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Tales of Tavamara #1
The King's Harem
The country of Tavamara is renowned for its famous Market, its decadent wines, the harsh climate in which it manages to flourish. It is also well known for the harems kept by the royal family. King Shahjahan's harem is especially infamous, for his concubines are comprised of an unusual, many say dangerous, assortment...
This volume also contains three additional stories.
The Jewel of Tavamara
Fahima has always been the lesser sister: younger, plainer, too smart and independent. Then her sister commits the ultimate taboo, putting their lives in danger. In order to save her family, Fahima must take her place, though she is painfully aware Shahjahan will never see her as more than a paltry substitute...
Knight to Rook
Displaced by war, Rook makes a home in the Desert where his cousin Cordelia has become Princess. A famous, highly-regarded strategist back home, in the Desert he is regarded as useless and held in contempt for his inability to fight. Adrift and alone, he can only watch and wait for a chance to prove he belongs amongst the Sons of the Sands.
Everything You Need
Though he left the Desert years ago and is set to become the next Advisor to the King of Tavamara, Ikram spends most of his days feeling out of place, living a life of civility and calm that is nothing like the Desert he left behind. Eager to get away from the palace for a time, he braves the famous Market...
This volume also contains three additional stories.
The Jewel of Tavamara
Fahima has always been the lesser sister: younger, plainer, too smart and independent. Then her sister commits the ultimate taboo, putting their lives in danger. In order to save her family, Fahima must take her place, though she is painfully aware Shahjahan will never see her as more than a paltry substitute...
Knight to Rook
Displaced by war, Rook makes a home in the Desert where his cousin Cordelia has become Princess. A famous, highly-regarded strategist back home, in the Desert he is regarded as useless and held in contempt for his inability to fight. Adrift and alone, he can only watch and wait for a chance to prove he belongs amongst the Sons of the Sands.
Everything You Need
Though he left the Desert years ago and is set to become the next Advisor to the King of Tavamara, Ikram spends most of his days feeling out of place, living a life of civility and calm that is nothing like the Desert he left behind. Eager to get away from the palace for a time, he braves the famous Market...
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 22, 2011
45 people are currently reading
633 people want to read
About the author
Megan Derr
283 books2,937 followersMegan is a long time resident of queer romance and keeps herself busy reading and writing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her wife and cats, or watch movies. She loves to hear from readers and can be found all over the internet.
meganderr.com
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meganaderr@gmail.com
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meganderr.com
patreon.com/meganderr
meganderr.blogspot.com
facebook.com/meganaprilderr
meganaderr@gmail.com
@meganaderr
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
October 20, 2012
2.95
(*note I have no problem at all with the multiple relationship/harem)
I'm a huge huge fan of Ms Derr's books but I think this was one of the books that failed to draw me in to the extent that her books usually do. The writing was a pleasure to read as always, but the story itself, well, it actually didn't really have much of a story. It was basically just jumped from the POVs of all harem members and told the story of how they came to be in the harem. In each of their POVs it jumped from the past to the present etc. The longest part written in the present was at the end when the newest addition of the harem came along. I can't remember what his name was but.
Anyway I enjoyed reading about these characters, but didn't really feel any sort of connection to them. Ms Derr managed to convey the very strong camaraderie between the harem members and the king but I honestly actually didn't really feel this deep rooted true love shit so much.
Apart from that, the two short stories were really about people I didn't care much about, but I still enjoyed the first one. I didn't really like the story about the Queen too much, but I think that's because I felt betrayed that the King kissed the Queen.
After starting gaymance I think I have this weird thing where I feel betrayed when the main character kisses a female. I know the King loves the Queen and such, but after reading Sandstorm I thought the King and Queen had a strictly platonic relationship.
Urgh.
(feeling betrayed).
Weird. I know.
Anyway whilst the book was a bit bland and bored me in some turns, I did enjoy it.
(*note I have no problem at all with the multiple relationship/harem)
I'm a huge huge fan of Ms Derr's books but I think this was one of the books that failed to draw me in to the extent that her books usually do. The writing was a pleasure to read as always, but the story itself, well, it actually didn't really have much of a story. It was basically just jumped from the POVs of all harem members and told the story of how they came to be in the harem. In each of their POVs it jumped from the past to the present etc. The longest part written in the present was at the end when the newest addition of the harem came along. I can't remember what his name was but.
Anyway I enjoyed reading about these characters, but didn't really feel any sort of connection to them. Ms Derr managed to convey the very strong camaraderie between the harem members and the king but I honestly actually didn't really feel this deep rooted true love shit so much.
Apart from that, the two short stories were really about people I didn't care much about, but I still enjoyed the first one. I didn't really like the story about the Queen too much, but I think that's because I felt betrayed that the King kissed the Queen.
After starting gaymance I think I have this weird thing where I feel betrayed when the main character kisses a female. I know the King loves the Queen and such, but after reading Sandstorm I thought the King and Queen had a strictly platonic relationship.
Urgh.
(feeling betrayed).
Weird. I know.
Anyway whilst the book was a bit bland and bored me in some turns, I did enjoy it.
April 8, 2011
I love the tales of Tavamara nearly as much as Sandstorm (in the same universe/timeframe) and I enjoyed the two het stories as well - although I did appreciate the warning about the het content.
Each of King Shahjahan's harem has his own story, with glimpses of life in the palace now. One of the het stories is about how Shahjahan came to choose Fahima as his wife and the start of her harem. The second het story is a link between Sandstorm and King's Harem and explains how Simon (from Sandstorm) became the adopted son of Ikram (Shajahan's advisor). There is one more story that is more Sandstorm than Tavamara which tells how Rook, Cordelia's cousin finds acceptance and more from Genral Noor.
Each of King Shahjahan's harem has his own story, with glimpses of life in the palace now. One of the het stories is about how Shahjahan came to choose Fahima as his wife and the start of her harem. The second het story is a link between Sandstorm and King's Harem and explains how Simon (from Sandstorm) became the adopted son of Ikram (Shajahan's advisor). There is one more story that is more Sandstorm than Tavamara which tells how Rook, Cordelia's cousin finds acceptance and more from Genral Noor.
September 22, 2018
The King's Harem is a collection of short stories, some of which tie together to be a novella.
The biggest part of the book is, as the title says, about the men in the King's Harem and how they came to be there, thus switching between past and present about when they first met the king and how their relationship is like years later. The main characters are Shahjahan, the king of Tavamara; Nandakumar, a talented musician with a conspiring family; Beynum, a former pirate with unexpected loyalty; Aikhadour, who grew up in a temple and leaves it for the first time to visit the palace; Witcher, a bastard prince and commander of a foreign nation turned hostage, and Rakiah, a young noble and horse trainer.
The other three stories are vaguely related, some playing before and others after the events:
One is about Fahima, the queen and how she came to be Shahjahan's wife. The second is about Rook, a military stratetigst who lives with the desert tribes and can't seem to find his place, and the tribes' commander, and the third is about the future king's advisor who meets the love of his life on the famour Tavamaran market.
Overall the stories are nice and easy to read, but they all have one thing in common: insta love. Everyone is smitten and deeply committed on first sight (ok, second sight in one case) and I missed the development in the relationships.
There were also a handful of scenes that made me very uncomfortable with the way characters expressed their desire/possessiveness.
The biggest part of the book is, as the title says, about the men in the King's Harem and how they came to be there, thus switching between past and present about when they first met the king and how their relationship is like years later. The main characters are Shahjahan, the king of Tavamara; Nandakumar, a talented musician with a conspiring family; Beynum, a former pirate with unexpected loyalty; Aikhadour, who grew up in a temple and leaves it for the first time to visit the palace; Witcher, a bastard prince and commander of a foreign nation turned hostage, and Rakiah, a young noble and horse trainer.
The other three stories are vaguely related, some playing before and others after the events:
One is about Fahima, the queen and how she came to be Shahjahan's wife. The second is about Rook, a military stratetigst who lives with the desert tribes and can't seem to find his place, and the tribes' commander, and the third is about the future king's advisor who meets the love of his life on the famour Tavamaran market.
Overall the stories are nice and easy to read, but they all have one thing in common: insta love. Everyone is smitten and deeply committed on first sight (ok, second sight in one case) and I missed the development in the relationships.
There were also a handful of scenes that made me very uncomfortable with the way characters expressed their desire/possessiveness.
June 9, 2018
Drei Sterne bedeuten hier wirklich, dass es gut zu lesen war, dennoch war ich nicht zufrieden.
Edit: inzwischen einen Stern aufgerundet, Erklärung am Ende der Besprechung
Grundsätzlich passt mir die Tavamara Serie derzeit gut ins Konzept, weil sie, wie so ziemlich alles, was die Autorin veröffentlicht hat, jenseits der ausgetretenen Bahnen der Gay-Romances liegt. Sie schreibt wirklich im LGTB Bereich und schöpft diese Bandbreite komplett aus.
Und auch wenn die Autorin das Label "Fantasy" benutzt, sind die Romane, die ich von ihr gelesen habe, alle eher pseudo-historisch.
Damit kommen wir zu meinem wichtigsten Kritikpunkt für den ersten Band der Serie, die klar von klassischen Wüsten/Scheich-Romanen inspiriert wurde, es ist kein Roman.
Es ist eine lose Aneinanderreihung von Kurzgeschichten.
Erst wird erzählt wie die (ausschließlich männlichen) Konkubinen des Königs jeweils Teil des Harems werden. Und darum, wie dieser seine Königin erwählt. Dann folgt noch mal ein Nachzügler für den Harem der sehr viel später dazu stößt.
Am Ende steht dann eine Geschichte um zwei völlig fremde Figuren, die nach Tavamara reisen.
Ich habe beim Lesen die ganze Zeit darauf gewartet, dass "die Geschichte" endlich losgeht.
Aber, es gibt keine Geschichte, sondern nur diese "Vorstellungsrunde" möchte ich es mal nennen.
Auf der Plusseite steht sicherlich, dass die Autorin viel Liebe und Sorgfalt in ihre Figuren legt und sie alle sehr lebendig sind, selbst wenn hier typische Klischees bedient werden.
Angenehm fand ich es auch, dass Harems-Geschichten hier nicht in schwülstige Erotik ausarten.
Im Gegenteil verzichtet die Autorin hier auf ausgeschriebenen Sex, er findet statt, er wird erwähnt, aber er wird nicht beschrieben.
Und doch habe ich am Ende mit einem großen Fragezeichen im Gesicht da gestanden und mich gefragt:
"Wo ist die Geschichte? Was ist das für eine Welt, von der ich nur Stückchen und Häppchen erahnen konnte."
Von daher bleibt es bei drei Sternen, weil es zwar nett zu lesen, aber eben nichts Halbes und nichts Ganzes war.
*******************************************************************
Edit Juni 2018:
Ein Stern aufgerundet, weil :
Inzwischen habe ich einige Zeit auf den verschiedenen Seiten der Autorin verbracht und festgestellt, dass sie viele solcher kurzen Geschichten in ihren verschiedenen Universen schreibt.
Wenn ich sie richtig verstanden habe, dann haben auch diese Geschichten genau diese Entstehungsgeschichte. Das verändert witzigerweise meine Akzeptanz für diese Geschichten. Oder vielleicht besser, es dämpft meine Enttäuschung :-)
Auch wenn ich mir wünschen würde, dass eine entsprechende Anmerkung am Anfang des Buches gestanden hätte, so wie sie es in ihrem Blog geschrieben hat ich zitiere: "So once upon a time I wrote a dumb series of fluffy stories about a king and his harem. I totally thought it would be a one off type thing, but it spawned (and I really really should have known it would)."
Dann hätte ich nämlich keinen vollständige Geschichte erwartet.
October 25, 2020
A beautiful fantasy world where everyone's pansexual/bisexual and polyamorous and nobody bats an eye *dreamy sighs* Tbh this book is more like a collection of short stories revolved around characters living in Tavamara. It's wholesome and sweet. And I love that everyone gets along with everyone. I wish I could have more stories about Shah and his harem though especially now that he has Kiah. Those little short stories don't feel enough for me. And they all have a great dynamic too. I just wish it wasn't so SHORT.
June 3, 2018
An interesting medley of stories tied together by Tavamara and good 'ole love.
I'm in awe of Megan Derr's writing talent. She blended several techniques within one book, combining the tales like chapter except for the one about the King's harem, hence the book's title. She broke each concubine's story into separate chapters while inserting flashbacks to tell each one's backstory. Hence, we discover how Shah collected his blend of "flowers" for his eclectic garden of beautiful men. The only one I felt a disconnect with was Witcher, probably because he was so foreign in looks and origin, but ultimately Shah was fated/destined for Witcher, and Witcher was meant for all of them. They all were so diverse from a range of backgrounds, and aside from Nanda and Witcher, from poor or common families, yet were brought ceremoniously together by their king, and it's a testament to Derr's skill their story and presentation worked.
The other stories were okay - Fahima's background was a nice added touch and explained why she didn't mind her husband's harem. A lesser woman would have felt intimidated or threatened by the gorgeous assortment that comprised Shah's harem, but of course, Fahima was simply far from intimidated and secure in her status as well as Shah's affections. Each short story was well told with only minimal errors - occasional misspellings, the wrong self-correction inserted, no doubt, but minor.
I'm in awe of Megan Derr's writing talent. She blended several techniques within one book, combining the tales like chapter except for the one about the King's harem, hence the book's title. She broke each concubine's story into separate chapters while inserting flashbacks to tell each one's backstory. Hence, we discover how Shah collected his blend of "flowers" for his eclectic garden of beautiful men. The only one I felt a disconnect with was Witcher, probably because he was so foreign in looks and origin, but ultimately Shah was fated/destined for Witcher, and Witcher was meant for all of them. They all were so diverse from a range of backgrounds, and aside from Nanda and Witcher, from poor or common families, yet were brought ceremoniously together by their king, and it's a testament to Derr's skill their story and presentation worked.
The other stories were okay - Fahima's background was a nice added touch and explained why she didn't mind her husband's harem. A lesser woman would have felt intimidated or threatened by the gorgeous assortment that comprised Shah's harem, but of course, Fahima was simply far from intimidated and secure in her status as well as Shah's affections. Each short story was well told with only minimal errors - occasional misspellings, the wrong self-correction inserted, no doubt, but minor.
August 4, 2024
Quite a simple book, no great drama or depth, no on-page sex scenes (at leastnot in the main stories), no real plot - and still, I rated it four stars. Why such a high rating you wonder? Well it is just a warm feel-good kinda book. It has a happy atmosphere, and is a really good read when you want something utterly simple to make you happy :) I enjoyed it and will definitely read it again.
Edit: I've read the second instalment, which is a real story with a plot and everything and have to say I was glad to have read this instalment first. It introduces the world setting in a really simple way. Only the short story Knight To Rook, which is also included in this installment, should be read after the main story in the second instalment.
Every short story in this instalment is also included in Sandstorm
Edit: I've read the second instalment, which is a real story with a plot and everything and have to say I was glad to have read this instalment first. It introduces the world setting in a really simple way. Only the short story Knight To Rook, which is also included in this installment, should be read after the main story in the second instalment.
Every short story in this instalment is also included in Sandstorm
January 22, 2019
Well. No.
Maybe I'm wrong or narrow, but when I'm bying the book with the title "The King's Harem", I expect some porn in there. And not only some. Unfortunately the part with the harem has rating no more then PG-13. Besides, the writing itself is boring and similar in plot. All the stories about's King's concubines are the same: a boy sees Shah, a boy likes his kind eyes, a boy falls in love with the Shah. Forward to the next boy.
The second part starts better, with nice story about how King met with the Queen and a quick and hot romance of a general and a strategist.
But the last story made me see red. Clever barbarian meets a beautiful and troubled woman who is not ready to marry him, so the barbarian decides to "shake this woman till the only thing she can say is "yes, I will marry you".
Just no.
Maybe I'm wrong or narrow, but when I'm bying the book with the title "The King's Harem", I expect some porn in there. And not only some. Unfortunately the part with the harem has rating no more then PG-13. Besides, the writing itself is boring and similar in plot. All the stories about's King's concubines are the same: a boy sees Shah, a boy likes his kind eyes, a boy falls in love with the Shah. Forward to the next boy.
The second part starts better, with nice story about how King met with the Queen and a quick and hot romance of a general and a strategist.
But the last story made me see red. Clever barbarian meets a beautiful and troubled woman who is not ready to marry him, so the barbarian decides to "shake this woman till the only thing she can say is "yes, I will marry you".
Just no.
January 12, 2023
stories, historical fantasy, nice comfort reading
Edit:
After readig Sandstorm, I changed my rating for King's Harem from 3 to 4 stars. This is actually the second part of a series. I reread parts of King's Harem and with the backstory of Sandstorm, especially the "Other Tales" make a lot more sense.
Edit:
After readig Sandstorm, I changed my rating for King's Harem from 3 to 4 stars. This is actually the second part of a series. I reread parts of King's Harem and with the backstory of Sandstorm, especially the "Other Tales" make a lot more sense.
May 31, 2014
Re-read today... I still love it :)
January 27, 2018
did not finish. quit at 5-10%. poly's not my thing, but if that's what you're into this could be the book for you!
July 15, 2022
This is a 5 chapter novella and 3 short stories in one book. But really it's 8 short stories since the novella is 5 discontinuous short stories.
Okay, sadly this was not my cup of tea. I really wish it was. I wanted something light and carefree and romantic and fun but this was a lot of tropes, cliches, boring straightforward plots, even some hetero stories. Most of them read like what a child imagines romance or politics looks like. Far too much "and then every stood up and clapped" material. I'm disappointed and annoyed and wished I still loved Derr's stories as much as when I discovered them.
One thing I have to say I am really starting to be annoyed at is authors who include POC but then constantly refer to them as "cinnamon" or "caramel" or "coffee" colored. Can we stop using food words to describe humans please?
Anyway, aside from that, let's talk about the stories. The King's Harem introduces each harem member and how they got there. I have to say the title sounds far more scandalous than the stories are. Mostly the stories are quite dull, normal fantasy backstories. Pretty forgettable for the most part. There's not much room here for depth or anything much of interest. In a way they read like DnD character backstories. I hate to say it, since I usually love Megan Derr's characters, but these needed more page time or something!
The other 3 novellas are mostly chaste (fade-to-black if there is anything more than kissing hands or cheeks) people finding True Love. I think. There's not a lot of details on backstory, other potential suitable partners, or even detail in general. The second to last story was especially boring traditional toxic masculinity wrapped up in "I'm a savage beast from the desert tribes" cliches. Most of the stories in this book suffer from savior complexes. By the end I was only reading to finish the book and mark it down as Not For Me.
Will I read more Derr? I don't know. I'm not happy with her early publications and feel like I should stick to everything post 2018 or nothing at all.
Okay, sadly this was not my cup of tea. I really wish it was. I wanted something light and carefree and romantic and fun but this was a lot of tropes, cliches, boring straightforward plots, even some hetero stories. Most of them read like what a child imagines romance or politics looks like. Far too much "and then every stood up and clapped" material. I'm disappointed and annoyed and wished I still loved Derr's stories as much as when I discovered them.
One thing I have to say I am really starting to be annoyed at is authors who include POC but then constantly refer to them as "cinnamon" or "caramel" or "coffee" colored. Can we stop using food words to describe humans please?
Anyway, aside from that, let's talk about the stories. The King's Harem introduces each harem member and how they got there. I have to say the title sounds far more scandalous than the stories are. Mostly the stories are quite dull, normal fantasy backstories. Pretty forgettable for the most part. There's not much room here for depth or anything much of interest. In a way they read like DnD character backstories. I hate to say it, since I usually love Megan Derr's characters, but these needed more page time or something!
The other 3 novellas are mostly chaste (fade-to-black if there is anything more than kissing hands or cheeks) people finding True Love. I think. There's not a lot of details on backstory, other potential suitable partners, or even detail in general. The second to last story was especially boring traditional toxic masculinity wrapped up in "I'm a savage beast from the desert tribes" cliches. Most of the stories in this book suffer from savior complexes. By the end I was only reading to finish the book and mark it down as Not For Me.
Will I read more Derr? I don't know. I'm not happy with her early publications and feel like I should stick to everything post 2018 or nothing at all.
December 5, 2024
This is a highly enjoyable set of stories about various characters who live in and around Tavamara. There are members of royalty, the military, the harem, and others from various walks of life. All the characters well-developed and interesting. Many, but not all of the stories are fade-to-black, but that works in stories about harems, where the reader wants more of the actual story. The passion and love are beautiful and all is consensual. I plan to read this entire series to enjoy other stories from this world.
December 18, 2024
Not sure why you would want this book listed as the first in a series. No world building, no plot. It's basically just epilogues with flashbacks. All the in between parts are what I would have rather read about. I only powered through because I wanted to try some later books in this series but silly me thought I needed to start with book 1. No, apparently reading book 2 first is a better approach. The fact that I hate nonlinear storytelling is not this book's fault but the fact that there's barely a story is.
September 27, 2025
A whirlwind of emotions
All the tales were adorable. Megan Derr is a master at character crafting and development, somehow more so in her shorter works. (Which is saying something.) It was a lot of fun to read each story, get to know the world, but mostly squeek excitedly at the page when yearning threatened to turn into returned affection.
Fun read all around! Would recommend if you need a dose of sweetness.
All the tales were adorable. Megan Derr is a master at character crafting and development, somehow more so in her shorter works. (Which is saying something.) It was a lot of fun to read each story, get to know the world, but mostly squeek excitedly at the page when yearning threatened to turn into returned affection.
Fun read all around! Would recommend if you need a dose of sweetness.
June 10, 2022
Tavamara1
More an anthology than a book, this still serves as an introduction to this universe. The stories are presented like beads on a string. There is sensuality, but intimacy is often glossed over.
The most arced story was Knight to Rook, and it could be that the scope of spareness presented by the desert gives the author more focus; there are just too many delights in the city.
More an anthology than a book, this still serves as an introduction to this universe. The stories are presented like beads on a string. There is sensuality, but intimacy is often glossed over.
The most arced story was Knight to Rook, and it could be that the scope of spareness presented by the desert gives the author more focus; there are just too many delights in the city.
August 23, 2024
The main book is about king's harem. We get glimpses how these men live in the palace, and insides in the past how they came to be in there, that includes they first meeting with the king.
Additional three stories are based in the same world. It should be mentioned that two of them are MF. One of the stories is about how the king came to choose his queen. The other two, I hope will make more sense to me, character wise, after reading all books in the series.
Additional three stories are based in the same world. It should be mentioned that two of them are MF. One of the stories is about how the king came to choose his queen. The other two, I hope will make more sense to me, character wise, after reading all books in the series.
December 4, 2024
Wow! You never really know what you're going to get when its one book with 3 short stories in it but I loved each one. Of course, I wished each story was longer and a little more detailed, but I still was happy with the end result.
Can't wait to get into this series! What a fascinating world Derr has once again given us.
*Also, highly recommend you read these books in order.
Can't wait to get into this series! What a fascinating world Derr has once again given us.
*Also, highly recommend you read these books in order.
November 27, 2018
I just wanted to read something short from this author to get a glimpse of her writing because she was recommended to me. It didn't WOW me or anything but I enjoyed everyone's little story and I will continue to try more works by this author that friends have recommended.
March 12, 2023
I really appreciate Derr's depiction of love and romance without fetishizing same sex couples. The romances are full of love and respect of the other as a person. Wanting them to retain their personality and quirks.
I enjoyed the time jumps, too.
I enjoyed the time jumps, too.
July 17, 2017
None of these stories were very interesting and the writing style just didn't work for me.
July 7, 2018
I always enjoy these. A short collection of stories based around a king and his harem. I liked Beyum best. The queen was strong willed. In the additional stories I liked the one with Rook and Noor.
February 11, 2020
I truly enjoyed the first two stories. The last two stories seemed a bit wanting in information in regards to the Desert and tribes, etc. Overall, pretty good.
February 19, 2022
Marvellous
Marvellous book. Megan you have away with imagination. You make the characters and scenery seem real. Congratulations on you imagination
Marvellous book. Megan you have away with imagination. You make the characters and scenery seem real. Congratulations on you imagination
November 16, 2023
My least favourite Megan Derr novel so far. I liked the short stories about the harem, but the 3 additional stories didn't add anything for me and didn't even have anything to do with the title, so for me it doesn't make sense they were in this book.
January 18, 2025
The world-building of Tavamara is fascinating. Knight to Rook was my favourite story in this book. I was not really fond of the time-jumping in the King's Harem.
August 21, 2024
The King's Harem is a collection of four short, erotic stories set in the world of Tavamara.
Firstly, I love the subtle culture building in the stories. I think this is something Megan Derr does really well. I particularly like the cultural importance of wine - some of the wines sounded really nice, and I don't even like wine! :P
I also really enjoy the fact that the stories manage to be both romantic and erotic without resorting to any explicit sex (except in 'Knight to Rook'). It made a refeshing, sensual change.
Jumping around timelines between the stories could be quite jarring at times, but it was easy enough to settle down after that realisation.
As for the stories themselves:
'The King's Harem' - ♥♥♥♥♥ - 'The King's Harem' told the stories of the five members of King Shahjahan's harem, and how they came to be a part of it. Not very much over-arching plot, really, just mini-plots for each character within their own chapter.
I really, really enjoyed this story, and I loved the relationships the members of the harem had with their king and with each other. And each member of the harem is so unique and well-developed. It would have been so easy to have this become a series of inter-connected sex scenes, and I am SO glad Megan Derr did not go down that route.
My favourite story out of the four. :)
'Knight to Rook' - ♥♥♥ - I actually found this story quite confusing at first, probably because this story is set after Sandstorm (another Tavamara novel) and makes references to characters and events I haven't read about.
However, I enjoyed the relationship between Rook and General Noor, and the overall plot of this story. Weirdly, I didn't enjoy the sex scene as much as I usually would, probably due to the fact I was still admiring the lack of sex in the previous story. It was well written and quite sensual, in spite of that fact.
My least favourite story out of the four, but nonetheless a good read.
'Everything You Need' - ♥♥♥♥♥ - This story is the romance of Ikram and Valerie. I have a feeling Valerie's son, Simon, might be important in Sandstorm, as this is set years before.
A het romance! I haven't read one of those in a little while, haha. This story was actually very romantic, and I loved the character of Ikram. I especially liked the insight into the tribes of the Sands, and how he wished he was still a member so he could just carry Valerie off! Hahaha. He was weirdly quite a gentleman for all that.
Very enjoyable story, and the wines again make an appearance!
'The Jewel of Tavamara' - ♥♥♥♥ - This tells the story of how King Shahjahan met his queen, and the start of her harem. (That's right, this book even has a little bit of f/f!)
I enjoyed this story a lot. It was quite strange to be looking at Shah's harem from the outside after being quite intimately acquainted with them in the first story. They were quite intimidating for all that, even though Shah only had two concubines at this point in the timeline.
I would have liked to see a bit more romance between Shah and Fahima, because... well, there isn't that much. I can tell Shah was intrigued by Fahima and visa versa, but I didn't get the atmosphere of romance that I did from Ikram and Valerie.
For all that, however, it was still an enjoyable read. :)
Overall, I recommend this collection of stories highly, but - unlike me - I recommend you read them after Sandstorm. It could save you a lot of unnecessary confusion, particularly in the second story.
Firstly, I love the subtle culture building in the stories. I think this is something Megan Derr does really well. I particularly like the cultural importance of wine - some of the wines sounded really nice, and I don't even like wine! :P
I also really enjoy the fact that the stories manage to be both romantic and erotic without resorting to any explicit sex (except in 'Knight to Rook'). It made a refeshing, sensual change.
Jumping around timelines between the stories could be quite jarring at times, but it was easy enough to settle down after that realisation.
As for the stories themselves:
'The King's Harem' - ♥♥♥♥♥ - 'The King's Harem' told the stories of the five members of King Shahjahan's harem, and how they came to be a part of it. Not very much over-arching plot, really, just mini-plots for each character within their own chapter.
I really, really enjoyed this story, and I loved the relationships the members of the harem had with their king and with each other. And each member of the harem is so unique and well-developed. It would have been so easy to have this become a series of inter-connected sex scenes, and I am SO glad Megan Derr did not go down that route.
My favourite story out of the four. :)
'Knight to Rook' - ♥♥♥ - I actually found this story quite confusing at first, probably because this story is set after Sandstorm (another Tavamara novel) and makes references to characters and events I haven't read about.
However, I enjoyed the relationship between Rook and General Noor, and the overall plot of this story. Weirdly, I didn't enjoy the sex scene as much as I usually would, probably due to the fact I was still admiring the lack of sex in the previous story. It was well written and quite sensual, in spite of that fact.
My least favourite story out of the four, but nonetheless a good read.
'Everything You Need' - ♥♥♥♥♥ - This story is the romance of Ikram and Valerie. I have a feeling Valerie's son, Simon, might be important in Sandstorm, as this is set years before.
A het romance! I haven't read one of those in a little while, haha. This story was actually very romantic, and I loved the character of Ikram. I especially liked the insight into the tribes of the Sands, and how he wished he was still a member so he could just carry Valerie off! Hahaha. He was weirdly quite a gentleman for all that.
Very enjoyable story, and the wines again make an appearance!
'The Jewel of Tavamara' - ♥♥♥♥ - This tells the story of how King Shahjahan met his queen, and the start of her harem. (That's right, this book even has a little bit of f/f!)
I enjoyed this story a lot. It was quite strange to be looking at Shah's harem from the outside after being quite intimately acquainted with them in the first story. They were quite intimidating for all that, even though Shah only had two concubines at this point in the timeline.
I would have liked to see a bit more romance between Shah and Fahima, because... well, there isn't that much. I can tell Shah was intrigued by Fahima and visa versa, but I didn't get the atmosphere of romance that I did from Ikram and Valerie.
For all that, however, it was still an enjoyable read. :)
Overall, I recommend this collection of stories highly, but - unlike me - I recommend you read them after Sandstorm. It could save you a lot of unnecessary confusion, particularly in the second story.
August 16, 2015
I was inspired to read The King’s Harem after reading and absolutely loving The Harem Master, which is book three in this series. However, I can’t say that my experience with this book was all together positive. First of all, there was a main story which covered half the book and then there were three additional short stories that took place in the same world. The main story was about how the different members of the harem came to be part of the king’s harem.
I liked this story mostly for the beautiful harem men and the sweetness of their polyamorous relationship. However, the story switched back and forth between past and present and shared the viewpoints of so many different characters that I found it difficult the follow. There also appeared to be no intrigue and no story arch. It was mostly a recounting of each man’s route to the king’s heart. Though I loved the world building, I had difficulty connecting with the characters individually. There also didn’t appear to be any strong romance between the men and sex was completely absent.
In addition to this main story, the other tale that stood out in my mind was The Jewel of Tavamara. In this story Fahima finds herself in the position of marrying the king, which was something she never expected. Though she is in love with the king, it feels like he is marrying her out of convenience. She suffers because he doesn’t appear to love her back. In addition to this story was Everything You Need which was the second M/F story in the book. The last story was Knight to Rook, which was M/M romance and was actually quite sexy.
Overall, I loved the world building and detailed description which made the characters seem very real. However, I was disappointed with the lukewarm romance between the harem men and wished there was more to the plot. As a side note, after finishing this book, I read more on the Tavamara Series and found out that other readers recommend reading Sandstorm first, which is listed as book two.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
I liked this story mostly for the beautiful harem men and the sweetness of their polyamorous relationship. However, the story switched back and forth between past and present and shared the viewpoints of so many different characters that I found it difficult the follow. There also appeared to be no intrigue and no story arch. It was mostly a recounting of each man’s route to the king’s heart. Though I loved the world building, I had difficulty connecting with the characters individually. There also didn’t appear to be any strong romance between the men and sex was completely absent.
In addition to this main story, the other tale that stood out in my mind was The Jewel of Tavamara. In this story Fahima finds herself in the position of marrying the king, which was something she never expected. Though she is in love with the king, it feels like he is marrying her out of convenience. She suffers because he doesn’t appear to love her back. In addition to this story was Everything You Need which was the second M/F story in the book. The last story was Knight to Rook, which was M/M romance and was actually quite sexy.
Overall, I loved the world building and detailed description which made the characters seem very real. However, I was disappointed with the lukewarm romance between the harem men and wished there was more to the plot. As a side note, after finishing this book, I read more on the Tavamara Series and found out that other readers recommend reading Sandstorm first, which is listed as book two.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
February 22, 2024
Love it
This is one of those books that I enjoy re-reading often enough that I have most of it memorized.
I love its little clips back on memories that remain short and focused. They give information without getting lost or becoming pointlessly long.
I enjoy reading the ever evolving tale and how it subtly tells you where in the time line you are based on the characters around you.
Some days you just want everything to work out right and Megan Derr collections are great for that.
This is one of those books that I enjoy re-reading often enough that I have most of it memorized.
I love its little clips back on memories that remain short and focused. They give information without getting lost or becoming pointlessly long.
I enjoy reading the ever evolving tale and how it subtly tells you where in the time line you are based on the characters around you.
Some days you just want everything to work out right and Megan Derr collections are great for that.
February 3, 2016
This is a collection of short stories about the Tavamara Harem as well as other people connected to it. Quite the collection of very fascinating stories. While the first few stories are a little tamer, the farther you progress the hotter they get.
There was only one thing that irked me a little - I couldn't find a sentence in the book that really explained the dynamics of the harem: that the Queen and King could both have mistresses which are of the same sex. The reader can figure it out but there was no explanation of it anywhere in the book.
There was only one thing that irked me a little - I couldn't find a sentence in the book that really explained the dynamics of the harem: that the Queen and King could both have mistresses which are of the same sex. The reader can figure it out but there was no explanation of it anywhere in the book.
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