This book sounds wonderful, but completely misses the mark. In the first 25% of the book there are two completely unnecessary - and completely unbelievable - orgies that have zero relevance on the story itself. I really wanted to love this story of a monk turned King of a small nation and a big city playboy, both lost in their own way. However, there were too many issues with the writing and story line that make reading even 30% of the book painful. Unfortunately I was unable to finish this story due to these issues.

This could have been something really interesting, with the premise of an unknown cousin taking the throne and having to navigate political sabotage from the old Queen, while also discovering his sexuality and falling in love with a foreign ambassador's son. However, I don't think this novel really knew what it wanted to be. It bounced between erotica, romance, political drama, etc. and just never really found its pace. It's a quick read, so it wasn't too much of a struggle to get through despite the awkwardness.

The main character, Logan, wasn't terribly likeable. He's the stereotypical promiscuous gay man, shallow and searching for nothing more than sex. He goes from not wanting anything to do with Raymond to falling in love with him incredibly quickly, simply because Raymond changes up his appearance and looks more attractive. His most interesting moment was almost getting roped up in an assassination plot, but that was put out there and then just falls away without any sort of resolution.

It's a short read, so I understand not everything can be fit in, but probably a good half of the sex scenes were unnecessary and could have been switched out for something to further develop the plot. With a little alteration of the main character and picking what road the plot/genre wants to go down, I think this could have been a really fun, niche read. Unfortunately, it just remains unpolished potential.

This is a great book for pure escapism. Suspend reality for this romp: man-on-man sex occurs at the drop of a hat.

The writing is technically well done. The main character, somehow, goes from being a major partier to a one-man guy.

I DNF'd about three chapters in unfortunately. While I am all about suspension of belief, I couldn't quite suspend as much belief as I needed to enjoy this novel. The writing has an unpolished feel and the scene changes were too quick. You never really got time to enjoy the characters or spend anytime with them.

I think with some time in a good editor's hand, this novel has promise. As it is, it's not quite my cup of tea.

That said, I'm sure this would be an enjoyable read for some people.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

When the king of Bulvania dies in mysterious way, a monk, Raymond, has to take his place, while an handsome photographer, Logan, in another side of the world is called to help his father, the new Bulvania's ambassador.
Raymond is forced to deal with this huge responsibility, the crown, the kingdom and a dark past and his feeling for Logan.

The Virgin king is a short story and a very cute one. I really liked the relationship and the interactions between Raymond and Logan, they are so sweet! The story is intriguing and I liked the way it was written, a fast and a good read.