Kissed by a Dark Prince: Eternal Mates Romance Series

by Felicity Heaton

• ISBN10: 1909306800
• ISBN13: 9781909306806
• Publish Date: 15 November 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Felicity Heaton
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 250
• Language: English

Reviews

[FranJessca @ A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog]

First Time Read: December 2013

Second Time Read (Listened To): November 2018

Third Time Read: September 2022

I’m going through another re-read of one of my favorite series by Felicity Heaton because I realized I have some books I never got a chance to read that she released from this series. It’s an excellent excuse to start from the beginning and fall in love again with characters I’ve already met and fallen in love with, which is what happened in Kissed by a Dark Prince. 

Storyline/My Thoughts: Kissed by a Dark Prince is the first book from Felicity Heaton’s Eternal Mates Romance series. It was a very addicting, page-turning paranormal romance story, especially after reading it a third time. 

Felicity Heaton did a fantastic job of starting this series with some very sexy characters (who are elves) that definitely will make your heart skip a beat or two. At least, that is what Prince Loren did for me because he had already claimed a piece of my heart while reading Kissed by a Dark Prince. I already have plenty of fictional MMCs in my heart, and Loren will forever have a piece of mine. 

Here it is, the Elf Prince, Loren has been searching for his eternal mate for centuries now, and he meets his lovely mate in the worst possible way. He’s unconscious when he meets his mate, Olivia, who is due to inspect the unconscious Prince. She has no idea what he is and is determined to learn about him. Unfortunately, her world will change when Loren suddenly wakes up and bites her. Loren knows he is in the wrong for biting her and doesn’t want to inflict the bond on her if she doesn’t want it.

What I loved most about Loren was how he did not push Olivia to continue being his mate. He was ready to give her up to make her happy. It was difficult for him because he was determined to protect her from his crazy, chaotic world. He stole my heart the minute he was willing to give up on his bond with her, especially after Olivia told him about her traumatic past.

Olivia was a fascinating character the minute she was introduced. I loved that she was a scientist intrigued by paranormal beings like Loren. After what happened to her brother, she is determined to find some good within the paranormal beings that share the world with humans. Unfortunately, she is about to discover firsthand how some paranormal creatures are just too malicious to have good in them. I did find her annoying with how she reacted to specific situations in the book, but she didn’t always react the same way, so she grew on me in the end.

The biggest twist came towards the end of the book, and it involved how Loren ended up in the care of Archangel and Olivia. Poor Loren has been battling with his brother, who has turned evil. Loren is trying to rectify what he did to his brother, but it’s no use when his brother wants him unalived. Now that Loren has found his fated mate, he knows that his brother will target her, and he will do anything to protect her.

Let’s go into the romance between Loren and Olivia now. It wasn’t instant love like fated mates typically are in books. It’s more of a slow-burn romance, especially with Olivia. She had a physical attraction to Loren, but it took her a while for the loving part to come. Usually, I’m not too fond of slow-burn romances, but Felicity writes her spicy scenes so well with her characters that I forget it took some time to get to the romance. She had Loren and Olivia gain chemistry with each other first, and she may even have made them jealous/possessive towards each other. For instance, Olivia could not even look at another male without Loren going berserk. This was before Olivia even realized what was going on with him ultimately.

I could go on and on about this book, but my review would be too long. When I first read this book in 2013, I was eager to read Bleu’s story, which Felicity does give his book later. He was one Elf I immediately loved in the series because of how protective he was of a particular secondary character introduced in this book. I love when Felicity introduces other characters in her books and later gives them their own books. She reminds me of Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter, who have been my auto-buy authors for years, just like Felicity Heaton.

I give this book 4.5 stars and will continue my re-read of the next book after I read some other books first. I’m so glad to be back in this world that Felicity Heaton has created.

Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Eternal Mates Romance Series, and I recommend reading in order.

Steam/Spice: 🌶 🌶 

Trope(s)/Element(s): Fated Mates. Forbidden Love. Fae Royalty Hero. Scientist/Doctor Heroine. Traumatic Past. Slow Burn.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you are a fan of Felicity Heaton’s other books and a fan of Paranormal Romance, you will enjoy this book. If you have not read any of Felicity’s books yet, why haven’t you? Get to it! =)

[kimbacaffeinate]

Five reasons to grab your earbuds and listen to Kissed by a Dark Prince

• Heaton has long been on my list of authors to try and I quickly saw why readers enjoy her brand of paranormal romance. The world-building is brilliant and fresh. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Elves! I was tickled to find not only FAE in a paranormal fiction but to see them in a completely new light. Heaton put her own spin on these supernatural creatures, from their world, language and mating bonds. Well paced with twist, turns, and sexy chemistry paranormal and urban fantasy fans alike will enjoy this series.


• In the Eternal Mates series supernatural and humans coexist with the supernatural traveling between portals. The Elves are an ancient race and in Kissed by a Dark Prince, they are the ancestors of vampires. These vampires are an inferior race and are ruthless, twisted, and dark. In this story, we focus on the Elves, but Heaton has already hinted that other creatures dwell within these worlds. A human organization known as Archangel hunt supernatural creatures and are a bit of a mystery. Olivia works for them as a scientist  studying these creatures.


• While the romance is at the core of this story, Heaton offered us a complex world and plot that quickly draws the reader in. I loved that the world came to life in vivid colors around me as I listened. The author surprised me with twists and turns that kept me listening into the wee hours.  While I want to learn more about the creatures that exist and more about the Archangel organization, I was delighted by this first in series. Secondary characters like Bleu, Sable and Throne were developed and already I am anxious for some of their stories


• I am just going to put this out there, the romance begins with insta-love as Loren’s mating bond kicks in. Go ahead and groan but do not dismiss Kissed by a Dark Prince just yet. Their romance starts hot and heavy in the form of a dream, but then kicks down a notch as they work together and get to know each other. Olivia has some trust issues and her heart and body are saying one thing but her brain clearly remembers prior relationships and bad decisions. Heaton’s mating bond was unique effecting them on a physical level. I loved how Loren refers to Olivia as his k'iara. He is definitely an alpha from losing it when someone looks at Olivia to struggles with Olivia insecurities and denials. He has waited over forty centuries to find his mate and honestly, I was anxious for her to submit as well. Their chemistry was off the charts making this romance believable and one I quickly began rooting for.


• Kissed by a Dark Prince was a strong beginning to the Eternal Mates series. The last quarter of the audio had me listening nonstop and I cannot wait to dive into Claimed by a Demon King. For those who listen to audiobooks, Charlotte Wright, a new to me narrator was delightful. From her soothing lilt to the different voices she created for each character. I was enthralled. I struggle more with female narrators finding them too breathy or fast paced, but Wright drew me in and I hope she continues with this series.

Audiobook provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Melanie]

This is the first Felicity Heaton book I've read. I couldn't pass it up after reading so many great reviews about it. I wasn't disappointed. It was a great first book in a series. You have Olivia who is a scientist who has been fighting fae and demon kind after losing her brother to a demon. Only while she is working on Loren a fae prince, he wakes up and attacks her and drinks her blood. Since they are fated mates, this binds them together, at least partially. The bond won't be final until she drinks his blood as well.

Loren has been fighting his brother for centuries, since Vail's fated mate turned him crazy. He has been trying desperately to find a way to defeat his brother without killing him, but when his brother tries to mess with Olivia, things change.

I love the world that Ms. Heaton has built for this series. I love that you have a group of demon hunters that think all non-humans are bad but learn that some can be trusted and even used to help fight the truly evil. If you've read the Demonica series by [a:Larissa Ione|375143|Larissa Ione|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1221675980p2/375143.jpg], this is very similar.

The secondary characters are wonderful. I'm a huge fan of great secondary characters in a story. I think that they are almost more important that the main characters. In most series, if you ask me who my favorite character is, it will probably be a secondary character. That would be the same here. I loved Sable and Bleu. I loved their loyalty and thought they were both strong characters.

I can't wait for book two, which is Sable's book.

[Berls]

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.

My Initial Reaction...

Felicity Heaton is an author I've had on my TBR for quite some time (owning several of her books even), and I'm so glad I finally made time to read one of her books! Kissed By A Dark Prince delivered unexpected twists, sexual tension, sizzling romance, incredible word building and great fantasy characters.

The Characters...

Kissed By A Dark Prince is told from two points of view, that of  Olivia and Loren. I was a fan of Olivia's from the start; she's an independent woman not looking for a man to save her. When she gets into a pickle, she wants to save herself - and she has the intelligence to make a go of it. Olivia is a doctor/scientist at the Demon hunting organization called Archangel. It took me a while (a little longer than I would have liked actually) to realize that in this world, only a select few humans know about the supernatural world and Olivia is one of them. Her back story is an interesting part of the plot progression within Kissed By A Dark Prince and made for a beautifully complex character. As I got to know her better, I was thrilled to see that she has this incredible heart and is really motivated by loyalty and caring for others (human, demon, fae, etc alike).

Loren, who turns out to be an elf prince, was also one of my favorite leading male characters. He's so damned noble, I think it's impossible not to melt just a little when you get to know him. He's been at war for eons with his brother and it torments him that he may have to kill his brother to protect his people. And he's prepared to make incredible sacrifices - including Olivia, who he's been searching for as long as he's been at war - just to do the right thing. When we first meet him though, this isn't what I was thinking. Much like Olivia, who had him stretched out, unconscious on an examination table, I was thinking who are you and why are you so sexy!?!

While I tend to really dislike insta-love scenarios, I actually really enjoyed Felicity's twist on it. Loren, as an elf, has 1 fated female (soul mate basically) and Olivia is it. But just because they have this instant attraction through their bond, doesn't mean they both just fall madly in love. Instead they both fight the physical attraction, not to mention the fact that they actually can feel what the other one is feeling through the bond, with the intent of breaking the bond. It made for a great twist, left me uncertain of their relationship, and provided some great sexual tension.

The Story...

Although Kissed By A Dark Prince is definitely what I would categorize as a Paranormal Romance, I love that it had a bit more of a story and incredible world building. Before the book opens, Loren was dropped basically on Archangel's doorstep, unconscious, by his brother, in what Loren suspects was a deliberate plan to introduce him to Olivia, who would be a weakness for him. So he determines that he must break the bond, giving up his one and only mate for the good of his people. As we get to understand the way the bond works, we also grow to understand more about the elves, other fae and demons, shifters and vampires. Felicity has added some really neat twists to the traditional paranormal characters to make them very interesting and unique. Elves & vampires were most especially different - in really fun, interesting ways.

Olivia's world is a bit different from Loren's, since she lives in our human realm. Archangel, the company she works for, is an organization that I would really like to get to know better. They seem to be made up of humans who, for whatever reason, know about the supernatural world and both study it and hunt the bad elements in it. Olivia is one of many doctor/scientists working at Archangel, studying demons and fae - and although we do learn Olivia's reason for doing so, I'm curious to understand a bit better what Archangel is all about. I personally suspect that there's more to them than just being the good guys hunting the bad guys; this is my speculation though, and there isn't much to hint one way or the other in Kissed By A Dark Prince. I guess I'll just have to read the rest to see!

Concluding Sentiments...

So, I do have to admit that it took me a little bit to get fully invested in the characters and plot of Kissed By A Dark Prince, but I eventually became thoroughly enthralled. It's rare that I pick up a series so early on and I'm thrilled I did, even though I hate that I'll have to wait for book 2!!

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Kissed by a Dark Prince (Eternal Mates #1) SOURCE: Author in exchange for a honest review.
 
It is official, I have become totally addicted to Felicity Heaton's work. Damn! she knows how to weave a story that holds her reader's attention from the very first page. I was totally bowled over by this book.I was granted the privilege of receiving an ARC and all I can say is, I am forever grateful.Kissed by A Dark Prince totally rocked and is definitely a great start to a new series.I loved the author's take on the origin of vampires. I found it to be rather unique. For me I found her views on Faes, Shifters, Demons, witches and vampires quite refreshing.The characters were quite engaging. My favourites are Loren, the dark prince, Olivia his mate, Bleu his bodyguard and Sable, Olivia's best friend.Kissed by a Dark Prince is filled with loads of action and the romance is quite sizzling. This a story of love, deceit and the quest for power. It was quite riveting and it was hard for me to put down but I had to resist the pull as I had to be studying for exams. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.If you love paranormal romance that is filled with kick-ass hunks, lots of action and steamy love scenes then do yourself a favour an get a copy of this book. It will be worth it.