"In the mood for a little romance and some time with a prince?"
Reviewed by Maria Munoz
Posted May 23, 2011
Romance Suspense
Celebrity Chef Hadrian Drake is known by viewers of the food
channel as the hot "Past Prince." What few know is that he
is a member of the royal family of Koros, and third in line
to be king. For his part, Hadrian is happy to play a prince
on television and leave the running of Koros to his uncle
and cousins. Finding himself on a break from shooting his
TV show, Hadrian escapes his responsibilities and his
overzealous assistant for a few nights in Vegas. Looking
for a little fun, he stumbles across Sydney about to make a
wish at the Luxor fountain. Sydney Martinson is relishing her freedom after escaping a
controlling and abusive ex-husband. She dyed her hair blue,
added several piercings, and plans to have some fun in
Vegas. The instant attraction she feels for Hadrian
suggests he might just be what she was wishing for. Just as
they are getting to know each other, things become intense
when Hadrian hears about the attempts on the lives of his
cousins and Sydney's ex-husband makes his threatening
presence known. Can this new relationship survive the
dangers surrounding them? THE RELUCTANT PRINCE is a lovely poor girl meets rich boy,
Pretty Woman, Cinderella type story. Ms. Gilmer has created
two wonderful characters in Hadrian and Sydney; they each
have their own quirks and the chemistry between them jumps
off the page. Their courtship, though fast and sometimes
long distance, was sweet and passionate. I was less
intrigued by the suspense aspect of the story, which lacked
any real tension or threat. I was never convinced that
Sydney would have ever been the type of person to marry a
man as awful as her ex-husband. If you're in the mood for a little romance and some time
with a prince, give THE RELUCTANT PRINCE a try.
SUMMARY
Sydney Martinson’s budget is so tight, it squeaks—and she
couldn’t be happier. Her divorce from her controlling
husband is final, and a Vegas hair stylist convention is the
perfect place to cut loose. Yet she can’t quite shake the
feeling she’s being watched. It took some doing, but Hadrian’s managed to slip away from
his watchdog personal assistant for a weekend of
well-deserved relaxation. Life as TV’s “Pasta Prince” comes
with pressure, and so does his closely guarded secret. He
doesn’t just rule the kitchen, he’s royalty with a capital
R—third in line to the throne of Koros. And he’d like to
keep it that way. When he spots free-spirited, blue-haired Sydney tossing a
coin into a Luxor fountain, he feels the punch in the gut
that family lore says all Drake men feel when they meet
their match. One weekend with her has him thinking about
forever. Until his assistant tracks him down with dreadful news. One
cousin is dead, another is missing. Hadrian is the Crown
Prince of Koros—the last job in the world he ever wanted.
Worse, he and Sydney are next in line on a killer’s list.
Excerpt"So what time is your first class in the morning?"
Hadrian asked
"Nine. There’s a, uh, registration starting at eight,
with donuts and stuff and uh, where I get my papers and
promo material." As I spoke, he ran his fingers up my back,
one hand sliding up to the back of my head into my hair.
"You really should get to bed soon." He didn’t release
me as he spoke. Instead, he stared at me with those amber-
whiskey-sexy eyes of his.
"I know."
He leaned closer, his lips mere millimeters from mine.
"It’s, uh, been a, uh, long day." I went up on my toes,
holding onto his shoulders.
"Yes, I should let you go to bed." His breath grazed my
cheek, and my insides screamed with desire.
"Yeah."
Hadrian leaned down, his lips meeting mine. And I have
to give him credit—the fire burning between the two of us
was powerful. Heck, the energy burned my skin. He had to be
feeling it as well.
So when he kissed me with a restrained, soft kiss, I was
impressed. I was ready to throw him down and have my way
with him. His lips grazed mine, a slight part, more like he
was tasting me rather than kissing me.
Or he was waiting for permission to do more.
Which I gave.
Instantly.
I opened my mouth wider. He answered in kind, his lips
opening enough so his tongue flicked out, grazing me.
That was about all we both needed.
Whatever he was holding back, he released, and the soft,
tentative kiss was gone, replaced with fire, passion, and
those things found in the pages of romance novels. I ran my
hands up and down his back, lacing in his hair. Our tongues
danced with each other, mating in primal ways that made no
logical sense.
One of his hands slid down my side, caressing the edge
of my breast, and I moaned, arching forward to bring his
hand in contact with my ever-so-needy nipple.
Our lips didn’t part as he started guiding me backwards
to the bed.
My heart rammed harder and harder, like it could explode
in any second.
Wait a minute, what the Hell was I doing?
I didn’t know this guy.
And I was about to go to bed with him?
Had I lost my ever-lovin’ mind?
I was beginning to think so.
When my knees hit the bed, I landed with a thump. My
worry must have shown on my face, because Hadrian paused.
"Are you okay?"
"I don’t know."
He knelt in front of me. "I don’t want to do anything
you’re not comfortable with." He stroked my legs. "I can
go, if you’d like."
I bit my lip, reaching up to feel his soft hair. "I
don’t know." Everything inside me was torn. In my head, I
had every logical reason why I should have him leave. And
my body was screaming for release from the sex tension
building between us both all night.
He tipped his head to the side, and I ran my hand over
his cheek. "You feel amazing, Sydney." His eyes shut, and
he tilted his head into my hand, placing a soft kiss on my
palm.
"So do you."
He let out a sigh. "I hear a ‘but’ coming."
I tried to paint on a nice smile. "As much as I want you—
and I know you can tell I want you—I’m afraid. It’s been a
long time since I was with someone besides my husband…" my
words trailed off. There was more within me, but I didn’t
have the words to articulate it.
Surprisingly, he smiled back at me. I half expected him
to call me some kind of name, a dick tease or something to
that effect.
"I understand." He glanced around the room. "We could
watch television. Talk a little more."
I felt guilty. I couldn’t help it. I felt like I was
leading him on in the worst way. "I wouldn’t want you to
feel like you—I don’t want you thinking…"
"This isn’t your only night here, is it?"
"No."
"When they make wines, the wine has to age in order to
get that perfect flavor. They let it simmer, if you will. I
have no problem letting you simmer for a bit, to make sure
your wine—" he glanced down my body, "—is ready to savor."
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