EVER AFTER is a story about a prince and heir to a throne who falls in love with a commoner. That’s a story that’s been told in fiction and in real life many a time. The added difficulty here, of course, is that the commoner is a man, which makes the romance doubly potentially treacherous for both characters.

Cassius, the commoner, and Merrick, the prince, are lovely, kind, good-hearted guys; there’s no doubt you’ll love them and root for their happiness, and, as performed by the ever-fabulous Joel Leslie, the story is almost an unmitigated delight.

The infuriation came for me about 1/3 into the tale, after the two become romantically involved, and… then there was one chapter after another of torturous angst, thwarted longing, and fatalistic sighs of “this could never be” and “they would have to content themselves with this one perfect night” and “only memories they would cherish forever”, for the prince must do his duty and marry someone who can produce an heir. Meanwhile, I’m over here shouting, “Dude! Have you never heard of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson? Just abdicate already!”

If this story had been pared down to a shorter novel, or even a novella, lost several unnecessary secondary characters, and streamlined the plot, it would have been magical and perfect. As it is, it’s mostly lovely, with some real tedium in the middle.