Reluctant Queen cover art

Reluctant Queen

Betrayal, Book One

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Reluctant Queen

By: Tony Jaehrling
Narrated by: Daniel Byshenk
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About this listen

Lorynthia: From the Western Sea to the Badlands, and from the Dragon Mountains to the Red Desert live a diverse people who, for thirty years, have enjoyed a tentative peace. King Rhyman Thimpor united them, holding them together by sheer force of will.

But Rhyman is dead, felled by an unknown malady, and the throne stands empty. Lorynthia holds its collective breath. Who will rule them now? Will the peace Rhyman crafted survive his passing? They look to the capital city, Cyrinth, and await the coronation of the next monarch.

However, Lorynthia's past misleads them, the future draws them into devastating war, and their enemies approach through the shadows to finish them. Their only chance of survival? A young woman who is both citizen and outcast.

Tamyr Thimpor has it in her power to salvage both the past and the future. But, never having aspired to the throne, Tamyr does not want to lead these people. Worse, she does not know who she truly is and has no inkling of the power she may someday wield. Yet, if she does not accept and unleash the power that resides within her, all is lost.

Tamyr, the Reluctant Queen, is Lorynthia's only hope.

©2024 Peter Anthony Jaehrling (P)2025 Peter Anthony Jaehrling Action & Adventure Epic Fantasy Royalty Survival

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Listener received this title free

It took me a while to warm to this book but there was enough going for it that made me want to make the effort to do so and it paid off. The narration felt a bit too formal at firstand there were clues suggesting this wasn't recorded in a sound studio but it was still good quality. There was a certian level of detachment to how the story was told as well and a fair bit of exposition and history (lore) threaded in. I soon got used to the styles of both the narration and the prose. I found the world depicted here to be an interesting with a good mix of internal and external politics and interests. Certain elements didn't seem to make sense at first and pushed at my limits of credibility but later reveals satisfied these concerns to some degree. The title character of Tamyr Thimpor held my interest from the beginning and got more interesting as she progressed in her role and the new dangers that faced her. New concepts are introduced as we go one and learn about various factions and magic systems that are in play. Particularly liked the spellcrafting in this. There are few action scenes in this book, but a lot has been built up for the future. The action that did take place were great though and particularly enjoyed the final battle which no doubt sets up the next adventure.

A small but significant annoyance in the recording is the lack of gap between chapters. There needs to be a few seconds extra between them for the listener to take it in. Didn't realise how important those small gaps were until listening to this.

It's not a perfect story, and the narration falls short of great but is far from bad or annoying. Looking forward to the next book.

I was given a free copy at my request and have voluntarily left this review which has not been influenced by the party that provided it.

Worth the effort

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Listener received this title free

I recieved this book for free for review. I wanted to love this book as the description really interested me but sadly I feel it fell a little flat, its very very slow going and nothing really happens until about 11hrs in then it goes back to slow going untill about 20ish hours or more. There is a lot (and I mean a lot) of talk about the law/lore history which while someis required to set up the series of books at times felt overly long winded and often didnt feel like it added much to the story i found i had to relisten to a number of sections as i zoned out as it went on so long. i may check out book 2 once released and see if the story picks up pace and is more interesting now the set up is done. The narration was okay nice clear voice tho at times i felt he sped up his pace and it could be hard to follow who was talking as he didnt change his tone/pitch/pace/accent at all. overall an average book but as its a first in a series I appreciate there was a lot of history and worldbuilding to be done.

Very slow going

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Listener received this title free

i got this book for free from a reddit giveaway. loved the story but I personally struggled with the narrator and gave up listening. Maybe I'll get the book one day to finish the story but I kept losing track. He was very clear and easy to understand, I just couldn't tell when one character changed to another.

Great Story, characters and world building

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Listener received this title free

Throughout the first half I was a bit confused by the amount of POV characters the story jumped between, aside from the central protagonist, who was easy to follow and likeable from the off. About halfway through things change gears and by the end I was eager to jump into the next instalment.

Initially confused, now rivited

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Listener received this title free


Review of Reluctant Queen by Tony Jaehrling

Reluctant Queen by Tony Jaehrling is a story brimming with potential. The depth of the world-building and the layered premises make for an intriguing and immersive experience. While the beginning can feel a bit confusing, the complexity is part of what makes the story so compelling—it invites the listener to pay attention and fully engage.

One of the standout elements is the narrator, who brings a sense of comfort and clarity to an otherwise intricate plot. Their performance helps smooth out some of the early confusion and enhances the overall experience.

This isn’t a casual, background listen. It’s a story that rewards focus and may even benefit from a second listen to catch the nuances and connections that are easy to miss the first time around. If you enjoy rich worlds and stories that unfold over time, Reluctant Queen is definitely worth your attention.

Difficult beginning, rewarding ending!

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Listener received this title free

fair disclaimer i got a free key from a reddit give away,
i dont want to spoiler anything in this review so i will keep things general
the main character feels like a fully fleshed out human, which is sadly not always true for female leads.
the story has magic and magical creatures but it is not abundant to the main pov .
we have politics but also action, old men plotting and young(ish) men punching things


i think my only real complaints with this book would be that the early chapters are both a bit slow and a lot of info coming at you at once, but tbf this is often the case with fantasy settings book 1.
it would be helpful to have a character reminder at the start of chapters like in "supper supportive" for example but i understand that dosent work as well in audio format.

whilst this book dosent make it into my personal S+ tier it is still a solid A tier book, and i happily await part 2

its starts slow but it builds Momentum well.

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Listener received this title free

I received this book for free in exchange for my review, so here are my honest thoughts:
Initially, it took me a couple of hours to get into the story, primarily due to the narrator, who felt more like he was just reading rather than truly narrating.
His lack of voice acting made it hard to distinguish between characters, which was a bit distracting.
As I continued, the story drew me in, and the narrator's performance became less distracting. Before this book, I was in a reading slump, kept DNFing books. But this story caught my attention, and I finally finished it.
If you like magic, witches, and young adult stories, I recommend trying it - it’s worth your time.
I’m excited to start the second book!

Loved the story

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