King Benjamin is about to have control of his own home for the first time in his life. By evicting his uncle, he can finally become the ruler he was meant to be. Finally live up to the legacy handed down to him, beginning with King Alfred the First, and embodied in his own father, King Alfred the Second. But revenge is a dish best served cold - or at least lukewarm - and his uncle’s revenge comes just two days later when a press release announces Benjamin’s engagement. To a modern-day scullery maid.
Katrín Jónsson took over her mother’s debt to the Eyjanian royal family as soon as she turned eighteen. Five years down. Only ten - or more - to go. Until the king offers her a way out. Marry him, in name only, for a year, then disappear. Her indenture will be paid off - and, more importantly, her mother and brother will be taken care of for life. The wedding won’t change anything about her life because no one will know the truth of their arrangement. A disconcerting incident softens Katrín’s heart toward the usually impassive king. But, even as she begins to fall for the man he could become, she wonders if she’ll ever be more than The Indentured Queen?
When she's not writing about her imaginary friends, Carol Moncado is hanging out with her husband, four kids, and a dog who weighs less than most hard cover books. She prefers watching NCIS to just about anything, except maybe watching Castle. She believes peanut butter M&Ms are the perfect food and Dr. Pepper should come in an IV. When not watching her kids - and the dog - race around her big backyard in Southwest Missouri, she's teaching American Government at a local community college. She's a founding member and President of MozArks ACFW, category coordinator for First Impressions, blogger at InspyRomance, and represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency.
Carol Moncado has written nearly 2 dozen books and I have read all but one of them. She's a great storyteller who writes characters I love and care about. Honestly, her books could use a better editor but I get lost in the story and am able to overlook the minor flaws.
If you haven't read any of her books don't start here. Benjamin is by far the least likable hero in all of her books. We've met him in past stories and I didn't think I could ever love him. By the end of this book after getting to know him better I had warmed up to him and was glad to see him get a happily ever after with Katrin.
Although you can read Carol's books as stand-alones I do not recommend it. They are much better if read in order because there are lots of side stories and characters that get mentioned.
This is Christian Fiction, it's not overly preachy but Christian themes are present.
Source: Kindle Unlimted Borrow Content: Clean (closed door implied sex between a married couple) Rating: 4 Stars
Another good addition to this series. This book had a lot of character tension and by far the most wounded and complicated character of any of Carol Moncado's books. I loved the way Benjamin grew in this book and changed. If I was disappointed by anything, it was that his change still felt a bit incomplete by the end. He had realized he needed to change and started on his way there, but still has a ways to go. Hopefully we'll see more of his continued growth in later books!
3.5 stars. Not my favorite of all these books but still enjoyable. It was harder to really love King Benjamin, but I did like him by the end. His was definitely a journey of self awareness. Christian fiction. Clean Romance.
I love Carol Moncado's royal stories. Her fans have waited a while now to read King Benjamin's story. He was not a very nice fellow in the snippets from previous books, so you'll just have to wait and see what she does with him. The story was delightful and I devoured it. Loved it.
Benjamin's story - finally we learn why he is the way he is. Katrin, the woman whom he is "forced" to marry because of a ploy by Uncle Isaiah, is a character I both liked and didn't care for. There were times I simply didn't understand her sudden attitude changes, and her snarky attitude at times seemed out of place. There was a scene where she was frustrated and angry when I thought, as a Christian, she should have been showing compassion and trying to be helpful in a loving way rather than in a sarcastic angry way. Eventually she got there, but she should have seen things sooner than she did - she would have if she wasn't so into herself.
I think that is what gets me sometimes, the Christians in some of the stories aren't looking outward to help someone else, but rather so much so at their own situation and bemoaning it, that they miss the opportunity to help someone else. Nothing is a surprise to God, so why don't any of these characters realize that and ask God what He wants them to do in this new situation?
But, despite those things, this was a very good story. Even though there was intimacy, it wasn't steamy or indiscreet - I appreciated that. Single readers don't need the temptations that come with steamy. Romance and intimacy can be done without it and Carol does that well.
In my opinion, King Benjamin starts out as one of Carol Moncado's least enjoyable “good guys.” He's a workaholic, has been badly influenced by his Uncle Isaiah (who is definitely in the ranks of the bad guys), and is totally clueless about a lot of things. He improves by the end of the book, but it sure takes him a LONG time to start improving! The plot does have its twists, but they're different than in Moncado's other books.
“Indentured” means: "a contract binding one person to work for another for a given period of time —often used in the plural."
King Benjamin is thought to be a stuffy, grumpy King. One who doesn’t care about anyone or anything but himself. But who wouldn’t be if your life was turned upside-down when you are suddenly made king at a young age, because your father, who is the king, dies. What do you do, who do you trust? Well, King Benjamin trusted the wrong person and now he has to fix things but doesn’t know how, or if he can. He feels so unworthy. Katrin is a young lady in the service of the king, as an indentured servant. Her position is the lowest of the low because she’s paying off a debt her family had. She is bonded to the royal family for years and never thought her status would ever change. They meet unexpectedly and things change. For the better? Well, that’s to be seen! Can they both find what they’re looking for, do they even know they’re looking for it?
In this story, Carol Moncado brings out issues many people struggle with. The issues of self-worth, past failures, acceptance, and longing to be loved. There’s also struggles many of us might not have to deal with, like, being part of a royal family and all the pressures which come with that. Carol Moncado put in some fun connections between several other wonderful authors. It was so sweet to see these connections. I was thinking, “Hey, I’ve read those book.” I also loved how she used one from a series I’ve read and truly loved. If you’ve ever read any Tamara Leigh - Age of Faith Series, then you’ll know. In this book, Carol Moncado has King Benjamin say, “I realized the truth is that none of us are worthy. The men knighted at Wulfen Castle passed every test the Wulfriths could give them, but even they needed a Savior. I’m sure if we dug deeply enough into their lives, we’d find out they failed, maybe even failed often. But they didn’t stop striving to be worthy.”
This book has truly been enjoyable to read, even though at first I didn’t really like King Benjamin, I didn’t want it to stop. Once again I just need to say, If you LOVE reading stories regarding royalty and all that life can bring, then you really need to pick this book up and read it! You won't be disappointed. I received this book from the author and all opinions are my own.
A stuffy prince and a scullery maid just don't seem to have a whole lot in common. Katrin is working off a debt that her family owes the crown. She is the very bottom of the pecking order in the castle. But she is exactly what King Benjamin needs. He just doesn't quite know it yet.
The king is arrogant & reclusive. He's prickly, has been under his uncle's thumb & his country thinks he's not very good. He meets the lowest servant in the palace & is instantly hooked. She's feisty from the beginning & not afraid to tell him off: a great combination for a fun book. The story also illustrates forgiveness & seeking forgiveness for moronic actions.
There is a different twist to this storyline about Ben. We get a better picture who he is and who wants to be. But he needed someone like katrin to help him get there.
First of all, I just want to say that it is a little frustrating that Ms. Moncado has decided to intermix the families in this series. I would have loved for her to complete the San Majorian Royals stories before moving onto the Eyjanian Royals, with the exception of Prince Darius. It is a little tricky to keep up with the back and forth.
Secondly, this story was beyond frustrating. I think it took way to long to start to see a "new" Benjamin emerge, and the relationship between him and Katrin was most definitely not my favorite. The same author who wrote such incredibly sweet scenes between Jordan and Sofia missed the mark on adding touching scenes in this novels. The only scene I can think of that was remotely close was the "secure location" scene. I just couldn't find the relationship believable. This brings me to my biggest complaint: The lack of "I love you's." Even in the epilogue, the couple never says "I love you." It was a complete let down after reading through an entire book of back and fourth.
Not to mention that there was no resolution to the whole Isaiah issue. I mean come on, we have heard about his villainous ways and manipulations of Benjamin almost since the beginning of the series. If there was ever a book to bring this to a head and resolve that ARC it was this book, and yet, there's no confrontation, no climactic moment, and honestly no resolution. It was completely disappointing. It is clear that mystery and intrigue are not this author's strong suit. In fact, it is a very poor foray into such thematic elements.
And can we talk about the first meeting between the two main characters? And did he ever apologize properly for that? I don't remember that being the case, which is a total travesty. I think that his behavior during that encounter was out of character, and did not makes sense of what we know of Benjamin. Especially after it was made clear that he could never have fathered an illegitimate child in one of the previous books. It felt forced, the whole thing felt forced.
The pacing was off, the story felt rushed, and there were too many gaps. They (the characters) would mention seemingly big events but then you never heard about them after that, such as the Queen Mother's Birthday Party. It was just off. I have thoroughly enjoyed the other books in this series, and I just purchased, the next book, but this one just let me down.
There was a ton of potential for this book to be one of the best in the series, but instead it fell flat. Overall it was disappointing, and I am deeply saddened that Benjamin and Katrin's love story was not done the justice it deserved. I would have absolutely loved to see them really connect and fall in love, but alas, all I got was a decision to stay married.
King Benjamin had a reputation of being cold and impersonal. If you have read any of the earlier books by Carol Moncado, you have probably wondered what his deal was, like I did. I didn’t much like him at the beginning of this story. He seemed arrogant and uncaring. Yeah. Pompous.
As he began to interact with Katrín and they started their farce of a marriage, I almost despised him and wondered how in the world he could be the hero of the story. He was so focused on his “job” and doing the things he always had as part of it, he didn’t even seem to notice what Katrín was doing and how she was working herself to the bone.
Katrín’s plight tore at my heart. I was truly distressed for her. Here she was married to the king and yet was little more than a slave in his castle and he didn’t seem to know or care. She mentioned more than once on a date with him that she had to be up early to wash dishes and that she only had two half days off per month (you read that right. Only one half day off, two times a month!) and he didn’t even suggest dealing with her indenture to the crown in any way, shape or form.
Slowly, my opinion of Benjamin began to change. He wasn’t really cruel or even arrogant. He was, however, oblivious and didn’t really understand what it was like to not be part of the royal family. To be in need. As he became more aware of life, his more humane side came to light and I began to like him more. Then as I learned more about his life and his fears, I began to like him even more.
Author Carol Moncado likes writing marriage of convenience stories, and she is good at it. She has a way of making you feel the emotions of her characters in a deep way that almost hurts.
Oh, my goodness. I've run out of words to describe Carol's books. I have loved them all. But The Indentured Queen has just joined my short list of Favorite Books of all Time! I want to read it all over again - it was that good! I laughed. I cried. I read every moment I could til it was finished. Benjamin is a King in dire need of a personality makeover. And spunky Katrin is just the woman to help him with it. And help she does. What starts out as a short marriage of convenience is destined to last much longer if they can make it through secrets, fears, and one after another situation that changes both in the most delightful way. This book is one you definitely don't want to miss. You will benefit from having read the rest in the series, but even on its own, it is a story you'll remember for a long time.
Carol Moncado is one of the few authors that can stretch characters and storylines without them becoming tired and worn out. The universe she has created has depth and her character development is among the best. Without resorting to filler sex scenes she relies on excellent dialogue and plot lines to enthrall and entertain readers. This book is no different. An excellent and fun book to read. FYI, all of Carol Moncado’s books have strong religious themes to them. They don’t beat you about the head and shoulders with it but it is present throughout her books. Her characters either are religious with human flaws that are trying to grow or find their way to Christ during the course of the book.
I’ve been anxiously anticipating this story for months. Truthfully, it’s been since we first met cranky Benjamin and slimy Isaiah eons ago. My goodness it did not disappoint. From the get-go, he finds a perfect match in Katrín. Their push-and-pull and overall chemistry is excellent. I kept waiting for the moment when, like William, Benjamin finally realizes he’s been a clueless twit who should have taken action to help his wife well before he did. I found myself completely swept into the emotions they both felt and the beautiful, graceful, yet often snarky, way she handled him and managed to bring out the best in him. I’d really like to know why I insist on devouring these books so fast. I hate it when they’re over!
This book is Benjamin's story, which if you have read the other stories, you start to wonder if you are rooting for him or not. This story helped me to totally be won over to the rooting for him side. It was raw and gritty in places, not making it easy to love him, but in the end, I was totally wanting them to be happy forever. I think sometimes this author likes to challenge herself in if she can write a better book than the last one, address more topics, while at the same time giving you a book that could be construed as a lighter read. She achieved that here.
I always pre-order Ms. Moncado's books because I know I will enjoy them, and I don't do that with very many authors.
Another wonderful book by the author. I’ve been waiting to know what is Benjamin’s real problem and what lesson will I learn. Turns our we have experienced this at some point in our lives - the fear of failure and the wrong kind of influence can have significant impact on ones life. The characters were paired together for all the wrong reasons that ended up being so right. In this case, an the indentured servant taught King Benjamin how to be human and how to let go of the fears that is crippling him. This is a book worth reading and lessons to be learned on forgiveness and being humble.
I loved this book. I have suspected for a while that there was more to King Benjamin than we had seen. This book totally captivated me from the onset. One other reviewer noted that the plot was very different to Ms. Moncado's other works. I would agree with that, but in my opinion, it makes the book stronger. After several stories with some main character as a single parent, it was nice to see something a bit different. This might actually be my favorite of Ms. Moncado's in a while, probably since Prince from her Past. I am looking forward to see the next story, and it is already on pre-order.
I have highly anticipated this book. The main character, King Benjamin, has been introduced to us in past books by the author and I could not wait to get to this story. King Benjamin has lived in his own bubble too long, and our leading lady is there to help pop that bubble and show him a new way. It was a long road full of ups and downs but the change in the character is so well done. Carol’s books are such a delight to read. I love how we can still visit with past characters and see how they are “doing.” I appreciate the clean, romantic stories she produces with such high quality.
Finally King Benjamin's story! Any Carol Moncado fan will tell you the build-up for this story was huge and it's finally arrived! The premise of this book was really unique. I'd never really thought of there being modern day indentured servants. Where she went with the idea was creative and interesting to read about. The characters took a while for me to really enjoy reading about, especially Benjamin, but once they come out of their shells, their chemistry is awesome. Highly recommend!
Katrin is offered a deal she doesn’t feel she can refuse, though she’s not happy about it. We get to know more about Benjamin in this, his thoughts, insecurities etc. I loved Katrin’s character and enjoyed meeting her mother and brother, as well as seeing more of Eliana in this one. Hoping we hear more from these guys in future books, even just glimpses like we’ve seen thus far. Another very enjoyable story.
Ah, we finally get to know Benjamin and see him start to man up. He's an interesting character, one that pulled on my heartstrings. Katrín isn't afraid of him and really pulls him out of his entitled attitude. Listening to this fourth story was such a great listen. The narrator is impeccable. This family saga is one of my favorites in inspirational fiction, so far. Moncado brings faith to the forefront in a tangible yet gentle way.
In this book Carol Totally redeems King Benjamin! She gives him a match to make him think about the right priorities we need in life. He also meets a man named the wheelchair preacher, who hleps him to see out side himself. The Indentured Queen is one of my favorite heroine's so far. Can't wait for more books from Carol :)
Carol Moncado s has done it again,bringing us a beautiful royal romance showing us God's love and guidance. My favorite character was the sassy snarky Katrin. I loved her positive attitude regardless of the circumstances. This book is recommended for those who love Christian royal romances.
What a great book. It has so many great qualities. It raises so many good issues. Really hated the way the king was so a-clueistic to begin with. You just want to smack him one upside the head!!! But he eventually learns to be more real and caring. A great read (apart from typo's).
This was a great addition to the Crowns and Courtship series. I quite enjoyed getting to see Benjamin's growth and desire to improve. The relationship was sweet and cute. There were minimal references to sexual relations between the two married characters, but the scenes were fade-out and not described in detail. I would rate this PG.
This was my favorite one yet! From a marriage they felt forced into, to a marriage of love. The story was never rushed and thus felt realistic in how their relationship proceeded. And all throughout was the underlying theme of how none of us are worthy, all of us fall short, but God’s grace is sufficient and will make us the best we can be.
This story by @Carol Moncado is outstanding. The Bible all wrapped up into one story. You will not be disappointed. Carol is now one of my new favorite authors. You will cry, laugh, and love and feel like you are the Queen or King or another part of the King's family and that is what we are to be when Jesus is Lord of our lives
Loved this one. I was anxious to know about Benjamin and I was not disapointed. He had a character growth that I loved, he was so grumpy and irritating at first but then his shell started to come off and it was beautiful. Katrín was too much at times but I liked her, she had spunk, she was herself and didn't shy away from Benjamin, she told him straight. I loved them together
Benjamin and Katrin's story was wonderful. After reading previous stories in this series I didn't think Benjamin could ever become less of a jerk. Loved this newest addition and can't wait for the next book.