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The Royal Trials #1-3

The Royal Trials: Complete Series

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THE ROYAL COMPLETE SERIES is all three books in The Royal Trials trilogy as well as an EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPILOGUE SCENE.

Book 1: IMPOSTER

Three trials. Three weeks. Three Royal Princes.

It should have been an easy task, for a skilled mercenary like Rybet Waise. Simply break into the royal palace, and rescue her friend from the executioner's block. But when Rybet accidentally qualifies for the Trials, she finds herself with little choice but to see them through.

A thin veil of etiquette, elegance and glamour hides the true nature of the Trials. Behind closed doors, they are brutal and bloody, and to fail means to forfeit her life.

Thrust into the limelight and forced to compete with the Kingdom's elite sweethearts, unlikely allies emerge and bonds are formed. But someone will stop at nothing to see her fail.

After all, she's nothing but a dirty pond-dweller.

Rybet will do whatever it takes to survive until the Golden Ball, Princes be damned.



Book 2: SEEKER

One quest. One crown. One shattered heart.

The Royal Trials were never meant to be easy, not even for an imposter like Rybet Waise. But nothing could have prepared her for the magical storms, mutated animals and malicious gods standing in her way.

There is no time for tears, mere hours after being bathed in Prince Alexander’s blood, Rybet must embark on a quest. The second trial dictates she find a missing magical artefact--Queen Ophelia's crown.

Released from the overbearing confines of the royal palace, Rybet competes not only with the other remaining ladies, but also with the land itself. Magic is more volatile than ever, and the gods have come out to play.

Royal love interests who don’t know how to share only make things harder for this dirty pond-dweller--if that’s really all she is.

Rybet will do whatever it takes to make it out alive, and with her heart unbroken.



Book 3: HEIR

A corrupt King. A murdered Queen. A missing Princess… Found.

Once upon a time, The Royal Trials were a sacred ritual designed for a queen to select her king. But nothing is as it was in the kingdom of Tiech. Not since the brutal murder of beloved Queen Ophelia.

The town of Ironforge revealed important secrets, but it all came at an unbearable cost. The streets run red with the blood of innocents and Rybet's heart is heavy as she returns to Lakehaven.

Facing court and her mother's murderer will require more than just a brave face. She will need the skill, intellect and support of those who love her. Or what's left of them.

Torn between love and duty, Rybet faces decisions she never thought she would have to make.

This long lost princess will do whatever it takes to make it to the Golden Ball, even at the cost of her own happiness.



**PLEASE This is a reverse harem romance, meaning the leading lady ends up with 3+ love interests and does not choose between them. If that's not your cup of tea, this isn't the series for you!**

776 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2020

1199 people are currently reading
957 people want to read

About the author

Tate James

82 books14.1k followers

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5 stars
1,309 (58%)
4 stars
631 (28%)
3 stars
251 (11%)
2 stars
46 (2%)
1 star
9 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
Profile Image for Rochelle Ferguson.
262 reviews11 followers
January 5, 2021
3.5 stars.
This was similar to 'Red Queen'. While I did like this series enough to read all 3 books, I do not plan on reading any more of the series. The storyline was interesting, however, the 'surprises' were cliche and I could see them coming. I did like the characters but I wished the love interests Ty, Lee and Zan were more developed.
Profile Image for Estefany.
Author 4 books65 followers
June 9, 2020
Amazing!!

This series was so amazing! I fell in love with the characters. I had laughs and tears and moments of omg!!
Profile Image for Titillating Lit.
9 reviews9 followers
August 30, 2020
When Rybet (pronounced like the noise a frog makes) sneaks into the palace to find and free a fellow pickpocket, something incredibly unexpected happens. Through a series of mishaps and an incredibly conveniently placed, um… housekeeper? Rybet finds herself an unwilling participant in the Trials, a sacred magical ritural where suitors compete for the hand of the queen. At least, that’s what the Trials were before the queen was assassinated, the Matriarchy was overthrown, and a neighboring king took over the land. Now they’re a big competition where the victor picks one of the princes to marry so that the two can rule the land together in wedded bliss. Or Something. (If you read a lot of YA you are probably picking up some serious The Selection by Kiera Cass/Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard tones right now.)

While the series starts out a bit shaky (how many tropes can an author pile on in less than two chapters?) and relies on quite a few contrivances to set the scene in the world of Teich and the Seven Kingdoms (see Real Talk for more on this if you don’t mind some light spoilers) it’s still an enjoyable romp through a once flourishing magical kingdom now on the brink of destruction. You’ll just probably see a lot of the “twists and turns” coming well before our charming characters know what’s going on. The start of the series gave me a serious Arya Stark/Cinderella as a contestant on the bachelor vibe. Oddly specific? Yes. Apt description? Also, yes.

World Building
The world building has moments that are on the verge of something wonderful but often falls short. The concept of technology being somehow tied to the magic of the land could have been developed into something truly interesting. Instead, it hardly gets an honourable mention for the purpose of explaining why some places have electric-like lighting and why a formerly affluent neighborhood is now a slum. Developing this concept would have helped build a unique flavor for the universe, but it ends up as curious background noise instead. How long ago did these crazy changes happen, really? So long ago that no one remembers the time before? Last decade? Yesterday?

Once upon a time–though really not all that long ago– the area we lived in had been the richest part of Lakehaven, with marble streets, sprawling mansions and technology for the Teichian nobles. That was before our deities had tried to kill us all with the Age of Darkness. Before the years of droughts that took away our water and then storms that plunged us into four years of darkness and rain.

This all happened like, less than twenty years before. I’m not sure anyone refers to something that happened in living memory as the “Age of” anything?”

Characters
In terms of character development, things were a little hit or miss. Some characters felt sincerely well thought out, layered, and realistic. I appreciate that the princes/brothers in the book had given at least some thought to the idea of sharing the same woman. Poly isn’t for everyone and RH requires a lot of work to maintain and balance the relationship. One prince in particular struggles with sharing, but he handles (or doesn’t handle) his objections poorly. He gets over it eventually but that too felt a bit contrived and forced. I particularly enjoyed some of the sassy dialogue between Rybet and the princes, as well as her tutors through the trials, and those scenes felt the most natural for me as a reader. Other characters, however, felt like they were there just to move the plot along or create artificial tension/suspense.

Other Stuff
The series wasn’t short or long, but I think many of the contrivances and forced moments were from poor pacing. James glosses over or doesn’t give certain things enough attention, which makes it hard to totally immerse yourself in the world and its people. A few more pages probably could have solved some of these problems. In addition to this, there were a couple of copy edit errors (five that were obvious enough that they jarred me a bit when I read them), but overall things read smoothly.

In Summary
To sum up: This series fun to read, even with its flaws, so I’d put it firmly in Category 3. I am intrigued enough with where the story is going that I will likely pick up the spin off/continuation that seems like it will follow one of the secondary characters into the future. If you like science fantasy reverse harem, this book is a nice distraction, but don’t expect epic level world building or detailed mechanics of said world, or you will be disappointed.

1 – Didn’t Like it – Throw it in the bin
2 – It was okay – Donate it to a thrift shop
3 – I liked it – Pass it on to a friend
4 – I really liked it – Keep it, re-read it
5 – I loved it – TitiLITting! Masturbate furiously


Real Talk (may contain light spoilers)


For more reviews from Lannae and Cariad, head over to the TitLit Blog
Profile Image for Our Fiction Addiction.
200 reviews12 followers
January 14, 2021
Another page turner by fave author Tate James!

Such a great series! Couldn’t put it down just like with the rest of Tate James’ books! Highly recommend reading everything and anything written by her. You will NOT be disappointed!
Profile Image for Laura Casanueva.
2 reviews
May 12, 2023
Not her best work

I don’t know if this is early Tate James, or what? But the whole series was so predictable. I read it because I want to say I’ve read everything from Tate James, but if you’re not like that, you can skip this one. Spicy level-1
Profile Image for ♥ I’d Rather Be Reading ♥.
2,721 reviews
March 27, 2024
3.5 stars

- Book Playlist (The Royal Trials Book Series Playlist)

A fantasy RH series about a girl from the slums who inadvertently ends up entered into the Trials -- a series of tests to choose the next Queen of the Kingdom of Teich. Along the way she falls in love and finds out some surprises about herself and her heritage.

You can see my review for each book below:

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Imposter (4 stars)
(Read 3/18/2024 to 3/20/2024)
You can read my review for this story on it's individual book page here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

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Seeker (3.5 stars)
(Read 3/21/2024 to 3/23/2024)
You can read my review for this story on it's individual book page here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------

Heir (3 stars)
(Read 3/24/2024 to 3/26/2024)
You can read my review for this story on it's individual book page here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jill.
704 reviews5 followers
October 3, 2021
a phantastical adventure

In a world where magic helps keeps balance and life but an imbalance of it after the last queens death has caused the land to decay and wither a royal trial is called to find a wife for the next king .
Rybet is an orphan living in the slums of the city and is drawn into the trial seemingly by accident but really it was fate intervening .
Through a series of dark and twisted trials and bloody adventures rybet discovers her true identity , falls in love 3 times over and ultimately saves the land .
This is a reverse harem (3 men ) romance which I didn’t realize was honestly the whole way through the books I don’t know why I was surprised by that but I was haha and although I’m not usually a fan of that trope I did end up enjoying this one .
Ty , lo and zan were all very different each bringing a new dynamic to the 4some so I guess that’s how it somehow works.
The mystery parts of this story were somewhat predictable I wasn’t shocked or blindsided by any of the twists and had seen most of them coming as BIG hints are dropped everywhere in the story ! But even so it was overall a really enjoyable story and I loved the world building enough to also want sages story which is meant to be released sometime this year .. so I better go hunt it down ! (Knight )
Profile Image for Kathleen.
39 reviews51 followers
January 20, 2024
I went into this series completely blind, fully expecting to like it because so far, I've really enjoyed everything I've read by Tate James, and this one was no different. It was amazing.
As Calla navigates her ways through the trials and falling for multiple men, she's also trying to stay alive because the girls with the lowest score at the end of each challenge is killed/poisoned at dinner💀 The ladies are all completing to be the next queen but also competing for one of the three princes affection.
This series is full of twists and turns, especially book 3🫣 I loved the development of the relationship between Rybet (also known as Callaluna/Calla/Luna) and her 3 love interests. The ending of book 1 had my jaw on the floor cause I didn't see it coming at all (although I probably should have). I wish I could talk more about this series without spoilers,but I honestly can't😅
I 100% recommend this series if you hhaven'read it already! The series is complete a,d the order of reading goes: Imposter, Seeker, and then Heir.

Read if you like a:
~Why Choose
~Fantasy/Magical World
~Plot Twists
~Cliffangers
Profile Image for laragazzache.ama.ilibri.
107 reviews4 followers
January 22, 2021
Questo romanzo inizia con l’assassinio della regina Ophelia, prima di essere uccisa la regina riesce a mettere in salvo sua figlia nata da pochi giorni.
Il romanzo continua con la guerra contro il re che comandava il regno con la magia nera.
Rybet si troverà a fare delle scelte molto importanti, scelte che forse nessuno dovrà mai fare. Rybet avrà bisogno del supporto, dell’intelligenza e della tenacia dei suoi amici.
Questo gruppo di ragazzi riuscirà a far trapelare il bene sul male? Io non vi dico assolutamente nulla!

Questo romanzo fa parte della trilogia “The Royal trials” di Tate James, ed è l’ultimo romanzo.
Un romanzo di poco più di 200, ma in queste poche pagine ci sono sorprese, difficoltà d’affrontare in ogni pagina. I capitoli sono piccoli, ma succulenti e pieni di dettagli che rendono questo romanzo quello che è.
Ve lo consiglio? Assolutamente si.
La copertina attira, la trama anche, ma ciò che ti fa rimanere incollato alle pagine lo trovate all’interno.
Ci sono anche scene osè che non guastano affatto. Aspetto un vostro parere.
Profile Image for Hanna.
780 reviews8 followers
August 28, 2021
Fun, intriguing, pulls you in
and yet I found myself calling it quits at 56%
Up until then I enjoyed it for the most part, but all along there were a few things that kept bothering me:
- no real surprises, whether it was their secret identities, the sacrifices or should I say "tributes"? or otherwise
- the games/deception her "tutors" are playing with her (btw. I stopped at halfway through the book and still we'd gotten no real answers to speak of)
- her age, a "sex-starved" 18-year-old who happens to be a wine connoisseur?
One moment you think she's a jaded 40-year-old knocking back the booze, next you're painfully reminded that she's barely legal - usually when she's dealing with the boys...

In the end I think it was just a little too YA for me. Also, I didn't like how her "first coupling" with Ty came about, what with that whole magical influence and the constant tension between the harem/brothers, unwillingness to share ultimately ruined it for me. Kinda defeats the idea of a RHR
Profile Image for Toma.
833 reviews
June 2, 2020
I read the books individually and then picked up this one for the bonus scene 'One year later'. It actually gave a certain finale to the story and also got me more interested in Sagen's story.

While I really enjoyed the books, in some cases they fell short. I liked the notion of potential harem members not being fine with sharing. In this case it was very much in line with their personalities. On the other hand the different deities confused me.

The finale was too 'blah'. I am usually fine with the HFN, actually I even prefer this way, but both the final trial and the grand stand against the villains of the story was underwhelming.

It was very well written, had interesting plot and memorable characters.
Profile Image for Sara Johnson.
155 reviews
April 9, 2025
Book 1: 3/5 not bad but very lust forward with the princes. Especially when she’s trying to fight for her life. It also was not very heavy on world building like I was hoping.

Book 2: 4/5 this was much more enjoyable, even if it had some parts that never got explained. Like the random god saving her and how she got all the stones, was just brushed aside. The cliffhanger ending was very good.

Book 3: 4/5 although this book felt a lot more sex forward than the others it was still enjoyable. I did find that a lot of details were tied up in the end but a little rushed.

Overall a nice light romantasy with an fmc that actually felt real and was struggling not only mentally but physically at times.
Profile Image for Penny.
863 reviews11 followers
August 10, 2020
OMFG so freaking good, I love this series! Royal Trials is full of humour, drama, angst and intrigue. I loved every moment of this trilogy.

Rybet is a strong, sassy, smart mouthed and quick witted character. When thrown in the deep end and has to partake in the Royal Trials Rybet must do everything she can do win as it is a life or death situation.

Forming a bond with her tutors during the trial was the last thing in her mind. Lee, Ty and Zan are her tutors for the trials and for quite a close friendship with Rybet and help her as much as they can.

I floved the bonus at the end, soooo freaking HOT!

I am looking forward to Sagen’s story and to see how everything plays out.
276 reviews1 follower
September 4, 2021
Good but not her best

So I enjoyed the story a ton but I felt like the second book was a little flat and the third had way too much tying up to do it justice. I still have unanswered questions. There were definitely enough plot holes left so that other series could come from this one but I don’t know if they will even address all of the plot points left unanswered here. Sometimes Tate’s stories feel super drawn out and get boring I didn’t feel that way with this story so that made it good for me. I do think there could have been more steam but yeah read it. It was pretty good.
Profile Image for Janina.
55 reviews
October 5, 2025
So this is an omnibus, a 3 books in one. Kind of regret getting this option, personally. Would've preferred if I got the individual books 🤦🏼‍♀️. Note, for next time lol. But! I really did enjoy this series! Tate James does it again for me 😁. It was less spicy than her other series I've read but that was refreshing, actually. It was more action and story focused. Don't get me wrong there was still tension filled spiciness! Just for a fantasy read its nice 😉.
The 1st two books I found I couldn't put down but by the time I got to the 3rd it took me slower to read and I just needed to take a break.
But over all the rating I have reflects the entire trilogy and I LOVED IT!!!
Profile Image for Giada Magarotto.
36 reviews2 followers
June 15, 2020
This story had my interest from the very beginnig as it had the right amount of mystery and magic and love interwined toghether. Going on with the pages the various characters grew and evolved but it all seemed a bit fast considering the short timespan in which the entire plot is set. This series holds a lot of potential and my hope for Sagen's book is it that they could delve more deeper into this magical world, enlighting us readers on some hints and details given but not fully developed. I'm looking forward to reading next books and discover what the future holds for these characters.
Profile Image for Amber.
1,367 reviews9 followers
August 9, 2021
Rybet/Calla/Lo/Luna or whatever you want to call her is such a strong heroine. I absolutely loved her! Zan, Lee, and Ty all have characteristics that I liked and that she needed. She would not be complete without all three of them. There were some surprises through the books and it’s fast paced. I can’t believe it all happened over just three weeks. I guessed several of the plot twists early on but I still loved reading. I’m excited Sagen is getting a book because I really liked her sassiness and protectiveness. ***4.5 stars***
Profile Image for Anne Darcy.
192 reviews
January 1, 2023
Royal trials

I managed to read and finish the whole series in 3 days it's one of these master pieces that once you start, you just can't get enough of it.
Tate has a way of making her readers fall in love with her characters and hang onto every word. For rybet to go through the trials of what she did without meaning to and to come out with the ending, she did was just perfect.
I'd love to read more of their lives as they continue on with everything, so if you decide to do more, Tate, I'm so in.
Profile Image for Laurel.
467 reviews3 followers
January 1, 2023
Predictable and Fast

I read this series quickly and each book has its charm. It is extremely predictable, but it does not deter from the story. Tate James is masterful when it comes to her stories and even if it isn't as spicy as her others, it still gives you the feels that makes this a good series. It is one I would recommend but not one I would go back to read. I loved the banter and am curious to see if it ever gets picked back up. I guess only time will tell if their story will continue. However, there is a lot that can be expanded if Tate does continue!
Profile Image for Danielle.
4 reviews
Read
July 4, 2020
🔥

Love, strength, and loyalty.

This book has it all, from the first page it had me hooked! I could literally feel the adrenaline build with each page.

When you can read a book and feel what everyone is feeling it is for sure something you can’t put down! (Which I didn’t)

Lee, Ty, and Zan stole my heart right along with Luna. The strength and love they give and encourage is enough to make even the coldest heart melt! ❤️❤️
7 reviews
September 12, 2020
Quick read

This was a good book series, if you’re looking for fast paced and a quick easy read. I feel a lot and I do mean a lot of detail was skipped. The 3 books lasted I think 3 or 4 weeks worth of actual time in the books timeline. The trials could have been better and in much more detail. So to say a lot was left out is an understatement. But I did enjoy the story even tho it was predictable.
Profile Image for Jordan Clement.
318 reviews
April 27, 2022
This series was a little to fast passed. Especially the 2nd half of book two. So much is thrown at once and things are moving questionably fast. Slow down. Develop the story more. The final book was all over. Yes I liked it but ending moved so fast trying to tie everything up that it became very anticlimactic. The ending was very meh and some things being said were a little cringy and cliche. Overall I liked the sorry but I think it should’ve been stretched out more. So much potential.
333 reviews
May 30, 2022
I actually pretty much enjoyed the bigger part of this book/series.
Was it pretty predictable? Yes
Did it take a turn in the magic building of the world? Also yes.
Maybe the book was not quite what was expected, I'd say it is more fantasy quest than RH, but still quite enjoyable.

Only thing I did not like was the addition of the god realm and the jealousy within the harem for most of the book/series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
82 reviews
August 9, 2022
The Royal Trials by @tatejamesauthor

Complete Series;
Book 1: Imposter
Book 2: Seeker
Book 3: Heir
+ Bonus scene

This is a magical, MFMM, reverse harem tale of epic proportions. Tate James has done it again by weaving an intricate tale of mystery, intrigue, sexiness and depth to her characters and plot. I’d happily re-read and recommend this series to all. I’d rate this series as a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. [March 2022 Read]
Profile Image for Sylvia Reads.
379 reviews30 followers
February 25, 2023
4,75 ⭐️

An amazing series with amazing and very diverse characters, who complemented each other perfectly in every way. I loved the mix of humour, action and angst in these books.

The one thing that I was missing in this story was more world-building! I like the world presented, of course, but it was a more character-driven story, which I also loved, but I just wish that there was something more about this world.
313 reviews
January 15, 2024
Loved this series!

I was in a complete book slump, not wanting to read anything.. trying to start a book and quitting after a chapter or two. Then it hit me, Tate is my FAVORITE author, of course she can get me out of this funk. Yup, I was right. Loved this series and all of the characters so much. It wasn’t super crazy and parts I was able to predict but I was still absorbed. Definitely recommend and I hope she continues Sage’s book in the future. ❤️
78 reviews
March 26, 2024
Just what I needed

I've been struggling with finding books I enjoy from start to finish, with quite a few ending up not finished. A friend recommended this one because we both love Tate James, as she's a bad b**** writer. Couldn't find any fault with this one, aside from a very few editing errors, but that's not an issue for me usually. Can't wait for Tate to come out with some more golden nuggets!
31 reviews1 follower
July 22, 2020
Good balance of intrigue and romance

This is definitely a reverse harem. So if you don't like the genre- go elsewhere. But there was a pretty well thought out plot- with enough "loose ends" to make you intrigued about the next series- without making you feel like you are hanging on the edge of a cliff.
Profile Image for Myra.
51 reviews
November 1, 2020
I kind of expected a bit more..

Was an okay read.. I was thinking it would be a little more kit Davenport, but it was missing something. Then the ending was pretty quick and was left hanging. I just wasn’t really feeling this read. Don’t get me wrong I love Tate! But this just was eeeh..
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