Reviewed by Nikyta
Title: With Pride
Author: Megan Derr
Series: Princes of the Blood #2
Heroes: Kristof & Håkon
Genre: M/M Fantasy
Length: 65,000 words
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Release Date: April 16, 2014
Available at: Less Than Three Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: When his sister falls ill, Kristof is ordered to assume a duty never meant for him: become the Duke of Stehlmore and marry a notorious Prince of the Blood. It is one of the oldest honors and duties undertaken by his family, but Kristof feels only resentment that he must leave behind all he knows to serve an arrogant half-demon.
His resentment must be set aside, however, when evil is found lurking far too close to the castle—an evil that has many pieces, controlled by someone they cannot find and who always seems one step ahead of them. Someone who seems to think that demons are little more than toys …
Review:
When family duty requires Kristof to not only be the Duke of Stehlmore but to marry one of the Princes of the Blood, Kristof hopes his life will at least have a little happiness. When he meets the bratty piskie prince, Håkon, and learns that’s his intended, his hope to have at least a friendship with his husband blows up in smoke when Håkon is openly hostile and insulting. Just after Kristof fights off a demon too close to home, he’s forced to go on an assignment with Håkon to find the one responsible for the sudden attack. While they hate each other, neither can deny their attraction and when their assignment turns deadly, they might just discover that what lay beneath all that hostility could be love.
I LOVED Kristof and Håkon together. Where Kristof is kind, gentle and a self-imposed coward, Håkon is snarky, bratty and just plain mean. He has a death wish and is more wild than sane. His marriage to Kristof is meant to tame Håkon or at least get him to settle down a little bit. Unfortunately, from the start Håkon is openly rude and insulting to Kristof, who has done nothing but try and be nice to the annoying man. I felt so bad for Kristof because he thinks himself a coward when in reality he just has a horrible allergy that makes him scared of the very things he’s meant to fight. Håkon doesn’t understand Kristof’s problem either so it drives a wedge between the two when Håkon doesn’t take Kristof at his word and causes him pain. One thing I did love about these two together were the physical differences. Where Kristof is the big Paladin who is tall, muscular and gorgeous; Håkon is small, slim and cute. It was adorable the way Håkon constantly complained about the overly tall Paladin who made Håkon ‘put a crick in his neck’ whenever they were too close together and talking. Just so cute!
While I adored this story, I would have preferred to read it before Of Last Resort because I think it would have given more background into some of the characters in the previous book. It’s not as coherent when it comes to describing the fantasy world as Of Last Resort was (at least from what I can remember) but, unfortunately, the world is so extensive and intricate that there is too much to remember and, with this book, it became almost confusing at times. Beyond that, the editing mistakes were very noticeable this time and I felt a little cheated that Kristof and Håkon had only a few scenes together where they were civil. I would have liked to see them more together to actually see the tides turning in their feelings. I also felt like the ending was very anti-climactic. Considering all that happened, I expected a bit more of a longer fight to resolve everything.
In the end, though, I won’t deny that I loved this book. Even with the world being so complex that it bordered on confusing, I really enjoyed it. I loved the intensity between Kristof and Håkon, the sexual tension and the hatred. It oozed from their pores and gave them a great connection and sexual tension. I’m looking forward to the next book although I hope we get one that is set after Of Last Resort and not before because I really want to revisit Raffé and ‘Cam’ again.
Overall Impression: I loved it!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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