Book Review: A King’s Trust

Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

Tantalizing and dripping with tension—a slow-burn romantasy that explodes when things get hot 

Beau is content in being the second prince—the imperfect, unbothered prince; the one who won’t inherit the crown but will live with the privilege of the royal family with his best friend and guard Elias.

But when his golden boy of an older brother dies, Beau is considered the successor—a job he doesn’t want—and it starts with a task he wants the least: to find a woman to become his queen. He’s attached to these girls, sure, but he knows that none of them could possibly provide the loving life he could lead if he was just allowed to be with Elias. 

That never changes—Elias is and always be the love of Beau’s life—but his heart does expand. Lady Penamour is a fiery, opinionated, intelligent, and absolutely breathtakingly beautiful girl who starts out a foe but blossoms into the perfect partner by the time she realizes Beau wasn’t the one who killed his brother. 

Beau thought nobody did it. Just a fluke accident—a usually excellent horseback rider falling off a horse—but secrets are bubbling up through the cracks of every surface. Char’s death is only one of them. His safety and the crown might not be so secure either. As readers, we’re left wondering who’s out for his power, who’s lying to him, and how in the hell is he going to kiss Elias without ruining everything.

Just like Beau has been waiting for Elias, we as readers are desperate for that friendly hand on a shoulder to turn into a full-out, passionate embrace. They love each other. They know this. Just do it already!

Not only is the romance a slow-burn, but we take our time in the fantasy as well. We’re following a crown prince in a royal family who doesn’t understand him—or even love him at all, in his father’s case—and we hope that he’s able to pick a wife instead of being arranged one. The fantasy is light, too, until it’s not.

Before we meet her, we don’t want the wife to be Lady Penamour either. It would hurt Beau too much—any person reminding him of the brother he loved is going to be the wrong choice for him. She was engaged to Char after all. But by the time she steps onto the scene, it’s clear that this is the lady for us. They’ve got a particularly brutal but honest repartee, neither giving the other the benefit of the doubt on anything. She’s strong-willed and politically superior, and, if they end up getting together, you know it’s going to be as fiery as her vicious words. 

“‘My brother died falling off a horse!… It was an accident. You were there! I’ve worn a lot of hats in my time, but I’ve never been gravity. The only responsibility I have to Char’s death is that I’m the one picking up all the pieces of what he left behind.’”

If you’re able to withstand the tantalizing tension, the dripping ache and yearning for touch, you’re going to absolutely devour the second half of this book. When it gets going, it really gets going. The slow-burn explodes into a fiery pace, glowing with powerful magic and blushing with orgasmic detail. If you like your romantasy spicy—which, let’s be honest, you do—you can’t miss A King’s Trust. Coast through the slow set-up—a tease—because it’s building, it’s coming. I promise.

Both Elias and Lady Penamour are superior love interests and characters. Elias is a super-guard—the best fighter in the kingdom by a long shot and supremely loyal to Beau. Beau’s unending trust in Elias makes us nervous as readers, but Elias squashes those nerves time and time again. Something between the two is electric but also calm, two puzzle pieces sliding into place.

Lucky for us, Penny (one of Lady Penamour’s many nicknames), just so happens to be a naturally fitting third piece. We’re obviously cheering for Beau and Elias’s love story to hit its peak—and stay there—but you couldn’t think of a better person to share the crown with than her. Author S.E. McPherson has done a spectacular job with these characters—about as complex and likable as they come. And with the amount of secrets hiding behind every corner, we’re never quite comfortable in trusting anyone. Everything could come crumbling down at any moment. It’s just about who will be there when it does.

A King’s Trust is exactly the type of slow-burn romance you were hoping for. It’s not slow for slow’s sake—it’s slow for tension’s sake. Until the tension erupts.  

Thank you for reading Toni Woodruff’s book review of A King’s Trust by S.E. McPherson! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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