The Reluctant Queen (Book 1 in Fear & Focus) by M. A. Lakewood, eBook, 271 pages
Synopsis from GoodReads: Welcome to Selwas, where love and magic reign . . . along with a king just trying to do his job. King Ehmet is exhausted. One year into his rule, he’s juggling a scheming great-uncle vying for his crown and an overbearing mother pressuring him to marry. With the Symposium of Prodigious Minds approaching, he’s determined to seize this rare opportunity for freedom before duty calls him to find a wife.
Enter Lady Hevva, an uninhibited countess who long since grew tired of nobles and their amoral nonsense. Dragged to the symposium as her brother’s chaperone, she embraces the opportunity to gallivant among the townsfolk where no one knows her name. She’s also not opposed to finding a nice common man to elevate from mediocrity to aristocracy—someone free from the machinations of high society. When Ehmet's and Hevva’s paths collide in a series of delightful mishaps, their charged encounters spark a flame of attraction neither can ignore, igniting a passion that sweeps them off their feet. Caught in a slightly silly dance of duty and desire, they find their views on love and partnership challenged amidst a scuffle for the crown, more than one marriage proposal, and shifting aspirations. Join them in this hilarious and heartfelt Regency-inspired fantasy romance, where every encounter brims with tension and a happily ever after is just around the corner.
BOOK REVIEW: This was a fun read. The fun and light-hearted feel of this book gave the same vibe as A Knight's Tale and I loved that movie! The characters were all just that...characters. The King's mother throws the prince a week long birthday celebration...except it's really a "find a wife for the King" event. There's fun and excitement and some spice and the world that the author created is just magical. Literally. There's magic but not for everyone it seemed. Unless I missed something.
I definitely enjoyed the banter between Ehmet and Hevva. I feel like I could tell right from the beginning that no matter how much they were trying to deny it, there was some attraction between them. I also like the fact that they both have siblings and we get to see how they interact. Ehmet and his brother Nekash, Nekash and Hevva, Hevva and her brother Kas, and Ehmet and Kas. It felt very familiar to me in a way that I can't quite put my finger on. This was a 4 star read for me. I enjoyed the story very much and I loved the characters but there were some things that I had a hard time with. It's the same issue I have with a lot of fantasy is that I can't pronounce the names of places or people. The author does include a pronunciation guide but it's placement in the eBook is at the end of the book and I think it could be more useful at the front end. I know I've said this, not sure if I've said it in a post, but I wish that authors would start making videos or soundbites saying the places and characters and put a QR code in the book so we can hear how to say the names. Pronunciation guides are okay but I would love to hear the names! I also don't understand why there is a fixation on Ehmet's hands. It's like when author's have to constantly say the color of a character's eyes or hair but it was constantly how big his hands were. Then there were also times when Hevva, who is supposed to be in her mid 20s, and a countess, yet she seems to act very child like in that she claims that she has created several different personas that she will pretend to be out among her people. It didn't make any sense to me. I do want to read what happens next and I hope that this author is able to get an audiobook done so I can finally hear how to say these places!
4/5 Stars
2025 Reading Challenge: 12/50 complete
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