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Heir to the Crown #1-2.5
Heir to the Crown Box Set 1
An old warrior, too stubborn to die. A royal heir, hidden at birth.
Can they save a realm on the brink of war?
Book One: Servant of the Crown
Tragedy tears Gerald's world apart and only his unwavering loyalty saves him. After serving as a soldier for years, a single act of self-sacrifice thrusts his future into the world of politics.
Cut off from all he knows, he becomes no more than a pawn to those in command. Banished with little more than the clothes on his back, he seeks a new purpose, for what is a warrior who has nothing left to fight for?
A fateful meeting with another lost soul unmasks a shocking secret, compelling him to take up the mantle of guardian. Bandits, the Black Hand, and even the king, he battles them all for the future of the realm.
Memories of the past, secrets that shape the future; his adventure is only the beginning.
Book Two: Sword of the Crown
When an invading army crosses the Mercerian border, the only thing standing between victory and defeat is an untried heir to the crown.
Enter Dame Beverly Fitzwilliam, who has trained for this moment since she first held a sword. From her relentless pursuit of knighthood to the day she single-handedly saves the king's life and earns her spurs, she has searched for someone worthy of her fealty.
By swearing to protect the life of this untried Royal, she undertakes an adventure that will have her travelling across the kingdom fighting desperate battles, all the while surrounded by powerful enemies who conspire to bring down the crown.
Her destiny will be determined in a monumental clash of forces where success can save the kingdom, but failure can only mean certain death.
Book 2.5: Mercerian Tales: Stories of the Past
In a land where true heroism is more likely to be rewarded with accusations of treason, comes a recounting of past adventures by the unsung heroes of the realm.
It all begins innocently enough; a cool night, a warm fire, and finally, a moment to relax after saving the kingdom. Then, one by one they reminisce about the defining moments of their lives.
From meeting a witch willing to sacrifice all in defense of her companions, to the discovery of hereunto unknown creature preying on the hapless villagers of Mattingly, to the act of simply falling off a horse changing the future of the realm, their accounts are spellbinding.
The tales grow with each new chronicler; their past exploits soon to become the stuff legends are made of. Just when it appears the night is over, the final surprising tales unfold, leaving everyone speechless.
Can they save a realm on the brink of war?
Book One: Servant of the Crown
Tragedy tears Gerald's world apart and only his unwavering loyalty saves him. After serving as a soldier for years, a single act of self-sacrifice thrusts his future into the world of politics.
Cut off from all he knows, he becomes no more than a pawn to those in command. Banished with little more than the clothes on his back, he seeks a new purpose, for what is a warrior who has nothing left to fight for?
A fateful meeting with another lost soul unmasks a shocking secret, compelling him to take up the mantle of guardian. Bandits, the Black Hand, and even the king, he battles them all for the future of the realm.
Memories of the past, secrets that shape the future; his adventure is only the beginning.
Book Two: Sword of the Crown
When an invading army crosses the Mercerian border, the only thing standing between victory and defeat is an untried heir to the crown.
Enter Dame Beverly Fitzwilliam, who has trained for this moment since she first held a sword. From her relentless pursuit of knighthood to the day she single-handedly saves the king's life and earns her spurs, she has searched for someone worthy of her fealty.
By swearing to protect the life of this untried Royal, she undertakes an adventure that will have her travelling across the kingdom fighting desperate battles, all the while surrounded by powerful enemies who conspire to bring down the crown.
Her destiny will be determined in a monumental clash of forces where success can save the kingdom, but failure can only mean certain death.
Book 2.5: Mercerian Tales: Stories of the Past
In a land where true heroism is more likely to be rewarded with accusations of treason, comes a recounting of past adventures by the unsung heroes of the realm.
It all begins innocently enough; a cool night, a warm fire, and finally, a moment to relax after saving the kingdom. Then, one by one they reminisce about the defining moments of their lives.
From meeting a witch willing to sacrifice all in defense of her companions, to the discovery of hereunto unknown creature preying on the hapless villagers of Mattingly, to the act of simply falling off a horse changing the future of the realm, their accounts are spellbinding.
The tales grow with each new chronicler; their past exploits soon to become the stuff legends are made of. Just when it appears the night is over, the final surprising tales unfold, leaving everyone speechless.
1000 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2019
565 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Paul J. Bennett
48 books521 followersPaul J Bennett (b. 1961) emigrated from England to Canada in 1967. His father served in the British Royal Navy, and his mother worked for the BBC in London. As a young man, Paul followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the Canadian Armed Forces in 1983. He is married to Carol Bennett and has three daughters who are all creative in their own right.
Paul’s interest in writing started in his teen years when he discovered the roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons (D & D). What attracted him to this new hobby was the creativity it required; the need to create realms, worlds and adventures that pulled the gamers into his stories.
In his 30’s, Paul started to dabble in designing his own roleplaying system, using the Peninsular War in Portugal as his backdrop. His regular gaming group were willing victims, er, participants in helping to playtest this new system. A few years later, he added additional settings to his game, including Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, World War II, and the all-important Fantasy Realm where his stories take place.
The beginnings of his first book ‘Servant to the Crown’ originated over five years ago when he began a new fantasy campaign. For the world that the Kingdom of Merceria is in, he ran his adventures like a TV show, with seasons that each had twelve episodes, and an overarching plot. When the campaign ended, he knew all the characters, what they had to accomplish, what needed to happen to move the plot along, and it was this that inspired to sit down to write his first novel.
Paul now has four series based in his fantasy world of Eiddenwerthe and is looking forward to sharing many more books with his readers over the coming years.
Paul’s interest in writing started in his teen years when he discovered the roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons (D & D). What attracted him to this new hobby was the creativity it required; the need to create realms, worlds and adventures that pulled the gamers into his stories.
In his 30’s, Paul started to dabble in designing his own roleplaying system, using the Peninsular War in Portugal as his backdrop. His regular gaming group were willing victims, er, participants in helping to playtest this new system. A few years later, he added additional settings to his game, including Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, World War II, and the all-important Fantasy Realm where his stories take place.
The beginnings of his first book ‘Servant to the Crown’ originated over five years ago when he began a new fantasy campaign. For the world that the Kingdom of Merceria is in, he ran his adventures like a TV show, with seasons that each had twelve episodes, and an overarching plot. When the campaign ended, he knew all the characters, what they had to accomplish, what needed to happen to move the plot along, and it was this that inspired to sit down to write his first novel.
Paul now has four series based in his fantasy world of Eiddenwerthe and is looking forward to sharing many more books with his readers over the coming years.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 31, 2025
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)
4.5*
First time read the author's work?: No
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
4.5*
First time read the author's work?: No
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
August 24, 2020
SERVANT OF THE CROWN
Gerald is made the scapegoat for a mission that went horribly wrong and faces being put to death. Thanks to Baron Richard Fitzwilliam his life is spared but he is banished to the countryside and made groundskeeper of an estate the King seldom visits.
SWORD OF THE CROWN
Sword of the Crown gives us more knowledge of the relationship of Baron Richard Fitzwilliam and Gerald Matheson while detailing the life of the Baron's daughter Beverly, and how she was knighted by the King for saving his life.
MERCERIAN TALES: STORIES OF THE PAST
This book fleshes out the characters of Lord Richard Fitzwilliam, Beverly, Hayley, Gerald, Tempus and Sophia through stories telling of past experiences.
I look forward to reading the rest of this series. Happy reading. Annemarie
Gerald is made the scapegoat for a mission that went horribly wrong and faces being put to death. Thanks to Baron Richard Fitzwilliam his life is spared but he is banished to the countryside and made groundskeeper of an estate the King seldom visits.
SWORD OF THE CROWN
Sword of the Crown gives us more knowledge of the relationship of Baron Richard Fitzwilliam and Gerald Matheson while detailing the life of the Baron's daughter Beverly, and how she was knighted by the King for saving his life.
MERCERIAN TALES: STORIES OF THE PAST
This book fleshes out the characters of Lord Richard Fitzwilliam, Beverly, Hayley, Gerald, Tempus and Sophia through stories telling of past experiences.
I look forward to reading the rest of this series. Happy reading. Annemarie
March 8, 2025
"Heir to the Crown" Boxset by Paul Bennett leaps from the page with vivid imagery and a tense anticipation of impending conflict. The reader’s imagination is fueled by the skilled written narration. As the tale of an old warrior and his special bond with a hidden royal princess unfolds, Mr. Bennett hooks the reader’s interest with believable characters and exciting events. There is fun, laughter, danger, intrigue, and sinister plots. Oh, and there’s a dog as well! Not just any dog, but one who reaches up to a grown man’s chest. Set in a medieval world "Heir" to the crown combines realistic and worldly conflict with fantasy and magic reminiscent of Tolkien, Lewis, or Terry Brooks. Heir is a fast paced adventure with romance, epic battles, and knights in shining armor. I thoroughly recommend this book.
March 24, 2023
This whole series about these characters is such a good story. And the book flows. It's easy reading but really in-depth at the same time. I love fantasy but this is a book about people with a little magic in it. It's the characters that make this book great! And the 2.5 book is the story I didn't know I needed until I read it. It refers to things that happened in earlier books but gives more details. And something that has seldom happened in my reading historical/fantasy books is I wanted to cry a couple of times. The story about Anna's aunt and the story about Tempus had me tearing up. I recommend this book for anyone that loves a good tale.
April 21, 2024
Character Driven Fantasy!
I truly enjoyed reading all of these stories. Even though there isn’t a lot of magic in this fantasy series, there is a bit. Instead, this series is character driven and we definitely learn a lot about each and every one of the main characters, from Gerald, the old soldier, to Anna, a Princess of the Kingdom, and right down to her faithful dog, Tempus. I loved learning about each and every one of them. This series is very well written and kept me entertained the whole time I was reading it.
I truly enjoyed reading all of these stories. Even though there isn’t a lot of magic in this fantasy series, there is a bit. Instead, this series is character driven and we definitely learn a lot about each and every one of the main characters, from Gerald, the old soldier, to Anna, a Princess of the Kingdom, and right down to her faithful dog, Tempus. I loved learning about each and every one of them. This series is very well written and kept me entertained the whole time I was reading it.
May 12, 2022
exciting, honor, high quality characters
I am enjoying these books. I like the characters and how they interact. Paul asks I tell about my favorite part. That’s hard because I have many. But one of those is definitely the scene of the last book in this set. The old stories. I liked how the sat around enjoying each others company and supported each other as they learn details of events that shaped each life. That’s great friendship
I am enjoying these books. I like the characters and how they interact. Paul asks I tell about my favorite part. That’s hard because I have many. But one of those is definitely the scene of the last book in this set. The old stories. I liked how the sat around enjoying each others company and supported each other as they learn details of events that shaped each life. That’s great friendship
August 4, 2022
Good fantasy, nicely developed characters
Decent fantasy story, however spelling, grammar, tense, and sentence structure need work. It seemed there were enough wide spread errors to distract me from the story and warrant the ranking for what could been 5 stars to 3.
Characters were likeable, relatable, and nicely developed. Good, strong female characters. Good underlying hubris. Author desperately needs a professional editor - such common mistakes are made by amateurs.
Decent fantasy story, however spelling, grammar, tense, and sentence structure need work. It seemed there were enough wide spread errors to distract me from the story and warrant the ranking for what could been 5 stars to 3.
Characters were likeable, relatable, and nicely developed. Good, strong female characters. Good underlying hubris. Author desperately needs a professional editor - such common mistakes are made by amateurs.
November 13, 2023
Loved this/these books!
This is going to be short as I have reviewed "Heir to the Crown", Book 1, and "Sword of the Crown", Book 2, in their standalone books. Lets just say I loved them.
As for Book 2.5... The stories told from their backgrounds were great. They added color and texture to their characters. I'm looking forward to delving deeper into the "Heir to the Crown" series.
This is going to be short as I have reviewed "Heir to the Crown", Book 1, and "Sword of the Crown", Book 2, in their standalone books. Lets just say I loved them.
As for Book 2.5... The stories told from their backgrounds were great. They added color and texture to their characters. I'm looking forward to delving deeper into the "Heir to the Crown" series.
June 19, 2022
I love this series! Excellent, relatable characters, great world-building and packed with action and intrigue it held my attention and left me wanting more. The storyline is based on a fantasy country with it’s own history and fables. I highly recommend it and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Read via Kindle Unlimited
Read via Kindle Unlimited
November 7, 2023
Heir to the Crown box set 1
Book 1 was very well written and enjoyable. For book 2 and 2.5, I had hoped for a continuation of the story. Instead they told more of a back story and retelling of events from different characters perspectives. They were also enjoyable but it was disappointing not to have a continuation of the story .
Book 1 was very well written and enjoyable. For book 2 and 2.5, I had hoped for a continuation of the story. Instead they told more of a back story and retelling of events from different characters perspectives. They were also enjoyable but it was disappointing not to have a continuation of the story .
March 8, 2022
Nice read
Enjoyed reading these books learning about the different characters which were interesting . Not a lot of battles but still recommend as each character has their own take within the bigger storyline.
Enjoyed reading these books learning about the different characters which were interesting . Not a lot of battles but still recommend as each character has their own take within the bigger storyline.
July 11, 2024
i think it is very well written with all the characters perfectly portrayed and book 2.5 is absolutely brilliant and at times tear jerking.i would recommend these books to anyone who loves medievel stories with true feeling.
January 5, 2025
THE HEIR GROWS UP
A great start to the series. The main characters are all introduced. The storyline starts. The conflicts begin . Everything a series startup needs. If you like fantasy, you'll love this box set.
A great start to the series. The main characters are all introduced. The storyline starts. The conflicts begin . Everything a series startup needs. If you like fantasy, you'll love this box set.
August 8, 2025
great story
I’ve really enjoyed reading this story. It has been a page turner that I really liked, had good characters and a good plot. I only hope there are future tales about this.
I’ve really enjoyed reading this story. It has been a page turner that I really liked, had good characters and a good plot. I only hope there are future tales about this.
July 27, 2021
I was swept away in the adventures of Gerald, Anna, Beverly, and all the other fabulous characters in these books. I wait for each new book and continuation of this epic tale. Highly recommended.
November 23, 2021
Good
At first I did not realise that what I was reading was 'days of the Goblins,' type of storyline. Fascinating, an author with a vivid imagination.
At first I did not realise that what I was reading was 'days of the Goblins,' type of storyline. Fascinating, an author with a vivid imagination.
December 28, 2021
Very enjoyable read. Looking forward to reading more of this series.
March 31, 2022
Brilliant
What a great story, I feel like I no all the characters,. Can't wait for the next one. Bring it on!
What a great story, I feel like I no all the characters,. Can't wait for the next one. Bring it on!
July 18, 2022
I actually read these as individual books but this is a great introduction to begin the series. Mr. Bennett is an incredible author. Give this a read...you will end up hooked as I did.
September 6, 2023
Loved this amazing fantasy series.
November 24, 2025
A well written fantasy that almost reads like a historical novel, except for the elves, dwarves, orcs and magic.
August 26, 2023
Super read!!,
Great read ! I loved the stories character's. Some of the flash backs made it hard to follow what was really happening in the moment.
Great read ! I loved the stories character's. Some of the flash backs made it hard to follow what was really happening in the moment.
January 29, 2023
Unfortunately could not finish. In my opinion, the storyline and style of writing were very sloppy, lacking direction and felt amateurish. Not a good introduction to this author's work.
August 9, 2022
Terrific set of stories in the Heir to the Crown series. However it needs proofreading. Four things stood out needing changing: the consistent use of "poured" instead of "pored" (over a book), "peaked" instead of "piqued" (his interest), and "arraigned" instead of "arrayed" (his troops), and the fact that Anna turned 10 in 957, and then turned 13 in 959. If you are going to have dates at the beginning of each chapter you need to make sure they add up!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews