Reviews with content warning for Cursing - So This Is Ever After

F.T. Lukens’, So This is Ever After, is so sweet. This is a romantic swashbuckling fantasy, with mages, fae, and of course sword fights. The story begins where most books end. Arek has defeated the evil leader, but he doesn’t want to be king. As a temporary fix Arek dons the crown, just for safety sake, but unfortunately there is magic in the crown that claims Arek as king until death. Now Arek is truly stuck and to top it all off he must be soul bonded, to balance the power, otherwise he’ll fade away. Arek’s search for a soulmate puts the new king into embarrassingly funny situations. In this world no one questions sexuality, love is love and it’s lovely. This is a fun, lighthearted, swashbuckling romance, great for anyone to enjoy.

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scarlettskyes's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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bookishflower's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

“I didn’t look behind me to check that everyone followed, because I was certain they would. I could feel them right there, protecting me as they had for the past nine months. We might be dressed like chess pieces, but we were still that ragtag group of assholes who had taken on the darkest and vilest regime in five lifetimes and lived to tell the tale.”

If a DnD campaign, cozy fantasy and merthur came together and wrote a book, it would be So This Is Ever After.
As always, FT Lukens has written a hilarious, gay, cozy romcom perfect for lovers of fantasy books! Was it perfect? Not exactly, the lack of communication and obliviousness of Arek and Matt made me want to repeatedly walk headfirst into a wall, BUT it was entertaining as hell and aggressively sweet! I can see this becoming a new staple of the cozy fantasy sub genre!

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pey333's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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pagesofnay's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Reading the synopsis, I knew this was going to be a book that I would enjoy. However, I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. This story is marketed as ‘Carry On meets Arthurian legends’ and let me tell you, I love both of those. As much as I love enemies to lovers, friends to lovers holds a special place in my heart. There were misunderstandings, but it wasn’t to the point where it infuriated me (I normally hate miscommunication and misunderstandings, unless it feels somewhat natural).

This character group was chaotic from the beginning. I loved it. Arek, the Chosen One, who is oblivious, very lovable, and responds to tense situations with humor. He is kind and would do anything for his friends. Matt, Arek’s best friend and mage. Lila, the rogue, loves to steal things and is very clever. Rion, the knight, incredibly witty and stoic. Bethany, the bard, clears up the messes everyone made. Sionna, the general and warrior, funny and sometimes stoic. This is not only a love story between Arek and Matt, it is also one of finding a family within a group of friends.

After ending the Vile One’s reign, Arek must take the crown. Being king was not something Arek had in mind, but in order to save the kingdom, he would. However, Arek must now find someone to soul bond with or fade away. Arek begins to plan ways to woo his friends and Matt assists him. These plans were incredibly hilarious and went wrong in every way. The way all these plans ended, it would seem like the universe wanted him with Matt, but they were both so obviously oblivious. I would consider this a very slow burn, but done very well. Normally slow burns feel unnecessarily drawn out, but this felt almost natural.

Overall this book was a fun and easy read. It was fast-paced and had lovely, enjoyable characters. Starting the book with the ending of the quest to end the Vile One’s reign was interesting and I think it worked very well. It left me wondering “So, what happens now?” and did not disappoint. This book is worth reading. Lila and Matt were definitely my favorite characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

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criticalgayze's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

F.T. Lukens's In Deeper Waters was an unexpected favorite read of 2021 for me, and she has truly outdone herself with So This Is Ever After.

This book was basically Carry On (with a little more joy) of the tv show Merlin with a great romantic plot akin to The Charm Offensive, my absolute favorite read of 2021. This book was funny and stressful and emotional, and I am now a solid, card carrying member of the Lukens fan club. I don't have much to say because this is just such a fun read, but I did also appreciate the permission structures to discuss PTSD and remedying friendships that have been impacted by trauma.

If I have one critique, it is that I do wish we had also gotten Matt's point-of-view as a way of adding more clarity, balance, will-they-won't-they, and tension to the narrative.

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emily_mh's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Where to start with my love with this book??? It has been the first thing since Our Flag Means Death finished up to give me any strong emotion. It is the Merthur book I’ve always needed. It has almost all of my absolute favourite tropes. I simply ADORE IT.

I loved how satirical it was, because this meant the fantasy element could act as an interesting backdrop for the romance to shine from, and shine it did. The interactions and dialogue between Arek and Matt had my heart soaring; they really showcased the depth of their relationship and of course highlighted the pining, which was PERFECTLY executed.

On top of this there was a lovely found family element, and even though this book is only 350 pages, I got a good feel for the side characters. Also, Arek was an amazing MC to follow, as he brought so much humour into the story both through his wit and because he was such a himbo and completely oblivious to everyone around him.

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