An Archer’s Awakening — Of Crowns & Quills, Book One
“It truly made me fall in love with fantasy again.”
— debinsuqaumish, a reader who didn’t expect to love it
This is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy told in Declan’s voice, and it runs across four novels and two novellas.
Declan Rea has no magic in a country where everyone else does. He’s run hundreds of miles from the golden collars and the stares to become a Ranger, and the first thing he finds at the Academy is a rich lord’s son in spectacles who looks at him like something scraped off a boot.
Gold Medal winner2024 Global Book Awards
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Before you start, let me be honest about one thing.
This is epic fantasy, so the world is big and many people get chapters.
Declan is the one you follow. His voice opens the book, his story runs straight through it, and everything else orbits him and Ayden. You’re never lost for long, and you don’t have to keep a map in your head to enjoy it.
One reader put it better than I can. She said it seemed daunting at first, with a list of characters she thought she’d never keep straight, and then she found that Declan was the focal point and the rest fell into place.
If you’ve wanted a fantasy world with a real love story at the center of it, rather than a romance with a few swords in the background, then this is the one.
“This reminds me of the fantasy books I read back in the nineties, where the world is brilliantly imagined.”
Snarky Cat, United Kingdom
In a world where everyone wields magic, Declan is the odd one out.
He’s ungifted, unsure, and hundreds of miles from home, training as a Ranger among people who were born with everything he lacks. Then Ayden Byrne turns up on his archery field looking like he’d swallowed a lemon, and Declan can’t decide whether he wants to punch him or keep looking at him.
Then everything changes.
An ancient cult is working to resurrect a queen dead a thousand years. Women with psychic gifts are being taken. Whispers of disaster reach the border, and Declan and Ayden are sent out on a road where trust is scarce and betrayal is everywhere.
Declan’s brother Keelan is investigating from the city. The two of them are working the same thread from opposite ends and neither knows it yet.
It’s the slowest of slow burns.
By the last page of this book, Declan and Ayden have finally admitted what’s between them. What happens after that takes another three novels.
★★★★★“An epic adventure where love, courage, and magic collide.”
Ana, United States
What readers say
★★★★★“The MM romance is great. Need more of THAT in fantasy too.”
Critical Care Doc, United States
★★★★★“Nice plot with different stories slowly converging. Thorough and easy to follow.”
Bat, Germany
★★★★★“This is a very slow burn. By the end you will find yourself thoroughly engrossed.”
Ana, United States
★★★★★“A cliffhanger ending, which makes you want to start book two straight away.”
David Calder, Australia
★★★★★“A tale of magic, mages, good and evil, brotherly love and true love.”
JanG, United States
★★★★★“Declan’s perplexity at his attraction and burgeoning love for Ayden is sweet.”
Lee Armstrong, United States
★★★★★“I read the origin story of Declan and Keelan first and could not wait to continue.”
RBradford, Canada
★★★★★“This is the first time I’ve read romantic fantasy, and I loved it.”
Verified reader, United States
Four novels and two novellas
carry one story between them.
The four novels are the story. The two novellas fill in the corners, telling you how Declan and Keelan came to be orphans in the Mages’ Guild, and how a healer became the queen everyone is so frightened of a thousand years later.
Declan and Ayden take the long way round. Keelan gets his own story further in.
Start with book one
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many points of view are there?
There are several, and that’s the honest answer. This is epic fantasy and the world is large. Declan narrates the spine of the story and you follow him throughout, so most readers find their footing quickly even when the cast is wide.
Does book one end on a cliffhanger?
Yes. Of Crowns & Quills is one story told across four novels, and each one carries you into the next. If you already know you’ll want the second book, the full set is the cheaper way to get there.
Do Declan and Ayden get a happy ending?
They do, but not in this book. This is the slowest of slow burns. By the last page they’ve admitted what’s between them, and the rest takes another three novels.
Do I need to read the novellas?
You don’t need to. The four novels are the complete story. Brothers of the Guild and A Healer’s Wrath add background, and I’d read them after books one and two rather than before.
How spicy is it?
It’s two peppers across the series, but almost none of that is in this book. An Archer’s Awakening has no explicit scenes at all. Later novels have a few, and even then the focus stays on the plot and the characters.
Who narrates the audiobooks?
Kenn Peterson and Carmen Rose perform them as a duet, produced by Podium Audio. All four novels are available in audio.
When will my paperback arrive?
I sign it here, then it ships USPS. Most orders arrive within three to five days.
Do you ship internationally?
I don’t at the moment, I’m afraid. Signed paperbacks ship within the US only. Outside the US, the ebook and audiobook are available everywhere.
These are the only signed copies in the world. I make them one at a time, at my desk, and there is nowhere else to get one.
For television and motion picture rights, contact Casey directly at casey@authorcaseymorales.com.
© 2026 Casey Morales. All rights reserved. Signed paperbacks are only available directly from the author. As an Amazon Affiliate, Casey earns a royalty on qualifying purchases.