Pleasure of a Dark Prince
(IAD #7)
by Kresley Cole
Wolves! *sigh* Intriguing...they’re just so….alpha. Aggressive, persistent, savage, and…fiercely protective. We’ve met Lachlain and Bowen MacReive of the Lykae clan, and now Cole reacquaints us with Garreth MacRieve, the Dark Prince, Lachlain’s younger brother. Yes, the same Garreth who reluctantly assumes the kingship in Lachlain’s absence… the same Garreth, who in A Hunger Like No Other, rescues the imprisoned Lachlain, and subsequently, helps save Emmaline’s life.
Pleasure of a Dark Prince is Garreth’s story…his dogged pursuit of his mate, Lucia, his female who he’s waited for a millennia. He’s scented, identified her; followed The Instinct that obsessively compels him to claim and mark her. Lucia the Huntress, the Skathi Archer, a Valkyrie; chaste, ascetic, replete with harrowing secrets…is Garreth’s mate? But will a Valkyrie Skathi Huntress break her vow, “I can become…p-pure hearted. And I’ll shun men”. For a Lykae?
Saved by Skathi the goddess of the Hunt, Lucia became her acolyte, devoted her life to the hunt; an unequaled expert archer who suffers excruciating pain if she misses her target. As long as she remains chaste, untouched by a man, she keeps her abilities, her talent as the masterful Archer. And yet, she’s attracted, allured by MacRieve. This brawny domineering wolf relentlessly pursues her, flirts with her, tries to seduce her to accept him as hers. However, Lucia must resist MacRieve! There’s too much at stake, much too much to lose. For if she becomes his, she will no longer be Skathi, no longer the Archer, and she desperately needs her skills, talents, and expertise to kill the barbaric Crom Cruach, the Broken Bloody One. She will not be recaptured by Cruach! Never again will she allow herself to suffer his savagery. Sorry MacRieve!
Of course, Garreth is totally unaware, knows nothing about her past, knows nothing about Cruach. He senses her desire…to be with him; he does not understand her reluctance, her rejection; cannot fathom why she won’t surrender to him? What are her secrets? What terrifies her?
Is this a good one?
I love their sexual tension and banter as Garreth is definitely Lucia’s match. He’s determined, and gets what he wants. Although she successfully eludes him, he follows Lucia, his female, into the bowels of the Amazon jungle, not realizing that she seeks the dieumort, the weapon that will kill Cruach. Traveling on a “slow boat to Hell” they rely, protect each other. Ever vigilant, they discover the devious deceptive motives of the seedy passengers, an eclectic cast of characters. (Well, there’s a doctor, a scientist, a captain…) No one and Nothing is who or what it seems… more secrets, hidden agendas and false identities. Facing life threatening challenges, Lucia and Garreth grow closer; well, at least Garreth. He knows that Lucia is holding back. Will she ever completely trust him? More secrets. Nightmares. Decisions. Will she choose him, create a new life with him? Discard her vow? Is Garreth enough for her? He quietly whispers, silently implores “Choose me this night…”
Do I like Garreth?
Yeah, I do. He’s “one hundred percent unadulterated male, alpha to the core”. Garreth is incredibly charming, volatile, protective, fierce, intelligent, funny and…patient. It’s difficult to believe (and understand) his extensive pursuit of Lucia, for more than a year he stalks her, trails her to the far reaches of the earth. And still, she runs from him, rejects, eludes him. Exceeding the limits of his patience, exasperated, Garreth rages. “I’ve chased you over the world, protected you, offered you everything I am to you. No longer. I’ve reached my end”. But, she’s his. “Lousha, you’re my lass”. He can’t leave her.
Pleasure…is very Indianajonesque with reminiscences of a 1930 adventure/fantasy horror movie… zombie-like pirates, ghost ships, a rusted junker, “Lost World” Amazon creatures, hidden tombs, depraved cursed demigods, human sacrifice, a pending apocalypse, mind control…
Overall, this action-packed romance is a fun read!
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