Reviewed by Dan

This is a Series Review of the Captive Prince Trilogy

 

AUTHOR:  C. S. Pacat

PUBLISHER:   Berkley / Penguin Group 

SERIES REVIEW:  

I love this series.  When I realized we had never reviewed the first two books on Love Bytes, I decided I had to rectify that situation….and what better time than at the release of the third and final book of the trilogy!

I believe that there have been at least three releases done on Captive Prince and Captive Prince 2, with Captive Prince 2 becoming Prince’s Gambit somewhere along the way.  The author’s name also changed somewhere along the line, since the copies I own show S. U. Pacat as the author.  Regardless of the names of the books, or the name of the author, this is one of my favorite m/m series of all time.

Whichever version you pick up, I highly recommend you pick it up.  If you are into stories set in alternate worlds, with swords, slaves, loads of treachery, traitors, and warrior princes and kings, all wrapped up in a great m/m storyline, then this series is for you!   There isn’t a lot of sex in the first one, but it builds as it goes along.  It never becomes a large focus of the story though.  This series is all about the story of two men and their struggles along the way.  There is a lot of brutality and did I mention the slavery?  But it is handled very well and shouldn’t be a trigger for anyone.  There is violence, but there would have to be wouldn’t there in a story about a Prince being sold into slavery at the command of his half-brother?

My reviews of all three books are below.  In closing, all I can say is that I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  Take my advice, pick up the series today.  You will thank me for my sage advice later.

SERIES RATING:

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TITLE:  Captive Prince

SERIES:   Captive Prince #1

AUTHOR:     C. S. Pacat

PUBLISHER:     Berkley / Penguin Publishing Group

LENGTH:     241 Pages

RELEASE DATE:   February 2, 2013

BLURB:

This was Vere, voluptous and decadent, country of honeyed poison.”

Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.

Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new master Prince Laurent epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Verethian court, nothing is at it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.

For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reasons to hate him than anyone else…

REVIEW:

In Captive Prince, we are introduced to Damen, who has recently been imprisoned and made a slave.  Damen is actually Prince Damianos of Akielos.  Damen’s half-brother, the illegitimate son of their father the king, has seized power upon his death.  He immediately imprisoned Damen and gave him as a gift to Laurent, the Prince of Vere, to be used as a bed slave.

Damen is drugged, and when he awakens he is in Vere.  Vere and Akielos have been at war up until recently, and Prince Damianos actually killed Laurent’s brother in single combat during a battle.  Knowing he will be killed immediately upon the discovery of his true identity, Damen is forced to hide his identity and only say he was a soldier while he works on trying to come up with a way to escape.

Prince Laurent is one twisted individual.  He will go to any lengths possible to get revenge on Akielos for his brother’s death.  When this huge hulking slave falls into his hands…it might just be what he is looking for to exact his revenge.

The characters and world building in this first book are very well done and even the background characters have full personalities.  The interactions between Laurent and Damen kept me flipping the pages, causing me to grow to like them both more with every page.  The book is very well written and expertly edited.  One note, I did this review using a copy of the book that I bought in 2013.  The newest edition is what is available on Amazon and elsewhere, but I don’t believe they were significantly changed from this version.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon 

ARe  

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TITLE:  Prince’s Gambit

LENGTH:     276 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 28, 2014 (Reprint)

BLURB:

With their countries on the brink of war, Damen and his new master Prince Laurent must exchange the intrigues of the palace for the sweeping might of the battlefield as they travel to the border to avert a lethal plot.

Forced to hide his identity, Damen finds himself increasingly drawn to the dangerous, charismatic Laurent. But as the fledgling trust between the two men deepens, the truth of secrets from both their pasts is poised to deal them the crowning death blow . . .

REVIEW:

I’m just going to say it.  Hello, my name is Dan and I’m a rabid fan boy of C. S. Pacat.  I love, love, love, love, love this series.  This is my third time through this particular book, and it always yanks me along through the wild ride of the story.  Ms. Pacat’s characters are so very believable.  I love her character development and her storyline.  Yes, this me being all giddy about a story.

OK, enough excited fan boy action.  On to the story!  In Prince’s Gambit, we pick up the story immediately following the end of Captive Prince.  Prince Laurent’s uncle, the Regent, has manipulated his way into forcing Laurent to go to the border, with a ragtag group of soldiers added on to the small group of loyal soldiers that Laurent has.

Along the way there will be many adventures, double crossings, lies, deceit, and an ever building smolder between the two main characters.  Will the smolder become a flame?  Well, you’ll just have to read it to find out now won’t you?  Be prepared for twists and turns along the way.  That darned Laurent is always at least one step ahead of everyone else…even if no one knows it.  I think my favorite character though is Damen, because of the inner turmoil that we the readers know is going on as he submits further to being Laurent’s slave.

The book moves quite quickly.  Beware though…you won’t want to put it down…so block out a lot of free time when you’re ready to start it!

I remember reading the last page of this book several times on each reading.  I am soooo happy that the third book is now out so that I can keep going!  I’ll be honest, I have the older version of the book, and I’ve heard there might be a bonus chapter beyond the end of the older version.  I’m not sure why anyone would have messed with a good thing, because the end I have is awesome…though a cliffhanger!

Whatever version you choose to read….just read it.  If you’re a fan of alternate world, fantasy, slavery, swords, kings and princes, type books, you will love this series!  I very highly recommend it!

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon 

ARe  

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TITLE:  King’s Rising

LENGTH:     368 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  February 2, 2016

BLURB:

Damianos of Akielos has returned.

His identity now revealed, Damen must face his master Prince Laurent as Damianos of Akielos, the man Laurent has sworn to kill.

On the brink of a momentous battle, the future of both their countries hangs in the balance. In the south, Kastor’s forces are massing. In the north, the Regent’s armies are mobilising for war. Damen’s only hope of reclaiming his throne is to fight together with Laurent against their usurpers.

Forced into an uneasy alliance the two princes journey deep into Akielos, where they face their most dangerous opposition yet. But even if the fragile trust they have built survives the revelation of Damen’s identity—can it stand against the Regents final, deadly play for the throne?

REVIEW:

This final installment in the Captive Prince Trilogy has been a very long time coming.  And it has been very anxiously awaiting by adoring fans worldwide.  I was dancing around the living room in glee when it downloaded from Amazon from my pre-buy.  It seemed I had been waiting forever!

The wait is over!  Of course I had to drop everything and quickly read the book!  I had read somewhere that someone thought a chapter had been added to the end of book two when it was re-released.  I was horrified.  Had I missed something?  Did I need to rush out and buy the newer version?  I bought books one and two as soon as they came out, so they were an older version, but I’m happy to say the third book picks up on the very next page from the end of book two in the version that I own and read, so if there is another chapter in the re-released version it isn’t on the end.  If you have older versions of one and two, don’t worry, you can grab this and go!

In King’s Rising, we are back with our heroes Prince Damianos of Akielos and Prince Laurent of Vere.  When we ended book two, Prince Damianos, or Damen, had just been recognized by the troops and now Prince Laurent was about to find out that he has slept with his brother’s killer!  Drama!

Well, the drama doesn’t just end there.  There are several twists and turns in the plot which keep you guessing.  Of course, those of you who have been following along will know that Laurent always seems to be one step ahead of most things, and nothing has changed….he still is…at least for a good portion of this book.

But subterfuge, evil plots, spies and turncoats abound.  Beyond the secret identity of Damen, there is a ton of other stuff going on.  I have to give kudos to Ms. Pacat.  All of her characters are very well written.  The background characters which in other people’s works might be shallow, are all fleshed out here and well woven into the tapestry of this story.

No spoilers.  I think you will love this book.  I myself absolutely LOVED it.  It ended EXACTLY as I thought it should.  I’m so very happy!  Take my advice and pick it up today.  It is imperative that the series be read in order.  If you haven’t read books one and two…shame on you!  Get them today!  I’ll warn you, they’re more expensive than many books in this genre…but worth it!

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon

ARe