Prince and Assassin
Do I recommend it?
YES
A generous fantasy world and a real slow burn. I closed it wanting the next book straight away.
Read it if
- You want a fantasy world with magic and court intrigue and secrets, but not too overwhelming
- You like a slow burn where the first half is nothing but the two of them circling each other
- English is not your first language, this one is very easy to follow
Skip it if
- You want an enemies to lovers where they have real reasons to hate each other. Here the enemy part comes from one of them being sent to kill the other, not from hatred
- You want smut early on. There is no kiss and no smut in the first half of the book
Whisper belongs to an assassins’ guild. He is sent to Prince Julien’s court under a false name, with orders to keep Julien alive until the signal comes, and then kill him. Julien has no idea who he is. He is drawn to this new stranger and cannot decide whether he can trust him, while Whisper wants him and knows exactly how this is supposed to end. You can see the problem coming, right?
It is a really good romantasy. There is everything in this world: magic, secrets, court intrigue, twists you do not see arriving, and big sassy cats who talk straight into your head. I love a slow burn and this is one. For the first half they turn around each other, each with their own reasons, a few touches or a hand that stays a second too long, and it is full of tension between them.
Julien talking with Rumi, the big cat:
“What else can you tell me about Will?” Julien asks Rumi.
I’ll tell him you asked. I dislike secrets.
“That’s fine. Honesty’s too rare at court.” Not that Julien’s any help with that.
Rumi’s tail swishes. He’s good with his hands. He always finds the right place to scratch behind my ears. He doesn’t talk too much, but he pays attention. Her ears flick towards him again. He pays a lot of attention to you.
Julien’s mind is so caught up on the phrase ‘good with his hands’ that he takes a moment to process Rumi’s last remark. “He pays attention to me?”
Rumi’s laughter rolls through his mind. He watches you more carefully than Fisk watches a roast chicken. It’s absurd to witness.
Prince and Assassin, Tavia LarkSooo, is Julien going to find out who Whisper is? And how is he going to take it? I spent a good part of the book wondering how the two of them were ever going to get out of this mess.
One thing to know before you start: this is dual POV. For this kind of story I usually prefer a single POV, because the mystery lasts longer when you only get one head to sit in, and here you have both Julien’s thoughts and Whisper’s. Tavia Lark still keeps a few things back for the end, so I never got that feeling of everything being handed to me in advance that dual POV so often gives.
I loved it, and I want the next one now. The series follows a different couple in each book, and I am just as curious about the rest of this world as I am about the next romance.
A little extra: every book in the series has an audiobook 💙
Get it on AmazonMore from Tavia Lark
The rest of Perilous Courts is waiting on my list, and each book follows a different prince.
Prince in DisguiseBook 2
Prince and PawnBook 3
Prince and BodyguardBook 4
Prince and BetrothedBook 5
Prince of AgonyBook 6
The other series I want to get to is Radiance, which looks like high fantasy as well, with a different couple in each book.
The Necromancer’s Light
The Paladin’s Shadow
The Sword-Witch’s HeartIf you liked this one
Airon is sent to kill Prince Tallu and ends up in an arranged marriage in his sister’s place. Close to this one in its idea but different in how it plays out, and I recommend it too. Every book in that series follows the same couple, Airon and Tallu.
You loved the enemies to lovers part and you want more, enemies or rivals, maybe some who really do hate each other?
My MM enemies to lovers selection
12 books, Prince and Assassin included
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