My letter “T” pick for the A To Z Challenge was TRIAL OF THE SUN KING by Nisha J. Tuli. This is a romantasy where The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games. Our female lead, Lor, is plucked out of a horrific prison life to compete in the Sun King Trials because . . . reasons. She’s told they just always randomly pick one human contestant from the prison in the neighboring Aurora kingdom to compete against nine other Fae females for the honor of becoming the bonded mate of Atlas, the Sun King. It’s clear from the beginning that Atlas had an ulterior motive for choosing Lor in particular, and it’s also revealed along the way that Lor is a very special prisoner, as evidenced when the Aurora king goes berserk upon finding out she’s gone and sends his son Nadir to find her.

The story is told in alternating perspectives from both Lor and Nadir, and I have to admit it irritated me that Lor’s chapters were written in first person, and Nadir’s were always written in third person. Pick one style and stick with it, please. Lor is kept in luxury as she’s romanced and bedazzled by Atlas, who occasionally lets his veneer slip, giving her a few moments of unease. Nadir’s chapters paint a picture of his own cruel father the Aurora King, but also provide a few choice comments that paint Atlas as being far from the dream guy he appears to be.

Lor acquits herself well in the trials despite their severity and her human shortcomings. I won’t give away the ending, but when she finally meets Nadir there’s a pull between them that shocks them both. The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but luckily the series is complete so I can move on to book two – and I thoroughly plan to do so. This was a very good (if sometimes predictable) book and I look forward to more in this series. Four stars.