Review - The Merchant's Love by Antonia Aquilante

Faelen has returned to Tournai along with his mother and siblings to attend the wedding of Tristan and Etan. He hopes to stay in the city this time, as Faelen has grown weary of the constant travel that comes with being the son of a diplomat. At the wedding, he meets Maxen, Tristan’s brother, and is instantly attracted to him. The feeling is mutual. Faelen is the most attractive man Maxen has ever met. Maxen has always dreamed of one day traveling the world, but how will Faelen feel about that?

This sixth book of the Journals of Tournai focuses, as they all do, on a different couple in the orbit of the royal court. Although all the books in the series feature a different romance, they’re all set in the same circle of people, so it helps to have read most, if not all, of the preceding books in the series. This one mentions, in particular, a lot of the events of The Scholar’s Heart and The Sorcerer’s Guardian.

I have to admit the plots of the stories in this series are getting fairly predictable. However, with each story featuring a different couple, each of whom has their own challenges, the individual stories are fresh and fun to read. There’s also a connecting overall theme to the series, which is why it’s a good idea to read all of the books, in their published order.

We know Maxen as Tristan’s brother from “The Scholar’s Heart.” The young man is the voice of reason in the earlier book, but this time around it’s Maxen who tries to take on too much and not ask for help. It’s a very believable situation and makes Maxen a sympathetic character. His gentle treatment of Faelen will also endear him to many readers.

Faelen is a curious character. He has a twin brother but the two are very different personalities. He navigates court functions and their politics with ease, but he’s an introvert at heart. Faelen is also, a bit surprisingly, not very experienced romantically. In contemporary terms, he might be labeled demi-sexual. That’s just one of the many things that makes his relationship with Maxen a very slow burn.

“The Merchant's Love” is available from Smashwords or see BookBub for other online sites where you can get your copy.