He's No Prince Charming (Ever After)

by Elle Daniels

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I actually loved He's No Prince Charming at first, but then the love interests met and my love dwindled a bit. It's not because I didn't like the romance. I really did, but I didn't care too much for the circumstances that brought them together. Marcus is out for a stroll when he notices some shady characters leaving his fiancee's home. Naturally, he follows. To his dismay one of the "men" is her in disguise and she's skipping town to marry another man with the assistance of another woman and a partner. Danni runs a secret business where she helps couples elope when their families don't approve of the relationship. Marcus seeks her out and demands retribution for stealing his bride. He won't let her secret out, if she helps him kidnap one of the admiral's daughters for a quickie wedding! What?! See what I mean about their circumstances?

Now, I don't have a problem with kidnapping plots in general, but this one just felt strange to me. It probably would have worked better if Marcus had kidnapped Danni or held her hostage to make this even more of a Beauty and the Beast retelling. However, as it is, He's No Prince Charming left me conflicted. I totally get that Marcus is desperate for a bride with a large dowry so he can buy out his sister's contract to a horrible man. That's very noble, and he's not a bad man although London sees him that way because of his scars and general recluseness. But to blackmail someone into kidnapping a girl? That's a bit much. Plus, I felt like parts of it were suppose to be funny, since everything that could go wrong, went wrong. It seemed a bit slap-stick to me, which is not my thing at all.

But I did adore both Marcus and Danni, as well as them together. Of course, they argue a lot in the beginning, since he's blackmailing her and he's a man completely obsessed and desperate. Then she grows to know him, and sees him at his worst, and at times my heart hurt a bit. Marcus was severely abused as a child, often protecting his mother and baby sister. Now, he's tortured by flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety on top of his physical scars. He normally stays home and drinks himself into a coma, but out in the world he has no way to deal with these things. Danni is the eccentric girl with a heart of gold and helps him in spite of her anger. She sees the man behind the scars and I just loved it! I totally believed their relationship development, even if I didn't like how they came together.

In the end, I did really enjoy He's No Prince Charming. The characters were wonderful and I loved their chemistry. The whole kidnapping plot just didn't sit right with me though. I wavered between two and three stars, but decided to round up because I did like the romance so much. I'm a complete sucker for the damaged hero who lets the world see him as the bad guy finally getting the happiness he deserves.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.