Prince's Gambit

By: C. S. Pacat

Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies

The second volume in the Captive Prince trilogy.

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 increasingly 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.

©2013 C. S. Pacat; "Chapter 19 1/2" Copyright 2015 by C. S. Pacat (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Story A-/Narration C

I gave this audiobook an A- for the story and C for the narration at AudioGals.

Narrated by Stephen Bel Davies

Please note this is the second installment of a story that must be read in sequential order. If you have not yet started the Captive Prince Trilogy, please see the AudioGals review for book 1, Captive Prince, as the below review contains spoilers for the prior book. Additionally, if you want the general background of this fantasy, medieval-like story, you can also read the review for the first book.

I devoured Prince’s Gambit , this second, somewhat longer (but more normal length – run time of 9 hours and 55 minutes) installment of the Captive Prince Trilogy, in just one day. While the narration still mostly suffers from the same flaws that I noted in my review of the first book, Captive Prince , I was generally more able to fall into a rhythm with this narration from the get-go (perhaps because I already knew what to expect). Additionally, this second book overall had a slightly different feel from the first: less dark in nature (so much so that I have dropped the dark romance classification for the genre) and much more focused around war and political strategy and the developing of trust and a bond between Prince Laurent and Damen. For romance lovers like me, this means that we finally do get some intimate interactions and indeed begin to see the turning of what commenced as primarily a hate relationship turn into something that promises to be so much more.

Book 2 picks up where book 1 leaves off: the Uncle Regent has convinced Prince Laurent that he must go to the border to quell a potential uprising. While Damen suspects this is a trap that the Uncle Regent has sprung to finally get Prince Laurent out of the line of succession of the Vere throne, Damen nonetheless determines that the well-being of Akielos (his kingdom) is also riding on making sure that Laurent succeeds in this mission. This is because they are making it appear that Akielos is the one that has been attacking Vere, which undoubtedly will lead to war between the kingdoms. Therefore, Damen convinces Prince Laurent to take him with him – even as he knows that once this mission is complete, he must finally escape Prince Laurent’s captivity and go back home to regain his rightful place on the Akielos throne.

What ensues is a clever chess game of troop training, battle strategies and uncovering of allegiances and secret plots. Meanwhile, during this trying and difficult time, the one man who proves himself to be the most trustworthy to Prince Laurent is the one man he at one point hated and mistrusted the most: Damen. This leads to unprecedented interactions and exchanges of thoughts and feelings. As the mutual admiration and affection inevitably follow, will Damen be able to carry through with his plans to escape Laurent’s captivity at the end of the battle? Moreover, how will Prince Laurent react once Damen’s true identity is inevitably revealed?

See the full review at AudioGals.

I loved it

Its really good the story and the story telling are amazing cant wait to read the next one

Brilliantly written

Characters so real that they will stay somewhere in your heart forever - the only set of books I’ve ever reread 3 times… and counting

So much better than the first!

Prince's Gambit is the second book in the Captive Prince series by C.S. Pacat. It is an erotic m/m romance set in a Western European, medieval, fictional universe, and is so much better than the first. There was more development of characters, relationships, world building, and plot. This book was as much about revealing Laurent’s deceptions as keeping Damen’s secrets.

This book had more substance than the first. Laurent and Damen’s feelings, personalities, and experiences were much more complex and detailed, and their interactions were so filled with tension, angst, as well as excitement and anticipation.

There was more action, though there were at times more telling than showing of the action. And there was adventure, as Damen accompanied Laurent on his reckless, risky schemes.

There was suspense and betrayals and unpredictable plot twists, but the best part of course was seeing the trust, intimacy, and feelings that grew between Damen and Laurent. They brought out the best in each other.

I loved how Damen came to Laurent’s rescue time and again sometimes with superhuman strength, will, and determination. I loved how Damen tempered Laurent’s anger and willful personality and stood up to him, and how carefully he treated Laurent. How sexy the consent!

I really wonder if there was more going on with Laurent’s perceived frigidity, if it was more than self-preservation, self-defense. It was the one thing that irritated me, it was too ambiguous, but Laurent’s reactions and tension were so strong I don’t know why Damen didn’t wonder about it too. Maybe he didn’t want to confront it. Maybe they both didn’t want to. Or maybe it wasn’t there. But either way it can’t continue to be this ambiguous, and I hope in book 3 it’s put into perspective.

I didn’t think the extra chapter after the end of the book was necessary, so I can see why it was probably cut from the text. The scene didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know about Damen and Laurent Sometimes, less is more.

Not a big fan of the narrator’s performance in book 1, but I got more comfortable with his voice in book 2. I didn’t want to stop listening to the audiobook and couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. Apparently, most reviewers felt that book 2 was the best in the series. I’m very curious to see how I’ll feel about book 3. This feels like a series I could read or listen to all over again.

loved it

Extremely entertaining plot that delivers character development every single chapter. A very well written and voiced book. Highly recommend.

Riveting

Could not put it down. Excellent book, story and performance. Will next tackle Book 3 without delay.

love it so much!!!!

loveeeeee it so much woow can wait for the next book which I ready to start.

My Favorite of the Three Books

Love me some romance, but this book has plot! Fighting, intellectual games, emotion. Some will see the twists coming for sure but it’s the concept of “what if this actually happened to someone” that makes the story connect with the reader. Love it.

The last two hours are insane but the entirety keeps you captivated as well.

Admittedly in the last book, I saw most of the plot twists coming, but this one took me by surprise. Don't get me wrong, both books have been amazing, and I absolutely enjoyed this one even more than the first. The entirety of this book has an amazing build up just as the first and builds off the first book perfectly. The tension feels so genuine and worthwhile. The pay off is beautiful and sets up for the third book beautifully. I literally could not put either of the two books down and I am so excited to read the third. As expected, the vocal performance was perfect just as the first book, the emotions are conveyed in a way that makes you feel like you are there. I cannot recommend this series enough if you like to suffer through slow burns and dark subjects. This book dug tears out of me and I even had to pause it for a day cause it ripped my heart out.

Fun pacing

Not my favorite, but fun pacing for a fantasy. Pacat does make you care about the characters.