worth reading!! I’m in love with the characters and their storylines. If you look for forbidden love type of book this is the one I’m recommending!😊

[Clara Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

legit read this in one sitting need next book now 😭

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

literally everything I wanted in a Princess X Knight book.
My petty self should mark this down for the ending cliffhanger! *pulls hair out*

[Iremhae · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good but I really really hate cliffhangers.

[Hind · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lovedd this book. I just started reading it yesterday and I finished it just now at 2am. Once I picked it up I couldn’t stop. Each page made me more and more invested in this incredible story, I had to stay up in order to finish it. Although it had a few grammar mistakes, the writing was phenomenal. The way she told and executed their story was so incredibly amazing. I can’t wait to read more about them. I needed the continuation of their story like yesterday. It’s so gooddd!!

[Didem · Rating 5 out of 5]

i literally couldnt stop reading, i binge-read this in a day and i loved it SO much
i‘ve been looking for a forbidden love story and this is perfect!!!!
and none of the main characters were annoying (which is surprising), it‘s just the perfect princess x knight story🥹

[Seana Lamha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ i did enjoy this for what it was. it was story book vibes, classic forbidden love. you cant help but to root for them, not much depth but i liked it.

[A💙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. The vibe and the aesthetic made me feel like I was in the Middle Ages. The story really had an impact on me and I can’t wait for the second book.

[Amy Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY FUCK!!

I fucking adored this book so so much! It was my first read of 2026 and Calisa literally fucking slaughtered with this one.

The way that i fucking HATED Lorenzo for hurting my baby Iris with raven was insane but lowk WILLIAMMMMMMM oh my goodness actually take my life at ur hands william.

The characters were a 10/10 for me 100% and the way that each detail in the book made me imagine the scenes perfectly as i read each word made me struggle to stop thinking abt this book even after i finished it. The world building was so so detailed and allowed you to truly understand and feel the characters emotions in every page.

King henrik.. i do not like you.
William… MARRY ME?
Iris.. i love you.

I texted the author as soon as i finished the book and i made sure she knew how disgusted i was with her when she ended the book in the way that she did because what do you mean I WAS SOBBING AT COLLEGE?

What. a. book.

I can’t wait to read more books from you Calisa Ily🫶🏼

[Lara Golubovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve seen loads of knight and princess videos on TikTok so I decided to read a book with this vibe and this didn’t disappoint. The forbidden love made my heart break, William was such an angel and honestly I’m just going to pretend that the last two pages didn’t happen. Beautiful story.

[Lily Luli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too sweet for my liking…

Me re mal predispuso que empiece con un author’s note advirtiendo que el libro fue escrito por una high schooler 😭

I had high expectations

Update on the review de 0 because I don't want to entertain people... ni me voy a gastar en darle entidad a gente que entra a comentar una review que ni está en su idioma por ende no entienden de lo que hablo... así que traduzcan todo lo que quieran amoooooor

Para la autora si lo lee and I say this with literally 0 irony: Im so impressed by you for having written this book so young it was really nice and sweet! Just not for me.

NOW BYE!!! ❤️

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty sure i went through the 5 stages of grief. Honestly an amazing book. Need another book x

[Book&Quote · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

Writing 2.5/5 (repetitive vocabulary, but easy to read & descriptive)
Characters 5/5 (soft fmc, protective mmc)
Plot 5/5 (secrets and political intrigue)
Setting 5/5
Dual pov, 1st person

Themes: princess x knight, mmc falls first and hard, fake identity, secrets, forbidden love, royalty, cruel king, betrayal, strong love, kingdoms and political intrigue, heartwarming moments, yearning, lots of heartbreak and angsttt!
⚠️ self harm, abuse, violence, injuries, light descriptions of blood, wounds and torture.

Congratulations to the author for self publishing her book as a high school student. I loved every bit of this book from the first page, very engaging and a quick read.
The content from BookTok and the princess x knight vibe with forbidden love and angsty quotes got me!
I’ve always looked for a book with that vibe, and was never able to find one, this book comes the closest and the writer has so much potential. The storyline was so good!

Anyone who loves that viral golden brown song with the princess and a prince getting married with the knight in tears at their side, should read this!!!

I do think the author needs an editor like every other writer. There were some grammar and spelling mistakes, which aren’t a major impact but often enough to be noticeable. I know an editor will for sure help with enhancing this book, and would make a great difference.

[Heori🤓 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have nothing negative to say. This book was a damn masterpiece and I enjoyed reading it so much. I loved the writing and the world building.

If this is how she wrote at 17 then I can only imagine how far beyond amazing she’ll be at 18. im so impressed and wish this author nothing but success

[Stephanie Ronquillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very YA but storyline was surprisingly better than expected.
This is a princess X knight forbidden romance.
Be prepared! There are a ton of grammatical errors throughout the book.

[شيخة · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a fast read, the book is good overall but i didn’t really like the ending

[Book Luvrs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really good, but I just wish there was more to it. The romance felt a little shallow, and some parts were predictable, but honestly, for a 16-year-old author, you really did your thing! The writing style was simple but hooking I finished it in one day! I was really impressed by how young you are and how well you wrote this. 🙂‍↕️😌

[Nicole Caballero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soo beautiful!!

[Mariya Guryeva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extra star for the writer being a teenager. I think one day if she continues studying she could become a phenomenal storyteller. There’s a natural gift for capturing emotions that’s hard to teach.

The story itself… there’s issues with grammar, character development, pacing, dialogue… but those things can be practiced and taught.

The book itself is fluffy and perfect for a sick day in bed when you can’t handle anything deep or intricate. Thank you TikTok recommendations.

[Evangeline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fell for the tiktok quotes and this time it failed me.

These reviews are fluffed. This book reads as a wattpad book full of imagines. The plot itself is inherently interesting, the kingdom is at stake and her life is at risk. Iris and William fall in love almost right away with little to few interactions. This would be great if you could feel the yearning or intensity. How are you in love after 6 interactions and 135 pages? I’m just not buying it.

I was gifted a physical copy of this book but the formatting is all wrong. The book reads like an awkward text message due to all the typos and misspelled grammar…. And you cannot forget the amount of “…” she includes in conversation. The characters while they have struggles and problems were flat and two dimensional….. I wanted more from each of them.

I don’t know if this fantasy world took place hundreds of years ago or decades into the future. With the way they speak it feels like it takes place in the current day which really pulls you out of the story. The story lacked details and immersion, I was never once pulled into the world itself.

I wish there had been way more build up for the bathtub scene. I loved that scene but it felt so out of place? William hadn’t been affectionate until this point so why the sudden switch up? Maybe because he’s already saved her life countless times?

Had I read this on wattpad at 14 years old I would’ve given this a 5/5. Called it a masterpiece and casted William with Harry Styles. But that’s not what happened. Instead I read a half baked draft with a slightly interesting plot. I loved the magic and pirates. Honestly I wished for Iris and the Pirate, Carlos. Princess and Pirates always intrigue me.

Normally I love Princesses x Knights. But William was childish and boring. He didn’t yearn and he shouldn’t have earned. I will say I loved the damsel in distress like yes go save her! But I wish there had been more substance in between. All he did was constantly save her. It gets to the point where I can’t care anymore. Like Princess Peach and Mario.

I also loved the arranged engagement, forbidden love is my weakness! But once again William doesn’t yearn or feel scared he just says “You will always be mine… and I will always be yours. Always”. Love that and all but show me your distress, the agony, the longing. If you told me a young teenager wrote this I’d see her potential. But this isn’t an english assignment.

I apologize for the harsher review, I just had really high expectations for this one.

[Camryn Allday]

This book was just… meh. The writing felt very basic. It was very predictable. I don’t feel like there was much plot because of how predictable it was and character growth never happened either. Apparently there’s a book 2, but it didn’t leave me wanting to continue the story because I feel like I can probably guess where it goes.
Cute story, but not the best.