From global phenomenon C. S. Pacat comes the first novel in her critically acclaimed Captive Prince trilogy—includes an exclusive bonus story!
Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos. But when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.
Beautiful, manipulative, and deadly, his new master, Prince Laurent, epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.
For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else...
I toughed this book out, basically because it was such a fast read and it was easy for me to skim, and I've heard the sequels are a lot better. I wasn't impressed with the writing; I felt like most things were told and not shown (so I lacked any significant emotional connection); I was the opposite of impressed with the sexual violence that was basically EVERYWHERE; however... the main characters have something, I can't deny that. I'm interested to see where they go, thanks to small glimmers of complexity in this book, and also thanks to what I've heard about later books. So. This book has not made me a fan of the series, at all, but I'm willing to give the rest a chance. We'll see how they go.
