Princess: (Book 2 in the Ascension Trilogy)

This is the second book in the romance trilogy that is based in the 1800s (think Napoleon) in a mythical island kingdom off the coast of Italy. I'm giving it 4 stars as it held my attention and I enjoyed it. I actually thought it was more believable than the first one (The Pirate Prince) to which I gave 3 stars. It's the story of Darius and the kingdom's princess, Serafina, the daughter of Lazar and Allegra, the King and Queen of Ascencion, whom we met in book one. Darius, who was a young waif the king rescued from a twisted fiend and made his ward in book one, is now a handsome, tortured soul, the son of a Spanish lord and an unstable gypsy, and a complete rake who can have any woman he wants (and apparently does) though he pines for Serafina as she does for him. He is fiercely loyal to King Lazar, and by the time this book begins when he is in his early 30s, Darius has already saved the King's life and Serafina's more than once. The king sends him on special assignments as a spy, the most recent of which was to uncover the secrets of the Russian military leader to whom the king is considering betrothing Serafina so Ascencion will be able to resist Napoleon's desire to steal their navy. Before Darius can return with his report, however, the king moves forward with the betrothal. Darius is a hunk to die for and Serafina has loved him since she was 4, but she will do her duty and marry whomever she must to save her kingdom.Serafina was at times confusing as a character as she alternately went from self-sacrificing giver to over indulged spoiled rotten "princess." She shows strength one minute and then caves the next...similar to a problem with Allegra in the first book. Neither Lazar nor Allegra seemed to be the same people they were in book one, which was disappointing. This was particularly true of Lazar who criticized Darius for the same thing he did in book one. Darius was also inconsistent. On the one hand he worshipped Serafina and held her on a pedestal refusing to "go all the way" with her even though she is willing. Then a few scenes later, he just beds her with no expectation of marriage. Bizarre. I also agree with one reviewer who noted that Foley sprinkles her novels with modern words and expressions that just don't fit the 1800s and they really stick out. Since they aren't needed I can't imagine why they weren't edited out, but oh well. I think Foley has the potential to be a 5 star author but her work needs a master editor as the books tell a great story and contain meaningful action and dialog but somewhere in the middle, issues arise with her plot and characters. While they start out very well the ending doesn't quite measure up to the first half (in this case I really liked the first 2/3rds and then found the rest not quite as good. Still, it's worth the read and I liked the story line.

What we have here are the ingredients for an amazing romance. Darius is our sexy, swarthy, dark-skinned cutthroat assassin who carries a torch for his king's beautiful daughter, Serafina. She worships him as well, and has since childhood. There are villains who would threaten their happiness and the kingdom. Serafina once threw herself at Darius, but he, knowing himself to be nothing but a humble servant, denied her, and vanished for years. Serafina moves on to an arranged match and is set to marry a man who she seems resigned to.But then Darius returns and in perfect timing. The princess is running from attackers through a garden maze. Her virtue and safety are at stake. The opening to the novel is angsty and cliche, but very exciting. I was willing to lose myself in it despite the coincidence, right off the bat, that Darius happens to return, after years away, on the very night Serafina needs him. But okay, ignoring that I was liking it... up to the point that, after the rescue, Darius is injured and instead of getting help for him right away, Serafina begins to dance in the rain. It was so strange and dramatic... that a woman who has just been ruthlessly chased and abused, her bodice ripped away, and then witnessed brutal killings in front of her, AND the man she loves has returned mysteriously, AND he has been injured... that she would pause to dance in a rainstorm. How very strange and awkward.That was a red flag indeed. The rest of the novel followed that same pattern. Like ridiculous, overdrawn, over-dramatic and silly actions and conversations. I felt like Serafina and Darius had little depth. Darius seemed careless and even beta for an assassin at times. And Serafina was just too stupid to live. The part where her fiance shows up and she pretends to be over Darius and tries to seduce the villain was cringeworthy. So awkward.I gave it three stars however because the love scenes are richly drawn. And I loved the idea of the story so much. Darius love for Serafina is spectacular in that he's star-crossed. He knows the match makes little sense and he tries to resist her. However, the story as a whole just didn't work out.I love some of Gaelen Foley's other novels, but this one just wasn't a hit for me. Too ridiculous and over-the-top. I preferred  The Duke  and  My Dangerous Duke (Inferno Club)  amongst others.

I love this slice of classic Gaelen Foley, this is one of her very best and puts to shame her recent efforts which simply don't live up to her earlier promise! I read it years and years ago and revisting it has not dimmed its impact. From the opening scenes and Darius's whispered 'Princesa' in the maze right through to the epilogue, this story with it's twists and turns holds you in thrall to what is essentially a love that withstands the test of time! Brilliant!

I love this author! Princess is as good as all her other books (even when I'm reading the trilogy backwards by mistake!) and I can't wait to read book 1. Such great romantic and sensual stories with really well thought out characters that have depth. I can't recommend these books enough!

I really enjoyed this story and the journey the two lead characters went on. Exciting, thrilling & a great second book in the series.

Another good series from this author.

Great read