Prince's Gambit

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.