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Kalliakis Crown #3
La scelta di Helios
Da palazzo arriva la notizia di uno scandalo che potrebbe costituire una minaccia per il regno di Agon. Tutti sanno che il principe ereditario Helios è destinato a sposare la principessa di Monte Cleure. Quello che ancora pochi sanno, invece, è che Helios ha un'amante, o meglio, ce l'aveva! Amy Green, questo il suo nome, ha ben poco sangue blu nelle vene, ma abbastanza coraggio da scaricare il principe mandandolo su tutte le furie. Nessuna prima di lei aveva mai osato tanto e Helios sembra soggiogato dal fascino di questa giovane ragazza dal carattere indomito. Adesso la domanda che tutti si pongono è: farà ciò che gli impone il dovere o rinuncerà alla corona per sposare la donna di cui sembra perdutamente innamorato.
121 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2016
44 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Smart
710 books257 followersMichelle Smart is a Publishers Weekly bestselling romance author with a slight-to-severe coffee addiction. With over four million copies of her books sold worldwide, Michelle is now embracing the indie book world to write the passionate romance books she knows her readers love whilst continuing to write for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She is also the author of Butterflies, a standalone romantic and humorous time travel novel set in the 1990s.
A bookworm since birth, Michelle can usually be found hiding behind a paperback, or if it’s an author she really loves, a hardback.
Michelle loves hearing from readers and can be contacted directly via her website.
A bookworm since birth, Michelle can usually be found hiding behind a paperback, or if it’s an author she really loves, a hardback.
Michelle loves hearing from readers and can be contacted directly via her website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
January 26, 2016
Can you say skanky slut doormat of a whore for an h and slime sucking parasite on a nematode H?
This is a story about a whore who starts an affair with an heir to some pissant country's throne, he gets engaged to another woman who is more "worthy", and instead of having a smidgen of self respect and ending it, she continues screwing him however she can - the kicker is that SHE is the product of an affair between her father and the nanny - the woman who raised her is her dad's wife who decided to care for her rather than lose her husband.
I have been in HPlandia for a long time, and I have read a ton of tropes and tolerated a lot of stupid h's and whoremongering H's but they usually had some morality, this is just illicit sex with some emo-drama thrown in and by the end, I did not give a damn if they were happy or not.
I was just hoping for a meteoroid strike to wipe the entire country and the cheating losers off the planet.
This really is the end for the HP line - greed and bandwagon commercialization have pretty much ruined a series that used to be the epitome of category romance. Now it is mechanical sex in 52 positions with some kink thrown in, manufactured drama and characters that are cardboard cut outs of porn stars with maybe a tepid plot thrown in.
I wasted my money and I wasted my time and I think it is safe to say that there is no where good for the series to go after this.
I have to add that in anywhere else but HPlandia, this story wouldn't bother me - but HPlandia has standards and one of them is the 15th Rule that says:
When the H marries or gets engaged to another woman, the h is actually OBLIGATED to leave the H - do not pass go and do not collect $200.00- that has ALWAYS been the accepted pillar of HPlandia.
HP ladies can do many things and get away with it, cause it is an HP, this just isn't one I can live with and continue to enjoy my time spent reading these. It has nothing to do with sex, enjoying sex or slut shaming. It has more to do with how I perceive and want to perceive this particular romance line and what I get out of them. My expectations have been severely disappointed and I am not happy about it.
This is a story about a whore who starts an affair with an heir to some pissant country's throne, he gets engaged to another woman who is more "worthy", and instead of having a smidgen of self respect and ending it, she continues screwing him however she can - the kicker is that SHE is the product of an affair between her father and the nanny - the woman who raised her is her dad's wife who decided to care for her rather than lose her husband.
I have been in HPlandia for a long time, and I have read a ton of tropes and tolerated a lot of stupid h's and whoremongering H's but they usually had some morality, this is just illicit sex with some emo-drama thrown in and by the end, I did not give a damn if they were happy or not.
I was just hoping for a meteoroid strike to wipe the entire country and the cheating losers off the planet.
This really is the end for the HP line - greed and bandwagon commercialization have pretty much ruined a series that used to be the epitome of category romance. Now it is mechanical sex in 52 positions with some kink thrown in, manufactured drama and characters that are cardboard cut outs of porn stars with maybe a tepid plot thrown in.
I wasted my money and I wasted my time and I think it is safe to say that there is no where good for the series to go after this.
I have to add that in anywhere else but HPlandia, this story wouldn't bother me - but HPlandia has standards and one of them is the 15th Rule that says:
When the H marries or gets engaged to another woman, the h is actually OBLIGATED to leave the H - do not pass go and do not collect $200.00- that has ALWAYS been the accepted pillar of HPlandia.
HP ladies can do many things and get away with it, cause it is an HP, this just isn't one I can live with and continue to enjoy my time spent reading these. It has nothing to do with sex, enjoying sex or slut shaming. It has more to do with how I perceive and want to perceive this particular romance line and what I get out of them. My expectations have been severely disappointed and I am not happy about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2016
Beware….some spoilers ahead!!!!
Michelle Smart’s Kalliakis Crown Trilogy has quite an original storyline.
The three handsome princes of the mythical island country of Agon, who are bound by duty to find right woman to marry.
I liked the first two books ….Talos claims his Virgin and Theseus discovers his Heir and now we have Helios, the eldest and heir to the throne, in his quest to marry a woman acceptable to his family and country…i.e a young and beautiful woman with Agon royal blood!!!!
So, Helios and Amy are taking a sexy bath together, when he delivers a bombshell!!
Amy feels torn….right!!!!! She wants Helios…of course she does….so why not enjoy “bonking” the future king for the next three months until he gets married….so what if he’s chosen his future wife!!!! No problem….Helios tells Amy that she’s the only woman he’s sleeping with now…oooooh, does that make it right??? So, dancing and dining with his chosen future wife and running off to do it with the mistress is okay for Helios……..
And Amy agrees to this arrangement!!!! Girl, this is just so not right!!!! That is ……
There are a large number of very negative reviews about this book and I understand the comments made about Helios and Amy continuing with their affair, even when his engagement and wedding plans to another woman are announced. Yes, the whole duty thing Helios felt towards his family and country was outdated….but I felt he should have been more of an honorable man towards his future wife, Catalina. His behavior until the last minute of the wedding day was so not “pretty”. I so not liked this future king!!! In fact, my thoughts were………
Now, after all my “venting”, you may think……no Alex, the Romance Fox, DID NOT enjoy or like this book!!!!!
The truth……I didn’t want to like it……………but it’s somewhat kind of weird because I didn’t exactly hate it!!!!
One of the reasons ……there were some hilarious moments and witty dialogue…..and some moments of me saying…WHAT!!!!! The scene where Amy is told about the whole future wife thingies by Helios….she bangs Helio’s private apartment door with force, rushes off to her own apartment to discover that her beauty facial mask that she had on during the romantic bath with him, had now dried and cracked!!!!
No, not my favorite by this author, but not exactly horrible either!!
My reviews for books #1 and #2
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Michelle Smart’s Kalliakis Crown Trilogy has quite an original storyline.
The three handsome princes of the mythical island country of Agon, who are bound by duty to find right woman to marry.
I liked the first two books ….Talos claims his Virgin and Theseus discovers his Heir and now we have Helios, the eldest and heir to the throne, in his quest to marry a woman acceptable to his family and country…i.e a young and beautiful woman with Agon royal blood!!!!
Whilst on his quest to finding a perfect royal to-be-wife, he’s also been busy for the last three months having a “torrid” and secret affair with a not royal blood woman, named Amy Green, who has been hired as the museum curator for the upcoming King Astreus Jubilee Gala.
Okay, so the guy makes a plan!!! Not to forget, this is a prince soon to be King…..and we know all about Kings!!!! Their word is law!!!!
So, Helios and Amy are taking a sexy bath together, when he delivers a bombshell!!
But it would be inappropriate for my lover to attend the ball where I’m to select my future wife.” –Helios tells AmyIs it any wonder that Amy sits up and asks………
”Your future wife? What are you talking about?”Never mind that Helios had told her from the start that this was just going to be an affair. Did Amy actually think that she stood a chance of becoming Helios’s queen???? Off she goes in a huff!!! But Helios sees nothing wrong about having the right wife and a mistress on the side…….as he tells Amy….it’s something that royals do!!! So, does that mean it’s……….
Amy feels torn….right!!!!! She wants Helios…of course she does….so why not enjoy “bonking” the future king for the next three months until he gets married….so what if he’s chosen his future wife!!!! No problem….Helios tells Amy that she’s the only woman he’s sleeping with now…oooooh, does that make it right??? So, dancing and dining with his chosen future wife and running off to do it with the mistress is okay for Helios……..
And Amy agrees to this arrangement!!!! Girl, this is just so not right!!!! That is ……
There are a large number of very negative reviews about this book and I understand the comments made about Helios and Amy continuing with their affair, even when his engagement and wedding plans to another woman are announced. Yes, the whole duty thing Helios felt towards his family and country was outdated….but I felt he should have been more of an honorable man towards his future wife, Catalina. His behavior until the last minute of the wedding day was so not “pretty”. I so not liked this future king!!! In fact, my thoughts were………
Now, after all my “venting”, you may think……no Alex, the Romance Fox, DID NOT enjoy or like this book!!!!!
The truth……I didn’t want to like it……………but it’s somewhat kind of weird because I didn’t exactly hate it!!!!
One of the reasons ……there were some hilarious moments and witty dialogue…..and some moments of me saying…WHAT!!!!! The scene where Amy is told about the whole future wife thingies by Helios….she bangs Helio’s private apartment door with force, rushes off to her own apartment to discover that her beauty facial mask that she had on during the romantic bath with him, had now dried and cracked!!!!
No, not my favorite by this author, but not exactly horrible either!!My reviews for books #1 and #2
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
January 30, 2016
Okay, here it is. My attempt to be fair. ***SPOILERS AHEAD***
I had to read this because I cannot hear about or discuss a contentious book unless I've read it and I felt like I needed to go there with all the discussion. I can't be warned off a book unless you tell me they torture kittens. Often being warned off will make me more curious and I usually regret it, but I never learn.
I've read a few other books by this author and I've liked them. I have noticed that she likes to push boundaries and flip tropes and so forth, but that can be refreshing. However, for this girl, there are certain lines that shouldn't be crossed in an HP. Category romances are defined. There are rules. Not consciously being the other woman is one of them. HP other women are Evil with a capital 'E'. They cackle. They plot murder. They hate babies. That's how it is.
This is not my type of book. Period. But, I think that the fact that this happened in HPLandia was the kicker. Had this happened in a non-category contemporary, it wouldn't have been my thing, but it also wouldn't have made me so viscerally angry. I also don't think taking the OW and making her the heroine is something that can be done in 200 pages. We need a lot of character development for me to believe in that. And, to be quite honest, I don't want to believe in that. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but fidelity has always been very important to me.
The heroine is a museum curator. She takes a temp job in the hero's fake kingdom in the Mediterranean. They meet, sparks fly and they start up a purely sexual affair. She's not stupid. She knows he's royalty and she's a mere mortal. There can only ever be a sexual fling between them. That's fine IN ANOTHER GENRE but in HPLandia we simply don't have a heroine who is that sexually sophisticated that she can, with eyes wide open, embark on a loveless sexual fling with no future. And no, it's not one of those starry eyed, overwrought type of 'oh, I know I can't have him in the end and I'll likely die in a nunnery, but I'm going to grab my one chance and brief happiness with the man i lurve before going to rot in obscurity'. Nope, it's a much more cynical - 'I'm going to get me some hot sex with with the prince sans emotion and then I'm gonna move on to another hot dude or museum job or whatever...'
The king - who is gross in so many ways - announces he is going to marry and it is therefore not appropriate for him to take the heroine to a fancy ball she is dying to attend. To her credit, she gets angry and leaves. Does she quit her job and leave the country in the middle of the night in the grand tradition of HP heroines? No, but she does leave her palace apartment with the secret entrance to dude's room and stays with a friend. Had I not known what was going to happen, I'd have been encouraged.
But no, the "heroine" waffles continuously and ends up seducing the hero on the night he announces his engagement to the world. She's gonna leave you know... but she's realized she's in love. So she decides to lay down her pride and self respect to sleep with the hero for a couple more months until he's wed. Then she'll go, darn it! She really will! Just watch her! *ahem* Excuse me if your waffling ass doesn't convince me.
She only leaves when the princess comes to see her and by that time I've lost all respect for her and don't give a crap anymore. The heroine does have some conscience (which the author tries desperately to push down our throat in an effort to make us sympathize). She realizes the princess is a nice person and doesn't deserve to be humiliated like this as the "relationship" she has with the prince is not unknown. Plus there's the fact that the woman who raised her was also the victim of the other woman, a union which the heroine was the product of. Maybe... she shouldn't put another woman through what the lady who raised and loved her went through. So, no, she's not a cardboard cutout villain. But she's fallible in a way that is just not seen in this verse, and in a way I don't want to see in this verse.
However, as Boogenhagen mentioned in her review - What if the princess hadn't been nice? What if she had been a spoiled, hateful, mean snob? Somehow I also suspect the heroine would have used that as her justification to keep on a screwin'. At least until the wedding.... No definitely just til the wedding. Then again... She does love him so...
The king-to-be is just disgusting and selfish and a misogynistic turd. Why he gets so much credit for being 'great' in the book, I'll never know. But he's a great guy, the author said so. No matter he's imagining how he'll develop some sexual chemistry with and have kids with the virginal princess he chooses to marry and keep his mistress on the side for the hot stuff (probably through that secret door and on the same night if I had to guess). No thinking, "you know, maybe this girl I'm marrying doesn't deserve this crap. Maybe she's not a plastic, bred to please royal virgin with no wishes or hopes of her own." Yeah, he kinda goes there in the end when he breaks off the engagement, but by that time I've again lost my ability to give a crap and his leaving was more about him and his lame "feels" than any real concern for the princess. And get this. When he tells the princess he hopes she'll find a good man she basically says (paraphrase) that her biggest hope is to find someone who can love her, but she'll never find a man as "good" as him. REALLY? No, REALLY.
In the end the princess attends the wedding and gives a genuine smile to the bride. Another way the author was trying to force this to be palatable to the reader. Look! See! The really nice virginal princess wants them to be happy, why are you being such a bitch?
I just don't want this in a HP. I don't know how else to say it. There are places for moral ambiguity, shades of gray, and what have you. I'm currently a real fan of the ladies of Starz' Black Sails. There's some shades of gray down to downright black there. But, when I come to HPLandia I expect a different set of rules. In my mind it is it's own universe with different laws of physics and quite possibly a second moon that is conveniently never mentioned. I like it that way. I don't want to mess with it. In some ways it's a better, simpler place. Then again it can be chock-full-of-crazy, but it's a certain kind of crazy that doesn't involve making the OW a heroine.
When I read a HP where the hero announces he's marrying someone 'suitable', but expects the heroine to keep her legs open for him, I expect her to run for yonder hills. Camp it up! It's even more fun that way. She can leave her job and home and all her clothes behind and work in an orphanage or leper colony under an assumed name so she isn't even tempted by the H if he finds her. I love that cheesy crap. I really do. Don't take it away. PLEEEEEEEEEEASE :(
Well, I could go on, but basically this is an acknowledged, giant GET OFF MY LAWN sign. I can't help it.
I had to read this because I cannot hear about or discuss a contentious book unless I've read it and I felt like I needed to go there with all the discussion. I can't be warned off a book unless you tell me they torture kittens. Often being warned off will make me more curious and I usually regret it, but I never learn.
I've read a few other books by this author and I've liked them. I have noticed that she likes to push boundaries and flip tropes and so forth, but that can be refreshing. However, for this girl, there are certain lines that shouldn't be crossed in an HP. Category romances are defined. There are rules. Not consciously being the other woman is one of them. HP other women are Evil with a capital 'E'. They cackle. They plot murder. They hate babies. That's how it is.
This is not my type of book. Period. But, I think that the fact that this happened in HPLandia was the kicker. Had this happened in a non-category contemporary, it wouldn't have been my thing, but it also wouldn't have made me so viscerally angry. I also don't think taking the OW and making her the heroine is something that can be done in 200 pages. We need a lot of character development for me to believe in that. And, to be quite honest, I don't want to believe in that. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but fidelity has always been very important to me.
The heroine is a museum curator. She takes a temp job in the hero's fake kingdom in the Mediterranean. They meet, sparks fly and they start up a purely sexual affair. She's not stupid. She knows he's royalty and she's a mere mortal. There can only ever be a sexual fling between them. That's fine IN ANOTHER GENRE but in HPLandia we simply don't have a heroine who is that sexually sophisticated that she can, with eyes wide open, embark on a loveless sexual fling with no future. And no, it's not one of those starry eyed, overwrought type of 'oh, I know I can't have him in the end and I'll likely die in a nunnery, but I'm going to grab my one chance and brief happiness with the man i lurve before going to rot in obscurity'. Nope, it's a much more cynical - 'I'm going to get me some hot sex with with the prince sans emotion and then I'm gonna move on to another hot dude or museum job or whatever...'
The king - who is gross in so many ways - announces he is going to marry and it is therefore not appropriate for him to take the heroine to a fancy ball she is dying to attend. To her credit, she gets angry and leaves. Does she quit her job and leave the country in the middle of the night in the grand tradition of HP heroines? No, but she does leave her palace apartment with the secret entrance to dude's room and stays with a friend. Had I not known what was going to happen, I'd have been encouraged.
But no, the "heroine" waffles continuously and ends up seducing the hero on the night he announces his engagement to the world. She's gonna leave you know... but she's realized she's in love. So she decides to lay down her pride and self respect to sleep with the hero for a couple more months until he's wed. Then she'll go, darn it! She really will! Just watch her! *ahem* Excuse me if your waffling ass doesn't convince me.
She only leaves when the princess comes to see her and by that time I've lost all respect for her and don't give a crap anymore. The heroine does have some conscience (which the author tries desperately to push down our throat in an effort to make us sympathize). She realizes the princess is a nice person and doesn't deserve to be humiliated like this as the "relationship" she has with the prince is not unknown. Plus there's the fact that the woman who raised her was also the victim of the other woman, a union which the heroine was the product of. Maybe... she shouldn't put another woman through what the lady who raised and loved her went through. So, no, she's not a cardboard cutout villain. But she's fallible in a way that is just not seen in this verse, and in a way I don't want to see in this verse.
However, as Boogenhagen mentioned in her review - What if the princess hadn't been nice? What if she had been a spoiled, hateful, mean snob? Somehow I also suspect the heroine would have used that as her justification to keep on a screwin'. At least until the wedding.... No definitely just til the wedding. Then again... She does love him so...
The king-to-be is just disgusting and selfish and a misogynistic turd. Why he gets so much credit for being 'great' in the book, I'll never know. But he's a great guy, the author said so. No matter he's imagining how he'll develop some sexual chemistry with and have kids with the virginal princess he chooses to marry and keep his mistress on the side for the hot stuff (probably through that secret door and on the same night if I had to guess). No thinking, "you know, maybe this girl I'm marrying doesn't deserve this crap. Maybe she's not a plastic, bred to please royal virgin with no wishes or hopes of her own." Yeah, he kinda goes there in the end when he breaks off the engagement, but by that time I've again lost my ability to give a crap and his leaving was more about him and his lame "feels" than any real concern for the princess. And get this. When he tells the princess he hopes she'll find a good man she basically says (paraphrase) that her biggest hope is to find someone who can love her, but she'll never find a man as "good" as him. REALLY? No, REALLY.
In the end the princess attends the wedding and gives a genuine smile to the bride. Another way the author was trying to force this to be palatable to the reader. Look! See! The really nice virginal princess wants them to be happy, why are you being such a bitch?
I just don't want this in a HP. I don't know how else to say it. There are places for moral ambiguity, shades of gray, and what have you. I'm currently a real fan of the ladies of Starz' Black Sails. There's some shades of gray down to downright black there. But, when I come to HPLandia I expect a different set of rules. In my mind it is it's own universe with different laws of physics and quite possibly a second moon that is conveniently never mentioned. I like it that way. I don't want to mess with it. In some ways it's a better, simpler place. Then again it can be chock-full-of-crazy, but it's a certain kind of crazy that doesn't involve making the OW a heroine.
When I read a HP where the hero announces he's marrying someone 'suitable', but expects the heroine to keep her legs open for him, I expect her to run for yonder hills. Camp it up! It's even more fun that way. She can leave her job and home and all her clothes behind and work in an orphanage or leper colony under an assumed name so she isn't even tempted by the H if he finds her. I love that cheesy crap. I really do. Don't take it away. PLEEEEEEEEEEASE :(
Well, I could go on, but basically this is an acknowledged, giant GET OFF MY LAWN sign. I can't help it.
September 13, 2017
I enjoyed the other stories in this series, but this one didn't have much of a plotline (Conflict the hero must marry royal blood. He doesn't want to give up his mistress once he's married. Mistress heroine doesn't want to be part of that set up.) and it's resolved all too easily (They change the constitution so he can marry his mistress.).
See what I mean? There's nothing to redeem this one. The hero honestly doesn't think he's doing anything wrong because he will be marrying someone who is in on the whole royal infidelity thing. He can't think why the heroine would be jealous of his wife or feel bent out of shape because she can't go to the ball because he'll be picking out his future wife there.
All that would have been a fine and angsty beginning but the heroine didn't leave him - even when he got engaged. They snuck around and felt guilty. Well, the heroine did - the hero not so much. No, no, no, no. They both hurt the fiance and Michelle Smart had better write that character a romance because she got a raw deal.
See what I mean? There's nothing to redeem this one. The hero honestly doesn't think he's doing anything wrong because he will be marrying someone who is in on the whole royal infidelity thing. He can't think why the heroine would be jealous of his wife or feel bent out of shape because she can't go to the ball because he'll be picking out his future wife there.
All that would have been a fine and angsty beginning but the heroine didn't leave him - even when he got engaged. They snuck around and felt guilty. Well, the heroine did - the hero not so much. No, no, no, no. They both hurt the fiance and Michelle Smart had better write that character a romance because she got a raw deal.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2016
After reading the reviews, I read this only because I already had a copy.
What a sad direction the Harlequin Presents line has taken.
A sexually experienced heroine who continues her affair with an engaged man and seduces him the evening he publicly announces the engagement.
A hero who wants to keep his mistress even after marrying his pure princess.
Princess Catalina (the poor royal fiancee) is the only moral, likable character in the book.
Now she deserves a story.
What a sad direction the Harlequin Presents line has taken.
A sexually experienced heroine who continues her affair with an engaged man and seduces him the evening he publicly announces the engagement.
A hero who wants to keep his mistress even after marrying his pure princess.
Princess Catalina (the poor royal fiancee) is the only moral, likable character in the book.
Now she deserves a story.
May 4, 2017
re-read in portuguese (paper)
cheater and doormat
cheater and doormat
Read
February 2, 2016Cheating heroine and assh..e hero.
January 28, 2016
h sleeps with other woman's fiancee = wh*re
H sleeps with other woman while he's engaged = a**h*le
Hero: ‘If you love me then how can you leave me?’ --> selfish jerk and bully
H sleeps with other woman while he's engaged = a**h*le
Hero: ‘If you love me then how can you leave me?’ --> selfish jerk and bully
January 6, 2016
5 Fairytale Stars
“I might have been made from a dirty secret but I don’t want to live my life as one.”
I adored Amy and Helios’ story.
They met, had a lovely little uncomplicated love affair, he got engaged to a princess that he had to marry and learned that his lovely little uncomplicated love affair was a bit more complicated than he’d ever imagined.
This was a fun, easy read, as most HP’s are. What made this enjoyable for me was the Amy’s sense of honor. She refused to be the other woman in Helios’ life. She loved him enough to walk away and let him live his life, no matter how much it destroyed her. If you love someone, let them go…
The Kalliakis Crown series is certainly Worth the Read!
“I might have been made from a dirty secret but I don’t want to live my life as one.”
I adored Amy and Helios’ story.
They met, had a lovely little uncomplicated love affair, he got engaged to a princess that he had to marry and learned that his lovely little uncomplicated love affair was a bit more complicated than he’d ever imagined.
This was a fun, easy read, as most HP’s are. What made this enjoyable for me was the Amy’s sense of honor. She refused to be the other woman in Helios’ life. She loved him enough to walk away and let him live his life, no matter how much it destroyed her. If you love someone, let them go…
The Kalliakis Crown series is certainly Worth the Read!
January 7, 2016
Author Michelle Smart is in her best writing form with the final installment of her Kalliakis Crown trilogy. With characters who take you on an emotional journey, to intense dialogue that draws you into the story and highly emotive prose that captures your interest from page one, Helios Crowns His Mistress never fails to entertain. The novel tells the story of Amy Green who is hired to curate exhibits for the jubilee celebration of Agon’s king, who however, had not anticipated on having an affair with the future king of Agon and then falling in love with him. But after finding out Helios must marry a woman of royal blood, Amy tries to leave only to be stopped by Helios. As the story unfolds, and as we get a glimpse of the characters at their darkest, most sensitive stage—as they are tested, as they are challenged with trials and must choose the path destined to them—makes this romance novel worth the time it takes to read the last word. So sit back, prop your feet up and be prepared to discover drama, angst, passion, and a scandalously forbidden romance that will seem impossible to resolve yet with Ms. Smart’s skill leads up to a happy ever after that promises to bind Helios and Amy forever.
Highly Recommended
5 Stars
January 31, 2016
This is the last installment of a three part story arc of the Princes of Agon . This is Helios story , he being the King to be and oldest brother. But I must say this one is a downer for me. He is the older brother and thus has responsibilities to keep in mind more for his country and people foremost. And yet he is a cad for me. He strings the heroine Amy along as his hidden secret all along choosing his future Queen. But I am not really too sympathetic to the heroine either she was just a bit to easy to fall for my liking. She knew what she was getting into when she started her relations and she knew what was to come. She was even in her mind I suspect wishing that she will be the one for chosen. In the end it gets the usual happy end. But still this story is not my cup of tea. The start of it was wrong and it just went downhill from there. (and I usually like the stories I've read from this author. ) I just don't like this arc too much. The two brothers had better stories for me. (just my personal taste) .
July 2, 2016
2.5*. I fully expected this to be a hellish read, given the reviews, but not so. It certainly is no keeper but I didn't hate it and overall it was an okay read. Maybe my low expectations going in helped.
The Prince is clearly NO prince, actually not much of an H either and the h not the forgiving morally upright goody two shoes we've come to generally expect from traditional HP's and I was okay with that. While she made a deal with the devil, she didn't stick to it and we can see she struggled with it. So she was weak of the flesh...well hey. I know loads of women who don't necessarily walk the straight and narrow cleanly and often stumble along the way. Maybe this hint of realism doesn't normally work in a HP but in this case I found it acceptable. The h isn't the traditional HP heroine but I didn't hate her. Can't say I particularly liked her either. As for the ending, it was cheesy over the top yuckness. Oh and I look forward to reading a book about the dumped Princess. She seems like a class act.
The Prince is clearly NO prince, actually not much of an H either and the h not the forgiving morally upright goody two shoes we've come to generally expect from traditional HP's and I was okay with that. While she made a deal with the devil, she didn't stick to it and we can see she struggled with it. So she was weak of the flesh...well hey. I know loads of women who don't necessarily walk the straight and narrow cleanly and often stumble along the way. Maybe this hint of realism doesn't normally work in a HP but in this case I found it acceptable. The h isn't the traditional HP heroine but I didn't hate her. Can't say I particularly liked her either. As for the ending, it was cheesy over the top yuckness. Oh and I look forward to reading a book about the dumped Princess. She seems like a class act.
May 26, 2016
People need to calm the heck down...
THE DOWN FALL OF HP!!! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLLDDD!!!
The h sleeps w a guy who has an arranged fiance.. and....? The world didn't end! It's never good to sleep with someone who has a fiance but I think their arrangement was pretty moral... I will be your lover until you offically marry and actuallg bang your wife... It is not like she will sleep w him after he married
.. the moral of HP? For real? HP where rapes happen but THAT'S OKAY b/c... hmm.. ehh
...
THE DOWN FALL OF HP!!! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLLDDD!!!
The h sleeps w a guy who has an arranged fiance.. and....? The world didn't end! It's never good to sleep with someone who has a fiance but I think their arrangement was pretty moral... I will be your lover until you offically marry and actuallg bang your wife... It is not like she will sleep w him after he married
.. the moral of HP? For real? HP where rapes happen but THAT'S OKAY b/c... hmm.. ehh
...
September 2, 2016
Most romance books featuring the rich-playboy-meets-lowly-female-drudge scenario provide you with some background, a setting wherein the gorgeous but hard-working Gal Friday meets the proud, handsome Daddy Warbucks who’ll sweep her off her feet against her better judgment. This book actually startled me by having the love affair already underway when the novel begins.
Amy Green met the fabulously wealthy Prince Helios while curating a museum. The sparks flew and she wound up in his bed. Then she learned that he was going to be picking his wife at an upcoming gala. Uh oh.
The truth is, Amy knew about this right at the start of their affair; Prince Helios never lied to her. She just hadn’t expected that a) she’d fall in love with him b) the wife-picking would be so soon c) he’d be utterly blasé about mentioning it to her and d) he’d expect her to continue being his mistress after his wedding.
Ms. Green is a portrayal of a modern woman. She doesn’t wait until marriage to have sex. But she’s got her pride and self-esteem. She’s not about to be a rich man’s mistress no matter how the prince feels about it. So from then on, the book becomes an escalating tug of war between a man who’s genuinely puzzled as to his girlfriend’s misery over his impending marriage and a woman striving to keep her integrity against the blandishments of the domineering asshole who’ll stoop to litigation to keep her with him.
At times, I found myself feeling the usual exasperation as Amy gave in to the pull of her hormones. Helios stated that she’d cave in and come crawling back to his bed in less than a week and she actually did it. Where’s your pride, you stupid cow?! She rejected all of his gifts—except she kept one because it featured her birthstone. How sweet of him to remember. (Kill me now.)
When Amy finally pulled away from him and fled the country, I breathed a vast sigh of relief. At last she was showing some backbone. That didn’t last. Reading about two people putting themselves through the emotional wringer was exhausting; even the heated sex they experienced failed to ease the tension I felt between my shoulderblades.
The storybook finale engendered a profound feeling of relief but it wasn’t the joy of seeing two lovers getting their happy ending. It was more the easing of tension of removing a binding piece of underwear. “Thank goodness that’s over!” Not the sensation what you want after reading a romance, is it?
Amy Green met the fabulously wealthy Prince Helios while curating a museum. The sparks flew and she wound up in his bed. Then she learned that he was going to be picking his wife at an upcoming gala. Uh oh.
The truth is, Amy knew about this right at the start of their affair; Prince Helios never lied to her. She just hadn’t expected that a) she’d fall in love with him b) the wife-picking would be so soon c) he’d be utterly blasé about mentioning it to her and d) he’d expect her to continue being his mistress after his wedding.
Ms. Green is a portrayal of a modern woman. She doesn’t wait until marriage to have sex. But she’s got her pride and self-esteem. She’s not about to be a rich man’s mistress no matter how the prince feels about it. So from then on, the book becomes an escalating tug of war between a man who’s genuinely puzzled as to his girlfriend’s misery over his impending marriage and a woman striving to keep her integrity against the blandishments of the domineering asshole who’ll stoop to litigation to keep her with him.
At times, I found myself feeling the usual exasperation as Amy gave in to the pull of her hormones. Helios stated that she’d cave in and come crawling back to his bed in less than a week and she actually did it. Where’s your pride, you stupid cow?! She rejected all of his gifts—except she kept one because it featured her birthstone. How sweet of him to remember. (Kill me now.)
When Amy finally pulled away from him and fled the country, I breathed a vast sigh of relief. At last she was showing some backbone. That didn’t last. Reading about two people putting themselves through the emotional wringer was exhausting; even the heated sex they experienced failed to ease the tension I felt between my shoulderblades.
The storybook finale engendered a profound feeling of relief but it wasn’t the joy of seeing two lovers getting their happy ending. It was more the easing of tension of removing a binding piece of underwear. “Thank goodness that’s over!” Not the sensation what you want after reading a romance, is it?
March 20, 2016
I'd give credit because this was an original story where the heroine didn't have normal orphan or bad childhood. I loved the subplot of heroine trying to find her real family and how that played out. That is really good part that gives the book an original twist.
It also started off so well, and I thought it would be different. However that different at times made the heroine come over spineless and desperate, and the hero too arrogant, uncaring and a bit of d&$k to be honest.
The story. Amy (the heroine) is like Helios (prince hero) lover. To be fair, in this day and age, she is his unofficial girlfriend or 'side chick' or 'bit on the side'. Anyway the dude tells Amy he needs get married and therefore requires an upgrade - basically he doesn't consider her wife material and needs someone with royal blood. What an unfeeling toad. Okay it's kind of realistic but I like my escapism with nice people, not cheats or potential adulterers. The turd was going to take vows and still carry on with Amy. WTF? Really?
Okay even giving him the benefit of the doubt, he never really changed that mindset until very late in the book. It's kind of unpleasant because he was just implying she wasn't good enough. The thing is Helio wanted to have his cake and eat it. He wants to be King, please his dying granddad and get still get orgasmic sex.
Well Amy at first doesn't agree but because the sex is so AMAZING, she relents and even when this toad rag gets engaged she's still having sex with him - telling herself she'll stop when he actually commits...like takes vows....oh like it's that easy.
I'd have preferred Amy to play hard to get as soon as he started with that marriage rubbish, let him realise how much he loved her, put him through his paces. He could have man-ed up. Nay. She had to stay...(in real life maybe but in fiction she could have had some pride) He had to be a pleaser by carrying out some duties which are kinda prehistoric. I've read similar stories where the men did man-up.
Anyway all ended well as we expected, I just would have preferred a different path.
It also started off so well, and I thought it would be different. However that different at times made the heroine come over spineless and desperate, and the hero too arrogant, uncaring and a bit of d&$k to be honest.
The story. Amy (the heroine) is like Helios (prince hero) lover. To be fair, in this day and age, she is his unofficial girlfriend or 'side chick' or 'bit on the side'. Anyway the dude tells Amy he needs get married and therefore requires an upgrade - basically he doesn't consider her wife material and needs someone with royal blood. What an unfeeling toad. Okay it's kind of realistic but I like my escapism with nice people, not cheats or potential adulterers. The turd was going to take vows and still carry on with Amy. WTF? Really?
Okay even giving him the benefit of the doubt, he never really changed that mindset until very late in the book. It's kind of unpleasant because he was just implying she wasn't good enough. The thing is Helio wanted to have his cake and eat it. He wants to be King, please his dying granddad and get still get orgasmic sex.
Well Amy at first doesn't agree but because the sex is so AMAZING, she relents and even when this toad rag gets engaged she's still having sex with him - telling herself she'll stop when he actually commits...like takes vows....oh like it's that easy.
I'd have preferred Amy to play hard to get as soon as he started with that marriage rubbish, let him realise how much he loved her, put him through his paces. He could have man-ed up. Nay. She had to stay...(in real life maybe but in fiction she could have had some pride) He had to be a pleaser by carrying out some duties which are kinda prehistoric. I've read similar stories where the men did man-up.
Anyway all ended well as we expected, I just would have preferred a different path.
December 15, 2021
I am so glad I ignored the critical reviews! I was a trifle worried when I read the invective. I really enjoy MS’s books and I’d enjoyed the first 2 in the series and thought - give it a go! What a great end to the series!
Yes, MS pushes the boundaries in this book but she does it with enormous sensitivity. This book is very different. Amy and Helios are having an affair which both know is short term as there is no way a Prince can marry a commoner in his country. When she learns he’s about to choose a Princess to marry, she is horrified that this makes her the OW and she tries hard to end it all. Helios doesn’t see the problem and pushes out=all the stops to keep her. She succumbs and agrees to continue their affair until he marries but a meeting with Helio’s fiancée makes her realise she cannot do it and she leaves.
I thought Amy’s internal dialogue and obvious distress was convincing and emotional. I really felt I was in her head. If Catalina and Helios had been married then I would understand the hate towards Amy but they weren’t and if there was any infidelity then it was Helios who was guilty, not Amy.
Despite my qualms, I really enjoyed this and although I thought it took too long for Helios to recognise his love and accept what he needed to do - I actually liked him a lot. Unlike so many Mills and. Boon heroes, I could actually see why Amy loved him. I loved the ending!
I would have preferred an epilogue further on in the future but despite that, it’s still 5 stars for me.
I think prophecies about the demise of Harlequin world and the disappearance of morality, are a trifle over exaggerated. 😉
Yes, MS pushes the boundaries in this book but she does it with enormous sensitivity. This book is very different. Amy and Helios are having an affair which both know is short term as there is no way a Prince can marry a commoner in his country. When she learns he’s about to choose a Princess to marry, she is horrified that this makes her the OW and she tries hard to end it all. Helios doesn’t see the problem and pushes out=all the stops to keep her. She succumbs and agrees to continue their affair until he marries but a meeting with Helio’s fiancée makes her realise she cannot do it and she leaves.
I thought Amy’s internal dialogue and obvious distress was convincing and emotional. I really felt I was in her head. If Catalina and Helios had been married then I would understand the hate towards Amy but they weren’t and if there was any infidelity then it was Helios who was guilty, not Amy.
Despite my qualms, I really enjoyed this and although I thought it took too long for Helios to recognise his love and accept what he needed to do - I actually liked him a lot. Unlike so many Mills and. Boon heroes, I could actually see why Amy loved him. I loved the ending!
I would have preferred an epilogue further on in the future but despite that, it’s still 5 stars for me.
I think prophecies about the demise of Harlequin world and the disappearance of morality, are a trifle over exaggerated. 😉
April 10, 2020
I seem to always be going against the grain. I think the outrage of the hero cheating with the heroine is ridiculous. Helios and Amy were already in a secret relationship before he proposed to Catalina out of duty to the throne (and he’d barely spoken to the woman so she was hardly in love) and he told Amy, his actual love interest, what was going on. So I don’t see this as cheating as this was the plan from the beginning.
Unfortunately, both Amy and Helios were pretty attached to each other by the time he decided to meet his obligation of marriage so he’s having trouble letting go of Amy. There are sweet moments, not just sexy times between the two so it’s pretty obvious where his heart is and both knew going in Helios was a royal heir and had to marry royalty and that their relationship was to be a temporary. It was so sad when Amy finally does leave.
Helios was miserable and finally decides to give up the throne for Amy which I think is beyond romantic. Sweetly harlequin he ends up getting the law changed but we know in real life that doesn’t happen but this is a romance book. So it’s ahhh.. I enjoyed the book immensely.
Unfortunately, both Amy and Helios were pretty attached to each other by the time he decided to meet his obligation of marriage so he’s having trouble letting go of Amy. There are sweet moments, not just sexy times between the two so it’s pretty obvious where his heart is and both knew going in Helios was a royal heir and had to marry royalty and that their relationship was to be a temporary. It was so sad when Amy finally does leave.
Helios was miserable and finally decides to give up the throne for Amy which I think is beyond romantic. Sweetly harlequin he ends up getting the law changed but we know in real life that doesn’t happen but this is a romance book. So it’s ahhh.. I enjoyed the book immensely.
April 11, 2016
This is a love versus duty story.
Helios (named after the Greek Sun god) is the eldest of 3 brothers and is heir to his grandfather's throne.King Astreus IV has raised them after the death of his son and daughter-in-law.Now Helios
must marry a royal princess.
The old king (87) is dying of cancer.He rules the island for 50 years and as great celebration is planned.
Amy is British, on loan from another museum, to be the jubilee exhibition curator.She is also Helios's
mistress.She is angry with him for preferring Princess Catalina to her and refuses to play second
fiddle in his life after his engagement.She tries to severe their ties, but every time she is thwarted
by him.
But Amy has another reason for coming to Agon.She hopes to meet her birth mother, who just happens
to be an Agonian.
Whom will Helios choose? His brothers chose commoner brides, but he isn't free to do the same.Or is he?
The readers get an insight into both Amy's and Helios's family history, especially the relationship
between parents and children.
And I liked Princess Catalina and hope she'll get her own story.
Helios (named after the Greek Sun god) is the eldest of 3 brothers and is heir to his grandfather's throne.King Astreus IV has raised them after the death of his son and daughter-in-law.Now Helios
must marry a royal princess.
The old king (87) is dying of cancer.He rules the island for 50 years and as great celebration is planned.
Amy is British, on loan from another museum, to be the jubilee exhibition curator.She is also Helios's
mistress.She is angry with him for preferring Princess Catalina to her and refuses to play second
fiddle in his life after his engagement.She tries to severe their ties, but every time she is thwarted
by him.
But Amy has another reason for coming to Agon.She hopes to meet her birth mother, who just happens
to be an Agonian.
Whom will Helios choose? His brothers chose commoner brides, but he isn't free to do the same.Or is he?
The readers get an insight into both Amy's and Helios's family history, especially the relationship
between parents and children.
And I liked Princess Catalina and hope she'll get her own story.
January 30, 2016
Wow the last of the series The Kalliakis crown and all this reader can say is it's awesome. Ms. Smart put together a series with three brothers and to be honest I fell in love with all three, but Helios who will be the future King of Aron really was my favorite prince in the series. Where to start, a grandfather who is King and sadly gravely ill, a grandson who wants to grant all his wishes before he passes. So he starts to choose a princess of royal blood to fill the role of Queen and mother of a future heir, no problem, he's handsome, a prince, so pick a princess...except he has in his hidden chambers the museum curator Amy Green to warm his bed at night and he feels she should stay even after he marries. Their little secret. I am not going to give away any more story , this is a book that should not be missed a fantastic series, but it can be read alone. Ms. Smart has written a" keeper "worth more than 5 stars. Loved it and every romance reader will also.
June 8, 2021
THE HEIR'S CHOICE: MISTRESS OR WIFE?
Breaking news: From the depths of the palace come whispers of a threat to Agon. It's public knowledge that Crown Prince Helios is bound to marry the princess of Monte Cleure, but will the discovery of his secret lover, Amy Green, shatter the kingdom?
An exclusive source has revealed that Amy has ended their affair—leaving Helios furious. And we all know he's not a man to be denied! Legally, Helios must wed someone of pure royal blood. So the question remains: Will he do as duty commands, or will he risk his crown to marry his mistress?
Breaking news: From the depths of the palace come whispers of a threat to Agon. It's public knowledge that Crown Prince Helios is bound to marry the princess of Monte Cleure, but will the discovery of his secret lover, Amy Green, shatter the kingdom?
An exclusive source has revealed that Amy has ended their affair—leaving Helios furious. And we all know he's not a man to be denied! Legally, Helios must wed someone of pure royal blood. So the question remains: Will he do as duty commands, or will he risk his crown to marry his mistress?
April 13, 2016
I actually really enjoyed this one. Though the prince is annoying in his belief that she will just be his mistress for life, giving up having a life and family of her own. She stands up for herself which so many Harlequins seem to lack. Good read.
April 12, 2019
Quite disappointing. I couldn't respect the woman's choices at all. The man was utterly worthless.
April 18, 2021
I can say that I liked this book. The author is good, the inner thoughts of both characters are explained perfectly and I could understand how their feelings evolved during the book. It could have been a four start since it was entertaining and never dull or boring. Unfortunately I had a strange feeling like I was reading a historical romance and not a present. We have Helios, future king of a small island near Greece that has to marry a suitable and noble wife. He has a mistress, Amy, who is a commoner so she’s suitable as mistress but not as a wife. He gets engaged to a princess and she leaves him. I appreciate this because even if they had a no strings affair, when he decided to marry another woman, Amy could not stand to be the ow. Helios is arrogant and stupid, he wants Amy to be still his mistress even after his marriage with ow, he can’t understand why she’s upset and tells her that the ow, a princess, agrees with him for a open marriage where he can have mistresses, yes many other. Ok. Were this book a historical it could be understandable that a future king on the 1830 had to marry a suitable and noble princess without love but the book is set in the 21 century when the greatest monarchies in Europe don’t follow this rule any longer. It’s been many decades since royals marry commoners and it’s not tolerated that a married man, even a royal, has a mistress, luckily. I could not understand how a present day woman could accept such a proposal even for some weeks. She actually accepted to cheat on his fiancée, for no reason. No self respect, no pride, no empathy for the poor cuckolded princess, that was also a nice and good woman. And the man, Helios, a selfish bastard, a narcissist who didn’t care he was hurting both his fiancée and his mistress, and we are in the 21 century . Not acceptable. King Edward renounced to British throne to marry Wallis Simpson almost one century ago. Reality is more romantic than fantasy. The end was sweet but the hero was anyway a sob, while both heroine and ex fiancée described him as the best of man. Really??? We are really low on expectations here...
April 11, 2024
The book is ok. I read a review of it where the person calls the FMC a "dirty skanky whore". I think she read a different book. I'm still laughing about it.
Soon after Amy Green starts a job as a museum curator for this royal family, she begins a love affair with the heir to the throne, Helios. As expected, deeper feelings develop between the two of them and they become friends as well as lovers. When she learns he's going to have to marry someone else because of royal obligations, etc., she realizes that she can't stay with him. He, of course, expects her to remain his side chick while he marries some princess. She breaks things off with him, which he doesn't understand since he thinks nothing will change. She stays away from him, but the night he announces his engagement, they are both emotional wrecks and give into lust. She realizes what she did was wrong and dumps him for good. Bada bing bada boom..... stuff happens. Eventually... there's an HEA.
I understood how the love affair started, and she did the right thing by dumping him when she learned he planned to marry someone else. I also understood that she was weakened by her love for him and gave into the temptation after he got engaged. What I didn't like was that she kept insisting that she couldn't hurt the princess he was supposed to marry by being the other woman when she really should be saying "i'm nobody's whore and I deserve to be the only woman in a man's life, not a dirty secret."
There's barely a blip about sex. Definitely not dirty sex in any capacity. She definitely was a doormat because she spent most of her time on angst instead of anger. It's kind of a 2-3 for me. I'll give it a 3. Nah - I'm giving it a 2 because she should have been stronger.
This is the other person's review I was referring to. Enjoy.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Soon after Amy Green starts a job as a museum curator for this royal family, she begins a love affair with the heir to the throne, Helios. As expected, deeper feelings develop between the two of them and they become friends as well as lovers. When she learns he's going to have to marry someone else because of royal obligations, etc., she realizes that she can't stay with him. He, of course, expects her to remain his side chick while he marries some princess. She breaks things off with him, which he doesn't understand since he thinks nothing will change. She stays away from him, but the night he announces his engagement, they are both emotional wrecks and give into lust. She realizes what she did was wrong and dumps him for good. Bada bing bada boom..... stuff happens. Eventually... there's an HEA.
I understood how the love affair started, and she did the right thing by dumping him when she learned he planned to marry someone else. I also understood that she was weakened by her love for him and gave into the temptation after he got engaged. What I didn't like was that she kept insisting that she couldn't hurt the princess he was supposed to marry by being the other woman when she really should be saying "i'm nobody's whore and I deserve to be the only woman in a man's life, not a dirty secret."
There's barely a blip about sex. Definitely not dirty sex in any capacity. She definitely was a doormat because she spent most of her time on angst instead of anger. It's kind of a 2-3 for me. I'll give it a 3. Nah - I'm giving it a 2 because she should have been stronger.
This is the other person's review I was referring to. Enjoy.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
July 6, 2024
Quick Summary: A royal dilemma romance
My Review: Helios Crowns His Mistress by Michelle Smart is a 2016 Harlequin Presents novel.
About the Book: A crown prince and his lady love must part ways, as he is set to marry another.
My Final Say: I listened to the audiobook version of this novel, and I was completely captivated the entire time. It was more emotional than I thought it would be. This couple had an almost tragic situation. It was obvious that they loved each other. He was trying to honor his grandfather's wishes by carrying on a legacy, and she was trying to be honorable and respectful of the pending marriage. They both faced a personal and moral dilemma. In the end, love won out.
Other: There was more to this story than the superficial. This book would be a really good book club read because of the subject matters presented.
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💌
Audiobook: Yes
#libraryfind
My Review: Helios Crowns His Mistress by Michelle Smart is a 2016 Harlequin Presents novel.
About the Book: A crown prince and his lady love must part ways, as he is set to marry another.
My Final Say: I listened to the audiobook version of this novel, and I was completely captivated the entire time. It was more emotional than I thought it would be. This couple had an almost tragic situation. It was obvious that they loved each other. He was trying to honor his grandfather's wishes by carrying on a legacy, and she was trying to be honorable and respectful of the pending marriage. They both faced a personal and moral dilemma. In the end, love won out.
Other: There was more to this story than the superficial. This book would be a really good book club read because of the subject matters presented.
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💌
Audiobook: Yes
#libraryfind
September 8, 2020
Honestly it was kind of sickening. It was sick that the hero was planning on marrying another woman and dated (at least went to dinner with his fiancee before she became his fiancee) other woman while sleeping with heroine and became engaged during course of book (while still sleeping with heroine). They planned on keeping on with affair til he actually got married, it was just so gross to me and shows lack of character on both hero and heroines part to continue on once there was an engagement. Also hero never planned on being faithful to his fiancee even once married, I don't like heroes that are like that at all (that go into a marriage whether they love partner or not and plan on cheating). Np.
November 27, 2019
I haven’t read a Harlequin romance in 40 years, this was definitely more steamy than I remember but the formula is still there. What puzzles me is the reviewers slut shaming the heroine. As far as I can tell maybe they object to a woman with a sexual appetite? The world of Harlequin still spins with manly men and submissive women circa mid 20th cent. The setting was fiction and the characters and if you don’t read much more into it than that it’s a fun romp.
May 20, 2018
One of the better royal quick romances. The heroine was very strong and smart and didn't allow the royal hero dictate their relationship the entire time. The hero was very conflicted and was striving to do the right thing.
September 25, 2017
The finale of the Kalliakis Crown series! Don’t understand some of the low ratings and the “cheater” hyperbole...anyway...this was a great read. These princes have been wonderfully written.
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