Review: The King’s Man Book III – MM Romantasy Series
The King’s Man: Book III by Anyta Sunday | Goodreads | Amazon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars Genre: MM romantasy series, romantasy, slow-burn
Here we are in book three of six of Anyta Sunday’s MM romantasy series, The King’s Man. Our duo of Quin and Cael are on the run. Well, they don’t start out on the run, I’m getting ahead of myself. Book III sees the danger continue to mount, the stakes grow ever higher, and the feelings start to bubble over the top. The forward warns that this is, “a torturous slow-burn love story”, but great googly-moogly! I need these two to kiss. But after the events of this book… well. Without spoilers, I’ll wager that things might take a while yet.
Blurb
When desperation meets sacrifice, will their trust be enough to survive?
A healer in exile. A fugitive king. A kingdom that would see them both dead.
Cael should be dead. The kingdom believes it. The duke who framed him ensured it. But instead of execution, he was buried alive, and only one man dared to pull him from the grave. Now, Cael is on the run with the very king he was forced to betray.
Hunted by redcloaks and trapped in a town ravaged by disease, Cael and Quin must risk everything to survive. With supplies dwindling and the air thick with fevered cries, every life Cael saves pushes him closer to breaking. Wyverns carry the sickness, but the town’s fear and desperation are far deadlier. As tensions flare, sharp words clash, glances hold too long, and an unspoken pull tightens between them. Cael clings to the one thing slipping fastest through his fingers: control.
But even the most powerful healer has limits. And when their enemies close in, forcing Cael to make an impossible sacrifice, the price he pays will change him forever.
Uncover the fate of the healer who should have died… and the king who won’t let him.
THE KING’S MAN is an epic romantasy filled with slow-burn passion, courageous choices, and the relentless spirit of a healer determined to beat all odds.
This six-book series is one continuous journey and romance arc and is best read in order for maximum enjoyment.
All six have been written and will release in short succession.
Genres: Fantasy, Slow Burn, MM Romantasy
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 3, 2025
Strong Series Gets Stronger
The King’s Man continues to excite and compel me to read faster, faster, faster. I am dying to know what happens. Worries grow, about what has to happen, a sense of dread that to break the triangle that’s emerged, bad things have to happen. I’ll just throw my towel in: I am team Quin, I desperately love that man, and I need for him to be okay, and happy, and with Cael.
Reviewing ALL SIX.
I’m so excited that Anyta Sunday offered her whole MM romantasy series on BookSirens for arc readers. I hope others are flying through the series like I am. I am obsessed. One facet of my personal ADHD deck of cards is hyper-fixation. Well, this series is literally all I can think about these days. I don’t fixate on just anything, though. It has to be goooood for my mind to snag onto. The King’s Man is it for me.
Plot Developments
Book III is plot-heavy. A lot happens to drive the narrative forward. To where? Well, your guess is as good as mine. But here we go, let’s dive in. If you do not want ANY spoilers, I’d skip this part. I have tried to leave out important details, but everyone has their spoiler comfort level.
Outcasts
At the end of Book II, Cael and Akilah are sent to an island of outcasts, for people who have been shunned within the Royal City. There, he meets Quin‘s mother, who has long been poisoned. I don’t remember why she’s on the island. She needs an antidote that only the High Duke can provide.
High Duke, He’s the Worst
I somehow haven’t mentioned the High Duke yet, but he is the big bad of this MM romantasy series. He is the Regent and he will do anything to remain in power, including spelling wyvern so that they’re more powerful and oh yeah he poisoned the Queen Mother. The High Duke forces Cael into a horrible no-win situation, threatening his family and loved ones. Lots of spoilery stuff happens and Quin and Cael end up on the run.
Sense of Duty
Quin is going to buckle under the pressure, some of which he’s putting on himself. He should ask for help. But who can he trust? I want to flick him on the head like he does Cael.
Quin feels it is his duty to keep the evil that is the High Duke contained and focused on him. Despite the fact that it’s too big of a battle for him to complete on his own, he feels that it’s his responsibility to keep the High Duke’s attention. To save others. To bear the burden. He can’t do it alone. I hope he realizes that soon.
The Will of the People
For years, the king has been an invisible ruler. The people of the Kingdom haven’t seen him, don’t even know what he looks like. Part of this was so he could move around better. But the people think that he doesn’t care. There is growing resentment. The people have an incomplete picture of what’s going on in the kingdom. They don’t understand that the High Duke is corrupt and evil.
Palpable Danger
The evil High Duke spins Quin’s departure from the city. He puts up wanted posters. So both Quin and Cael are in grave danger when they peek out of their hiding spot. The danger is palpable. There’s an oppressive feeling of the walls closing in on all sides. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before Quin is captured and sent back to the High Duke. If Cael is seen, it would be disastrous for everyone.
They can’t help but bring attention to themselves, though. Especially Cael, who continues to operate as if he’s unaware of the dangers. He just leaves his horse with all his stuff and goes off, telling the horse he’ll be right back?? That’s like leaving your car windows down and unlocked in the middle of the city, little bro, what are you doing?
Saviours
ANYWAY, things happen, and on their journey, they are trapped in a quarantined village. The villagers are shut inside the city walls, people are sick and dying, and there will be no food coming in. Most importantly, no healing herbs. Things are dire.
Cael is one of the only healers there. He knows how to treat the outbreak if he had the supplies, but there’s a huge problem. Ever since the earthquakes in Book I, a poisonous miasma has blocked the villagers from being able to forage for life-saving herbs. You know our duo is gonna help.
Vespertines
The term vespertine derives from Latin: vespertīnus, which means “evening”.
Cael and Quin form an uneasy alliance with some Vespertines, a group of people mentioned a few times in the series already, but I’m not super clear on who they are exactly. They are like bounty hunters, I suppose, pretty badass fighting with whips. Initially, they capture Quin, but they end up allying with one another to help the village. I know, you can feel the betrayal coming.
As an aside, Vespertine by Indra Vaugn is a good book about a Catholic priest and a rockstar, good story.
Oh Yeah, Nicostratus is Still in the Story
Nicostratus has been in the background for this book. He’s someone we remember every so often while Cael and Quin are fully on page for the majority of the book. But eventually, he strolls back into the story.
Potential Betrayal?
Oof, my mind is branching off in so many directions about this dude. For this love triangle to work itself out, something big has to happen. And why is it my gut feeling that he’s gonna betray them?
Why do you think that, Fae? Well, let me tell you. I think he’s playing the long game, that he is not actually so incorruptible. It’s just that he’s characterized as so good. He’s too good. It just doesn’t make sense. Maybe I’m just plotting.
I’m Here / I’m In Danger
After he reenters the story, Nicostratus lands in the thick of danger in short order. Attacked by Crusaders, another group of people who want power and magic, he almost immediately needs rescuing. Bad things happen.
That’s where we end. Cael plans to go off with Nicostratus.
Glows
Slow Burn Obliviousness
The slow burn keeps bubbling along. Quin, oh Quin. I think Quin has loved Cael since forever. I’m convinced it was Quin he met as a child, and that Quin was Maskios. So Quin has harbored feelings for years. Cael is obtuse when it comes to all things Quin. Cael believes Nicostratus was Maskios, but I think all things point to it being Quin. I don’t know if it’s just that the readers know more or if Cael is just super oblivious. He is deep in denial about his feelings. He even tells Quin that he doesn’t reciprocate Quin’s feelings. Which, ouch. Even so, Quin feels a sense of ownership over Cael’s life. Cael feels the same. But the problem is that Cael can’t admit to why he feels that way.
Pacing
We’re flying now. I honestly can’t tell if this book was shorter than the other two or if I’m just flying through it now because it’s that exciting. The pacing is where it needs to be for the third book of an MM romantasy series, though. Keep us pushing through, we need to not stall out in the middle.
Keep The Readers Guessing
This story has as many twists and turns as the canals surrounding the Royal City. It could go anywhere. It’s a major glow that I genuinely don’t know where the story will end up. So many stories follow the same guidelines, use the same tropes. Sometimes predictability is comforting, but this exhilaration I’m feeling comes from a story that I cannot pinpoint what’s going to happen. It’s thrilling (and makes me anxious!)
Grows
Introduction Pages
Many questions remain unanswered at this point. And dare I suggest:
You know how some books have an index at the start of the book that introduces key characters, vocabulary and culture points? I think this series needs this. I say this with trepidation because some people really, really don’t like those things. But with so many names, so much lore that readers have to understand, it might be helpful. Like who are the Vespertines? Who are the Crusaders? What is linea vs. par-linea. What is the Queen Mother’s name?
Writing Style
Sunday continues to improve at revealing important story elements while keeping readers in the dark about later surprises. Her cards are still held close. While I don’t feel like readers are fully in the dark anymore, at the same time there’s still a huge degree of suspense. I don’t know where the story will go. It’s exciting, and it’s due in part to the writing style.
Character Developments
The character development in this book surpasses the first two by far, when it comes to our two main characters. Readers have their finger on the pulse of Cael for sure, and Quin to a slightly lesser degree.
The Nicostratus Problem
Nicostratus is the wild card at this point. My money is on Nicostratus being somehow in cahoots with the Duke or out for his own good at the end of the day. I have conflicted feelings about him. I think Cael feels the same. I’m confused about this character and what he’s been up to this entire series.
We’re halfway through at this point, and I know very, very little about Nicostratus besides the fact that he is portrayed as very good, very loyal, very light and always jovial.
He Can’t Be
But think about his life experience. He couldn’t possibly live the life he has and end up that way. He’s been tortured, beaten, and trained for ruthless precision in the military. There has to be darkness within him. Not that I want him to be, but any probing at his life experience screams that he has to be just as traumatized by the realities of their world as everyone else. I feel like he has to be one of those ‘surprise, I’m bad’ characters.
Needs More Development
I don’t know, man. Nicostratus‘s character isn’t developed enough on page for readers to fully understand him. It’s highly possible the next book will change that, and readers will know more. Is this guy good or is this guy bad? I don’t think that Nicostratus can work out in this situation.
Quin, My Love
I love Quin. Desperately, I want to protect him. I feel like Quin has these deep longing, pining sort of feelings for Cael. It’s clear (to me) now that Cael and Quin are the ones who have been dancing around one another for as long as we’ve been looking in on their lives.
And oh, Cael.
Our oblivious little cinnamon roll is definitely, definitely feeling some sort of way for Quin. He doesn’t admit to it, not even to himself. But it’s so very clear.
Love Triangle
So, then. We’re stuck in a love triangle that has to work itself out somehow. This is why I don’t like love triangle stories. I don’t like the Nicostratus loose end, and knowing that for the narrative to progress, it has to go somewhere. Nicostratus has to do something to push Cael back to Quin.
End Game: Quin and Cael
At this point, I am fully in on Quin and Cael. Maybe Silvius was Nicostratus, sure. But Maskios was Quin. The boy in the tree was Quin. The boy with the wyvern was Quin. I have to read the first book again. Because I was confused through a lot of the first book. But I’m pretty certain of all those things. And my gut tells me that Cael should be with Quin, not Nicostratus. So something’s gotta give.
What Will Happen Next?
I can imagine many scenarios where the narrative might head to at this point. I’m conflicted over where this series may go. The next book has to focus on Nicostratus and Cael, and what will happen to ultimately drive Cael back to Quin. It has to do that. Maybe we’ll stay with Nicostratus and Cael for all of book IV before focusing back in on Quin and Cael in book V and VI. Or maybe it’ll be quick. I hope Cael doesn’t get hurt too much along the way. Physically or emotionally.
Halfway There
If you’ve already read Books I and II, my recommendation is heck yes, you should continue reading. This MM romantasy series is amazing. If you haven’t begun yet, stop here, go back to the beginning. As much as I worry about where the story is going, I absolutely recommend you take this journey with me.
Reviews
I received a free copy of this MM romantasy series book via BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.
