Forming the Party: A Slice of Life Contemporary Harem

by Dirk Knight

The best things in life come to those who don’t wait.

Harry was, perhaps, a little too patient. He found a nice job, bought a nice house, and settled down. Alone. As his job allowed him to work from home, he almost never went out. Instead of making new friends, forming new relationships, he just wallowed in what he thought was a decent life.

But a decent life can get old. As he yearns for more, Harry finds that nothing will change for him unless he makes it change.

It all starts with a few new habits. Going for a run, visiting new shops and restaurants, and finding a group of friends to play a tabletop roleplaying game.

But when that game falls apart, he makes his own. A cute goth, a pair of fit blonde college students, and a curvy woman twice his age will make for a strange party, but after living a mundane life for so long, Harry is ready for a little adventure.

Inside, you will Slice-of-life harem romance for menLonely work-from-home guy finally steps outsideGoth gamer girl, sorority hikers, and a curvy older womanHomebrew tabletop RPG night with a new friend groupBanter, teasing and a slow build of heatExplicit scenes between consenting adultsLight comedy, low stakes, feel-goodBook 1 of an ongoing series

130 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 2026

About the author

Dirk Knight lives in Phoenix with his wife and two daughters, and works in sales. Dirk is now devoting himself to his passion after having spent a great number of years in and out of recovery and addiction. Dirk studied English, journalism and creative writing in college, but never pursued his literary goals due to his addictions and other restrictions.


"I started writing for myself, to satisfy urges and entertain my curiosities. I wanted to know how many of us think the way I do. I have lived in the most depressing and joyful situations. I have starved and lived in cars, I have also had more money than I could spend and had gifts that brought me exquisite joy. From my vantage point, humans are the most unpredictable, astonishing, hateful and sacrificing creatures. I want to understand us (humanity) better and, for me, understanding of humanity... my humanity... comes from writing fiction, and examining what people might do when they feel no one is watching, what people are capable of (horrible and great), and imaging how seemingly normal people would react if they had exhausted the rational (and sometimes irrational) options. I hope you will join me in my quest to reveal the darkest and brightest aspects of human nature...what will we do when the lights are out?"

-Dirk Knight.

Reviews

[Bobby Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I was hesitant when I saw this book but I decided to try it just in case....
I'm glad I did! The MC is fun and engaging, not to serious, and a bit of a dork. The LIs are varied, interesting, very different from each other. While there was only one sex scene and the story was too (much too) short.
Looking forward to the next installment.

[Clayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story, but slow

The overall story is decent and interesting; however it is incredibly slow! Nothing really fun happened till the last few pages. I understand buildup and getting the story going, but given the genre you expect more and it didn’t deliver.

I’ll try the next book, but if it stays this way I’ll be done.

[anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story

Really enjoyed the premise of the story. Wonderful yarn spinning by the author. Very enjoyable characters that make you want to spend a lot more time with them. Anxiously anticipating Book 2.

[Mike Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

And enjoyable and fun story of getting out and meeting people and the excitement that can happen.

[Kush Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

great

I like the aspect of them playing DnD. It’s a somewhat fantasy book without the risk. So far I think the characters are great.