Kings Rising (The Captive Prince Trilogy Book 3)

Pamela Rosen

An Enchanting Fairytale Trilogy

"The Captive Prince was so wondrous, I paid full price for the books (only one of which had been reduced to $1.99) meaning that I was willing to shell out $19 in two days just b'c I was so caught up in the storyline, the richly drawn characters and the incredible (constantly surprising) twists and turns that happened so frequently, I started to feel like Watson to Sherlock at some point fairly early on in book one. That is my long-winded way of saying I totally loved it!! In the world created by C.S. Pacat, gender roles are different then one generally sees either in RL or romances. This idea is not universal, but in order to avoid illegitimate children (an important point in the series), same-sex pairings are the norm in all surrounding Kingdoms (except for the purposes of begetting heirs), and female warriors, peppered throughout Vere, for example, are warriors of great renown. And so (the trilogy opens with this detail, so I'm not giving away spoilers) when Damen, the true Prince of Akielos (would-be King) is sold into slavery as a 'special gift' for Laurent, the young Prince of Vere (who has not yet turned 21), it is assumed (at first) that Damen would, among other tasks, be warming Laurent's bed. Of course, there are complications galore, a few of which also come out at the very beginning of the trilogy. Damen, as a young warrior of 19 (now 25) killed the heir to the throne of Vere (and Laurent's most beloved older brother) in a war between kingdoms, thus given the sobriquet of Prince-Killer (not particularly original, but it says what's necessary) and so he's not only in a foreign country as a slave, but one in which every individual wishes him harm. And there are serious difficulties dealing with Laurent, whom Damen at first just believes is a pouty, lazy aristocrat. A most beautiful one, but still... He quickly realizes his mistake. Just not the depth of his misperception. With floggings, wild chases on horseback and across the city late at night, treasonous plots, random sexual encounters, medieval entertainment including sporting events and, again, sexual encounters (seriously), cheating death time and time again, small and large armies trained and/or sent out to war, double-agents, triple-agents, dungeons, pleasure pets (human, that is), brothels, camps, castles, holdings, rape, murder, and the most heinous villain since Moriarty (from AC Doyle or any Sherlock series), or, say, Hans Gruber (Die Hard) -- a smart, bright HORRIBLE villain -- The Captive Prince Trilogy contains all one might look for in such a series. And it brings up questions of morality - whether there is a grey area between white and black. And, to my most delightful surprise, even a dash of Agatha Christie-type explanation near the end! All that PLUS the relationship between Damen and Laurent, which builds so slowly, so cautiously, in such a manner that the reader is actually taken aback when something physical starts up between them. It's a remarkable trilogy that, under other circumstances, I could actually see the grandson in The Princess Bride enjoying -- except, this IS a kissing book, this is a very adult book simply masquerading as a fairytale. I had only one problem with the entire trilogy, dealing with a plot point (I thought) was so blazingly clear about halfway through book one, that I honestly could not understand why it took Damen by surprise somewhere near the end of book three. While his character was established to be lacking in cunning and deviousness such that he did not perceive it in others, I (apparently mistakenly) thought that he was also shown to be a somewhat wiser man through the time he spent in the military. Clearly I was wrong. However, while this was, in fact, an important point in the trilogy, Damen's ignorance of it is somewhat nit-picky simply b'c all three books were basically non-stop action. There wasn't any time to dwell on (what I considered to be) Damen's idiocy when so many other things were happening all around him. And, to be fair, in the end it's just a fairytale with a fairytale ending. And it gave me two days of tremendous fun to join Damen and Laurent on their adventures throughout various parts of Vere and Akielos! (And, to be truly, truly fair, Laurent's character, flaws included, happens to be a personal favorite type of mine, so it was much easier to get annoyed with Damen on Laurent's behalf.) My recommendation, having spent weeks and weeks trying to find either free, KU, or not at all expensive books, is that the minute you're willing to spend money, spend it on this Trilogy!! ["

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September 29, 2016 Verified Purchase

Ariel

Awesome series!!

"*****SPOILERS BELOW***** "I'm glad you're here," said Laurent. "I always thought that I'd have to face my uncle alone." He turned to look at Damen, and their eyes met. "You're not alone," said Damen. I'm so glad I decided to reread the first two books (after not initially liking them years ago) and then read this one. Otherwise I would have missed out on something truly wonderful. The last book ended in a horrible cliff-hanger where Damen was revealed to be Prince Damianos...and now we see the consequences of that reveal. Laurent and Damen have been growing closer this whole time but at this revelation, with everything out in the open, their complicated relationship takes a few steps backward. The strain in their relationship affects them both and they must come to terms with who they are and what they really mean to one another. "I miss you," said Laurent. "I miss our conversations." ...... "I miss you too." When they finally reunite and are intimate, that sex scene was even better than in the last book! Damen continues to be incredibly tender as he takes his time and works at bringing Laurent pleasure. Damen is such an incredibly kind man and I love the honesty and care he shows Laurent. He really sees the man under Laurent's mask he shows the world. "How can you trust me, after what your own brother did to you?" "Because he was false," said Damen, "and you are true. I have never known a truer man." He said, into the stillness, "I think if I gave you my heart, you would treat it tenderly." And Laurent really makes you feel for him. He clearly has little to no experience with genuine kindness and having Damen constantly provide it really wears away at Laurent's inner walls. "I hated you," said Laurent. "I hated you so badly I thought I'd choke on it. If my uncle hadn't stopped me, I would have killed you. And then you saved my life, and every time I needed you, you were right there, and I hated you for that, too. I really loved how much the characters cared about one another. It's incredible how far they've come. And after they reconcile, they don't hide their feelings from each other or the men around them. I loved how much they wanted to keep each other safe. And how far they were willing to go to do so. "No. Listen to me." He felt Laurent's hand firm on the back of his neck. "I'm not going to let my uncle hurt you." Laurent's blue gaze was calm and steady, as if he had made a decision and wanted Damen to know it. "It's what I came here last night to say. I'm going to take care of it." .............. "Even now, all he had to do was denounce Laurent and he could face Kastor with a real chance of taking back his throne. But he asked himself the question in Ravenel, and now he knew the answer. A kingdom, or this." The ending confrontation with the Regent was fantastic and Damen's little speech to the council about Laurent made me wanna cry! This is, without a doubt, the best and most well-written enemies to lovers and slave/master story I've ever read. It's incredibly well-paced and believable in terms of the characters' relationship development. The plot was amazing! Pacat had me overcomplicating my theories and ideas and then second guessing them over and over. I seriously can't recommend this series enough! Do yourself a favor and read this series ASAP! ["

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February 9, 2017 Verified Purchase

AnnRahl

This book had everything I liked about the first two books

"Warning: ******SPOILERS*****Like many, I have been waiting for this book for years. It was an excruciating wait. This book had everything I liked about the first two books. Her characters are complex and three dimensional. She creates the perfect tension between Laurant and Damon....cringe worthily good! The only thing I did not like about the book was the ending. After everything, after all the plotting and manipulating, that is how it ends? It made no sense. Damon walking into the palace, like that would actually accomplish anything. I don't understand the trial at all. Why have it? Just kill Laurant. The throne was the Reagents anyways. I just didn't buy the ending of how it all played out. The council all of a sudden takes the word of the physician. Why do they suddenly believe his story and just like that switch their allegiance? They didn't believe Laurant or Damon...but now that the physician gave his story (which could have been made up) everything makes sense and they now realize they were in the wrong. I thought that was extremely weak. Also, Kastor and the Reagent had the command of the palace and the guards....the fact that they were so easily defeated was unbelievable. My last thing to nit pick are the white guards up on the mountain where you can't harm anybody. Why did they listen to the Reagent like he was their sworn King? Why didn't Damon just say who he was....He is the king? That scene made no sense. They never explained why Laurant was planning to go with his Uncle in the first place. I get that he went in the end to save Damon, but what was he going to accomplish by going with his Uncle when Damon was not going to be harmed? I really did enjoy the book....but I expected so much more. It was wrapped up too neatly. The motivations of some of the characters started to lose me and Kastor and the Reagent were thrown off their thrones too easily. I didn't buy it. I wanted a battle and more plotting and outmaneuvering. But....No.....they pretty much just walked into the palace and took their thrones back. Are you kidding me...after everything...thats it? One last thing. Why was the Reagent practically ruling Achilles? He had is entire council there and was holding court like it was his kingdom? What was Kastor thinking or doing during all this? It was still Akielos and Kastor should have had way more men compared to a couple of guards that the Regeant brought. Did I miss something? I don't get how Kastor was so easily swept aside. The Reagent was acting like it was his palace and his court and not an honored guest. Ok, I'm done. I just had to get that off my chest. I do not want my rant to sound like this is a bad book or that I did not like it. I am just so invested in these characters and the world, that I was really thrown when the way it played out didn't seem real or plausable. Pacat is a terrific writer and I would recommend this series to anyone. Laurant and Damon are some of my all time favorite literary characters. The end was sloppy in my opinion, which is disappointing because the first two were superbly executed. In the first two, every action and motivation was accounted for. In this one...not so much. ["

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February 3, 2016 Verified Purchase

triskell

Amazing. And I have a question.

"Truly one of the best m/m series of all time. And I have read A LOT of them. The taut and powerful writing, the amazingly complex characters, the fast and twisty plot. I'm so emotionally drained, yet charged, right now, I don't really know what to write. So many thoughts are tumbling around: how deeply I will miss Damen and Laurent, how I was so fed up waiting for this book for so many years that I didn't think I could possibly like it (but, of course DO), how Pacat's prose continues to stun and move me, how this book was even funnier in parts than the others, and what a wonderful surprise that was (Charls!). But the love story actually seemed to have some gaps, that made me enjoy the book a little less than I would have. And almost made me give it 4 stars (but given the series as a whole, I just couldn't do it). My big question for the readership (I wish I knew a forum to move this to - please let me know if there is)... ***********SPOILERS************ For the first third of the book Laurent returned to treating Damen very cruelly. I couldn't understand why. In the first book his cruelty was, though not acceptable, understandable, for his character and what had happened to him. Times when he was barbed and mean to Damen in the second book also made sense from clues in the text - he was protecting himself from growing feelings, etc. But I couldn't understand the maliciousness at the start of this final book. Can someone tell me, where in this book, you can see some sort of motivation for Laurent's awfulness in the first several chapters? Was he being ruthless to goad Damen into some sort of action? That doesn't make sense because Damen was prepared to be his ally. Was he being awful because he was protecting his feelings? This doesn't sit right either and I found no evidence in the text. Just as his unexplained aggression early in the book doesn't make sense to me, I also can't understand how he seemed - to suddenly - become more open again after his night of drunkeness with Makedon. That seemed to be a turning point back to Laurent who was more vulnerable, more tender with Damen, and after a bit, a lover again. But WHY? What made him open up to Damen again? I am probably missing some important clues in the text - please let me know what I missed! ["

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February 3, 2016 Verified Purchase

Chachic (Chachic's Book Nook)

This series is EXACTLY the type of fantasy that I love reading. The writing is brilliant

"The Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat had me completely riveted from start to finish. I held off from reading it for the longest time because I thought some of the themes would be too dark for me, but this series is EXACTLY the type of fantasy that I love reading. The writing is brilliant, the worldbuilding is amazing, the humor is on point and the character development is excellent! YOU GUYS, the characters! Damen and Laurent are both fascinating to read about. Both of them princes, but from vastly different cultures and with such distinct personalities. I loved getting to know both of them as the series progressed. They are both a product of their upbringing, and yet still very much their own person. I had a lot of fun seeing them navigate the intricacies of court intrigue in their own respective countries as well learning the balancing act of dealing with foreign nations. In terms of culture, history and landscape, Vere reminded me of medieval France while Akielos seems based on Ancient Greece. I also really enjoyed seeing Laurent, and with Damen to support him, learn the rules of command as he grew into his own type of leadership. There were so many twists and turns in the story, I was happily surprised by some of them and I enjoyed the ones I was able to predict in a "Ha! I knew it!" sense. At its heart, the Captive Prince trilogy is an M/M romance between two princes: the best kind of slow burn between enemies who become lovers! At the start, they truly hated each other and everything they believed the other person stood for. Until they started getting glimpses of the other person's personality. Which blossomed into a reluctant friendship. And then into something more. I have had the worst kind of book hangover since I finished reading this trilogy and some of the related short stories. Definitely a favorite read for this year! ["

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April 15, 2018 Verified Purchase