Unfortunately however, the rest fell a little short. And unravelling the mistaken identity mystery was one of the best parts of the tale. I loved the side characters in this tale, especially a certain future princess and a healer. Mat - a hostage mistakenly taken from a kingdom that encourages equality for women but downright despises same sex relationshipsĪnd his captor - Ren - prince of a kingdom where the sex of a person is of no importance in any relationship and all love is accepted, but in which women are seen as 'things to be owned' by their men.Ī kidnapping as means of political leverage for a treaty on which quite a bit more than foreign occupation for a kingdom may hang in the balance.Īnd unexpected feelings between captive and captor, that clash not only against prejudice and indoctrination but also against the wish of seemingly everyone else.Īdd to that a couple of perfectly despicable villains and a side cast to absolutely root for, throw in a good mistaken identity mystery alongside a few gory visions and intriguing magical abilities, and there you go. Two men from completely different cultures. The premise is great and the world is intriguing, while the themes delved into are the kind we should all keep in mind. 'The world doesn't fix itself just because someone points out its inherent unfairness.'Īn enemies-to-lovers MM fantasy romance with Captive Prince vibes, this first in the Riehse Eshan series is a promising debut that will appeal to all those in search of a dark story with emphasis on relationship and feelings.

A knife and a blade adelaide blaike