The Rogue Prince

Lords of the Var #4

by Michelle M. Pillow

Shapeshifter Romance

Cat-shifter Prince Reid is always looking for a good time, and no woman is safe when he turns on the charm. When the opportunity arises to go on an ambassador’s trip, he jumps at the chance–especially when that trip includes exotic destinations and available women. What more could a rogue prince want? But he never thought he'd find a woman who could bring him to his knees with just one look. He will do anything to protect her and make her his...forever.

Jasmine St. Claire appears to have it all, but looks can be deceiving. Escaping her gilded cage by joining a foreign transport, she didn’t plan on leaving one man’s rule for another. Yet it would seem the charming Var prince has decided he wants to claim her for his very own.

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Shapeshifters, Aliens, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Science Fiction Romance

212 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author of All Things Romance
MichellePillow.com

Michelle M. Pillow is a bestselling author with millions of books sold worldwide. She is known for her romantasy, paranormal and sci-fi romance and paranormal women’s fiction.

Her bestselling series includes Dragon Lords, Lords of the Var, Warlocks MacGregor, Tribes of the Vampire, Realm Immortal, Order of Magic, and Merely Mortal.

Recent News:
Pan Macmillan Tor Bramble acquired world rights to her Realm Immortal (romantasy, high fantasy enemies-to-lovers) and Tribes of the Vampire (urban romantasy, gothic vampire seduction) series for new print, audio, and translation editions starting 2026.

A hybrid author (traditional + indie), Michelle is a #1 Amazon bestseller, 2006 RT Reviewers' Choice Award winner, Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award nominee, and HOLT Medallion recipient.

Printable Booklist: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/42pg25jekx

Michelle loves to travel and try new things, whether it’s a paranormal investigation of an old Vaudeville Theatre or climbing Mayan temples in Belize. She’s addicted to movies and used to drive her mother crazy while quoting random scenes with her brother. She is the very proud mom to the most talented artist. Though it has yet to happen, her dream is to be a zombie in a horror movie. (She came close as a refugee extra on SyFy’s Z Nation, Fall 2016!) She is involved with various film and historical documentary projects with her filmmaker husband.

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Reviews

[TINNGG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm...well, that was...fun.

The problem really with these heroes is they just ooze player, so whether they are or not, the h assumes their interest in her is a matter of convenience. This one does not help his case with the reader by starting out as the one dude in a foursome at the Galactic Playmates mansion. So... one completely understands the h's assumption that he'll move on. One also finds more than a little amusement at her initial rejection of him, though not the reason why...

Jasmine - the h - is trapped in an abusive marriage to a prominent Dr (who is getting involved in the medical mafia) and is trying to escape. Our hero is not very heroic in his completely disregarding her outward appearance and behavior while focusing on entirely on an opportunity for woohoo. She has little interest, because she's drugged out of her mind by her husband. She does sneak aboard the ship - sortof. Other members of the crew see her skulking about and pretend not to see her.

Thoughts: heroine (once drugs were out of her system) acted entirely too much at times like a teenager, and while I understand her resentment at someone controlling her life, these men are royalty. Most royalty expect people to obey orders.

Yes, I was irritated with her. I often am when heroines act like brats about things.

[Heather Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prince Reid is loving spending a little time in space with his twin brother. They are on their way to give a speach for the galaxy doctors, when Jasmine sneaks on board. She is tired of being the worthless and much more of a wife.

She's sick, really sick and requires medicine for her heart. Jasmine and Reid spend quite a bit of time together on the ship since there are no other rooms for her to sleep or stay. The desire for her is so strong Reid takes complete responsibility of her. She is wanting to be dropped off at any planet to get away from her husband.

They eventually come to Quirilixen and Reid takes her to his home...let your mind wonder on this one....

Does he keep her? Does she escape? Does her husband come for her?

READ IT!!!!

This book was special as most of the other books in the series they fought and you would automatically know that they would make up. This book kept me wondering til the end.

[Nina Diab · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Jasmine was in an abusive relationship to a doctor who in all appearances was charming, intelligent, and a gentleman. But alone, he was controlling, jealous, and abusive. She tries to buy passage off the planet from 'Ambassador' [Prince] Reid, but he turns her down, convinced instead that she just plans to sleep with him and offers to do so but she turns away. After some tense moments with her husband, she overhears him talking about working with the Medical Mafia and that he plans to have a child with her. Horrified and more determined than ever, she escapes and manages to sneak aboard the prince's ship. Great story. I was especially fond of Jasmine and wanted her to have her safe and happy ending. 5 stars.

[Sandra R · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story, well written, made excellent with fabulous audio. Michael Ferraiuolo is another go-to narrator for me. He made the characters fell alive and gave them heart and depth. Also, he's perfect at doing the female voices, as well as the beautiful, accented male voices. 🥰 So, 5 stars for the narration.

Overall, I enjoyed this cat shifter sci-fi romance very much and will listen to the next book in the series on audio as well. It can be read as a stand alone re the romance, but the royal family of Var brothers and their wives appear as side characters, so I would suggest if possible, to start at the beginning so you understand the background of these people. 4.5 stars.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

So very good, not disappointed at all. It is so easy to get caught up in the characters and what they are doing and saying. So many times I would say outloud that they were being stupid or just listen to what they are saying. Also laughed at them a few times too. So love these books. On to the last one.

[Frances Schwarz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 4
Fantastic book, I have read all of Michelle M Pillow books so far and they are an automatic 1-click for me, so if I can get one of her books as a ARC (so that I can keep then on my computer) then I am the happiest person alive.
I would recommend her books to anyone to read - Please make sure you read the previous books in order as this enhances the reading experiences tremendously.
Dragon Lords Series
Lords of the Var Books 1-3

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Angela Blount · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Originally reviewed for RT Magazine, though the submission was apparently lost and reassigned without this reviewer's knowledge.]

With mysticism offered in explanation more often than 'science' and sexuality emphasized over plot, readers may derive more a feeling of fantasy romantica than sci-fi.

The heroine, Jasmine, is a doctor's trophy wife with an unspecified heart condition. On the run from her abusive husband and, subsequently, the 'medical mafia,' she sneaks aboard the vessel of departing diplomats after they initially refuse her safe passage. Coming across as weak and stoic, she wants only to flee and start life over.

Reid is an alien were-kitty prince who, despite a high opinion of himself, starts out about as charming as a hangnail. We are introduced to him in the aftermath of a foursome at an intergalactic playboy mansion. Proud, vain, crude, and seemingly dimwitted, he unfortunately makes for an unsympathetic hero.

The book itself would have benefited from another round of editing, as the frequency of errors was a bit distracting. While the writing style isn't at all unpleasant, readers can expect an overabundance of weak modifiers like 'really' and 'so', along with a tendency to overexplain. This reviewer also felt needlessly misled about the extent of Jasmine's abuse history up until about halfway through, when there happens to be a convenient telepathic intervention.

The immature bantering and masculine interpersonal relationships between the ships crew members lent the most authenticity to the story. There is some character development, at least. The hero is tolerable by the end, and the heroine makes some advancements regarding her views on sex and family. Though the pacing is steady throughout, the climax is more anticlimactic, as the driving action seems to fizzle out.

[Ellena deLeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was artfully crafted and uniquely designed to pull you into the pages where secrets and fairytales live and dreams come true for those who believe!

This extraordinary book was enchanting, enthralling and endlessly entertaining where stubbornness and determination to rise above conflict with a heart of gold and a core of steel to get to where love and happiness lives!

One of Your Greatest Fans,

Lena deLeon
lenadeleon2004.ld@gmail.com

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prince Reid is the playboy of the family. He can’t figure out why his three other brothers took full mates. Why would they want to settle for only one female. He likes his father’s ideas of sampling as many of the fruit as possible. When he is forced to act as ambassador for the Var, since his brother who is the usual ambassador doesn’t want to leave because his mate is pregnant. What a lame excuse!! He goes to the planet Nozando with his twin Jarek to present an award to the daughter of a doctor that helped them on their planet before he was killed. He presents the award and then returns to the ship hoping to get the heck out of there and away from all the stuffy people!

When they return to the ship the wife of one of the doctors at the conference, Jasmine, is there to give them a new medical bed that she won as a prize at the conference. What she really wants is for them to take her off the planet and away from her cruel husband. They take the medical bed but Reid refuses to take her with them. When she returns to her husband she overhears him talking to a couple of the other doctors that are at the conference. When she hears them asking him to join the Medical Mafia, she knows she has to get out of there before he kills her. She sneaks onto Reid and Jarek’s ship. When they find her it’s too late to return her to Nozando. Reid, being the conceited jerk that he is, thinks she has snuck on board because she can’t resist him and wants to have an affair with him. He is stunned when she rejects him.

This is a great book and Jasmine gives Reid a run for his money and puts a pretty good dent in his ego before they finally figure things out.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Reed Daylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Good but...

POV: dual
HUMOR: some
F BOMBS: no
CLIFFHANGER / STANDALONE: S (mainly), see below
NEW AUTHOR FOR ME: no
POSSIBLE TRIGGERS: physical abuse, mental abuse, verbal abuse, cheating, manipulation, control, starving someone and being locked in a closet as form of punishment, explicit sex scenes

MCs: Prince Reid (shifter, multi-partner playboy, high libido, immature, full of himself, long hair, dark complexion good looks) and Jasmine St. Claire (human, rich doctor's trophy wife, intelligent, described as frigid)

PROS:
1. Author can definitely write a story: good details about environments, steamy scenes, many likeable characters
2. Reid definitely has a different personality and character than his other brothers.
3. Story not inundated with f-bombs, etc.
4. Reid's character showed growth

CONS:
1. Not quite a complete standalone. Some parts weren't exactly explained; nuances wouldn't make sense; acronyms not spelled out
2. Based on Jasmine's past, many of Reid's alpha qualities could be triggers even the sexy, growly wanna-throw-you-on-the-bed ones
3. The first time Reid saw bruises on Jasmine, a trophy wife, he thought it was from sparring. really?
4. The flight crew were more caring of Jasmine than Reid
5. Reid calls her "fea" which wasn't explained (seems to be a term of endearment), but in Spanish, it means "ugly."

NOTEWORTHY:
1. Favorite quote from book: "Now, ask me what I want. Don't assume anything. Ask me."
2. The other characters in the book: The adoration between father and baby. Very sweet!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this read the characters and the plot was riveting reading

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and have to admit that once I began reading it was impossible to put the book down until I reached the final page and discovered the outcome. The prince is a rogue that thinks that what he says should go without any debate and with little thought to the knockout effect.

Jasmine is in a relationship where she is being treated terribly and if she fails to remove herself from it, she may possibly lose her life. The Quirilixen are totally against any violence towards women or children or those unable to defend themselves and they would actually die to protect an innocent in need if the required help, without question and without recompense they are a noble race.
I assure you that once you begin reading this story you will not be able to put the book down until you reach the end.

I assure you that you will love every moment of this book it is simply a fantastic read.
I voluntarily received and review an Advanced Reader Copy
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading any future publications; keep up all the great writing.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Prince Reid's story. He is a "player" in every sense of the word. He was a staunch believer of his dad's, the deceased King Attor's, words about only having half mates. To Reid a life mate equaled hundreds of years of heartache if she died. The Var are one & done if life mated. There'd never be another. Reid was completely content with his harem, that is until one look at Jasmine while on an Ambassador mission.
As for Jasmine, her backstory is so horrific from the time she was a little girl until she wouldn't wake up on The Conqueror. It's so bad in multiple ways that I wanted to reach into the pages and tear someone to shreds. I refuse to name the ba$tard but he does get his come uppins and I hooted & clapped.
Once Jasmine was fully "awake" she was as insatiable as Reid which is why Reid fell as hard as a Qurilixen tree for his one & only.
Not to mention Queen Ulyssa & Princess Tori have some surprises in the book as well.
The book actually has happy endings times four. Three on the Var side & one one the Draig side. It is so wonderful and I can't wait until the next Var Prince to fall.
Two thumbs up & 10 stars. This has been my favorite Var book to date.

[Fay J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasmine is living a brutal life. She has been manipulated and hurt by her husband who sees her as nothing but a means to an end. She is in truth quite brilliant but he keeps her dosed up so she isn't really capable of being anything other than the docile little wife. She somehow managed to get the strength of mind to run away and hides on a Var ship. Reid's ship more accurately. I think in olden times Reid would have been called a Rake. He is happy-go-lucky, determined never to be tied down and to live his party lifestyle for as long as he chooses. Well that is until somehow he cannot get Jasmine out of his head. She has a lot that she needs to process and yet Reid somehow sees beyond all that to the person inside. Without really realising it he changes and his life choices change along with him. The thought of his former preferences somehow seem hollow but if he can just keep hold of Jasmine, have her with him because she wants to be then it might all be different. Will it though?

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jasmine St. Claire has been married to an ambitious and controlling doctor, Chad St. Claire, for four years. The marriage has been a miserable one for her and she is desperate to get away. The story of how this 'cold' woman and playboy Prince Reid meet is a good one! But Jasmine refuses to fall under another man's rule and Reid fights his attraction to her, believing that he'd be unhappy with only one woman for the rest of his life. Can Jasmine really escape from Chad and the Medical Mafia? Will she give herself up to save a man and friends who have come to mean so much to her? And can Prince Reid let her go? If you like steamy fantasy romance and are looking for a page-turner, give this book a shot! You'll like the twists and turns and enjoy seeing the characters who appear in the other 'Lords of the Var' series books. Brave women, powerful men, and strong themes of family love and loyalty abound in this series.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reid & Jasmine

He's the playboy prince. He admits he can get any woman--until he can't. She didn't even seem to give him a second look. One reason he refused to allow her to travel with them.

Traveling with them is her only way out of the life everyone thinks is so wonderful. Little do they know the truth.

Finding her on board makes him realize his feelings are different. Learning her experiences she refused to share made him want her more and fight harder to leave her alone.

It is fun watching her come out of herself and into the world and people. The life she's been refused. There are enemies, revelations, and secrets brought out. Watching the two together, with the help of family members fans have met before makes this a fun read. Warning, if this is your first in the series you may just want to read the entire series.

[Samm Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our playboy prince finally finds his mate even though he doesn't want a mate. Reid is so cocky when he first meets Jasmine, that I was surprised that she didn't smack him (it is revealed later why). The story is really good and we get more time with the crew of the Conqueror - I love those guys. Rick, Dev, Lochlann, Evan, Lucien, Viktor, and Prince Jerek always bring more fun and excitement to a story. This is pretty much a slow burn romance with only one or two tense moments. While I enjoyed te story, it just didn't have the "umph" of the previous Var Princes' books (or Jarek's or any of the Space Lords). Overall, it keeps your attention and you get to see succumb. It does leave one major question unanswered - what was in the box?

[Amanda Showalter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Lords of the Var Series. If you don’t understand what that means I highly suggest you go back to the beginning and start at the first book in the series. It also has a crossover series. This book is about Play boys shift or Prince Reid and Jasmine. He thought that going on a trip as an ambassador would be absolutely fun and hilarious. The problem is that he accidentally/on purpose/meets his true mate. And he is not sure what to make of that because she is not from his planet. The problem is that she is in a bad circumstance and that she needs help and the mate bond is making him realize that he is willing to do everything to help her, and that’s not just because they are made it together. I actually enjoyed this book. I can’t wait for more

[Ash J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this story. I have read all the others so far, and this one was different because Jasmine already had a husband, but he was abusive. She tries to get away from him by sneaking on to Prince Reid's space craft where they get to know each other. I loved how this story shows how Reid, the player of the Var princes, falls in love with a woman when he swore that he would never do that because he loved to have his variety. This story was steamy and had a really interesting story line. At first I didn't like Reid because of his player mentality but after reading this story, I like him as much as the other prince's. This whole series is a great read. Can't wait for the next story!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reid and Jasmine . . .

Cat-shifter Prince Reid is a playboy rogue who will never settle down with one woman. So it is with great satisfaction that we ready his story.

Jasmine is being abused by her husband. She realizes she must escape or one day he will kill her. When she goes to ask Reid for help, he assumes she just wants to sleep with him. Her request for passage off the planet is denied. But her husband is thinking of starting a family. That is the last thing she would want to do to a child. Her only desperate alternative is to hide away on the ship until she can find somewhere to escape her husband’s deadly clutches.

Will Reid and the crew protect Jasmine? Will they turn her over to the authorities? Will her husband discover where she went and come to drag her back?

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounding up
I liked the overall vibe of this one much better than the last one.
I thought Reid and Jas better matched as well.

Although I have to say I'm growing quite tired of the blind assumptions and deliberate lack of communication leading to never-ending and often needless misunderstandings.
It's like now without the drama of conflict with the var, the mining camps and the like there's little to no other drama other then these misunderstandings.

Which reminds me, we're four books in we've yet to learn how the Var people actually make money, how they finance this lavishness we hear so much about. Do they mine and trade the ore as well? If not, what do they need ambassadors for?

[Dee Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasmine has been so wrongly and badly treated since she was a child, but she’s finally found a group of people that she feels safe around. The crew of “The Conquerer” help her start to open up after she stows away. Prince Reid has been a playboy from his coming of age and has had his fair share of women, sometimes all at once, but something about Jasmine has him turned around. But now they’re getting to know each other things start to get even more complicated. Pillow creates intense emotions and difficult situations for her characters to overcome and her unique style of HEA never disappoints.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enjoyable story in this series that I got very engaged into while reading. The romantic story of cat shifter Prince Reid and Jasmine St. Claire was an entertaining read. Prince Reid is having a good time with Rick enjoying his time with the Galaxy Playmates at their mansion when duty calls. Going to Nozando to honor the scientist who lost his life removing biological weapons from their planet, he meets Jasmine at the conference. What occurs between them was a well written story with humor, romance and angst along with likable characters that I volunteer to read and review via Booksprout.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another story set in the Qurilixen world and Book four in the tale of the cat-shifting Lords of Var. This one is about the fun loving womaniser Prince Reid who jumps at the chance to go as ambassador to an alien destination where there will be the possibility of meeting new women. However, he did not count on meeting Jasmine St. Claire, a woman who appears to have it all, when she joins a space transporter to escape her gilded cage. She needs help and he is the man(?) to give it to her. A story full of danger, adventure, passion and romance. A really good read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone let one of the Lords of Var loose.

This is a story about a cat shifting prince who is sure that one woman will never be enough and now he has a chance to travel which will not cramp his style, at all. She's got the perfect life to anyone looking on but what's underneath isn't pretty. She wants to escape, he's just there to "help". How the mighty fall. This was a fast paced fun read that is part of a series but does standalone (although I personally think you'll get more if you read them in order, but it's not necessary). Good romance and although this one felt a bit rushed, I didn't feel like I missed anything because it had a satisfying HEA.

[Kimberly Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasmine needs a way out of an abusive relationship and stows away on prince Reid's ship. Love how the guys all protected Jasmine until they could get to Quirilixen. They were ready to take on the Federation to protect her. Love how she was determined to leave as soon as she figured out what kind of man she married. Love how the other princesses and princes went out of their way to protect her from the medical mafia. Michelle M. Pillow is a great story teller who makes you feel like you are in that world.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartwarming, witty, fun tale…

This story combines three of my favorite characteristics in a book; sci-fi, shifters, and angsty romance. Reid is full of himself, a handsome ladies man who can go all night with several women. Jasmine has been sheltered her whole life and has an abusive husband. They can’t possibly be right for each other, but their chemistry is explosive. Secrets and misconceptions hinder the Insta-Love, yet somehow fate finds a way and a sigh worthy HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story about romance, danger and passion. It was rollercoaster of emotions.
The Prince, Cat Shifter, likes all women and thinks he can have them all. His charming personality…
But this woman is different and Reid doesn’t want to acknowledge she is the One, his mate.Jasmine is running from abusive marriage and Prince or not,she is not interested.
I enjoy reading this book, the whole series are fun to read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shayay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoy the cat shifter from a different planet aspect, and the romance does have good passion! Not into the whole playboy hero scenario; it’s gross, the hero and heroine weren’t my favorite, but the story does have entertaining moments. The heroine is on the run from an abusive husband; good suspense there, but not my favorite premise. Reid and Jasmine do have some sweet moments too! Overall, I like the story; there’s some interesting ideas, but I didn’t connect with certain elements of the premise.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth story in the Qurilixen World of "Lords of the Var" series. This one is about Prince Reid and Jasmine. This is an incredibly fun and sexy alien sci-fi read that had me laughing. Jasmine is trying to escape her controlling and abusive husband and sneaks' on Prince Reid's ship. Such a fun read!! It is also a good romance with likable characters and witty dialogue. I like how the story develops from beginning to end. This is a series that definitely gets better with each story.

[Judy Gittleson Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasmine is escaping from an abusive relationship aboard the next ship leaving the planet. Reid keeps her safe as they travel away from there. Reid and Jasmine start an entertaining relationship. The storyline is a roller coaster ride of situations that change the direction of the story quickly. Drama, surprises, tension, miscommunication and much more will keep you hooked on this book. Loved their chemistry and determination. Great ending.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.