Reviewed by Tara
TITLE: The Fifth Son
AUTHOR: Blaine D. Arden
PUBLISHER: Cayendi Press
LENGTH: 71 pages
BLURB:
A prince without power In a land where magic is commonplace, Prince Llyskel has none. He can’t command spells, he has never been taught to fight, and as the fifth son of the King, he will never rule. Everyone believes he’s a weakling, most of all himself. Powerlessness is Llyskel’s problem—and his pleasure. In his secret fantasies, the prince dreams of nothing more than finding himself helpless at another man’s hands… particularly the hands of Captain Ariv of the Guards. Then Ariv makes Llyskel’s dream a reality, and as the powerless prince surrenders to the soldier’s desire, he finds his own true strength at last. But a web of royal politics is closing around Llyskel, threatening to tear him from his lover, and it will take all his newfound courage to escape…
REVIEW:
In an alternate world we are introduced to Prince Llyskel, the fifth son of the King of Eizyrr. A world in which magic is used everywhere and it is unheard of for someone to have little or no magical ability. One such person without magic is Prince Llyskel. Since he has no magic, he has to be constantly watched at all times, never allowed to roam free and experience the world like his other siblings. His bodyguard Neia must accompany his every move according to his parents will. The one outlet he has is painting, which he excels at but he believes himself to be weak in every other way. The prince has a secret desire to be held powerless by a shooter, a magical device that has the ability to stun a body motionless. He doesn’t want to be held powerless by any man but the Captain of the guards named Ariv. Llyskel thought he held the secret close to his chest but we soon see that Captain Ariv knows his desire and wants to enact his every fantasy with him. That journey of desire enables him to find his true self.
Since this is a short book I will not give too much away but I did love how well written the book was. It definitely had a fairy tale feel to it, the kingdom with the misunderstood prince, a wicked queen, and a charming savior. The descriptions were refreshingly well done. For example: “Surrounded by the thundering sounds of the waterfall and the smells of fresh water, tangy hindra bushes, and sweet yellow nara flowers, I worked until I had put the last bit of shade in, and my painting was done.” This phrase allowed me to feel as if I was right there with the prince watching him paint the fantastic world he lived in. I did adore the illustrations as they helped to envision what was happening in the story. The romance with the prince and the captain was good but I would have liked perhaps more time for it to develop. Since it is just in one point of view you miss out on a lot of what the Captain may have been thinking, and his personal background. The sex scene was definitely intriguing with a bit of kink and the help of the illustration made it hot to envision. I did find the prince’s inner dialogue interesting as he struggled to find his place in the world. You just want to root for his HEA from the very beginning. Captain Ariv was perfect as his savior and lover. You picture him as a gentle but very fierce warrior that saw the strength in Llyskel from the very beginning.
I am hoping that we get a second look at this world in another book. As a whole though it wrapped up way too fast for me but it still was a good and easy read. If you are looking for a touch of fantasy mixed in with a fairy tale feel you will not be disappointed.
RATING: 
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