Book – The Prince's Consort (Chronicles of Tournai #1)
Author – Antonia Aquilante
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 290
Cover – Stunning!
POV – 3rd person, past tense, dual POV
Would I read it again – Are you kidding? YES! YES! YES!
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Wow! What can I say? This was one heck of a ride.
And – HELLO! - Mpreg! WooHoo!
So, confession time – I've wanted to read these books ever since I saw the absolutely stunning covers. I'm a total cover lover and these appealed to me so much! Romantic, slightly moody, but with a whole lot of colour.
Another confession – I am a total highlighter, note taker, when I'm reading a book to review. However, this time I was so engrossed in the story that I have very little notes and the ones I have are actually really vague and short, such as noting POV's and big events that I'll want to talk about later – now – in my review.
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To start with, the characters were addictive. I mean, I could easily have fallen in love with both Philip and Amory on their own. But together? Gosh, those boys are dynamite.
Amory is the sweetest thing. Sometimes shy, sometimes naïve, he's actually quite feisty and that part of him shows up in the most expected – but most adorable – places. He's a little firecracker when he wants to be, as well as very, very stubborn. I knew right from the start, when he was making out with Tristan, that I loved both of them. But it wasn't until this line ↓ that I really understood why. He's just so ridiculously adorable all the time.
“Now, what do you want?”
The question was devastating because Amory had heard it so rarely in his life.”
Philip, on the other hand, was the strong, confident one. He was so sure of going through with everything, when Amory came along. Then, he found a gentler side that brought out a protective instinct as well as a more Princely dominating nature in defense of Amory.
Even the minor character were brilliantly alive, diverse and believable. I loved Adeline, Eten and Tristan. Elodie was a whirlwind of a character, but I knew right from the start that I hated Vasco and Lilliale. Not to mention Amory's father!
I really loved the small paranormal element, with the cats mentioned in the blurb. It had intrigued me right from the start, but when it finally came to fruition, I loved the way it was handled and the way Amory reacted.
The danger to Amory was also really well done. It always came out of the blue, but made sense in it's own way. Although it was unexpected, I loved the way it was explained and how it was explored throughout the story, while being seemlessly woven into the romance between Amory and Philip. Even though I'm a total mystery buff, who can solve most of the crime, cop stories or murder mysteries, I actually spent most of the book not sure who did it until the big reveal. Although I was vindicated as to who I suspected did it, I hadn't been 100% sure, because there were so many possibilities.
The Mpreg aspect, in a similar manner, was really well explained, researched and explored in just enough detail. It was exactly what I wanted for an mpreg.
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Overall, I felt like a giddy schoolgirl reading this. Fangirling constantly and shipping Philory – and yes, that is now a thing, because I say so. ;) I loved the sweet, tender moments they shared, the bubbling chemistry below the surface, that existed all throughout their relationship.
I smiled so much, so hard, through the entire book that it actually hurt.
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Favourite Quote
“The prince's eyes were wide as well as he watched Amory. Had it felt the same to him? It had barely been a kiss, but it felt like a start. Maybe even a promise. As the prince bent to kiss him again, it definitely felt like a promise.”