Prince's Gambit

I enjoyed this book a little more than the first because it had more action, a lot more character development, and we saw more of the lands and culture within Vere. A lot of the twists honestly surprised me - like Damen, I am not of a scheming mind like Laurents and couldn't have predicted a lot of his plans, but Pacat has done an excellent job tying the twists together to make a cohesive plot (no doubt by benefit of being published by Penguin with an actual editor, unlike the first book which started as a self-published web series). This book did have a lot less sex than the first (since they are away from the palace and “bed slaves”) which made the will-they-won't-they between Damen and Laurent a little sweeter - the “slow burn” many reviewers have mentioned. I'm definitely enjoying this series.

This sequel has the same compelled-to-finish feeling as the first one.

The first book ended with the cliffhanger that the Regent was trying to kill Laurent and if succeeded he would go after Akeilos next. So Damen and Laurent are forced to work together to prevent that. It was a great chance of scenery having them headed towards the frontier and out of the court and shifting the focus on tactical moves on war prevention and camaraderie. The inclusion of the neighboring kingdoms was also very welcome. Although some of the twists and turns were a little disjointed, the overall plot was pretty engaging.

I guess I liked the progress in their relationship, overall, although I would have appreciated it even more development. They didn't interact enough to justify their newly acquired super closeness, for my taste. I could barely detect any chemistry between them so when they finally got together (all consensual, thankfully) it felt pretty jarring and sudden even though it's been two books in the making. I feel like they are more of a bromance than anything else. I can see them go from enemies to friends but I don't buy the enemies to lovers part. I'm still invested in how their stories will all end, I just don't see them as a couple. I've read books with barely a touch between the characters and there was so much chemistry and tension you could cut it with a knife. But here, there was still a coldness between them despite being intimate physically (besides the big elephant in the room aka Damen killed Laurent's brother). I don't know, maybe I'm asking too much from a book in this genre.

Updated review 06/25/2018

What do you write about a book threw all that you thought you knew about the characters out the window, put you through an emotional wringer and ends on a cliffhanger that makes you want to pick the next book right that minute. And that's exactly what I did. To say that I love this book would be an understatement.

The plot picks up right after the ending of Captive Prince. Damen and Laurent start off their journey towards the border knowing full well what they are going to find at the end. They have to navigate a haughty captain, incompetent soldiers, tricky terrain and mercenaries hell bent on killing them – and in the midst of all this also deal with their changing relationship.

We get to know Damon much better in this book now that he has a semblance of freedom. He is honest, loyal, straightforward, a strong warrior and a brilliant military strategist. He is a very honorable man and strives hard to keep his promise to Laurent about protecting him. He is a natural commander and succeeds in turning a ragtag bunch of scrappers into a loyal guard capable of defending their Prince. As he encounters various attempts on their life and destruction of entire villages, he realizes he has been a warmonger and responsible for so many deaths previously and slowly, a lot of his attitudes and prejudices towards the people of Vere change. He comes to respect the soldiers and view them as friends rather than his enemy. He also gradually gets to know Laurent better, figuring him out behind the walls that he has built up and discerns his true feelings for Laurent.

Damen was aware that what he was witnessing was nascent kingship, the first flexings of command of a prince born to rule, though Laurent's brand of leadership – equal parts consummate and disturbing – was nothing like his own.

Laurent is a total revelation in this book. I really did think he had no redeeming qualities but through Damen, we see that he is so much more than the ice cold facade that he puts up for others. He is sly and slippery, his mind works on a whole other plane, he is a great political strategist and master manipulator. But he is also that little boy who loved reading books, worshipped his older brother and lost all his family in one day; a boy who had no one who loved him except his cunning uncle with ulterior motives – all of this made him grow up very fast, repress all his emotions and present this stoic image of a person always in control. But through his cautious friendship with Damen, he becomes aware of how much he wronged Damen,he begins showing these little vulnerabilities and starts growing into the kind of leader no one believes he is capable of being.

Never had he wanted something this badly, and held it in his hands knowing that tomorrow it would be gone.

The way their relationship grows from reluctant allies to cagey friends to gentle lovers is a delight to read about. They are just awesome together and I couldn't get enough. They tease each other, poke and prod and argue but also respect each other at the end of the day. Their friendly banter, their struggle to hide their attraction but unable to do so was so heartwarming. There are many amazing moments that they share, full of sexual tension which are unforgettable. Every time Damen wished that they had been in a different time where he could have courted Laurent made me feel so sad. And when Laurent said that he considered Damen to be as good a man as his brother, I was awed by his honesty and his character development.

And then there is chapter 19... and my paperback also had an additional chapter 19 1/2 at the end... which just overwhelmed me with all kinds of emotions. Damen and Laurent know that they have just one night together, so when they make love, it's beautiful, sweet and gentle, but also sad and bittersweet. They bare their souls to each other, see each other completely with all the flaws and insecurities, cherish the love they have. There is so much tenderness expressed in every thought, gesture and word, it just made my heart ache.

It felt, in all the lies between them, as if this was the only true thing. It didn't matter that he was leaving tomorrow. He felt remade with the desire to give Laurent this; to give him all he would allow, and to ask for nothing, this careful threshold something to be savored because it was all Laurent would let himself have.

I read a lot of NA novels and have encountered many sex scenes before, but I have to commend the author here because she took a barbarian warrior and a scheming ice cold prince and showed us that they can fall in love and be so generous and caring towards each other. This book definitely has one of the best lovemaking scenes I have ever read.

The writing in this book overall gets so much better. Without all the triggering content from book one, the plot becomes more about the journey and uncovering the Regent's subterfuge. There is a lot of action, moves and countermoves, betrayal and heartbreak and despair. Through this thriller of a ride, the author gives us great character development, forcing us to acknowledge how much they have changed and make us fall in love with them. And then came that ending.... it was so unexpected but also so much like Laurent and the amount of far reaching consequences it can have, just made me pick up King's Rising in the next second.

All I can say at the end is if you read the first book, forget everything you felt about it and dive right into this one and I promise you will not be disappointed.

06/23/2018
Now that's a slow burn romance alright!!! I loved the book so much and there's nothing else I can say for now...
RTC