Tag: CS Pacat

Review at Dear Author

February 9, 2016 / Kaetrin

Janine and I are over at Dear Author with a joint review of Kings Rising by CS Pacat, the brilliant end to the Captive Prince trilogy. The review is basically spoiler-free but the comments are open season.

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Captive Prince by CS Pacat: An interview with the author

April 7, 2015 / Kaetrin

Penguin Australia contacted me recently to ask me if I’d review Captive Prince, which releases today. I first read Captive Prince Vol1 and Captive Prince Vol2 (now renamed Prince’s Gambit) back in March 2013. I reviewed them both together then and I loved them. Here is a link to my review. Even though it’s about the first two books I don’t think it’s too spoiler-y but I can’t vouch for the comments and links. The books received lively discussion at the time and there were many wonderful and spoilerific discussions.

I loved the books and I’m so excited to see a m/m fantasy series being released into the mainstream. I wanted to promote the series, even though I rarely do promo here. (The author is also Australian for extra bonus points.) When Penguin offered an interview, I agreed and then I wracked my brains for interesting questions. I had help from Janine Ballard from Dear Author and Brie from Romance Around the Corner. Thank you ladies. Your questions were the really good ones.

Thank you also to CS Pacat who made all of the questions look really clever. Thanks also for your comprehensive answers and good luck with the books! I hope they sell bazillions.

And now, without further ado, the interview:

I read Captive Prince Vol1 and Vol2 when it was first released electronically (and loved them). Has much changed in the Penguin version?

The biggest change is that the additional “bonus chapters” that came with the first release will be included in the paperback edition in the US, and in the ebooks in Australia.In every other regard, Penguin wanted to respect the original editions as much as possible, so the changes are minimal, just a sentence tweak here or there.

You clearly had an overarching plan for the trilogy and one of the joys of reading it was seeing things recast as new information came to light. You obviously knew all the backstory already but you didn’t want to let on too early. How tricky was that to pull off for you? Or, was it just organic? Continue reading

Captive Prince Vol 1&2 by CS Pacat

March 18, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I read a post by the author on Anna Cowan’s blog a while back and that put the book on my radar. More recently, my tweetstream has been going wild for it so I had to read it.

ETA April 2015: I’ve updated the author’s name to her current penname: CS Pacat.

Note: Even though this is two books, I’m reviewing them together. Volume 1 isn’t a complete story and Volume 2 can’t be read as a stand alone. Volume 3 isn’t out yet (sadly) or I’d probably be reviewing that at the same time too.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) This was Vere, voluptuous and decadent, country of honeyed poison.”Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new master Prince Laurent epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is at it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reasons to hate him than anyone else…

———-

“This was Vere’s most powerful lords unfurling their banners for war.”With their countries on the brink of war, Damen and his new master Prince Laurent must exchange the intrigues of the palace for the sweeping might of the battlefield as they travel to the border to avert a lethal plot.Forced to hide his identity, Damen finds himself drawn to the dangerous, charismatic Laurent. But as the fledgling trust between the two men deepens, the truth of secrets from both their pasts is poised to deal them the crowning death blow…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I don’t suppose the basis of this story is terribly original. A stranger in a strange land learns to appreciate another society and experiences changes in himself from his exposure to difference. The concept is not new. But in romance, that is very common. There are only so many tropes after all. It is all in the delivery. And, here, we have a gem.