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King of Joy
A dying healer. A devoted king. A love that will heal them both.
When King Edmund rescues a dying village healer from a winter storm, he believes he's simply doing his duty. But Alice, fragile in body yet fierce in spirit, awakens something in his heart he thought lost forever: joy.
Alice has spent her life healing others while her own health deteriorates with each passing winter. Now, recovering in the king's castle, she finds herself surrounded by more than just silver's healing properties. Edmund's gentle devotion and unwavering faith stir her soul in ways she never expected. But can a common healer truly become a queen?
As Edmund's jealous brother schemes to separate them and the court questions a king's choice to marry for love rather than alliance, both Alice and Edmund must learn that faith isn't just about believing in Elohim's plan, it's about having the courage to follow where He leads, even when the path seems impossible.
A heartwarming medieval retelling of "Good King Wenceslas" that celebrates sacrificial love, divine timing, and the truth that the greatest nobility comes not from a crown, but from a compassionate heart.
*This book is a Christmas exclusive and will only be available each December and for a short time in July for Christmas in July.*
When King Edmund rescues a dying village healer from a winter storm, he believes he's simply doing his duty. But Alice, fragile in body yet fierce in spirit, awakens something in his heart he thought lost forever: joy.
Alice has spent her life healing others while her own health deteriorates with each passing winter. Now, recovering in the king's castle, she finds herself surrounded by more than just silver's healing properties. Edmund's gentle devotion and unwavering faith stir her soul in ways she never expected. But can a common healer truly become a queen?
As Edmund's jealous brother schemes to separate them and the court questions a king's choice to marry for love rather than alliance, both Alice and Edmund must learn that faith isn't just about believing in Elohim's plan, it's about having the courage to follow where He leads, even when the path seems impossible.
A heartwarming medieval retelling of "Good King Wenceslas" that celebrates sacrificial love, divine timing, and the truth that the greatest nobility comes not from a crown, but from a compassionate heart.
*This book is a Christmas exclusive and will only be available each December and for a short time in July for Christmas in July.*
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Published December 10, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 28, 2025
This was so sweet and heartwarming and not anything I was expecting it to be. 🥰🥹 I was just looking for a light wintery/Christmas read and was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up loving this little tale of joy and hope.
I honestly don’t know much about the song or lyrics of “Good King Wenceslas” this story is inspired by, but now I’m going to have to go look it up so I don’t feel so dumb about not knowing it, lol, plus to also see if I can glean more elements the author might have pulled from it to add to the story.
Speaking of the story itself, I found it so warm and wholesome, not to mention comforting in a way, especially with the actions and love of Edmund and Alice for each other and the kingdom. The writing felt like being wrapped in a blanket on a cold winter night which might sound silly but that’s how I felt while reading. There’s nothing high risk or dangerous in this book; it’s more hard conversations and real faith wrapped in Edmund and Alice’s love and hope in the best way possible.
A beautiful tale that warmed my heart and has me excited to try more books by this author in the future.
‼️Content‼️
Violence: a character is trapped by a snowstorm and almost freezes to death
Sexual: kissing (not detailed)
Other: magic; magical objects; a character can see into the future
I honestly don’t know much about the song or lyrics of “Good King Wenceslas” this story is inspired by, but now I’m going to have to go look it up so I don’t feel so dumb about not knowing it, lol, plus to also see if I can glean more elements the author might have pulled from it to add to the story.
Speaking of the story itself, I found it so warm and wholesome, not to mention comforting in a way, especially with the actions and love of Edmund and Alice for each other and the kingdom. The writing felt like being wrapped in a blanket on a cold winter night which might sound silly but that’s how I felt while reading. There’s nothing high risk or dangerous in this book; it’s more hard conversations and real faith wrapped in Edmund and Alice’s love and hope in the best way possible.
A beautiful tale that warmed my heart and has me excited to try more books by this author in the future.
‼️Content‼️
Violence: a character is trapped by a snowstorm and almost freezes to death
Sexual: kissing (not detailed)
Other: magic; magical objects; a character can see into the future
December 18, 2025
I personally didn’t love this book but there were still things I did appreciate about it.
1.
Elohim
In the book there are references to Elohim who is God in DaLeena’s fantasy books. I appreciated the respect and reverence they had for him and it mostly flowed well with the story though there were also times it didn’t flow quite so well or was a tad confusing.
For the most part it was good though.
2.
The Magic system
I liked the magic system in this book. It was pretty interesting as far as it was explained i do wish it had been explained more though.
3.
The structure and reading experience
This book feels and reads kinda like an outline. It feels like it should have been fleshed out quite a bit more. It often feels slow, like there should’ve been more description or what was there should have been revised, the dialogue is kind of boring and sometimes a bit cringy, and it feels like it lacks depth including in regards to the characters.
There were some parts where it seemed like the editor had missed some stuff.
4.
The Romance
I wasn’t a fan of the romance in this book. Like the plot and description it seemed like it should have been fleshed out a bit more and it didn’t make much sense. Edmund saw Alice from afar in the snow and instantly felt drawn to her because she was out there helping people and from there it was just them liking each other until he proposed. To me that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. There was kissing which wasn’t described in detail but still described too much for my taste.
5.
The court, kingdom, and king
The court felt flat and the kingdom didn’t feel real. Edmund who is supposed to be a king just doesn’t read like a king. Maybe he could be a baron but he just doesn’t read like a man in authority on the whole.
(I’m also confused about the distance from the castle to the village because in the beginning Edmund can see Alice pushing through the storm in the village below the castle but when he brings her to the castle from the village they have a long ride in the slay where they have a good length of a conversation and they go through a forest and the castle comes into view after a while. I wanted to know what was going on with the locations of the castle and the village.)
Maybe some of what I disliked is DaLeena’s style or maybe not I’m not sure but these are my thoughts on King of Joy.
1.
Elohim
In the book there are references to Elohim who is God in DaLeena’s fantasy books. I appreciated the respect and reverence they had for him and it mostly flowed well with the story though there were also times it didn’t flow quite so well or was a tad confusing.
For the most part it was good though.
2.
The Magic system
I liked the magic system in this book. It was pretty interesting as far as it was explained i do wish it had been explained more though.
3.
The structure and reading experience
This book feels and reads kinda like an outline. It feels like it should have been fleshed out quite a bit more. It often feels slow, like there should’ve been more description or what was there should have been revised, the dialogue is kind of boring and sometimes a bit cringy, and it feels like it lacks depth including in regards to the characters.
There were some parts where it seemed like the editor had missed some stuff.
4.
The Romance
I wasn’t a fan of the romance in this book. Like the plot and description it seemed like it should have been fleshed out a bit more and it didn’t make much sense. Edmund saw Alice from afar in the snow and instantly felt drawn to her because she was out there helping people and from there it was just them liking each other until he proposed. To me that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. There was kissing which wasn’t described in detail but still described too much for my taste.
5.
The court, kingdom, and king
The court felt flat and the kingdom didn’t feel real. Edmund who is supposed to be a king just doesn’t read like a king. Maybe he could be a baron but he just doesn’t read like a man in authority on the whole.
(I’m also confused about the distance from the castle to the village because in the beginning Edmund can see Alice pushing through the storm in the village below the castle but when he brings her to the castle from the village they have a long ride in the slay where they have a good length of a conversation and they go through a forest and the castle comes into view after a while. I wanted to know what was going on with the locations of the castle and the village.)
Maybe some of what I disliked is DaLeena’s style or maybe not I’m not sure but these are my thoughts on King of Joy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2026
I enjoyed reading this wonderful book! This book has good characters and a good plot! I had a hard time putting this wonderful book down!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews