Prince's Gambit

In my life, I have read many books. I have never been a bookworm though, partially because of my moderate aphantasia. I certainly have never read a book that had me fully invested from the first to last page, with each of them being equally unbelievably exciting. I always had to force myself to read through at least some pages, or skip things entirely. I have never laughed so much that my stomach hurt, or cried so much, and I have certainly never covered my mouth with my hand in shock that many times. Until the Captive Prince trilogy. After years of not reading at all, I thought it was impossible, with my shortened attention span from the social media, to spend over a week reading books 100% focused, rereading each paragraph multiple times to imagine it even better and to make sure I didn't miss anything. ----------------- The review taken from my post about the trilogy on Reddit. I think every book from the trilogy is perfect, but this one will always be the most special one for me. I thank the author from the bottom of my heart.

I enjoyed the read but....the character of Laurent and several of the descriptive phrases are copied from another authors work. Laurent is almost a pure copy of Francis Lymond the blond, blue eyed hero written by Dorothy Dunnett. It's really very obvious ....the roof top chase scene that's in Dunnets book, the flogging also, Laurent's ability to flay someone with words is Lymond as is his appearance.

I have no words! At the end of the first book Prince Laurent's uncle, the Regent, has ordered him and a small group of his troops to the border to ostensibly fight the Akielons but, truly, to be killed in any number of ways on the journey. As Laurent and Damen, the true King of Akielos who was deposed by his half-brother and sold as a bed-slave to the Veretians, travel there are plots and machinations and twists and turns that I just never saw coming. If the first book was perhaps mistaken for some kind of m/m slave-porn this one surely puts the reader right. It's a delicate courting dance between two princes, one a slave to the other, one a straightforward soldier, the other a clever, manipulative politician. No-one is ever quite what they seem and I have seen friends turn to foes and back again so often I think I've got reader's whiplash. It's epic yet taut, brutal yet sensual, simple yet also complex. I loved it and I am twitchy because I have a full day of work ahead of me before I can start the third book. Oh, and what a cliffhanger! And does that mean ...?