Distant descendant to the throne, Anevay was raised in a rural town where all she did was dream of a life in the city, a life she knew she would never have.
On the eve of her wedding to a man thirty-five years her senior, the kingdom is thrown into upheaval after a failed coup left her uncle, the king, and her cousins dead.
And leaving Anevay herself… the heir apparent.
She found herself torn away from the only world she’d ever known, and thrust into a position she was always told she would never hold.
Queen.
Palace life had none of the thrills of the city she’d dreamed about.
But it did have several intriguing—and frustratingly handsome—men there, meant to assist her in her new duties as ruler.
Riven, her guard, a headstrong and reckless man whose thirst for blood hid a softer, kinder side.
Tolliver, her political mentor, an arrogant curmudgeon bent on making her feel a fool at every turn.
Casimir, her personal palace physician, someone meant to know every secret of her body.
And Penn, an ambassador from an exotic land she’d never even heard of, a devilishly good-looking and sensual man who always seemed to find a reason to be near.
She was meant to be fixing the damage of the attempted coup, bringing her people back to the glory they’d once known, yet the lure of these men around her proves too strong to fight.
But enemies abounded, threatening not only the relationships between Anevay and the men she was beginning to love, but the success of her kingdom, and her very life…
* HEA. No triggers. Some swords cross (in all the ways that swords can cross), others do not.
J.Gala is a pen name for USA TODAY bestselling author Jessica Gadziala, who is the author of over 100 novels in the romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and erotica genres.
She lives in New Jersey with her parrots, dogs, bunnies, ducks, and chickens.
This was an interesting story and way out of my normal genres for me. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when diving into this one, but this story was a combination of a fanciful historical, royal intrigue, attempted assassination, and a fair amount of raunchy sex between the very randy queen and her most trusted men. This is absolutely a story for fans of the reverse harem theme. If you enjoy this theme, definitely give this one a try.
Stand-alone RHs are really hard to do and I was nervous about this one from the start being that it’s only 230 pages. I was right to be nervous. There’s a good story here with likable characters but the plot, world building, and characters were never developed enough for me. It has a novella-ish feel to it. The first 40% was really good and I adored how innocent the h was. It goes from ‘what’s happening to my body’ to ‘fill every hole’ pretty quickly though. 🙃 Too quickly for me.
I had a bit of whiplash throughout this whole book. I wanted more from the drama between her and Penn, especially given that he was listed in the blurb. I would have liked that scene from her POV, that fear and betrayal and emotion, and would have liked more storyline about the aftermath. I mean they just unalived someone who has strong political connections to a neighboring country and no one is concerned about that?!? This was weird especially given that the one dude is concerned about everything! This was sort of the tone for the whole book. I kept waiting the author to take her time and give us more in the big and little moments.
The proposal was one of the most unromantic proposals I have ever read either and for a book that was already low in the romance this was so so disappointing. No woman wants to hear “I came up with a solution and that is that you will marry me” from her man, lol. 😳☹️😩. Apparently this h had no Issues with that though because it went straight into talk about logistically how it will all work.
Kudos to the author for writing a RH though! I do hope she does more of them.
Overall: 2.5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is a new REVERSE HAREM romance by Jessica Gadziala under her new pen name J. Gala.
Man, man, man...when Jessica announced she had a new project, she forgot to say how hot and entertaining it was going to be. I know she writes in all genres, but erotic historical romance is a surprise.
This book is not only hot, but also incredibly exciting, action-packed and funny.
I just sat down to take a quick break from all the damn chores and, yes you guessed it, just read the whole book in one sitting. Chores will not run away, right? 🤣
This book is not like the reverse harem story that I know and to be honest rarely read, this book takes this genre to completely different dimensions.
Yes, it's an erotic, scorching hot historical romance, but one with no triggers or hard limits (not for me anyway 🤭) and with a very interesting topic (no, there is not only sex in the story).
The story and characters are incredibly intriguing and hard not to love.
Anevay's life was filled with loneliness and fear of arranged marriage until a rescue came that she never expected. I love this woman 🤩 She is definitely a badass heroine and I have to say a very lucky queen 😉
I can't give you more without spoiling the story. I love this book and hope Jessica will write more in this genre.
I have never read anything like this book, but I really enjoyed it! It is a historical/royal RH romance!! Who knew those even existed?! Maybe they don’t and Jessica is blazing the path! Lol when I found out that Jessica Gadziala was writing a reverse harem under the pen name J Gala I was so freaking excited! I have loved every single book that she has written and this is no exception! I will tell you right now that this book has some of THE BEST sword crossing scenes I have ever read!! 🥵🔥 I spent so much time in the beginning wondering who all was going to be part of the harem and which swords were going to cross (because it wasn’t exactly clear until halfway through lol)
Whew. I need electrolytes. For a first time RH book, this one is absolutely melt your eyeballs hot!! I *will* be reading the entire series as soon as humanly possible (obviously they’re not written at time of this review)!!
I was desperate for this book. From the idea to the reality it lived up to every expectation I had from this author and then some. Now I think it's important to note that this is not your typical RH romance. It most definitely has a more gentle approach to the RH world and whilst it gives me the smut I wanted. It isn't in your face and on every page. There is nothing wrong with either of those I might add and I've read plenty of the latter to love it but I can appreciate the uniquely different approach Jessie had with this one. It was all her, just under a snazzy pen name with a little spice added to the flavour.
Anevay find herself in a unexpected situation in the mits of her pending marriage. She's young and innocent to alot of the world and as you can imagine is more than a little surprised to have a crown and country thrust in her direction. Given that her only concern was an arranged marriage to a old round turd before hand I'd say her reaction was appropriate.
Anevay goes through a lot of growth in her journey but it happens at a believable pace. I love that despite her sweet kind personality she did have grit and strength to stand for herself. She is a great character all round. I also feel like it's important to note that yes she does go from inexperienced to taking on two men at once but that doesn't happen all at once and whilst she was a virgin with no knowledge of sex.. she wasn't reserved or a prude to sex. So when she got those good feelings she ran with it and explored. I mean.... what a lucky lady right.
Cass the sweet doctor. Her first. The gentle soul. The kind one.
Riven the protector. Her saviour. The fierce lover. The dirty one.
Tolliver the temptation. Her tester. The one who pushed her every button and made her work for every success.
These three men are so very different and bring something entirely unique to them, to the relationship. Each man holds their own sense of individuality with this journey and made it all the better for being there. Now not everyone is involved with everyone and it doesn't all happen at one. This is a slow burn in that sense. The gentle approach Jessica took definitely fit the aesthetic of who Anevay was and what would work best for her in this new crazy world she’d be holy unprepared and thrust into. There was balance and growth and the pace was perfection amongst them all. Oh and the chemistry is on another level!!!.
This is a first for Jessie in terms of writing MM and yet you would NEVER know it. I've read many RH and MM and she fucking nailed the chemistry between the characters and the flow of the scene. Add in the RH aspect on top which again is a first and I'd say she did a phenomenal job. This story is absolutely no different in terms of her writing style and ability to make characters relatable and very humane. It just had a whole lot of different spice and more legs and hands to manoeuvre around in the horizontal samba.
I thoroughly enjoyed this journey and the historical aspect. I feel like it fit perfectly to their story and had me engaged the whole damn way.
Could there of been a little more plot within or maybe some more detail in terms of certain characters? Yes. There probably could be but as a whole I love this journey, loved the lack of drama and really enjoyed the pace and the characters. It was a win win for me. And I feel like it would be a real fucking shame if she didn't explore this more because she is to fucking talented not to go with wherever her creative juices lead her.
This story is so good! It was super sexy and I could not put it down! I loved the whole story, and all of the characters. I hope there will be more like this soon!
Anevay is a distant relative to the king. When the royal family is murdered, she becomes the Heir Apparent. As she is forced to learn her new role, she has some confidants to help her through. Some sexy male confidants…
The Heir Apparent is a reverse harem story. It is super hot. The story is captivating also. It is a very well written story that will suck you in. I definitely didn’t want it to end
Jessica just knocked her first RH out of the park. I wasn't sure how I'd like this going into it. I read a lot of rh but have never come across a historical or royal one before. I loved this story and was captivated from the start.
There is some amazing sword crossing. And I'm not just talking the kind you get in war.. these were some 🔥 mm and mmf scenes that have me begging for more. I NEED more books like this from J. Gala and hope we get more soon.
Light, fantasy, polyamorous. Two men are involved with each other, and one man is only involved with her. I liked it. It’s not super complicated, and that’s what I wanted.
I’ll start by saying I don’t read a lot of historical books anymore, then just tend to not be my favorite genre but knowing I love JG I couldn’t not read this one. I was worried for the first 70% of the book that it just wasn’t hitting the mark for me. There was tons of relief for our queen but I just felt like I wanted more of their personal stories being shared or something. Then when they truly became THEM it just worked. I loved the last quarter of the book. The sex scenes were smoking hot with the ménage, and swords do cross in the most erotic way. I would love to have another book where we get more of Tollivers dominance. Is it odd that it was a historical read but really didn’t feel all that historical by the end.
❤️ Blurb ❤️ Distant descendant to the throne, Anevay was raised in a rural town where all she did was dream of life in the city, a life she knew she would never have. On the eve of her wedding to a man thirty-five years her senior, the kingdom is thrown into upheaval after a failed coup left her uncle, the king, and her cousins dead. And leaving Anevay herself… the heir apparent. She found herself torn away from the only world she’d ever known, and thrust into a position she was always told she would never hold. Queen. Palace life had none of the thrills of the city she’d dreamed about. But it did have several intriguing—and frustratingly handsome—men there, meant to assist her in her new duties as ruler. Riven, her guard, a headstrong and reckless man whose thirst for blood hid a softer, kinder side. Tolliver, her political mentor, an arrogant curmudgeon bent on making her feel a fool at every turn. Casimir, her personal palace physician, someone meant to know every secret of her body. And Penn, an ambassador from an exotic land she’d never even heard of, a devilishly good-looking and sensual man who always seemed to find a reason to be near. She was meant to be fixing the damage of the attempted coup, bringing her people back to the glory they’d once known, yet the lure of these men around her proves too strong to fight. But enemies abounded, threatening not only the relationships between Anevay and the men she was beginning to love, but the success of her kingdom, and her very life… * HEA. No triggers. Some swords cross (in all the ways that swords can cross), others do not.
Reverse harem is not usually my jam, but I have said before that if Jessica Gadziala (though she is writing here under J Gala) published her grocery list I would read it, that's how much I love her writing. And I am so very glad I gave it a chance.
Anevay and her men are fantastic together and it was a fantastic book, even if i was a bit sad that one of the villains was one. Give this book a try, and if you love it and haven't checked out her massive catalog under Jessica Gadziala, do yourself a solid and go check it out. You will fall in love over and over again.
At the same time very different from what she usually writes but also kind of familiar because of the writing style. Very well done Jessica! Loved the story between the main characters. I would have loved at bit more mystery and uncovery of the mystery of who wanted to kill her at the end but otherwise an awesome book! Keep them coming. 🥰
Such an amazing 1st in this genre for this author. I love all her other books as well, but man, did she hit this out of the park!!! Anevay and her men completely won me over. I can't wait to see if there will be more about them in the future!
New pen name, who dis? Fans of Jessica Gadziala’s many other titles, beware, she’s brought out a WHOLE new side of things in this debut novel into the reverse harem world…and it is amazing! There are carriages and ballgowns, royal guards and fencing lessons, intrigue and mysteries, passionate stolen moments and a whole lot of…sword crossing. *wink wink*
Anevay was sweet but not a doormat, thrust into the new position of queen upon the death of the current king and his remaining heirs. For such a complete 180, I think she handles the whole thing incredibly well to be honest.
The men in Anevay’s life range from her older mentor to her young for the job, but capable, royal guard. The men are varied and while there is some M/M involvement, not all scenes include such fun. I enjoyed the men, and the point of view changes. Each having a unique headspace giving us insight to Anevay’s transition to queen from an outside perspective.
While historical in nature, this book is not complex for those who do not enjoy deep court historical novels and is an easy read. JG continues in the fashion of giving us a happily ever after, which my dear readers, is exactly the ending it needed.
I am so glad this author has dipped her toes in the rh world. I love the why choose stories. This was a good, sweet rh story. It's set in a world like Game of Thrones, but there is no magic or fantasy elements. I kept waiting for a dragon or witch of some kind to show up. This is definitely more character driven than plot driven. The characters were fun yet a bit predictable. The epilogue showed a wonderful hea, I just expected more interaction and dialog between the family 12 years later.I think this is a great rh to read for people who are a bit shy to the genre. I do hope that the author writes more rh in the future.
Anevay is an unexpected delight - cloistered away in anticipation of her arranged marriage to a much older (and not in a good way) man, she knows little of the outside world. When she's suddenly thrown into the intricacies and intrigue of the royal court, with responsibilities that she could never have imagined, her whole life and world view is upended. She must then rely on the advice and attentions of her closest advisers, bodyguards and courtiers. In particular, three of the smartest, most loyal, and as it happens, handsomest men in the kingdom.
This is a fascinating story of innocence, awakening and independence - a must read!
I am not a reader of the reverse harem trope however I should have never doubted this author even under a new pen name she still gives me all I need! I fell in love with these characters and loved the way their connections progressed. The curveballs as well as the minor suspense aspect made this such a great read! I hope to see more from these characters in the future!
Don't mind me I'm just over here taking a cold shower! The best written reverse harem and one of my all time favorite harems eva!!
I am not huge on historical romance, they are usually cheesy but I stand corrected on this one. Stop my beating heart and loins! Best sword crossing, in all ways!
Alright J, hit me with another and allow me to expand my horizon 😉
I really enjoyed Anevay and her men. I was happy that Anevay was not a sniveling drama queen. I like that she pulled herself up and did what needed to be done but kept who she was deep down along the way. I'm loving Tolliver, Riven and Cass who are different from each other in their own way. I have to say Tolliver is my favorite though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really enjoyed this book. It was beautifully written. I almost felt like I was there living in their time. I loved reading about Anevay arriving at the Kingdom and becoming the strong Queen she knew she could be. And the men in her life made it all worth while.
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't like any other RH I have read. Most are multiple books in a series but I really liked this standalone . Great worldbuilding and well developed characters
Shmexxy as all hell.
I really loved the naive heroine coming into her own by discovering her voice and her confidence, that's right up my alley.
I thoroughly enjoyed this historical reverse harem. Aveney is a young aristocratic daughter expected to marry and old man in an arranged marriage. However her uncle and his heirs are killed in a couple leaving her the heir apparent. Three men help her to rule, Riven her guard and protector, Cass her personal physician and Tolliver her advisor. Great story.
I am 150% here for all the RH Goodness!! Jessica Gadziala ( writing as J. Gala ) delivers an amazing read! Full of beautifully written romance that literally had me wholeheartedly invested from page one! SO SO GOOD! And I cannot wait for more!!