So This Is Ever After
Arek was raised a thief until the mage Matt discovered he was the Chosen One prophesied to defeat the tyrant King Anthony. He did — only to find the rightful heir already dead, leaving him unwillingly crowned king of Ere.
By the crown's ancient magic, Arek must bond with a spouse before his eighteenth birthday or die and lose the throne with him. With three months on the clock, he turns to his tight-knit group of found family — the warrior Sionna, the knight Rion, the rogue Lila and the bard Bethany — hoping one of them might be persuaded to marry a reluctant, chaotic king.
Every attempt goes hilariously, painfully wrong, and the one person who's been steadily by Arek's side through it all — Matt, the court mage who's loved him for years — is the one he keeps failing to see. F.T. Lukens's "So This Is Ever After" is a funny, subversive YA fantasy that begins where most chosen-one stories end, trading the final battle for a found family, a doomed dating spree, and a slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance.
A former thief revealed as the Chosen One who defeats the tyrant King Anthony. With no other heir left, he is crowned king of Ere and given three months to find a spouse or die by the crown's ancient magic.
Arek's best friend and the kingdom's court mage, secretly devoted to him. He helps plan Arek's disastrous courtships while hiding his own feelings.
A skilled warrior among Arek's quest companions turned found family, one of the friends he clumsily tries to court after being crowned king.
A rogue among Arek's quest companions and found family, another of the friends he awkwardly attempts to woo.
A knight among Arek's quest companions and found family, likewise courted, hopelessly, by the newly crowned Arek.
No. So This Is Ever After is a standalone YA fantasy novel by F.T. Lukens, published March 29, 2022.
Yes. It debuted as an instant New York Times bestseller, was a nominee for the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards, and was featured on the American Library Association's 2023 Rainbow Booklist.