The Royal Curse by Eliot Grayson: My Review
The Royal Curse by Eliot Grayson was the coolest surprise hit. This book had the honor of being the last book I read in the year 2023, and I couldn’t have made a better choice.
I had so much fun reading this book, and you will too!
Keep reading for all the reasons you have to check out this hot fantasy book with a hidden depth.
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The Royal Curse – Summary
Dawn mage. Twilight mage. Cursed, useless, damaged, dangerous…
His birth magic leaves Prince Nikola with nothing but bad choices: live as another man’s possession, subject to his whims and his desires, or remain dependent on a potion that stunts his powers and prevents him from knowing love.
Andreas vows to protect the prince with his life—whether Nikola wants him to or not. After all, the queen pays his soldier’s wage. Nikola’s nothing but a job to do.
But when they find themselves stranded, with Nikola’s potion running out, Andreas has to…improvise. Because what Prince Nikola needs to survive is the opposite of a lowly guard’s respectful protection.
It should’ve been only one night. Just until the potion’s refilled. But now that Nikola’s had Andreas’s touch, he craves Andreas again and again. He shouldn’t. But he—and his magic—can’t live without it…
The Royal Curse – My Review
Have sex or die is a fantasy book trope as old as the genre itself. And it’s a classic for a reason!
Eliot Grayson pulls this trope off in a way that doesn’t give me the creepy-crawlies. Obviously, being foreced to have sex with someone or else you die puts a person in the position to have trouble saying no. Consent cannot truly be given.
Luckily, The Royal Curse, never felt gross or questionable. Eliot Grayson plays it just right to make this situation feel romantic and not problematic.
So, let’s jump into why this book works so well.
Niko! He is a huge part of why this book is so good.
Niko is a prince with magical abilities. However, because of the time of day that he is born, his magic doesn’t function correctly. In fact, it tries to kill Niko.
The only way he can prevent this is by having sex. Or by taking a potion. Niko doesn’t want to depend on others, so he takes the potion.
Niko’s situation means that he is stifled by his family. It also means that he is a virgin. Well, at the beginning of the book he is.
I loved Niko’s personality.
I really felt a connection to him. He is snarky and observant and incredibly frustrated.
One of the first lines in the book was:
"My fingers twitched with the desire to reach over and give [her braid] a good, hard yank the way I would have fifteen years ago. Well, all right. Ten years ago. A few weeks ago. Whatever."
I couldn’t help but cackle out loud. It was the moment I knew I had mistaken The Royal Curse for some stuffy political fantasy romance. It is that at times, hence the four stars, but the deeper romance and humor really made this book something special.
Another example of Niko’s humor, just because I loved this line so much:
"He paused as if waiting for some sensible and intelligent comment from me. Well, he'd be waiting a long fucking time."
The other lead in this story is Andreas.
Andreas is Niko’s bodyguard. Andreas was hired by Niko’s mother to keep Niko out of trouble. He is supposed to always be with him.
Andreas is tall, dark, stoic, and very good at his job. Niko dislikes Andreas on the principle that Andreas is essentially his new baby sitter. However, there is begrudging resect between the men.
It is Andreas’ job to get Niko safely to a meeting about curing his magical ailment.
Unfortunately, they get snowed in. And Niko’s potion is destroyed. And there is only one bed. Whatever are they to do?
It has to be said that Andreas is literally the sweetest cinnamon roll of a man to ever exist. From him we get lines like this:
"There is no power on this earth or above it that could make me abandon you. Do you understand?" He leaned down a little, and said, almost roughly, "I'm sworn to protect you and I fucking will. And - I promised the queen, but she's not the one who matters right now. So I'm promising you. I'm yours. I'll take care of you no matter what. You have my word."
And take care of Niko he does. Very well. And very frequently.
This book well and truly earns its five spicy peppers for the heat it brings. But, it didn’t feel overly gratuitous. It was necessary and sweet.
The only reason that this book didn’t receive five stars was that I still don’t understand the magical elements of this book. I needed more information on Niko’s dawn mage powers and how they function. I also didn’t understand the politics of the book and they felt very underdeveloped.
I was just left with a few too many questions for a five star read. But, if I were just rating the couple, Niko and Andres would have gotten the full five easily.
Read this book for the romance, the steam, and the humor!
Hey, I’m Heather!
I read M/M romance books exclusively, and I help other readers find their next great M/M romance read.
