I want to thank Jennifer L. Armentrout, Inkslinger PR, and 1001 Dark Nights for an advance reader e-copy of The Prince: A Wicked Novella.
From Goodreads: “From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a new story in her Wicked series…
She’s everything he wants….
Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him.
She’s everything he can’t have…
Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. Yearning for him feels like the definition of insanity, but there’s no denying the heat in his touch and the wicked promise is his stare.
She’s everything he’ll take….
But there’s someone out there who wants to return the Prince to his former self. A walking, breathing nightmare that is hell bent on destroying the world and everyone close to him. The last thing either of them needs is a distraction, but with the attraction growing between them each now, the one thing he wants more than anything may be the one thing that will be his undoing.
She’s everything he’d die for….
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**”
Jennifer L. Armentrout is one my most absolute favourite authors in both the YA and NA genres. From Lux, to Covenant, to White Hot Kiss, to Wait For You, to Wicked, JLA has written many series that I love to pieces. When I found out we would be getting Brighton’s story in a novella and that we were not yet leaving the world of the Wicked I was so pumped. I jumped on the opportunity to review the story and write this review despite being jetlagged. Even though this is not my first ARC, this one feels so extremely special, if you had told me years ago I had the opportunity to read a JLA early I wouldn’t have believed you. I am just so happy I took this chance and started bloging in this way.
- Characters: Both Brighton and The Prince you would have met before if you read the Wicked Saga. Brighton is older in this and it is so refreshing to see how her character grows and develops as she grows. The Prince was a pretty mysterious figure in the inital trilogy, so the novella was nice to shed some light on him. All your faves from Wicked are mentioned or make appearances, which was an awesome touch.
- World/Setting: When will New Orleans not be a phenomenal setting for any story with a fantasy element. Find me an example where it isn’t wonderful.
- Pacing: It is a novella but it does not feel too short at all. JLA is always great at pacing, and she wrote such a great hooking ending.
- Romance (yay or nay?): The romance element in this was awesome. I feel in a lot of NA the first kiss always happens before or at halfway through, but with JLA she chucked traditional NA pacing out the window. This allowed for really great sexual tension, that has me begging for more (which luckily we are getting more).
If I haven’t convinced you to pick up The Prince yet check out this teaser:
“I needed to stop this. Right now.
My eyes drifted shut as his hand made its way from my neck, skimming down the side of my body, over my lax arm. The tips of his fingers coasted over mine, and then found their way to my hip. A pumping pulse picked up in several key points in my body, responding to the light, forbidden touch.
He didn’t speak as his warm breath kissed the curve of my cheek and I didn’t say or do anything. I could stop him. I knew I could. Or I could at least try.
I did nothing.
His hand slipped over my stomach, below my navel. I jerked, bringing us closer. Way too close once more, and I couldn’t breathe as something bizarre happened inside me. It was like all my senses woke up at once, sparking with life and flaming heat through my veins.
His hand dropped to the front of my dress, right above where a deep, deep ache had started. He growled deep in his throat as he said against the flushed skin of my neck, “Your pulse is racing so fast—too fast for someone entranced.”
Hell.
Oh hell.
The Prince might not recognize who I was, but he knew I wasn’t entranced. Fight or flight response kicked in, overriding the confusing heat pumping through my body.
Two years ago, I would’ve chosen flight. That was all I’d been capable of. Not anymore. A whole different instinct took over, a newly developed one. I had no idea why the Prince was here, in the pit of his enemies, and I wasn’t willing to risk finding out or being caught by him.
Spinning around, I gripped his forearm as I ducked and twisted, slipping free of his grip. I saw the flicker of surprise on his face and then I spun back toward him. Still holding onto his arm, I used his weight as an anchor as I leaned back. Planting my left leg back, I lifted my right and slammed my knee into his midsection.
The Prince grunted as he let go, but he did not move even an inch. That kind of kick would’ve brought a human down. Probably would’ve even knocked a normal fae back several steps, but not an Ancient. He lifted his chin, eyes narrowed with annoyance.
“That was unnecessarily violent,” he said, straightening to his full height.
He hadn’t seen unnecessarily violent yet.
I spun, picking up the chair. It was surprisingly heavy. Grunting, I swung it around, prepared to at least knock him once upside the head. Wouldn’t kill him, but would definitely give me a chance to escape without having to answer questions.
The Prince’s speed was mind-numbingly fast.
I didn’t even see him lift a hand. He just suddenly had ahold of the leg of the chair. He wrenched it from my grip, tossing it aside. The chair hit the wall with a bang, shattering into three large pieces.
Damn.”
Huge fan of JLA, huge fan of Wicked, huge fan of this book, so…
If you would like to purchase The Prince check out these links…
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2C50k8Y
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2vUGsmP
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2OTZvpQ
Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/2vuqbWf
Thank you again to Jennifer L. Armentrout, the Inkslinger PR team, and the 1001 Dark Nights team for the eARC. Thank you for reading this reviewing and supporting my blog!
