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Castle Town #1
Castle Town
The king is dying and Prince Makoa wishes to replace him. The mighty Heralder King of Osteanus is privy to many time-honored traditions including the right to call upon the four underqueens as consorts.
But Makoa is only one of many dozens of competing princes eager for the same prize. To complicate matters even further, the woman who raised him, Underqueen Avina, would be amongst his consorts were he to succeed.
When ambition and desire conspire, a young prince finds himself straying from the beaten path. The normal rules don’t apply to royalty, after all.
NOTE FROM AUTHOR: This book contains adult themes and sexual situations
But Makoa is only one of many dozens of competing princes eager for the same prize. To complicate matters even further, the woman who raised him, Underqueen Avina, would be amongst his consorts were he to succeed.
When ambition and desire conspire, a young prince finds himself straying from the beaten path. The normal rules don’t apply to royalty, after all.
NOTE FROM AUTHOR: This book contains adult themes and sexual situations
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 21, 2022
241 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Anya Merchant
204 books247 followersTo find all of my books, including the ones which have been removed for sale by Amazon, check out my website/subscribestar, https://www.anyamerchant.com.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 21, 2023
Petra is naughty!
Almost stopped reading a couple of times but kept going and thought the book got better towards the end. Ended up completing books 2 and 3 and now look forward to book 4.
Almost stopped reading a couple of times but kept going and thought the book got better towards the end. Ended up completing books 2 and 3 and now look forward to book 4.
December 8, 2022
Everyone was so horny that they kept forgetting about the plot, but it got there eventually.
October 22, 2022
Typical Anya Story.
4.5/5
Edgy incompetent man, that'll annoy you to hell with his decisions? Check!
Hot Woman of the house in power? Check!
Older Sibling/Woman that rival's the woman of the house's power? Check!
Younger Sibling? Check!
It would be a 5/5 if there's a much more older woman involved, but I'll round it off as 5!
Keep it up, Anya!
4.5/5
Edgy incompetent man, that'll annoy you to hell with his decisions? Check!
Hot Woman of the house in power? Check!
Older Sibling/Woman that rival's the woman of the house's power? Check!
Younger Sibling? Check!
It would be a 5/5 if there's a much more older woman involved, but I'll round it off as 5!
Keep it up, Anya!
December 27, 2023
Well, picture me surprised!
I went into this one with the certainty that it wouldn't fare better than the others in the subgenre. I finished it; that alone should mean something!
The story is ok. Good, not great. Lots of template world-building (ancient civilisation that auto-destroyed, familiars, etc..). The lore gets VERY thin, hanging on lots of quite tenuous concepts, especially the core notion of "under-queen".
The male MC, in his forced shallowness, is the comic relief of a rather more involved tale, which is rare. I rolled my eyes every time he was onscreen and couldn't wait to move on to his female counterpart, where the real intrigue was.
The supporting characters sound life-like, even if they only tend to exist for the benefit of the MCs. Verity is one of such glaring plotholes that the author seems to have... forgotten to address. It's fine, I guess... Manage expectations.
It's clear that the MC is going to keep Deus-ex-machinaing his way to OPdom. The magic system is EXTREMELY convenient. At least the author seems to have him appear to suffer a bit on the way. Just a bit.
The true beauty of this audiobook however, is the narration. A masterful display by both narrators, in every single aspect. This is Andrea Parsneau-level of artistry, and I can give no higher praise.
So I'll grab the next one.
For culture, you understand.
I went into this one with the certainty that it wouldn't fare better than the others in the subgenre. I finished it; that alone should mean something!
The story is ok. Good, not great. Lots of template world-building (ancient civilisation that auto-destroyed, familiars, etc..). The lore gets VERY thin, hanging on lots of quite tenuous concepts, especially the core notion of "under-queen".
The male MC, in his forced shallowness, is the comic relief of a rather more involved tale, which is rare. I rolled my eyes every time he was onscreen and couldn't wait to move on to his female counterpart, where the real intrigue was.
The supporting characters sound life-like, even if they only tend to exist for the benefit of the MCs. Verity is one of such glaring plotholes that the author seems to have... forgotten to address. It's fine, I guess... Manage expectations.
It's clear that the MC is going to keep Deus-ex-machinaing his way to OPdom. The magic system is EXTREMELY convenient. At least the author seems to have him appear to suffer a bit on the way. Just a bit.
The true beauty of this audiobook however, is the narration. A masterful display by both narrators, in every single aspect. This is Andrea Parsneau-level of artistry, and I can give no higher praise.
So I'll grab the next one.
For culture, you understand.
November 3, 2022
The old king is dying and our hero is expected to take his place. But this succession is not a simple thing, with plenty of intrigue and personal issues to be resolved, not the least of which is dealing with multiple heroines. Things are looking to get really messy, really quickly
This is book one of the series, so a good place to start.
This is a fantasy adventure series with a heavy accent on the intrigue. The story is very well written and generally easy to read, but there is a lot going on and it sometimes takes a bit of concentration to keep track of who is doing what to whom. The setting is well done and has lots of unique elements that make it very interesting to explore. The characters are diverse and also well developed, making their own contributions to this complex plot. Still, with all that going on, the story was very engaging and highly entertaining. I look forward to seeing where it goes next.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
This is book one of the series, so a good place to start.
This is a fantasy adventure series with a heavy accent on the intrigue. The story is very well written and generally easy to read, but there is a lot going on and it sometimes takes a bit of concentration to keep track of who is doing what to whom. The setting is well done and has lots of unique elements that make it very interesting to explore. The characters are diverse and also well developed, making their own contributions to this complex plot. Still, with all that going on, the story was very engaging and highly entertaining. I look forward to seeing where it goes next.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
June 9, 2024
One of the future prince's to the kings kingdom will rise to power .
Makoa a adopted son of a queendom on the southern tip of their continent of the kings kingdom . His real parents both died from a plaque just after he was born . His mothers friend to him in at her request before her passing . Some of the people resent him because he's not the real prince an some call him the replacement prince . With the death of his grandmother the queendom to the king his mother's status goes up in the kings court . Soon positioning of the kings court changes . Makoa's future changes as well . recommend reading excellent book .
Makoa a adopted son of a queendom on the southern tip of their continent of the kings kingdom . His real parents both died from a plaque just after he was born . His mothers friend to him in at her request before her passing . Some of the people resent him because he's not the real prince an some call him the replacement prince . With the death of his grandmother the queendom to the king his mother's status goes up in the kings court . Soon positioning of the kings court changes . Makoa's future changes as well . recommend reading excellent book .
September 9, 2025
Finally got around to giving Anya Merchant a shot, and I'm really glad I did.
The writing is head and shoulders above a lot that exists in the genre. I didn't see a single spelling/grammar error, and the prose itself is evocative and tight.
While the plotting and the worldbuilding could be called a bit flimsy, it serves what it needs to. The characters are well-realized and distinct, the sex scenes are sparse (at least in this one) but well done, but the true icing and what sets this apart from other work in the genre is the slow-build and the simmer of the sexual tension.
Absolutely exquisite.
The writing is head and shoulders above a lot that exists in the genre. I didn't see a single spelling/grammar error, and the prose itself is evocative and tight.
While the plotting and the worldbuilding could be called a bit flimsy, it serves what it needs to. The characters are well-realized and distinct, the sex scenes are sparse (at least in this one) but well done, but the true icing and what sets this apart from other work in the genre is the slow-build and the simmer of the sexual tension.
Absolutely exquisite.
July 24, 2024
An engaging fantasy adventure with all the ingredients: Makoa, a a brash young adopted prince unlikely to become king; Avina, the queen of Harvestglade, who is in jeopardy of becoming King Kendall’s or the next king’s concubine; Petra, a powerful being with magic powers; Ruby, a longtime friend; a book of magic spells; budding romances; well-written characters and interesting milieu; burgeoning sexual tension. Everything needed to keep up your interest and give you great reading pleasure. Be ready with Book 2…there is somewhat of a cliffhanger that will encourage you to continue.
August 13, 2023
Great read
I have to say I was really surprised on how much I liked Castle Town, what really stood out to me was the double points of views theought the story which really felt like the story was always moving, with it showing the world and characters, and on that note I have to say I really like Koa and the queen, it's a bit slow going and the internal monolog really shows us what and how there fealing, I see where the story is going with this and you know what, me like .
I have to say I was really surprised on how much I liked Castle Town, what really stood out to me was the double points of views theought the story which really felt like the story was always moving, with it showing the world and characters, and on that note I have to say I really like Koa and the queen, it's a bit slow going and the internal monolog really shows us what and how there fealing, I see where the story is going with this and you know what, me like .
October 21, 2022
I love this book. The writing is a step up form the author's previous works. There is an interesting world, very compelling characters and great eroticism in the sex scenes and palpable tension outside of them. Also its good to see the MC taking charge of the direction of his story. I can't wait for more.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 10, 2022
A good beginning!!!
It should be no surprise to most that this an exceptionally well written fantasy story by this author!!! As with their other works the world building and character development are first rate, as is the adult fantasy aspects!!!
It should be no surprise to most that this an exceptionally well written fantasy story by this author!!! As with their other works the world building and character development are first rate, as is the adult fantasy aspects!!!
October 24, 2022
Love it
The story kept me interested and turning the pages. Can not wait for the next book and hope it a good long series.
The story kept me interested and turning the pages. Can not wait for the next book and hope it a good long series.
January 9, 2023
Great story
I have enjoyed this wonderful action pack adventure of a young prince as he learns about who he is and the women he admire.
I have enjoyed this wonderful action pack adventure of a young prince as he learns about who he is and the women he admire.
February 3, 2023
Entertaining
The story line keeps moving which is nice in itself. The characters are just deep enough to almost be believable.
Good job
The story line keeps moving which is nice in itself. The characters are just deep enough to almost be believable.
Good job
July 2, 2023
intriguing
Intriguing story line. It has an interesting main character and plenty of well written supporting characters. Time to read the next one
Intriguing story line. It has an interesting main character and plenty of well written supporting characters. Time to read the next one
July 18, 2024
3.5 this was enjoyable
October 12, 2024
So Dang Good
Absolutely loved this book. If you like forbidden romance, check this one out the world building is really cool too.
Absolutely loved this book. If you like forbidden romance, check this one out the world building is really cool too.
July 29, 2025
milfs and INCEST, what's not to love?
Barf
Barf
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews