Ah Demyan. What an adorable corporate shark, romantic deceiver you are. To save the nation he must seduce and marry geeky scientist Chanel Tanner. And he does it so well. *fans self* I enjoyed this story, watching Demyan with his machinations and the way Chanel sees through so much of his surface persona to the real man beneath.I loved how we get to see Chanel's impact on him as well as seeing her fall for him. There is no doubt that they are made for each other. The only concern is how his deception will impact on their relationship.I think I enjoyed this one a little more than the first one of the duet. They were both easy reads and I loved the interactions between Chanel and Demyan and the romance scenes were well done with nice sizzle. This book was okay, not great, but not bad either and was readable and able to get through it very quickly.The book started out with the main character, Demyan being asked by his uncle, who was really his father in Demyan's eyes with the his uncle being the one who raised him when his parents no longer wanted him, and who was also the Kin of Volyarus that he was to find, seduce, and then marry Chanel Tanner for the good of the country. Chanel Tanner inherited, though she didn't know it, from her great great great grandfather stock in the country of Volyarus, which would have been destroyed if she demanded her money from the country, and would make it become bankrupt, however she would give up her inheritance automatically once she married and the stock would immediately go to her husband. That was where Demyan came in, and he was set on this mission to wed her.He visited her office, at a lab she was a science geek, dressed like a geek himself with his clothing and adding non prescription glasses to his getup to complete the look with his mind set on his mission, and did his very best to seduce her. She, being insecure and wary, didn't trust him and wondered why he was interested in little old her, and meant to keep him at arms length, but she was no match for him with him being way above her experience in the love department and he pretty easily seduced her and she knew it even though she hated it at the same time and wasn't completely trusting of him. Especially when he mentioned that he wanted to marry her, bringing red flags up immediately, but she cared and fell for him quickly and gave in, giving him her virginity in the process.While Demyan used every trick in the book to get her, flirting and buttering her up so he could get his way, but he found that this was no hardship for him because he liked her and wanted her and found the idea of marriage to her to be not such of a chore like he thought it might be. He treated her sweetly and made love with her every night while trying to persuade her to marry him and even became frustrated at times when she wouldn't give in too him, but he preserved. And found that when he wasn't around her that he missed her and wanted to be around her and not just because of their physical relationship, but because he cared about her.Of coarse she said yes, admitting to the fact that she was in love with him and wanted to be his wife even though part of her was afraid of him and her feelings for him and part of her wanted to push him away, but she didn't and decided she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, and trusted him and the fact that he wanted and cared for her too. They get married and she found out why he relentlessly pursued her, and felt very duped by him and how she was so wrong about him. Though that didn't last long because this happened at the end of the book and these types of books always have happily ever afters so she forgave him and they stayed together.In all honesty the characters didn't really do it for me, and I just didn't feel very connected to them. I didn't love them or like them, but neither did I hate them, I was kind of almost indifferent to them. Just kind of feeling flat towards them and not really feeling for them at all. I didn't think Demyan was a jerk for having lied to her, but at the same time I didn't cheer for him really either. And for me Chanel seemed like a pushover with no backbone just falling into his arms so easily especially at the end, I thought she was way too quick to forgive him and accept his explanation even though it hurt her to know that he only pursued her because he was told to not because he wanted to in order to get his hands on her inheritance, but that hurt quickly disappeared once she spoke to Demyan, which I thought was unrealistic especially learning about her in the beginning and how hard she found it to trust that he wanted to be with her and trying to find a reason why, and I thought that would break her once she learned the knowledge of why he came to her and just hurt her more than it did. And I was kind shocked that she wasn't and it just seemed to easy for me.In the same vein of that, I thought that she would find out about his deception soon rather than the last few pages of the book, and then he would have to woo her back and grovel a bit more while she was dealing with her hurt and insecurities that could have possibly come back again and he would have to reassure her and just win her over. But that didn't happen instead it was just a long way to show his pursuit of her and her wavering back and forth of whether to be with him or not, and deal with her insecurity issues and I felt that could have been shortened a bit in lieu of her finding out and him trying to win her back. That's what I thought would happen when I read the back and was kind of shocked that she didn't learn the truth until then end, and then it just seemed like a rush like I said with her confrontation with him and then she just forgave him so fast that I didn't really get it (though I should have seen it coming since I was heading towards the end.). I just felt like that could have been played up more and her slowly learning to trust him again and let him back into her life while dealing with all the pain had caused. But it was like her pain was gone with a blink of an eye, and totally forgotten again as long as she was in his arms again and decided to stay with him. I just thought he could have done and said a bit more in my opinion.The thing that did work in this book was the passion and chemistry between the two, which happened as soon as the met one another with flirtatious lines and innuendos along the way, which was hot and made by pulse kick up a bit. It was just totally hot. And those love scenes, oh my, they were to die for and smoking as well that it steamed from the page, making me fan myself in the process. Their first love scene and her first time though sweet, caring, and gentle, yet at the same time totally filled with hot passion as they consummated their relationship. It was a long scene and drawn, but that made it all the much better, adding to the steam and anticipation as well. They were just hot together as were the rest of their love scenes in the book were, and I loved it and found that to be the most enjoyable part of the book.On a side note: Not having anything to do with the main characters, but with the Queen Oxanna, who I felt so bad for and did in the first book in this series because she was in a marriage with a man who not only didn't love her, but loved someone else and even called her the other woman's name the few times they were in bed together. It was just awful that was how her life had become, and that she would never get the she would always be married to a man who would never love her, which wasn't right and totally heartbreaking, though she vowed that her sons would be in loving marriages even though she would never be and made sure that happened for them and their children as well, figuring that she could at least witness their love and happiness when there wouldn't be one for her. She felt so duped by the King who said he loved her like she loved him, but really all he wanted was heir which she could provide him and other woman couldn't, and he never gave up his other woman as well leaving Oxanna alone and dejected with gaping hole in her heart. But that wasn't my point, in the book the Queen and King while Demyan was presented had a little tiff about their marriage and the state of it and just he lied to her while he said he loved her, but she said it was only as a sister and it would never be more because he loved the other woman. He tried to say something to her, but she cut him off. Being that it was open ended like that I was sure that we would have seen a scene between the King and Queen, and have a conversation where possible the King apologized to her or said something about the state of their marriage or even just a confrontation of some sort. But that didn't happen and I found myself a little disappointed by the fact because I would have like to see it or something like that, and just see Oxana stand up for herself. But it didn't happen, and I guess it was irrelevant because they weren't destiny to have a happy ending or a love story, which was a shame and I hate the think that Oxana would have to stay in that loveless marriage forever. It was just sad.Overall the book was okay, the chemistry between the two characters definitely saved it for me and was the reason I gave it 3 stars, but other than that I wasn't wowed by it or the characters and just felt like it was drawn out in parts and then rushed at the end so the story could just finish up in the allotted pages. It wasn't a bad book, it wasn't a great book, but just okay, but that doesn't mean I am going to stop reading Lucy Monroe book, which I usually enjoy especially her characters that usually root for, but this book just didn't do it for me on the characters and sometimes some of the things that they did didn't make sense especially with the build up throughout about their character. It didn't make sense and I found it unrealistic. But it was a light, quick read that I could get through in a short amount of time, which was a nice break from some of the longer reads I have been reading lately.
What do You think about Prince Of Secrets (2013)?
Miniseries: By His Royal DecreeCategory: PassionReceived 4 1/2 stars RT Book Reviews
—PLLFL
A good fun read.A spunky & smart heroine and a hero with integrity! Enjoyed the book
—loretta_blue
Loved it more bcoz female protagonist is a scientist !!!
—DeathOfTheNight
I'll stay away from Harlequin books, I think…
—st47
