Reviewed by Jenna

TITLE:  Hostage

AUTHOR:     Cheryl Headford

PUBLISHER:     Harmony Ink Press

LENGTH:     352 Pages

BLURB:

When Astrin Raphael finds himself held hostage in an unfamiliar place, he has no option but to try to have faith in someone who seems to despise him. Little does he know his captor is his nemesis, Rowan Gabriel, whose disdain for Astrin all started with a misunderstanding years ago.

The kidnapping of Astrin’s father and Rowan’s uncle leaves the two princes with no choice but to form a precarious alliance. Rowan casts off his hatred and reaches out to Astrin, but Astrin’s doubt and insecurity run too deep to let go of easily. It’s not until Astrin almost loses his life that he’s able to acknowledge what Rowan means to him and admit to the love forming between them.

Their struggle doesn’t end when they return home and their Houses attempt to broker a deal to determine their future together. Each prince might face a choice between keeping his title and finding happiness with the man he loves.

REVIEW:

This was such a beautiful book. Rowan and Astrin are both crown princes of families that are at war with each other. The story begins during peace negotiations between the two houses; however Rowan’s family has an advantage since they are holding Astrin hostage. In the world they live in prisoners are drugged to keep them unconscious until their sentence is served. So Astrin is being held but has no idea he’s been taken hostage.

In addition to being used as a bargaining chip, Astrin is also there for the purpose of forming alliance between the two princes. Since Astrin’s parents were responsible for the killing of Rowan’s parents, Rowan has hated Astrin ever since he knew of his existence. However, after spending some time with Astrin, Rowan finds it impossible to keep hating him.

Hostage is a fantasy and a romance that is filled with action. There were so many things I loved about this book, but most of all, I loved Astrin’s character. Though Rowan was a jerk at first, he redeems himself and I liked him by the end as well. The only thing that threw me off at first was the world building. In the beginning I imagined the book was set in a middle ages type world. So I was surprised when the characters started talking about cars and airplanes. The book also incorporates magic in the form of special abilities. Though there was no sex in this novel, the tenderness with which they express their love and desire for one another is what really made this romance amazing. I recommend this book to anyone who loves enemies to lovers, m/m fantasy, and m/m romance.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Harmony Ink Press 

Amazon