ICE DRAGON TALES
by Hurri Cosmo
M/M Romance
Date Published: February 2017
Prince Joron of Blade Rain was kissed by a man he had no idea was King Aric of Claymoor Doom. Of course King Aric had no idea the one he kissed was even a man since Joron was dressed as a woman. Disguised to escape the newly crowned king of Blade Rain who just happens to be Joron's brother, Joron is swept off his feet by Aric when he is rescued by him from an assault. Aric is also swept off his feet by the beauty of the "woman" and that one amazing kiss. Aric, who is led to believe the beautiful woman he kissed is actually the princess, immediately goes to the king of Blade Rain and offers for the princess’s hand in marriage and his offer is accepted. Unfortunately, King Aric is now betrothed to Liarta, Joron’s sister. But an emergency has King Aric racing home without finding out the mistake he has made and now Joron must ride to Claymoor Doom to renegotiate the offer since Liarta is in love with someone else and does not want to marry King Aric.
Imagine Aric’s surprise when he discovers the Prince is the one he thought was the Princess! So Aric does the only thing he can think of. He will release Liarta from her obligation of marriage, but only if Joron takes her place... in the marriage bed.
Carra's Quick Review
With a few instances of mistaken identity, The Servant Prince starts off leaving the characters a little confused, but caught up in the excitement of the chase. Unfortunately for Prince Joron, one of the people chasing him is not who he expected-or wants. In fact, that particular chase is just a bit disturbing, as is Joron's attitude toward that person-giving him too many opportunities when any other person in Joron's position would have run for it.
It's once Joron is away from Blade Rain and in Claymoor Doom with Aric where the story starts to really get interesting--and while at first Aric's advances may seem overly dominating, things between him and Joron begin to morph into something deeper. It's at that point when everything started to fall into place for me as I read. The story has a sort of fantasy/medieval type feel to it, but without any magical creatures or characters.
The story does end with a lot of open threads, and while that normally would frustrate me, the fact that all three books released together made it easier since I could easily go on to the next one--which I was itching to do since I needed to see what happens next! Note that this story does have some adult language and M/M sexual content, so I'd recommend to readers 18+, and this one gets 3.5 stars from me.
Things are going well for King Aric. He had Joron safely hidden away. Diagus, although a continuing threat to Joron, had left his castle empty handed, and the Cetin Gang was headed for his dungeons. He should be thrilled but – something was not right. He could feel it.
Sure enough, when he returns to Claymoor castle, he finds Joron has been kidnapped and he must ride immediately to rescue him. And knowing the culprit, it was not going to be an easy task. However, Aric has a trump card; a letter from a dead king. Seemingly nonsensical at first, it now points a finger directly at a murderer and Aric is convinced Joron is next. Somehow he has to find him and get Joron back into his protective arms before it’s too late.
Unfortunately, there are other huge pitfalls just waiting in the shadows. It turns out Joron is the true king of Blade Rain and Aric's long dead wife miraculously returns to claim Aric as her own. Between all the lies, murders, and life altering revelations, is there hope for these two at all?
Carra's Quick Review
The Servant King continues with the drama, tension, and suspense-bringing trouble in the form of Aric's supposedly dead wife and the truth behind Diagus's parentage, along with a chunk of angst and pain thanks to Diagus's mother.
Thank goodness for the turnaround that Diagus did, it was disturbing how he was with Joron (before we found out more about their connection) and it was good to see his whole attitude change as his character goes through some dramatic growth and development. I was actually kind of proud of him by the end of this story.
And from the moment Aric's "wife" shows up, my heart was breaking for Joron. But with all the intrigue that had me glued to this story, I continued to hold out hope. 4 stars for The Servant King, and though the intimate scenes are sparse, they're still for readers 18+.
King Diagus of Blade Rain is in a bind. He is duty bound to produce a royal heir and the only way he knows that can happen is if he beds a woman. Definitely not his idea of Happily Ever After. In fact, far from it. Except instead of walking down the aisle with the princess he has arranged to marry, Diagus is off in the wilds of Claymoor Doom. But there’s a good reason. Rumor had it there was someone near Gray Valley with Diagus’s stark blue eyes. A possible relative and therefore an heir? Was there a chance he might not have to marry a woman, after all? Regrettably, Diagus finds no one matching the rumor’s description. What he does find is a heinous, black magic plot for murder and Diagus is the next on the list.
Tama’s pregnant sister claimed to be carrying the child of a king. Not just any king. The mighty king of Blade Rain. She was determined to get out of the very poor house of Hilman and into the lap of luxury. But fate had its own agenda. Sadly, Tama must raise his nephew all by himself after his sister unexpectedly dies in childbirth. It’s not a problem, though. He loves Aydin as he loved his sister – with all his heart.
However, Tama’s lazy and abusive father, Beourn, is angry and extremely disappointed. Being the grandfather of a crown prince, he was looking forward to moving to the castle and living a life of extravagance. With his daughter’s death, that was no longer possible. So, he does the unthinkable. He kidnaps Aydin with the intent of selling him to the rich and powerful king. Tama is stunned he would do such a thing and chases after Beourn to rescue Aydin.
But he doesn’t get far before he is confronted with a beautiful man being viciously attacked. Of course Tama has to help. If he doesn’t the man will surely die. Except Tama quickly learns the man is far more than just someone in trouble. In fact, the man is a king and will change Tama’s life. Forever.
Carra's Quick Review
I love a good redemption story, and Diagus does get his here. There's plenty of drama and tension here again, and I liked the infusion of new characters to the series.
Overall, this series does draw you in and the excitement is kept high throughout. It does need to be read in order to truly enjoy it, and I'd recommend getting all three at once so you don't have to wait to see what happens next after each book.
About the Author
I live in Minnesota where I holds tight to the idea that here, where it’s cold a good part of the year, I won’t age as fast. Yep, I avoid the truth as much as I avoid mirrors. But one of the reasons I love writing is reality doesn’t always offer up a “happily ever after” and being able to take control of that is a powerful lure. Being a happy ending junkie, writing just makes them easier to find. Oh, I doesn’t mind “real life” and I do try to at least keep it in mind when I write my stories, but I truly love creating a wonderful couple, knowing they will fall in love and have their HEA. Every - single - time. And, of course, that is exactly the reason I love reading this genre, too. Give me a glass of red wine, some dark chocolate, and my computer, whether I am reading or writing, and I will entertain myself for hours. The fact I actually get paid to do it, is Snickers bars on the frosting on the cake.
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