cesarcollazos

4 to 41/2 stars My goodness! This book took me on an emotional roller-coaster ride like none of the other books in the series have. Right from the start, Pleasures of a Dark Prince had me experiencing an array of emotions–from sorrow, to exasperation, to trepidation, to elation. I was exhausted by the end. Once again, I found myself captivated and in awe of the amazingly complex story arc, but flustered and annoyed with the book's romance. In all honesty, I continue reading this series not for the hero and heroine's provocative yet volatile romance (to which I've almost become ambivalent), but for the fantastic characters, the humor, the action/adventure, and the very clever and brilliant storytelling. I struggled with the choices the hero and heroine, Garreth and Lucia, made during this book. Mostly, I struggled with Lucia's decision not to tell Garreth her secrets. I understood her reasoning, since she had some valid points. Ultimately, however, I couldn't help but feel she was being selfish and causing unnecessary heartache and devastating consequences. As I've taken a few days to ponder this book, I've come to realize and accept things could not have happened in any other way. I didn't like Lucia withholding information from Garreth but he wouldn't have listened to reason, or her, anyway. After all, what she feared the most happened to him because of his stubbornness. Regarding Lucia's secrets, I realize there really was no win/win situation. What Lucia did to help Garreth toward the end of this book brought tears to my eyes and helped to redeemed her character. I'm still reeling from the feel-good ending and the very unexpected cliffhanger epilogue. Overall, I enjoyed this book and can't wait to find out what happens next in the series.

2020-08-19 03:11