Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: The King and Jai
SERIES: Royal & Reckless Book #1
AUTHOR: Isla Olsen
NARRATOR: Joel Leslie
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 3 hours and 58 minutes
RELEASE DATE: May 28, 2021
BLURB:
One young American tutor + one dangerously sexy widowed king = conflict, chaos, misadventure, and lots and lots of sexy times.
Jai
For the record, sleeping with my boss was not part of the plan when I started this new job. A job I desperately need to get my parents off my back about my chosen career path.
But the second I catch sight of Lukas Romansky in the flesh, I know I’m in trouble. The guy is pure sex wrapped in a three-piece suit, and not even his stuffy attitude or the way he seems to despise me on sight is enough to stifle my attraction.
But I’m here to work, not to hook up. It doesn’t matter how sexy Lukas is, or how sweet he is with his children – sleeping with the boss is never a good idea.
Oh, and did I mention my boss also happens to be the king?
Yes, King Lukas III of Korova, the man voted World’s Sexiest Head of State three years in a row. Hooking up with him wouldn’t just be a bad idea, it would be an international scandal.
So believe me when I say I didn’t come to Korova with the intention of seducing the king. But sometimes things just happen. And is it my fault I’m impossible to resist?
The King and Jai is the first book in the Royal & Reckless series. It spins off from Virtually Screwed, book two of the Love & Luck series – both books can be listened to as stand-alones.
REVIEW:
Isla Olsen’s The King and Jai spins off from Virtually Screwed, the second book in Ms. Olsen’s fabulous, flirty, fun Love & Luck series. In keeping with the theme of that series, Ms. Olsen delivers a light, low-angst, sexy, and often irreverent romance between Jai Winters, best friend and former roommate of Owen Kelly (from Virtually Screwed), and Lukas Romansky, the King of the small country of Korova.
As the punny title indicates, this story is loosely based on the musical/movie The King and I (although it is also reminiscent of the premise of The Sound of Music). Jai, a multilingual scholar, is hired to tutor King Lukas’ two children in French and German. Jai and Lukas connect immediately with a visceral, undeniable attraction. However, circumstances dictate that they keep their distance. So they try to fight the strong pull between them. But that effort (of course) doesn’t succeed and they fall in love, longing to be together in the open. The similarities end there, though. The ending to The King and Jai is a solidly happy one and the journey to that HEA has little drama or angst. It’s funny, over the top at times, completely irreverent of protocol, and overwhelmingly less serious in tone than its predecessor source material.
Jai is Lukas’ employee. Lukas is closeted and fighting his inner demons. He knows he’s gay; has known since he was a teen. But his late father’s verbal and emotional abuse conditioned him to believe that being gay is deviant and wrong. He’s trying to shake off the remaining tendrils of that toxic attitude and accept his sexuality.
Jai, on the other hand, is out and proud. His source of conflict derives from his parents’ derision of his career choice. His sexuality? They didn’t blink an eye. But accepting this job as the royal tutor is his last-ditch effort to prove himself to his parents. Of course, this doesn’t hold him back much from flaunting protocols and going after Lukas once Lukas shows signs of interest, notwithstanding the potential repercussions to his employment.
It seemed to me that Ms. Olsen struggled with and/or rushed the development of these character conflicts. Jai’s attitude and actions didn’t reconcile with his purported concerns. Similarly, Lukas’ deep conflict about his sexuality didn’t prevent him from aggressive, precipitous actions, nor preclude a hasty resolution when convenient for the plot. Additionally, the “romance” aspect of the relationship developed more off-page than on. The hot, steamy scenes were front and center, but the getting to know each other, the “falling for” each other, for the most part, did not.
That being said, Ms. Olsen’s stories tend to carry a thread of implausibility throughout them. Her priority appears to be fully developing the flirty, fun, frisky aspects of the relationship, and authenticity can take a back seat. There’s nothing wrong with that approach, but your enjoyment will be impacted if your expectations don’t align with what’s delivered. If you’ve read Ms. Olsen before and enjoy her lighthearted love stories, you’ll enjoy The King and Jai because it falls squarely in that rubric.
Joel Leslie provides the narration for The King and Jai audiobook. His expressive vocal performance elevates the story. Mr. Leslie’s insightful interpretation and delivery of the emotions and experiences of Jai and Lukas lend a dimension to this story that didn’t translate as well through text alone. He is a vastly talented narrator with a long list of titles to his credit. His experience and expertise shine through here. His phenomenal ability to distinctly characterize multiple people in a story, and to capture very different accents, ages, and genders are unparalleled.
In this particular story, Mr. Leslie’s delivery across the board was more robust (read loud and emphatic) and less dynamic than is typically the case for him, particularly during the steamy scenes. But otherwise, his narration, as always, is a treat to listen to. Overall, The King and Jai is an easy, enjoyable, quick read which I recommend pairing with the audiobook, or just listen to the audiobook alone. The story on text alone is still enjoyable but Mr. Leslie’s vocal performance is a significant value-add that you won’t want to miss.
RATING: 
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