"The King of Next Week" is a romance in its literary definition and a historical fantasy. The story's latter two-thirds is set in the seaport of Phippsburg, Maine in the post-Civil War 1860s. At its heart, is a love story that transcends not just race but worlds, of a human man and a djinn woman of diametrically opposed natures.

Captain Matthew Percy, a wounded Union veteran, has the idea to sell blocks of Maine ice to western Africa. However, his ship grounds upon an island not on any map -- an island of djinn. Here, he falls in love with Janiri, the djinn chieftain's restless daughter, and she with him. She agrees to return to Phippsburg with him to be his wife for as long as her nature allows. And it is their immutably disparate natures, he of earth (and ice) and she of fire on which this tale brilliantly turns.

"The strength of fire is in what it burns. The strength of the earth is in what it builds."

With Matthew's djinn bride comes, by their nature, three wishes. In Phippsburg, Matthew, Janiri, and (soon) their young child face turmoil: threats to his reputation, his career, even to his beloved family home overlooking the sea. Matthew could "wish" these threats away. He could have vengeance on his enemies. But ...
Read and find out.

Ms. Ambrose's prose is beautiful.
"Have you ever seen snowflakes? They're like lace made of ice..."

I am pleased to highly recommend "The King of Next Week" by E.C. Ambrose.
The tale is magic. ( )

We never do quite find out exactly what kind of creature the hero's bride is, but we get so caught up in the love story, and the hatred of the community, and the chaos of the unsigned agreement, that the story comes to an end and all we have is sorrow that it had to be done. ( )

I blurbed this. It is awesome. ( )