So This Is Ever After

Arek grew up a thief in the kingdom of Ere. Then the mage Matt told him he was the Chosen One, destined to bring down the tyrant King Anthony. Arek did it, only to learn that the rightful heir had already died, which leaves him wearing a crown he never wanted.

The crown carries an old magic with a hard rule. Before he turns eighteen, Arek has to take a spouse, or he dies and the throne goes with him. He has three months. He turns to the friends who fought beside him: Sionna the warrior, Rion the knight, Lila the rogue and Bethany the bard. He hopes one of them might agree to marry a reluctant, chaotic king.

Each attempt goes wrong in ways that are funny and sometimes painful. Meanwhile Matt, now the court mage, has stayed at Arek's side throughout and has loved him for years. Arek keeps failing to notice.

This young adult fantasy starts where most chosen-one stories finish. The big battle is already over, so the book spends its time on found family, a string of doomed courtships and a slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance. The tone is comic and playful, and the ticking deadline keeps a thread of tension running underneath.