Tempted by a Rogue Prince by Felicity Heaton
Series: Eternal Mates #3
Published by Indie
Published on: August 9, 2014
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 334
Format: eARC
Source: Author
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An elf prince on the verge of losing himself to the darkness, Vail is maddened by the forty-two centuries he was under the control of a witch and forced to war with his brother. Now, he roams Hell seeking an escape from his terrible past and the heads of all who bear magic. When demons of the Fifth Realm capture him, he sees a chance to end his existence, but when he wakes in a cell to a beautiful female, he finds not death but his only shot at salvation—his true fated mate.
Captured by the enemy of the Third Realm when the war ended, Rosalind has spent months in the cells of the Fifth Realm with her magic bound, forced to heal the new king’s demon warriors, and haunted by the lives she has taken. When she’s brought to heal an unconscious man, she discovers her only hope of escape has come in the form of her worst nightmare and the first part of a prediction that might spell her doom—a devastatingly handsome and dangerous dark elf prince.
Unwilling to fall under the control of anyone ever again, Vail must escape before the Fifth King can use him as a pawn in a deadly game of revenge, but he cannot leave without Rosalind, the woman who looks at him with dark desire in her stunning eyes and awakens a fierce hunger in his heart. A witch who drives him mad with need even as the darkness within whispers she will enslave him too.
Can Rosalind escape her fate as they embark on a journey fraught with danger and resist the temptation of her rogue elf prince? And can Vail overcome the memories that madden him in order to seize his chance for salvation and the heart of his fated female forever?
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Even though I’m saving myself for Bleu, I do love a good anti-hero, and you don’t get more tortured than Felicity Heaton’s mad elf prince, Vail. TEMPTED BY A ROGUE PRINCE was the darkest installment yet in the ETERNAL MATES series, and the perfect read for all of us bad boy fan girls! I highly recommend that you read these novels in order because only then will you be able to fully appreciate how long it has taken the protagonist to finally reach this level of rock bottom. Vail and Rosalind’s romance begins in a demon dungeon which pretty much says it all—torture, light D/S, and some serious ass whooping ensue.
Madness is one of my absolute favourite character traits, I know this sounds weird, but think about it, there are just SO many directions an author can take with a crazy hero. Heaton does a remarkable job of capturing both sides of Vail’s personality through vocabulary, mood swings, body language, and magic; she made him easy to hate, but also impossible to resist. I loved how detailed the physical descriptions were because by the time I was done reading this book, I could easily see the mad elf prince in my mind’s eye. God how I wanted to run my hands through his blue-black hair, and watch his armor slowly peel itself off of his body…
Rosalind was a nice mix of light & dark, and complimented Vail’s character well. When I first read CLAIMED BY A DEMON KING, I was curious as to why the witch had avoided Loren like he was death incarnate, and I really liked how that tidbit came full circle in this installment. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to a crazy person, or in this case a mad elf prince, but Rosalind manages to hold her own by being just the right amount of salty & sweet. She’s tough when she needs to be while also respecting Vail’s limits, and slowly healing both his body & his mind. Two broken souls fix each other—you don’t get more romantic than that!
I was happy that the author didn’t hold back when it came to the more grim parts of this novel; the torture scenes were deliciously evil and the sex was a nice balance between raw and passionate. This novel isn’t for the squeamish, but you can’t very well tell the story of an anti-hero without getting your hands a little dirty. There were also some impressive fight sequences where the only cure for Vail’s madness seemed to be more demon blood. I enjoyed meeting Fenix, and expect for his and Frayne’s tale to be told at some point in this series. Bleu even makes an appearance (YAY!) along with Loren and Olivia.
Crazy has never looked sexier than in Felicity Heaton’s TEMPTED BY A ROGUE PRINCE!
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Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
This is definitely the darkest of the series so far. I like dark stories, so I loved it. I was amazed at how well Heaton was able to show Vail going in and out of madness. Such a great job.
Melanie Simmons recently posted…Dark Skye Audiobook by Kresley Cole (Review)
I like to switch up my PNR reads from time-to-time, and this dark crazy tale certainly hit the spot!
Ooh, now I’m really curious about this series as well as this particular book. I do like a “mad” character — it all depends on how the author spins it, of course. And I do love when the broken characters find, help and heal one another.
Mary recently posted…Cook It Up: Cursed Moon by Jaye Wells
If you like a bit of cray-cray in your books, then this one is most certainly for you, Mary!
I’m reading CLAIMED BY A DEMON KING right now, and loving it! I can’t wait for Vail’s story though, I love the whole anti-hero needing to be saved and this sounds wondefully dark, gritty and passionate. Yum.
And Bleu, OMG … I’m waiting for him as well *fanning myself*
Wonderful review Carmel 🙂
You’ll have to get in line for Bleu, Kim, because he’s MINE!
Yes to EVERYTHING! I loved this book, though I’m totally holding out for Bleu too 😉 I can’t wait for Felix’s story too – that sounds way complex. I missed the gang though – especially Sable (I mean we’ve got some major development going on with her ya know?)! I can’t figure out who the next book is about though… I don’t remember any Jaguars.
Berls recently posted…Coffee Shop Talks | Best Covers of 2015 So Far
I think Vail & Rosalind’s story was too complex for Felicity to be able to include all of the previous Eternal Mates. I believe that the jaguar in question is Kyter, and I’m pretty sure that he made an appearance in one of the earlier books, but I’ll have to do a re-read to refresh my memory.
I agree – it probably would have been messy to include the others. Though I kept thinking how cool it would be to see how Loren was responding to the increasing contact with Vail.
I don’t remember Kyter at all… If you do happen to run across him in a reread let me know so I can remind myself 😉
Berls recently posted…Coffee Shop Talks | Best Covers of 2015 So Far
Will do!
I concur. There is nothing better than reading a character in the throes of madness. Nothing weird about that. nope. 🙂
joyousreads recently posted…BT Review: The Strange Maid [The United States of Asgard, #2] by Tessa Gratton
I have a weakness for all things Lewis Carroll, so crazy is a-ok with me!
A darker PNR? Count me in! This sounds like something I would love.
kindlemom1 recently posted…Review: Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday
Yup. This one’s definitely different (in a good way!) from your typical PNR.
I am glad you liked this one Carmel. I am daunted by the amount of books and stories she has written, and I think they are a bit too erotic for me just yet.
aurian recently posted…New additions to my addiction
Heaton is a writing MACHINE, and yeah, if you don’t like a lot of steam in your reads, this series is probably not for you.
Aha, so Carmel likes it raw and passionate, huh? There are some pretty weird names in this book. I mean, Madness, Bleu?? Guess it works with originality. And those are some pretty gorgeous covers! Fantastic review. 🙂
Hahaha TMI? 😉 This author never ceases to surprise me with her unique character names, which is only one of the many reasons why I keep coming back for more.
Hmmm I am on the fence. I like a mad hero they can be so psychotic but I am not a fan of torture. I get a bit squeamish, still I should check this out.
Heidi recently posted…Audiobook Review: Silver Shadows(Bloodlines #5) by Richelle Mead
I’m not big on torture either, but it was an essential part of this story IMO, plus this is PNR so you just know that there’s going to be an HEA eventually which somewhat lessens the darker aspects.
My friend and I have always joked about creating and selling bumper stickers that say “Don’t date crazy people!” But I guess reading about them and swooning over them in books would be okay for me 😛 Not too sure I could sit through the torture parts though!
Mogsy recently posted…Scarlet, Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev
Haha You bring up a good point; I LOVE reading about ’em, but I would NEVER want to date one.
I need some hot elves in my life
blodeuedd recently posted…How the white trash zombie got her groove back – Diana Rowland /Cold Blooded – Amanda Carlson
Doesn’t everyone?? LOL
“Crazy never looked sexier…” <– That's funny! You're right, crazy is a rather interesting character trait because of the possibilities. It sounds as though Ms. Heaton did a great job with those possibilities in Vail. It's also nice when a tidbit gets tied up. 🙂 I recently won the first two books in this series. Sounds like I need to get to them sooner than later. 🙂 Great review!
You’re definitely a future Felicity Heaton addict in the making. Happy reading!
I’ve been waiting for ever for het books to come out on audio, I know I’m gonna love them 🙂
Lupdilup recently posted…Dark Skye Audiobook by Kresley Cole (Review)
She hasn’t gone the audiobook route yet, maybe someday… *fingers crossed* Because, you’re right, these woulds be fab listens!
Though this isn’t a series I am familiar with, you have me intrigued; and I like the darker sound of this one, Carmel! Thanks so much for the great review and putting it on my radar!
Michele recently posted…Review: Opposition (Lux #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
You’re only 3 installments between, so now is the perfect time to catch-up before book 4 hits shelves in 2015. 🙂
Wow Carmel! I love a good bad boy read and this sounds like it would be right up my alley! I haven’t read a Felicity Heaton book as yet, but it does sound like a great series! Fab review!
Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
Naomi recently posted…Teaser Tuesday #104 – Come Back by J.A. Huss
I have yet to read a Felicity Heaton book that I haven’t loved. She’s a very talented author!
Woot! Loving these covers BTW lol For some reason I always use to steer clear of cover that just had a guy and his body, but Ive been hooked on a couple and this series sounds like a load of alpha male fun. Thanks for the great review!
Kristen recently posted…{Review} Dust to Dust by Karina Halle
What did you have against naked torsos? It’s about time that you started drooling over alpha males like the rest of us. 😉
haha well I think there was just too many of the same torsos out there lol. I try not to judge by the cover, Im getting better lol
Kristen recently posted…{Book Blitz} of Whisper by Heather Hildenbrand
Oddly enough, none of them ever seem to have chest hair either…
“Madness is one of my favorite character traits.” Hah hah hah! You make me laugh.
This series sounds great! Crazy sexy works for me for sure. Do I need to read the other books first, or can I just jump in with the mad elf prince? I’ve never read this author before.
Wendy Darling recently posted…The Giver: film review
Don’t get me wrong, I’d never want to date a nut IRL. It’s better if you read this series in order to get the full effect of Vail.