The King's Men (All for the Game, #3)

by Nora Sakavic

Neil Josten is out of time. He knew when he came to PSU he wouldn't survive the year, but with his death right around the corner he's got more reasons than ever to live.

Befriending the Foxes was inadvisable. Kissing one is unthinkable. Neil should know better than to get involved with anyone this close to the end, but Andrew's never been the easiest person to walk away from. If they both say it doesn't mean anything, maybe Neil won't regret losing it, but the one person Neil can't lie to is himself.

He's got promises to keep and a team to get to championships if he can just outrun Riko a little longer, but Riko's not the only monster in Neil's life. The truth might get them all killed—or be Neil's one shot at getting out of this alive.

• ASIN: B00QHMU0PU
• Publish Date: 2 December 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 556
• Language: English

Reviews

[maggiefan]

This is my favorite book of the trilogy. Great ending!

[lessthelonely]

Well... I finished it.

I don't know if it was worth it. I enjoyed the time I had with this series but I also understand I was really eager to finish it as soon as possible. I started and finished this series because the reviews told me it was worth it. All things considered, I think this is mostly because the series deals with two very known tropes, namely Enemies to Lovers (on top of that, it's M/M) and Found Family, which was the first book I read on it.

The book's writing is sharp and very good. I, however, started noticing a lot of things seemed to be mulled over and over again, to the point I felt like the book was stalling. This series thrives on sharp dialogue and a plot that's always moving, so those moment always feel like stuff was taking longer to happen because Neil hadn't mulled over a lot of it yet.

The author has VERY GOOD WRITING for dialogue. I ate that shit up, just like I did the main squad. At this point, the antagonists felt like a sort of caricature. Books one and two made me understand why they did what they did, but I guess I didn't like that the threats started to feel really hollow but not in a satisfying way.

Either way, I love Neil with all my heart, as I do Renee, Andrew and Wymack. I do not regret reading any word from this series.

[Mad Soul Child]

А плакать можно?

[moraa]

Fight because you don't know how to die quietly. Win because you don't know how to lose. This king's ruled long enough—it's time to tear his castle down.

I cannot say how much I enjoyed this book. It was marvelous. From beginning to end. And the touch of romance? That just made the wait even more worth it. I started this series earlier this year but for some reason never got around to the 2nd and 3rd book.

I greatly missed out.

All the characters were fleshed out and tangible. I can imagine Wymack yelling at me to get my shit together, Dan, Matt, Renee and Alison offering comfort in the form of semi-scathing words to variable degrees. I can imagine Nikki telling me about his hot boyfriend and Aaron telling me how much he finds that disgusting.

I can imagine Andrew swearing the hell out of me and Neil lying to me about everything that makes him.

I can imagine every single last bit of it.

[roundtableknight]

This is one of my favorite series of all time and for good reason. All For The Game is such a unique series in that this world is like ours, but so completely different. Rules don’t apply to the characters the same as real life and the sport they play is nonexistent, but it still feels lime one one of the most realistic books I’ve read.

[nitzan_schwarz]

Oct 29
Me: Gosh, I have so many books on my tbr!!
Also Me: I'm going to re-read the Foxhole Court for the 5th time this year!! :D


To read this review and more check out my blog Afterwords!

What? It's... it's over? It can't be over! What am I supposed to do with my life now?? How am I supposed to continue living, and pushing air into my lungs, and just generally existing now that this series is over???

The struggle is a bit too real for comfort, tbh.

There's no room for doubt, no room for second guesses, no room for error. This is your night. This is your game. This is your moment. Seize it with everything you've got. Pull out all the stops and lay it all on the line. Fight because you don't know how to die quietly. Win because you don't know how to lose. This king's ruled long enough—it's time to tear his castle down.

So... before I get into this--and I WILL get into this--there are spoilers for SHIPS and END GAMES in this review. Pfff. By this time you know I ain't gonna be able to properly review this anyways. But... yeah, spoilers. I low key don't even want you to read my review before you read the book because I'm gonna talk freely and I kind of want you to experience everything for yourself.

BECAUSE IT IS GLORIOUS.

Neil had been doing one stupid thing after another all year long and this had turned into the best year of his life.

Like, The King's Men doesn't lack for brutality. But unlike the second book where the darkness gets all-consuming, this time there is light at the end of the tunnel. There are people to lean on and trust, there are characters growing and evolving. There is strength and love to carry everything on. Overwhelming love. Most of it familial and friendly, but some of it... some of it entirely romantic. And that final one, especially, makes everything so fucking worth it.

This is literally an otp to top all otps. This otp is standing right now at the top of my otp list. It will probably stay there for a very, very long time. It's not perfect. It's not always healthy. It's a little bit violent and somewhat unexpected, and it swallows you whole with how right it is. With how it makes two broken people... a little less broken. A lot happier. How the simple understanding between them makes everything better; all the pain and the suffering and the hurt.

The first time I read the All for the Game series I started suspecting where this may be going on book two. I held my breath, and let a small "it can't be" because as much as it suddenly hit me that I needed that development to happen, I wasn't sure it would go there. I wanted these two people to find each other. I wanted it with a ferocity that rocked me to my core. And it would have been too heartbreaking if it didn't happen.

He withdrew completely, leaving just the memory of his heartbeat against Neil's mouth, and spun away.

Neil didn't show much interest up to that point, too busy surviving and compartmentalizing. Almost nothing before it suggested it might be possible. That's what I thought, at least, too absorbed by the first reading to see all the signs. By my second read of the series, I realized how inevitable it has always been, from the very very first book, how right, with such sentences as this;

He touched Neil's back on his way by, fingers light enough to give Neil goose bumps.

Cue the incessant squealing and delight.

Andrew Minyard and Neil Josten are absolutely perfect together. They are entirely broken individuals who are fractured beyond repair, but their unique damages somehow make each other's pain more bearable. Their "I love you"s are replaced by "I hate you"s, and for them... it works. They don't talk feelings or emotions because they don't need to. Their actions and looks do all the necessary talking. They aren't gentle, and for the most part, they aren't sweet--although, fuck me, but I think some of their scenes are still some of the sweetest scenes I've ever read. Like, the shower scene?? and the hotel scene?? And the protein bar scene?? And the two of them just talking and existing together, finding solace in each other's presence????

"Can you read lips?" Andrew pointed at his mouth as he spoke. "The next time someone comes for you, stand down and let me deal with it. Do you understand?"
"If it means losing you, then no," Neil said.

It's so much harder to convince a reader of a couple's love without using specific words, but the best relationships depicted in books are often like this, because there is no easy out, no easy phrase to fall back on and shortcut your reader to that point (it's why a lot of romance novels don't quite work for me - they favour the words over the emotions), but Sakavic doesn't go there. Instead, she silently builds Neil and Andrew's relationship BRILLIANTLY.

People, I WILL FIGHT YOU for this couple.

Their relationship is never going to be classified as "normal", same as neither one would ever be. But... they don't need normal. Both are far too scarred and far too ruined for that. They create their own normal. A normal just between the two of them. A normal that holds and protects and opens up. Just between them, just in the small moments. And it's enough. It's more than enough.

Andrew's disinterest in his psychological well-being was what had drawn Neil to him in the first place: the realization that Andrew would never flinch away from whatever poison was eating Neil alive.

Also, I was so happy there was no real "you're gay" / "I'm gay" conversation. There is no need to come out or even discuss the situation. There is no fear in Neil when he tries this thing with Andrew; no second-guessing or questioning, aside from the question of whether he's allowed such luxuries when he's going to die soon. There is no judgment and no fanfare. It's nothing worth talking about, anyway. The most we get is this;

"I've said all year I don't swing and I meant it. Kissing you doesn't make me look at any of them differently. The only one I'm interested in is you."
"Don't say stupid things."
"Stop me," Neil returned. He buried his hands in Andrew's hair and tugged him in for a kiss.

I SAID IT WAS GLORIOUS, DIDN'T I???

Also also they are hot together. I've got to admit, I wasn't expecting that, but I sure as hell am not complaining.

The whole thing was ENTIRELY BEAUTIFUL and it HURT SO GOOD.

"I hate you."
"Nine percent of the time you don't."
"Nine percent of the time I don't want to kill you. I always hate you."
"Every time you say that I believe you a little less."

It's not the only thing that happens - there is more physical pain in store for our foxes. There are dire discoveries and facing old ghosts. There is broken ground and broken bones. There is CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT in abundance. Andrew and Neil's for obvious reasons, but Kevin is a shining star in this one as well. And Allison. I really really really like what has become of Allison in these three books.

But I like all my foxes. Not equally, because I think I made it very clear Neil and Andrew are my problematic faves and I would die for them, but I never said I was fair.

"This," Neil flicked his finger to indicate the two of them, "isn't worthless."
"There is no 'this'. This is nothing."
"And I am nothing," Neil prompted. When Andrew gestured confirmation, Neil said, "And as you've always said, you want nothing."

The King's Men was an amazing finale to this beautiful series; it didn't solve all their problems, but then it never could. No one is fine by the end of it, but all of them are better. Their love for the game, and their love for each other--all of them--shines in a way to colors everything.

And I'm not gonna lie; I WILL BE READING THIS ONE AGAIN SOON! Life's too short to deny yourself the small things that first completely break you but then make you happy.

((I have so many delicious quotes of these two highlighted. I did warn that I was obsessed. OBSESSED.))


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Original unfiltered thoughts
(show spoiler)[SPOILERS FOR SHIPS AND ANCHORS IN THIS ONE.

So, like, I literally stayed up until 4 a.m. to read this back to back with book two....

AND I WANT TO DO A REREAD OF THIS SERIES RIGHT NOW.

Seriously, this was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. Cait, I thank you from the bottom of my ruined heart for bringing this book to my attention *bows super ungracefully because good God who can even think straight after this book*

So I didn't really go into it in book two because I didn't want to ruin some things but, like, there is a major otp in these novels. It's one that sneaks on you; I didn't even THINK about a possible romance, let alone between these two, in books one because that was all about Neil's survival and effort to become something.

Then book two happened and I lost my breath because could it be?. Will the books really go there? God, PLEASE go there. It was the same way I felt with Ronan and Adam, only... and don't kill me for it... I might ship Neil and Andrew more. There, I said it!!

Like, I didn't know how much I loved it and how much I wanted it to be real--for the both of them--until it was an option, and then I was frosting at the mouth and dying a little bit inside for every morsel, hoping hoping hoping they will get there. That they will get each other. God, how much they need each other!!

It was as brilliant as it was painful.

There is no fanfare or pretty words with this two. They don't need it. They don't cushion anything, or use pretty words. Their "I love you" is "I hate you". And it's brilliant, and delicious, and perfect, AND IT HURTS SO GOOD MY GOD.

I swear I will do an actual (??) review of these books at some point, but I kind of really really really really really really want to re-read them again before that. I have never done something like this before but fuck everything I don't care. I need to have more foxes in my life to survive this month of endless studying. I'm not ready to tell these amazing people good bye!] (hide spoiler)