Fete For A King

by Sam Starbuck

The small coastal nation of Askazer-Shivadlakia is about to crown a new king. Between preparations for the change of power and his father's insistence that it's past time to find a husband, Crown Prince Gregory has his hands full. He thought it would be safe to outsource hiring a caterer to his trusted assistant, Alanna, but a miscommunication means that rather than finding an elegant professional chef for his coronation banquet, she's hired Eddie Rambler: loud, American, and the host of a TV show about greasy spoons.

But Eddie's also a great cook, and he's thrilled to learn everything there is to know about the country as he tests menus and befriends the staff. He even charms Gregory via late-night fish fries, afternoon picnics, and his terrifying specialty, the Trash Tower. It doesn't hurt that he's handsome, and openly attracted to the crown prince.

It can't be more than a fling, they both agree. But Eddie's falling for the country as much as for its prince, and Gregory is beginning to wish the perfect king consort in his head looked a little more like tacky influencer Eddie Rambler, floral shirt and all.

Genres: Romance, Queer, M M Romance, LGBT, Fiction

188 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 4, 2022

About the author

Sam is a nonprofit researcher, blogger, and former theatre punk who lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.

Secretly, he is a Time Lord.

He writes romance and light SFF, literary fiction, and sometimes even fanfic.

Reviews

[Robert Fontenot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful, low spice, royal romance with believable chemistry, cozy vibes, and a great setting. The fact that it seems to be Guy Fieri fanfic is a little disconcerting but I was often able to forget enough to enjoy.

[Stonemagpie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, low-stakes, gentle read that made me really hungry.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable later-in-life romance, light in tone, between an About-To-Be-Crowned-King (after being democratically elected to kingship) Gregory, Prince of Askazer-Shivadlakia (a very small (fake) european country near Italy) and the American celebrity chef he accidentally hired to cater his coronation, Eddie Rambler (if you picture Guy Fieri you are in the right ballpark).

Perfectly light fare, very cute and sweet, sexy stuff is fade-to-black, significantly about food (the romance is conducted through a lot of food exchanges, including the creation of something incredible called the 'trash tower').

Favorite quote, absolutely healing:
"'Not that I'm not glad to see you, but you are a lot first thing in the morning.'
'Baby, I'm a lot all day,' Eddie said, and Gregory couldn't disagree."

[E.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was sweet and well-written, in some ways a very entry-level romance novel (all the sex scenes are fade to black, which--fine, but if one character is going to tell the other he's awesome at sex, maybe prove it?). I was bothered that the kingdom of Askazer-Shivadlakia is supposed to be Jewish, but in some ways it doesn't achieve this. All the names of the royal family (Gregory, Michaelis, Miranda, and Jason are the ones we hear) are Latin. Gregory mentions "the old language" but doesn't say what it was--with the country being in the Mediterranean, are they Sephardic? Did they speak Ladino? Something else? He won't tell us.

I'm taking out a bunch of other quibbles that in retrospect I regret writing.

[Reid Turing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly delightful read. Lightheaded and charming (just like Eddie) with just a dash of humor supported by good pacing. I really enjoyed the dialogue and how it made the characters come to life while at the same time telling the story, and how the interactions between Eddie and Greg made their chemistry both sweet and believable.

Fête for a King was the perfect book to satisfy a craving I didn't even know I had. Short and sweet, it was exactly as long as it needed to be and perfectly paced so the action didn't seem stacked on top of itself or like it was plodding on. I think this is destined to become one of my comfort reads.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the lowest of low stakes books. Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. It was enjoyable, but it felt almost more like an exercise in worldbuilding than anything else. The worldbuilding was enjoyable, and I liked all the characters, but very little happened, and for something labeled a romance, it was actually pretty low on the romance.

[Nicole Geluk-Le · Rating 5 out of 5]

A re-read since the official publication, an absolute delight as Sam's writing often is. Light and fluffy without being full of air, Fête is a Halmark movie but if it was actually well written. Throughly recommend.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know, you know.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun and sweet! I liked all the characters.

[Alliemayreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute gay romance. I really enjoyed the banter, and it was a fun premise! I'm excited to read more of the series. The love scenes are a tasteful cut to black, so don't expect spice.

[xanthofile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected something light-hearted and silly, and this definitely has that in spades! But it's also very touchingly well-written. I enjoyed this, so, so much!!

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite rereads

[SH Senhaji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fete For A King by Sam Starbuck is a funny, light-hearted and cute m/m romance novel. The first in the Shivadhverse series, it is a heartwarming story with some lovely worldbuilding and important themes.

I all but devoured this in the span of an hour or so, and it was just what I needed. The story itself has very little angst, with the author able to undercut any possible tension in the best way possible, while still leaving room for emotional stakes and investment.

Fete For A King had great characters and relationships, and I loved how distinct both Gregory and Eddie were on the page, and how Eddie (his character, background, occupation) was taken seriously. The pairing of Gregory, who is more serious and likes plans, with Eddie’s more carefree and sunny attitude, was amazingly done.

If you are in the mood for a fun, emotional, and hilarious romance novel with little angst, look no further. Moreover, the next two books in the series — Infinite Jes (a nb/m romance) and The Lady and the Tiger — have also been released.

[nagako · Rating 5 out of 5]

✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Golden Retriever MC

If you still spend time thinking about Genovia from The Princess Diaries, you should absolutely immerse yourselves into the country of Askazer-Shivadlakia.

Fete For A King starts off the series with a delightfully entertaining, low-stakes Hallmark-esque romance between Crown Prince Gregory III and celebrity TV Chef Eddie Rambler. This is the kind of book that has you falling in love with with everything, not just the main characters. It's a quick read, but the rest of the series is enough to satisfy the withdrawals you'll be going through once you finish.

[Else · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread this because I needed a comfort read. It was perfect!

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a fun and relaxing romance ^.^