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Rita A Rubin

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Of Knights and Books and Falling In Love Kindle Edition

by Rita A. Rubin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 83 ratings

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Jayce has little memory of life before entering servitude to the Dark Lord, and no hope of ever escaping. Until he meets Alexius, the knight with a heart of gold. He offers Jayce, his enemy, a chance to break free of the Dark Lord's clutches, and Jayce is not about to let such an opportunity pass.
When the war comes to an end, Jayce finds himself finally free, with Alexius's help, and surrounded by a new world of opportunity. And the prospect of a new love. The more time Jayce spends with Alexius, the more he finds himself falling for this knight in shining armour.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C74CNW17
Publisher ‏ : ‎ (June 29, 2023)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 29, 2023
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1635 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 205 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 064509286X

Best Sellers Rank: #565,262 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #13,268 in Gay Romance
- #13,700 in Fantasy Romance eBooks
- #19,864 in Fantasy Romance (Books)

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4.2 83 ratings

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Rita A Rubin

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Rita A. Rubin is an author and artist from Melbourne Australia.

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Aimee

The coziest fantasy romance I've yet to read!

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023

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I have to be honest, I don't read heaps of M/M books. Not for any particular reason other than that I am more compelled by female characters so usually go for F/F or M/F. However, this book is a great example of why it is good to branch out, because this book was phenomenal.

I wasn't expecting to get pulled in so quickly! I was immediately captured by Jayce's character of being the Dark Lord's apprentice/servant and being so invested meant that the rest of the book was an incredible ride. I'm definitely excited to read more books set in this world, which I am sure Rita has planned out.

If you need something cute and wonderful in your life, this book is the one for you!

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Christopher Monceaux

Adorable, character-focused MM fantasy romance

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2023

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When picking up Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love, I wanted something cozy, slice of life, adorable, and romantic. This book ended up ticking off all of those boxes and provided a bit of action and adventure, too. I loved the queer-normative world, and while the world-building was pretty basic, it was the perfect amount to let the reader understand the setting while the focus remained on the characters and relationships.

The characters were my favorite thing about Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love. The story follows Jayce after he is freed from the control of the Dark Lord. Up to that point, he had been the Dark Lord's faithful apprentice and did terrible things, all while being controlled via a magical necklace that kept him enslaved to the Dark Lord's will. Alexius, a noble knight trapped in the dungeons, gave Jayce the information needed to remove the necklace, and Jayce helped him escape the dungeons. I enjoyed reading Jayce's journey of coming to terms with his guilt while also trying to understand who he wanted to become now that he was free.

The relationship between Jayce and Alexius was really adorable. They were both pining so much but never realized the other felt the same way. I loved all of the small moments between the two of them where they were just getting to know one another. Alexius was the sunshine to Jayce's rain cloud. lol. They made such a great pairing, and their relationship was just so soft and safe.

You may be wondering how books factor into all this enough to warrant a mention in the title. Jayce loved books and ended up working at the most adorable bookshop. The shop even housed a temperamental cat and was owned by a troll, who was very particular about the care of their books. There's plenty of other great things to be found in the pages of Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love, too. From bandits to tournaments, there's plenty of fantasy elements to keep things interesting, but those set pieces never overpower the central story of redemption and the life-altering nature of love.

Overall, this was an adorable MM romance set in a fantasy realm. It was largely focused on the characters and their relationship, and its focus on their day to day lives was exactly what I was looking for. I actually wouldn't have been mad at even more delightful mundanity, but I also appreciated the brevity of the work because it kept the plot from getting too bogged down. Therefore, I rate Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love 4 out of 5 stars and definitely recommend it if you are looking for a quick, cozy MM fantasy romance.

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Charlie

Couldn't put it down!

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2023

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This book!!! Is so good!! I only put it down to do stupid stuff, like work or sleep, but I was always thinking about it during those times too!! I love the characters and their development, all the unsaid adventures adding depth to the story, and I really loved how there was always something happening that kept my ADHD-addled brain always on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next!! While this is a low-stakes book, I was interested throughout the entire story!!!! I will definitely be buying a physical to keep on my bookshelf and reread when I need a sweet and exciting pick-me-up 🥰

Also, to the author, I NEED more from this world!! I would love to see more of Jayce and Alexius, but also!!! More of Iris and Florent and their progression 👀

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2024

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This book was very charming. It is a light and sweet read that has straightforward worldbuilding and plot. There is just enough conflict and tension to break up the sweetness. The leads have chemistry and personality. I’d love to read more about the world and side characters (especially Floren)

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Margaret Adelle Laupp

Decent cozy read

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2023

I'm a sucker for queer books. So when the author offered me an mlm high fantasy, I was happy to accept!

I was a little nervous about this book as I began to read, because I am a notorious slow-burn girly. I like to see the build up of tension, the pining, the yearning, culminating in the big moment. As a result, I tend to not go for any book shorter than 200 pages. However, this book was shorter than I realized when I accepted it. And the minute I saw the page count, I was pretty sure one of my major critiques would be "it was too short."

And I was right.

I will accept that this is all artistic preferences. There are romance readers that want to get to the declaration of love as quickly as possible, it's why romance novellas exist. But the thing is... Jayce was the second-in-command of the biggest villain in the planet. As "Grey," Jayce ended hundreds of people in giant displays of destructive magic and actively fought against the Hero and her supposed "lover." That should offer *some* conflict as the two begin to get closer, right? After all, the book begins with Jayce painfully "interrogating" the knight for information. But Alexius is able to move past that pretty quickly. There's a single scene where he struggles with it, and from then on he's absolutely sure Jayce is 100% good and everything he did in the decade with the Dark Lord wasn't his fault.

I LOVE a good moral quandary and a redemption arc even more so. But Jayce's arc as a whole was disappointing. There's one scene where someone who doesn't recognize him discusses what he did as Grey and he has a break down. But then, he just moves on. He doesn't think much about previous victims. He spends time with a fluffy cat in a cute bookshop and has a romance with the knight he once tortured (though they never discuss it). Jayce's grapples with guilt are easily ignored. He's never directly confronted by what he did, never has to deal with the justice system, he barely even has to talk about it. Throughout the on-page story, his "amends" for literal war crimes are things like helping a child being bullied.

I understand that the author wanted to write something cozy, but the premise does not lend itself to a cozy vibe at all. Moral quandaries and redemption arcs are meant to be a struggle and discomforting. The characters in them *should* be having a difficult time. When their uncomfortable edges are sanded off, they lose their power. As Gray, Jayce was one of the most feared and hated antagonists in the world, second only to the Dark Lord himself. He sent literal waves of fire across battlefields to burn people alive. If all of that was going to be handwaved away with "wasn't his fault, the Dark Lord made him do it" why put it in at all? The bulk of the story would've been the same if he'd been a random underling that managed to help Alexius escape. It feels like the premise and the vibe came from two different books.

All of that being said, if you are someone looking for something cute, this one would be a good pick. Plenty of adorkable characters and gay pining. It has a steamy scene, albeit one of those generalized overview writing styles instead of a play-by-play. I wish, as I always do with romances, that it was dual POV. But it's still a nice quick read with small-town vibes that a cozy fantasy fan will like. Just ignore the war crimes.

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Renata Brasil Barroca

Ótima qualidade, livro lindo

Reviewed in Brazil on April 6, 2024

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O livro é lindo!!A edição é aveludada como a maioria dos livros internacionais mas o que me surpreendeu foi o tamanho!Coloquei uma foto com três livros sendo um, o do Alpha de capa brochura no tamanho mais padrão de livros de brochura internacionais e o do Siren Duke de capa dura para terem uma noção. Me agradou muito isso pq acho que harmonizou bastante com o número pequeno de páginas eles terem feito numa dimensão maior que o normal. Recomendo muito pra coleção, e a história nem se fala! Tão boa quanto o lorde da noite eterna.Quem gostou desse vai curtir muito!fora que a diagramação está perfeita para ler no físico.
Só tenho elogios👏👏👏

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AmazonClient

Unexpected start but it does get story across!

Reviewed in Canada on January 8, 2024

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I had a blast with this book, even though it took a bit of a detour from my cozy fantasy expectations. The action-packed start and Jayce's unexpected backstory threw me a curveball, setting a darker tone than I anticipated from the cover and blurb. Despite that beginning and the jump into the cozy fantasy world, there were good twists and the ending was a solid 4/5 surprise, playing with tropes in a way that made me grin.

When it comes to characters, Jayce and Alexius are an absolute delight! Their unique voices and the way their relationship unfolds had me hooked. For me, the pacing stumbled a bit with a delayed ending, but with side characters like Iris adding charm and wit, it's hard not to love the crew. The world, while not heavily built, exudes a cozy vibe that lets the characters shine.

And let's not forget the spice – tastefully done! Despite a few bumps like distracting formatting issues, the overall experience earned this book a 3.5/5 for me, but easily it jumped to a 4 to places where I can’t half-star because of an unexpected tiny tidbit at the end. The book may not have begun how I expected, but the characters, cozy atmosphere, and that unexpected ending make it a winner!

Lewis

Perfect for Fans of Lord of Eternal Night by Ben Alderson and The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2024

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Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love by Rita A. Rubin is an Adult Fantasy Slice-of Life story following Jayce, the former servant of the Dark Lord who, following the Dark Lord’s defeat, now finds himself free to follow his own life for the first time – or follow the cute Knight with a heart of gold right back to his hometown. This story takes the concept of an epic fantasy war and explores the after effects while exploring the concepts of forgiveness, redemption and new opportunity all the while providing one of the most Queer normative worlds you’ll ever read. And that’s not to mention the gorgeous Achillean romance between Jayce and Alexius.

Representation: Cis White Bisexual Male Protagonist, Cis Black Bisexual Male Love Interest, Non-Binary Secondary Character, Achillean Secondary Character, Sapphic Mothers Tertiary Characters

Content Warnings: Servitude (Briefly), Blood, Injury, Injury Detail, Death, On-Page Sex (Moderate), Bullying (Mentioned), Loss of a Parent / Grandparent (Mentioned, Off-Page, Before Story)

One of the strongest elements of this story is the fact that it does not linger on the huge war with the Dark Lord. Instead, this story has a real focus on the aftermath of a fantasy war and what happens to those who survive. Rubin explores concepts of redemption, forgiveness and glory through Jayce and Alexius who are the perfect foil for one another. Where Jayce was the servant to the Dark Lord who was trapped in his situation with no escape, Alexius is a Knight of high esteem and fame who is offered freedom from captivity only by Jayce. They work so well with one another, with Alexius’ golden retriever energy able to thaw Jayce and allow this romance to blossom as the story progresses.

The progression of the romance in this book is really lovely to watch. Familiar jealousy tropes do appear, but they’re not cliché or over-done, they just add a little bit of drama to this relatively low-stakes story. The discussions Jayce and Alexius have about their pasts, upbringings, sexualities and experiences really bring this romance together and build their connection in such an interesting and dynamic way. The genre-conventions also allow for their romance to be a little more physical with Alexius protecting Jayce in physical conflict, and Alexius himself being impressed with Jayce’s own physical prowess, which is not always an aspect of romance that’s able to be conveyed outside of fantasy. The sex scenes that bring together Alexius and Jayce’s love are really well done, and quite hot while still being moderate enough to not lean into erotica. I personally think there could have been a little more detail of the physicality of the sex, rather than primarily describing the feelings, but that’s down to personal taste. Their need for one another is great, and this is also explored in the Short Story Sequel – Of Nights and Rings and Making Love.

The writing of this story was very accessible and didn’t slip into the over-done lyricality that Adult Fantasy can have a tendency to do. It’s enjoyable and makes it very easy to just fly through the chapters of this story.

The side characters of this story – namely Maple and Iris – are absolute delights and make this cast really fleshed out and interesting. Iris’ bookshop is definitely a cosy setting I’d love to return to.

My main complaint of this story is the re-emergence of a character from Jayce’s past with the Dark Lord who swears revenge at the start of the story. I just feel like a more lingering sense of threat could have been built and explored, especially considering the low-stakes nature of the story.

I’d really recommend this story if you’re looking for an accessible and cute slice-of-life fantasy story with some great Achillean romance, a wholesome Queer normative world and a healthy dose of queer yearning.

Valarauco

Cozy Fantasy für cozy Nachmittage

Reviewed in Germany on October 26, 2023

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## I fell in love … hard

Ich hab das Cover und den Klappentext auf Instagram gesehen und mich sofort verliebt. Ich wusste ich brauche diese Geschichte in meinem Leben! Und so war es auch! Legends & Lattes hat meine Begeisterung für Cozy Fantasy geweckt, aber Of knights and books and falling in love hat mich noch einmal ganz anderes mitgerissen. Es ist ein bisschen enemies to lovers, aber recht flott und beinahe unkompliziert.

Jayce hat Jahre lang unter dem Dunklen Lord gedient und kann sich an vieles nicht mehr erinnern. Als er Alexius begegnet, der zu dieser Zeit ein Gefangener des Dunklen Lords ist, gerät sein Leben ins Wanken. Nachdem er Alexius während dessen Gefangenschaft beschützt hat, erwiedert dieser den Gefallen und gewährt auch Jayce Schutz nach dem der Dunkle Lord von der Heldin besiegt wird.

Ich fand es amüsant, dass die beiden eigentlichen “Hauptfiguren” (in jedem anderen Buch wären sie es gewesen) oft nur als Heldin und Dunkler Lord angesprochen wurden, aber kaum mit ihren Namen. Die Dynamik zwischen Jayce und Alexius hat mich von Anfang an mitgerissen. Beide waren einfach nur soft, auch wenn Jayce es nicht zugeben konnte.

## Einfach nur soft!

Alexius ist eigentlich ein großer Softie, Jayce auch, aber bei ihm dauert es ein bisschen, bis das wieder durch kommt. Bereits auf ihrer Heimreise, bzw. auf Alexius Heimreise mit Jayce wird klar, dass dieser alles daran setzen wird seine Schuld zu begleichen. Jayce hat lange mit dem zu kämpfen was ihm unter dem Dunklen Lord wiederfahren ist, gleichzeitig leidet er auch unter all dem, was er selbst anderen Menschen angetan hat. Für ihn ist es sehr schwierig, über diese Geschehnisse hinwegzukommen und sich selbst zu verzeihen. So richtig kann er erst damit anfangen, als er in einem kleinen Buchladen beginnt zu arbeiten und wirklich Ruhe findet.

Ich mag die Nebenfiguren, von denen alle Jayce und Alexius gut tun wollen oder es einfach nur tun. Sie unterstützen einerseits den Heilungsprozess der beiden und geben ihnen gleichzeitig die Möglichkeit, sich selbst wieder zu finden.

Außerdem müssen wir unbedingt darüber sprechen wie unendlich soft Alexius für Jayce ist. Ich konnte mir mein Grinsen während dem Lesen irgendwann gar nicht mehr verkneifen.

Das Ganze bekommt noch eine Kirsche aufgesetzt durch die wunderbaren magischen Elemente der Geschichte, die Fähigkeit von Jayce und Alexius ihre Traumata zu verarbeiten und hinter sich zu lassen, soweit man das so sagen kann.

## Fazit

Wer cozy Fantasy liebt, wird hier absolut fündig. Die Geschichte ist vielleicht an der ein oder anderen Stelle etwas plump und ich hätte mir hin und wieder mehr tiefe gewünscht, aber das trübt nicht meine Begeisterung für das Buch. Es ist faszinierend eine Geschichte zu lesen, die während bzw. kurz nach dem großen Sieg der Heldin spielt und dies aus der Sicht von Figuren zu erleben, die weder Heldin noch Bösewicht sind, sondern nur deren Untertanen und Begleiter. Gleichzeitig erlebt man auch, welche Folgen diese Kämpfe mit sich bringen können und wie sehr die traumatischen Erlebnisse die Figuren noch nach dem Sieg/Niederlage verfolgen.

Von mir gibt es eine absolut klare Leseempfehlung für Of Knights and Books and Falling in love, weil es nicht nur einfach eine niedliche Geschichte ist, sondern sich auch auf oberflächlichen Leveln mit Traumata, Verlust und dem Thema der gefundenen Familie auseinandersetzt.

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