Reviewed by Gyn
Title: Prince’s Gambit
Author: C.S. Pacat
Series: Captive Prince #2
Heroes: Damen/Laurent
Genre: MM Fantasy
Length: 416 Pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: With their countries on the brink of war, Damen and his new master, Prince Laurent, must exchange the intrigues of the palace for the sweeping might of the battlefield as they travel to the border to avert a lethal plot.
Forced to hide his identity, Damen finds himself increasingly drawn to the dangerous, charismatic Laurent. But as the fledgling trust between the two men deepens, the truth of secrets from both their pasts is poised to deal them the crowning death blow…
Review: More. It’s the one word I can use to describe the second book in the Captive Prince series. More. Prince’s Gambit is everything we loved about the first book; the drama and intrigue, the cunning and intelligence, the tension and building of Laurent and Damen’s relationship. But there’s so much more of it!
More Characters! It’s hard to believe because the first book left off with an impressive list of characters, yet we meet even more. (I’m particularly fond of the band of female warriors.) In addition, all our favorite characters continue to grow and change, sometimes shocking and surprising the reader. Some good guys go bad, some bad guys, we find out, have really been good all along, and many are somewhere in between.
More Plot! Holy cow, the plot and sub-plots and sub-sub-plots in this series are quite simply amazing. Pacat has woven an impeccable world and I love that this book moves the story along smoothly and succinctly. Sometimes I finish books in a series feeling like I read an entire novel and yet things didn’t progress. Definitely not the case with Prince’s Gambit. I think of it like a chess game with Laurent versus his uncle. The first book set the board and the players, but in the second book, many pieces have been painstakingly put into place and now it comes down to hardcore battle. The move of every pawn is precise and thought out. It’s a game of wit and strategy and sometimes just plain luck. By the end of the book, you’re on edge waiting to see how it all plays out and dying for the call of “Checkmate!”
More Romance! Yes, that’s right! Laurent and Damen’s tenuous and tumultuous relationship deepens both physically and emotionally and the connection between the two becomes so intense you can just feel it radiating off the page. Captive Prince is not a flowers and candies type of romance but the result is something so visceral and raw the intensity of it is almost blinding.
More Painful and Agonizing Waiting! The end of this book! I just can’t even tell you. All I can say is clip your nails before you read it because you’re going to want to claw your skin off to try to erase the knowledge that you have to wait for the next installment!
Overall Impression: It was amazing
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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