The Monk and the Banished Prince

by Jaberona B.L.

Nico’s orderly monastic life turns upside down after a visit from Prince Emery triggers a landslide of dramatic events. Against his better judgement, Nico finds himself drawn to the arrogant and troublesome royal in desperate need of a friend. As the secrets of the past and the conspiracies of the present shatter their familiar worlds, can they survive to create a better future among the ruins—together?

Genres: Fantasy, Gay, Queer

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2022

About the author

Jaberona BL writes MM and MF stories about messed-up relationships between unlikely lovers. Wholesome romance is not her thing, although she does enjoy happy endings! Whether her stories take place in medieval fantasy worlds or modern settings, they explore the darker side of attraction – if that’s your thing, join the ride!
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Reviews

[Catarina Águas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. Nico was so sweet, that man was a giant cinnamon roll, loved him. And Emery, his attitude pissed me off sometimes but I liked this grumpyness. Together they were perfect, really power couple

[Destynnee Realta · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Did he mention us living in sin?"
"You bet he did."
"His opinion doesn't matter, though not on this topic."

The Monk and the Banished Prince
MM Historical Fantasy Romance
By Jaberona BL

218 pages
Currently on Kindle Unlimited in the USA.
Publication date July 7, 2022

I received a copy of this book, and this is my review.
Please, watch out for possible spoilers, including but not limited to, TW/CN/Etc.

Possible TW, Tropes, and Genres
Mature, Spicy, Romance, Gay, LGBTQAI+, Fantasy, Death of a Parent (kinda off page, it is not detailed), Hidden Royalty, Murder (mostly off page and not detailed), Religion, Monks, Medieval, V Card, Instalove, Touch him and die vibes, Grooming (off page, but spoken about), and possibly more.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and if this one is anything to go on, I want to read more of their stuff. I enjoy LGBTQAI+ stories, and add in the bit of murder mystery, with hidden royalty thrown in, and I am all in.

I loved Nico the moment he got on the page. He is so sweet, and kind, and wants to just live a nice kind life. But, boy oh boy do things go ary when the current King (Vincenzo), his son (Emery), and their group come to visit. The small moments that we get between Nico and Emery before the shit hits the fan, are just adorable.

I am trying hard not to spoil things here, but the 218 or so pages did not feel like 218 or so pages. You wanted to keep reading, to see how or if their friendship would grow. Would you find out who killed who, and who the hell is this hidden royal?....

I think that with everything going on, the author could have made the book a bit longer. But in the end, it is a really good story. It ends with pretty much a HEA.

Also, do not go into this, thinking it is a smut first plot second kinda book. There is spice, but it happens later in the book, so the plot and the characters are the main focus.

MM Romance? Check.
Hidden Royalty? Check
V Card? Check
Touch him and die vibes? Yea, kinda check

5 / 5 stars
-Destynnee

[Potatoes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The two stars are for how the author portrays monastic life. They do a great job of that and the inter monk drama of monasteries. That was great! I also liked the political intrigue. But what lost me was the second half when it’s revealed that Nico is the long lost prince. That plot really weakened the book.
Also I’m disappointed that Pepe didn’t play a bigger part in the story. It seemed like he was gonna be a major part but he ended up just being some guy.
I also wasn’t pleased with Emery and Bartholomew. That felt shoehorned in there.