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Princes of Petras #2
The Queen's New Year Secret
Kidnapped by her king!
As the clock strikes twelve on New Year's Eve, the fairy tale is over for all of Petras when Queen Tabitha--refusing to live in a loveless marriage--asks her husband for a divorce. But anger erupts into passion, and when Tabitha flees the palace she's carrying King Kairos's heir!
Discovering her secret, Kairos kidnaps his wife. Against the backdrop of his secluded island paradise, he proves there's no escaping his royal reach. He will use the desire that's gone unsated between them for too long to ensure his wife returns to his side.
As the clock strikes twelve on New Year's Eve, the fairy tale is over for all of Petras when Queen Tabitha--refusing to live in a loveless marriage--asks her husband for a divorce. But anger erupts into passion, and when Tabitha flees the palace she's carrying King Kairos's heir!
Discovering her secret, Kairos kidnaps his wife. Against the backdrop of his secluded island paradise, he proves there's no escaping his royal reach. He will use the desire that's gone unsated between them for too long to ensure his wife returns to his side.
1 pages, Audio CD
Published June 2, 2020
50 people are currently reading
563 people want to read
About the author
Maisey Yates
1,175 books3,004 followersNew York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.
Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.
She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.
Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.
She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
October 19, 2016
I wanted to read this story after seeing this very cool and aloof couple in A Christmas Vow of Seduction. It seems that frozen emotions are rarely discussed in an HP - and I really wanted to see how the author would warm up this five years and childless marriage between a king and queen.
The beginning is great. The h tells the H on New Year's Eve that she wants a divorce. He is so angry and afraid that he they have hot hate sex on his desk, resulting in a pregnancy. The heroine has already left him when he gets a heads up from the doctor. He kidnaps her for two weeks on a Greek island so they can work on their marriage/decide a course forward/have more sex.
And that's it - that's the action of the entire story. Like I said, the first part is great - until the navel gazing and backstories are trotted out. I like a good psychological explanation for why a character is so reserved and afraid of emotions, but chapter on chapter of them gets old and isn't romantic. I really wanted less about the hero's mommy and the heroine's relentless pursuit of ambition before she even met the H than what actually happened during their five years together. Five years of marriage didn't seem to have happened at all. In a second chance story I want to know what they did to each other in the relationship and how will they overcome it. In this case, it seems, it's blame mommy (both the H/h's mothers messed up).
This was nicely written, with hot sex scenes. But I prefer my angst in real-time with two people who love each other inflicting hurt - not decades old backstory. (And to be fair, the beginning two chapters fits the bill)
The beginning is great. The h tells the H on New Year's Eve that she wants a divorce. He is so angry and afraid that he they have hot hate sex on his desk, resulting in a pregnancy. The heroine has already left him when he gets a heads up from the doctor. He kidnaps her for two weeks on a Greek island so they can work on their marriage/decide a course forward/have more sex.
And that's it - that's the action of the entire story. Like I said, the first part is great - until the navel gazing and backstories are trotted out. I like a good psychological explanation for why a character is so reserved and afraid of emotions, but chapter on chapter of them gets old and isn't romantic. I really wanted less about the hero's mommy and the heroine's relentless pursuit of ambition before she even met the H than what actually happened during their five years together. Five years of marriage didn't seem to have happened at all. In a second chance story I want to know what they did to each other in the relationship and how will they overcome it. In this case, it seems, it's blame mommy (both the H/h's mothers messed up).
This was nicely written, with hot sex scenes. But I prefer my angst in real-time with two people who love each other inflicting hurt - not decades old backstory. (And to be fair, the beginning two chapters fits the bill)
April 28, 2023
Reread. Still 4 star rating. Boy did these two have a tough beginning. Amazing what some honest communication can do for a relationship. But this story works for how they first came together and married.
Netgalley for an honest review.
King Kairos' and Tabitha's marriage was one of convenience. Tabitha had worked for Kairos' as his PA, they got along well, respected each other and were also friends. But when Kairos' fiancee betrayed him with his brother he was left with a forth coming wedding but no bride. And this is where Tabitha steps in, Kairos' thought she would make a perfect Queen for his country. Tabitha, who came from poverty and worked hard to achieve her PA position for Kaiors' never dreamed she would/could be a queen. Both respected and liked each other and even found each other attractive, though they would never admit it. Kaiors' and Tabitha agreed it would be more like a business partnership.
After five years of marriage, both being closed off and then the pressure of no heir yet, has produced a cold and distant marriage. It's has taken it's toll for both, especially Tabitha. Tabitha has recently witnessed the happy marriage of her brother-in-law and realizes she wants are real marriage. She informs Kaiors' she wants a divorce.
And this is where the story takes off from this point on. We have Kaiors' who is stunned and angry from the announcement. And he does something that he's never done before, he loses control of his emotions and passion over comes him. Tabitha is stunned but responds in the same way, finally letting her guard down.
Tabitha has left Zarios' but finds out weeks later that she's pregnant. Zarios', being King of course finds out and goes after Tabitha.
These two have five years of pent up hurt,emotions, anger and they don't hold back. We are enveloped in their anger and passion. At times they almost seem cruel to each other, but yet you know it's because of all the hurt they've kept bottled up. They've been holding back in the bedroom for five years, going through the motions, trying not to reveal what they have been really feeling and let me tell you they make up for it, no holds barred, no restrain,full out passion!! I think you get the picture. HOT!!! The walls begin to crumble that they've built over the years, from all the past pain each has experienced. And as they open up and begin to truly reveal who they are, a deep love and bond forms.
I really love Maisey Yates and her ability to write an emotional and angst romance. This one was in abundance of both.
Netgalley for an honest review.
King Kairos' and Tabitha's marriage was one of convenience. Tabitha had worked for Kairos' as his PA, they got along well, respected each other and were also friends. But when Kairos' fiancee betrayed him with his brother he was left with a forth coming wedding but no bride. And this is where Tabitha steps in, Kairos' thought she would make a perfect Queen for his country. Tabitha, who came from poverty and worked hard to achieve her PA position for Kaiors' never dreamed she would/could be a queen. Both respected and liked each other and even found each other attractive, though they would never admit it. Kaiors' and Tabitha agreed it would be more like a business partnership.
After five years of marriage, both being closed off and then the pressure of no heir yet, has produced a cold and distant marriage. It's has taken it's toll for both, especially Tabitha. Tabitha has recently witnessed the happy marriage of her brother-in-law and realizes she wants are real marriage. She informs Kaiors' she wants a divorce.
And this is where the story takes off from this point on. We have Kaiors' who is stunned and angry from the announcement. And he does something that he's never done before, he loses control of his emotions and passion over comes him. Tabitha is stunned but responds in the same way, finally letting her guard down.
Tabitha has left Zarios' but finds out weeks later that she's pregnant. Zarios', being King of course finds out and goes after Tabitha.
These two have five years of pent up hurt,emotions, anger and they don't hold back. We are enveloped in their anger and passion. At times they almost seem cruel to each other, but yet you know it's because of all the hurt they've kept bottled up. They've been holding back in the bedroom for five years, going through the motions, trying not to reveal what they have been really feeling and let me tell you they make up for it, no holds barred, no restrain,full out passion!! I think you get the picture. HOT!!! The walls begin to crumble that they've built over the years, from all the past pain each has experienced. And as they open up and begin to truly reveal who they are, a deep love and bond forms.
I really love Maisey Yates and her ability to write an emotional and angst romance. This one was in abundance of both.
December 13, 2015
I'm sucker for a good marriage in peril trope and this is one of the better ones I've read this year. I've always been a fan of Maisey Yates' writing style and the way she writes her characters. I enjoyed the way the relationship between Kairos and Tabitha evolved, from being cold and distant to passionate and explosive.
ARC via NetGalley
ARC via NetGalley
December 7, 2015
I really love Maisey Yates. She gives me virginal heroines, alpha heroes and delicious angst. Kairos and Tabitha are hot together and their chemistry is sizzling! Plus we got a sweet heartwarming epilogue! Super romantic read.
September 13, 2016
This book was great and at least this time they are actually on a desert island. So the sense of isolation I feel from MY books is actually true.
She wrote a powerful story about two very scared individuals who did not know how to trust and how to make a marriage work.
The idea that man are damaged by their mothers leaving is a little overdone for my taste in this book.
Her story was much more compelling with her being a witness to her mother shooting her husband.
Wow that was a crazy backstory.
Also I have to say that I liked that she had twins cause it was so hard for her to get pregnant that it may have been their only time.
I was glad to hear that his brother story ended so well!!
Having 4 kids wow that awesome.
Large families are so few these days and authors don't write about them in general so that when I see one with it (because I have 6 kids myself) that book goes on my keeper shelf.
She wrote a powerful story about two very scared individuals who did not know how to trust and how to make a marriage work.
The idea that man are damaged by their mothers leaving is a little overdone for my taste in this book.
Her story was much more compelling with her being a witness to her mother shooting her husband.
Wow that was a crazy backstory.
Also I have to say that I liked that she had twins cause it was so hard for her to get pregnant that it may have been their only time.
I was glad to hear that his brother story ended so well!!
Having 4 kids wow that awesome.
Large families are so few these days and authors don't write about them in general so that when I see one with it (because I have 6 kids myself) that book goes on my keeper shelf.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2016
Review pending.....4.5***
September 14, 2016
A DNF after some serious skimming. I tried to persevere with this book as I have enjoyed some of Maisey Yates books, and this had some good reviews from some good reviewers. I just couldn't do it though because I did not care about either character.
The H and H have been married for five long, cold, emotionless years with neither an heir to show for it or good sex. On New Year's Eve, the h hands the H divorce papers which triggers an explosive sexual episode. It ends with some seriously cruel words on both sides. The H wins that round though, but she's pretty bitchy.
Flash forward, and the h who is supposed to be smart (she was his PA before the wedding) does some seriously stupid stuff. For one, she gets NOTHING if they divorce. I am not a fan of grasping gold diggers, but it's going to be tough to find a job as an ex-queen of a fictional country and support yourself and your secret baby even if you were the king's PA before. Two, if you think you are pregnant and want to keep it from your husband, the bleeding King of the country, you may want to select another doctor than the Royal doctor. How about EPT pregnancy test? Does the word "duh" ring true? The King actually finds out before she does.
From there she's kidnapped and ...I lost interest in the all white mansion on the desert island that just symbolized their unemotional and boring marriage and boring story. I skimmed to the end, and there is angsty backstory for both characters, but I wasn't buying it or the emotions they had both suppressed all along. She is white-trash from a single wide, something that he flings in her face to my disgust. He was raised by an unemotional father (yawn) and abandoned by an overwhelmed mother he cried for. That made me sad. Oh yeah, his first fiancee had sex with his brother that was caught in tape for ALL the world to see. He wasn't in love with her, but ouch nonetheless.
Toss in an unrepentant younger brother from a previous book, a dead unemotional father, and the
I am giving it two stars. For me it was a one star read, but I know that plenty will enjoy the rip your heart out angst. I just don't see this couple ending with an HEA after five long cold years without beaucoup hours of therapy.
The H and H have been married for five long, cold, emotionless years with neither an heir to show for it or good sex. On New Year's Eve, the h hands the H divorce papers which triggers an explosive sexual episode. It ends with some seriously cruel words on both sides. The H wins that round though, but she's pretty bitchy.
Flash forward, and the h who is supposed to be smart (she was his PA before the wedding) does some seriously stupid stuff. For one, she gets NOTHING if they divorce. I am not a fan of grasping gold diggers, but it's going to be tough to find a job as an ex-queen of a fictional country and support yourself and your secret baby even if you were the king's PA before. Two, if you think you are pregnant and want to keep it from your husband, the bleeding King of the country, you may want to select another doctor than the Royal doctor. How about EPT pregnancy test? Does the word "duh" ring true? The King actually finds out before she does.
From there she's kidnapped and ...I lost interest in the all white mansion on the desert island that just symbolized their unemotional and boring marriage and boring story. I skimmed to the end, and there is angsty backstory for both characters, but I wasn't buying it or the emotions they had both suppressed all along. She is white-trash from a single wide, something that he flings in her face to my disgust. He was raised by an unemotional father (yawn) and abandoned by an overwhelmed mother he cried for. That made me sad. Oh yeah, his first fiancee had sex with his brother that was caught in tape for ALL the world to see. He wasn't in love with her, but ouch nonetheless.
Toss in an unrepentant younger brother from a previous book, a dead unemotional father, and the
I am giving it two stars. For me it was a one star read, but I know that plenty will enjoy the rip your heart out angst. I just don't see this couple ending with an HEA after five long cold years without beaucoup hours of therapy.
May 5, 2023
It’s improbable but angsty !
November 9, 2015
I have always had a special thing for marriage of convenience, marriage in trouble stories. This is a great example of how to do it right. Tabitha was the lowly PA of Prince Kairos when his brother created a sex scandal with the Prince's fiancée. Kairos had a wedding date and no bride so he turned to Tabitha. She was calm, unemotional. He liked and respected her.
Tabitha never expected that her ambition to leave behind her low born roots would take her so high. She wanted what was offered. Not so much the crown, but the calm ordered marriage that Kairos offered. It helped that she liked him and found him attractive. Not too attractive...definitely something she could keep under control.
Be careful what you wish for. Five years down the track and the calm, orderly marriage is a cold wasteland of blighted hopes. Not even the child the now King Kairos needed so badly. It's so bad that Kairos has pinned his hopes of an heir on his newly married brother.
Tabitha, looking at the blissful happiness of her brother-in-law has had enough. It's time to end this farce. And she prepares for a divorce, expecting Kairos to be equally relieved to be out of this marriage so he can find a bride who will give him heirs.
What happens next is something like a volcano erupting in the Arctic wastelands. Kairos does not take well to her proposition. The heated encounter changes everything, including the expectations of an heir. The only thing it doesn't change is his determination to be the King his father expects him to be. Which poses a big problem in this new world order.
I found this a very emotional read at one point. This is the story of two people who deliberately kept themselves closed off for what they thought were good reasons and it almost destroyed them and their marriage. I loved the revelations of what happened between them, how close they came at times to making things work and the way their self protection sabotaged every small hope, each opportunity.
Tabitha never expected that her ambition to leave behind her low born roots would take her so high. She wanted what was offered. Not so much the crown, but the calm ordered marriage that Kairos offered. It helped that she liked him and found him attractive. Not too attractive...definitely something she could keep under control.
Be careful what you wish for. Five years down the track and the calm, orderly marriage is a cold wasteland of blighted hopes. Not even the child the now King Kairos needed so badly. It's so bad that Kairos has pinned his hopes of an heir on his newly married brother.
Tabitha, looking at the blissful happiness of her brother-in-law has had enough. It's time to end this farce. And she prepares for a divorce, expecting Kairos to be equally relieved to be out of this marriage so he can find a bride who will give him heirs.
What happens next is something like a volcano erupting in the Arctic wastelands. Kairos does not take well to her proposition. The heated encounter changes everything, including the expectations of an heir. The only thing it doesn't change is his determination to be the King his father expects him to be. Which poses a big problem in this new world order.
I found this a very emotional read at one point. This is the story of two people who deliberately kept themselves closed off for what they thought were good reasons and it almost destroyed them and their marriage. I loved the revelations of what happened between them, how close they came at times to making things work and the way their self protection sabotaged every small hope, each opportunity.
August 24, 2016
Apparently it's just me being irritable and not liking anything... Didn't get past the fourth chapter.
Tabitha was the king's PA, apparently they liked and respected each other so the king asked her to be his wife, as if it was a business deal and she accepted. If she had been forced maybe I would understand her frustrations about her cold marriage, but she willingly accepted the deal so I don't see how she didn't see what was coming. For God's sake, she was supposed to know him! The cold, duty-first man she was going to marry.
FIVE years of marriage, yes FIVE! I hate when they let so many years go to waste.
They didn't even have good sex, it was always with the purpose to get pregnant. I would have thought he was the one in a hurry to produce an heir but apparently she was the one wanting the baby more. I hated her when she complained to him that he didn't give her a baby as if that was something he controlled (at least he did his homework), what if she was the one with the fertility problem? I hate it when people point a finger to the other when there are fertility problems.
And again (I seem tho be finding this in the last books I've tried to read) the damn woman was telling him she hated him and expected rainbows in return, as if that was going to happen. She knew him, she's known him for more than five years to expect another reaction.
Plus she was behaving like an alpa-asshole. So no, thank you.
Tabitha was the king's PA, apparently they liked and respected each other so the king asked her to be his wife, as if it was a business deal and she accepted. If she had been forced maybe I would understand her frustrations about her cold marriage, but she willingly accepted the deal so I don't see how she didn't see what was coming. For God's sake, she was supposed to know him! The cold, duty-first man she was going to marry.
FIVE years of marriage, yes FIVE! I hate when they let so many years go to waste.
They didn't even have good sex, it was always with the purpose to get pregnant. I would have thought he was the one in a hurry to produce an heir but apparently she was the one wanting the baby more. I hated her when she complained to him that he didn't give her a baby as if that was something he controlled (at least he did his homework), what if she was the one with the fertility problem? I hate it when people point a finger to the other when there are fertility problems.
And again (I seem tho be finding this in the last books I've tried to read) the damn woman was telling him she hated him and expected rainbows in return, as if that was going to happen. She knew him, she's known him for more than five years to expect another reaction.
Plus she was behaving like an alpa-asshole. So no, thank you.
February 7, 2017
This is one of those books that I struggled to finish and did some skimming to get there. I couldn't get interested in the characters and didn't care whether they stayed together or not. Life's too short so I had to move on to another book.
October 27, 2018
"The Queen's New Year Secret" is the story of Tabitha and Kairos.
Basically the plot is as follows: h and H have been married for 5 years, trapped in a cold union. They are the king and queen of Petros, and have not shared more than coital relations during fertile time in five years.
When the heroine finally gets tired and asks her for a divorce, they have a big blowup fight ending in hot sex. Soon she finds out she is pregnant, and to beget his heir/kings dont get divorced, he whisks her away to an isolated Greek island and kidnaps her.
It was a weird novel. The hero was cold and mechanical, the heroine icy and indecisive. The couple only communicated in bed, but otherwise had war of words, including heroine accusing hero of using her sexually, him being distant and brooding, and hero repeated belittling and calling heroine a gold-digger.
Of course they have a tragic past, which explains all their douchbaggery, and we are expected to believe that all is well in the end due to some confessions.
Likable in some parts, most of the book had me either facepalming or shaking my head. This could have gone so much better with a little bit more angst and communication.
Safe
2/5
Basically the plot is as follows: h and H have been married for 5 years, trapped in a cold union. They are the king and queen of Petros, and have not shared more than coital relations during fertile time in five years.
When the heroine finally gets tired and asks her for a divorce, they have a big blowup fight ending in hot sex. Soon she finds out she is pregnant, and to beget his heir/kings dont get divorced, he whisks her away to an isolated Greek island and kidnaps her.
It was a weird novel. The hero was cold and mechanical, the heroine icy and indecisive. The couple only communicated in bed, but otherwise had war of words, including heroine accusing hero of using her sexually, him being distant and brooding, and hero repeated belittling and calling heroine a gold-digger.
Of course they have a tragic past, which explains all their douchbaggery, and we are expected to believe that all is well in the end due to some confessions.
Likable in some parts, most of the book had me either facepalming or shaking my head. This could have gone so much better with a little bit more angst and communication.
Safe
2/5
December 20, 2015
4-4.5 stars
Huge plot spoilers ahead (and I mean huge ones) Read at your own risk.
To begin with I was really looking forward to reading this book and about the trouble marriage of Kairos and Tabitha ever since I finished book one in this duet featuring Kairos's brother. They just immediately intrigued me both as a individuals and as a couple as soon as they came onto the page. Just from those little glimpses of them I was immediately hooked and was so looking forward to this story that would probably filled with lots of angst and drama a long the way with this marriage on the rocks yet deep feelings still on both of their parts without the other knowing about it.
This book definitely didn't disappoint with lots of angst, hurt feelings, and tension between Kairos and Tabitha as they tried to fix their marriage while trying to heal those past hurts and pains from their past. And they both had traumatic past that lead them to behave the way the way they did in their marriage so they wouldn't get hurt by coming to attached to one another. As you can imagine that didn't go well nor did it make for a successful marriage. There was just so much hurt that was there that in poisoned their relationship as well as caused them to put up these walls with one another, which wasn't good especially when they began deep feelings for one another over the past five years of their marriage but pushing it away and not telling the other what they were feeling. Lots of drama and tension like I said.
What I really liked that Maisey Yates did was put little snippets of backstory in the current to show what had occurred that caused them to end up at this current point in the story. It was just enough to give the full picture without being bogged down with moments from the past and quickly came back to focus on the present. I appreciated those moments and was glad that it was included and things weren't kind of summarized and glossed over.
One the flashbacks showed how it came about they got married in the first place and what was promised at the beginning of their marriage, knowing that both parties when in believing that there would be no love, but respect in their marriage, but that was it. But things changed as did they did over the years with Tabitha wanting more and causing the friticion between the two.
Another flashback was the first time scene between them and it showed both points of views at different times in the story. The emotions that went on during the scene as well as the feelings in the aftermath at all, showing that their physical relationship didn't begin on high note with both feeling a little let down by the experience for different reasons and kind of set the tone for their sex life for the next five years. It also showed what was going in their heads and how the other misinterpreted what the other was feeling or what was going on because they weren't open and honest about it and jumped to conclusions, which is never a good thing. But from that scene alone there was massive hurt, which just continued over time without either of them voicing their concerns or the needs and wants they wanted from the other person.
So their marriage was a mess at the beginning of the story as it was in book two. They barely spoke. They barely touched. There was no tenderness just bitterness and hurt feelings on both sides. The only time they were physical was when she was at a prime time at conceiving the next heir of Petras, and that was it. There was no pleasure from the experience. It was a wham bam thank you mam experience with both being closed off during the experience. For Tabitha, she just closed off her emotions and just laid there and took it for a better word while he just did his do and finished them left her alone with her bruised feelings. He was hurt too by the experiences with his wife as well, feeling her millions of miles away from while they did the deed and found he wanted the experience over as quickly as possible, and he was as dissatisfied with the experience as she was. He believed that she didn't want him while she believed he only wanted her for her womb. There was no hot passion between them. It was just a routine they did once a month until of late where she refused him for the last three months.
Again marriage a mess. The story began with Kairos at a New Year's Eve party, feeling totally dissatisfied with him marriage and the state of it. And he wanted something more from his wife where he wasn't with an ice queen all the time. He knew he could get any woman he wanted but he wanted Tabitha and no other. When he returned she was waiting for him, and mistaking thought he was cheating on her, and she asked for a divorce knowing they were both unhappy in this marriage. Plus she had yet to conceive a child which was suppose to be her "job."
As soon as the words divorce were spoke, the world exploded around them with not only anger, but passion for the first time in their marriage. Yes, the passion was fueled by the anger, but it was no less passionate to say the least. It was like fireworks in his office and they just both went off like firecrackers. Ripping each others clothes off and touching all over until they finally came together in a cataclysmic joining on his desk. And it was so steamy, sexy and hot all rolled into one because there was so much passion in that scene. That passion that finally got released after it being suppressed during their long marriage. Their control just snapped and it was delicious to watch. It was one heck of lovemaking scene, and it was in the first twenty pages of the books. Usually I am not a fan of those scenes early on, but this one just worked for me. It probably had to do that they had so much built up tension from years and years of suppression that got released. Plus I knew they had a fraught history together so that added to the excitement of the scene, and made it just more meaningful.
Now this spontaneous coupling, of coarse, had consequences. It was unbelievable to both of them, but Kairos knew now that she had carried his heir there could be no more divorce. He just had to convince her of that. So he kidnapped her and took her to his private island so they could hash everything out both emotionally and physically. This was when the truth was revealed especially on Tabitha's side as they tried to get to know one another while trying to fix there marriage. And they did so alone.
I loved that they were alone on that island with no duties or people to bother them and they could just focus on each other, and boy, did they. They had a lot more sexy love scenes. I mean hot love scenes that just keeps my eyes glued to the page as I flip through them. Maisey Yates knows how to create these unique and sexy love scenes that are filled with emotions that is reflected by what their bodies are doing physically. I love the creative twists and turns she comes up with when creating those scenes and just all the description that goes into them that are just enough where it graphic but not too graphic. She did this very well here. Plus I loved how many scenes she included that were passionate and sexy yet intimate at the same time. That scene on the dinning table. Hot. The scene on the couch. Doubly hot and very emotional and just showed them both raw and exposed to one another. It was intense. In fact all the scenes were really intense, and it was good as well as showed where they were emotionally as well as how far they were coming in their marriage. That they did have connection that had nothing to do with just getting sweaty between the sheets.
I just loved how willingly Tabitha went in order to prove that they could have something more by giving herself to him completely. It was beautiful as it was heart wrenching, but just showed her bravery and what she was willing to do to fight for her marriage and him. She was unselfish and she really opened up to him not only physically but emotionally too. She revealed her raw side, stripping herself until she was bare, which had scared her to death for years, but she did it because she wanted to be with him and wanted to fix her marriage. And she was very willingly to do so because she loved him, and it hurt that he didn't feel the same. I just loved her strength, and just loved her. I really felt for her. I could feel her pain and hurt over Kairos supposed indifference towards her. She wanted to be close while he seemed to not want the same. When she finally found the courage to stand up and tell him that they would be getting a divorce, she was scared to death but didn't let that stop her, knowing that they were both unhappy. That took courage. And as the book went along she got more courageous by choosing to trust him and open herself up to him. She was willingly to give them another shot. I really enjoyed her as a character.
As for Kairos, I wasn't as thrilled with him because for a lot of the book he was very closed off and refused to open up to her even a little bit while she was basically stripping herself bare for him, revealing everything to him even though it scared. She did it anyway. He didn't. In fact whenever she came close to him or his control got threated he'd pulled away and even pushed her away even though he was the one that said that divorce was not an option. He wasn't trying as hard she was to save their marriage. I think that part that killed me and made him not so favorable in my eyes was that a couple of times when she asked him to stay with her and just hold her, he completely refused and just walked way, leaving her completely vulnerable and stabbed her in the heart when he did so. It would have killed me if he did that to me, and I would have felt very used by him. And I am sure Tabitha felt that way too so I felt so heartbroken for her, and really pissed off at him. How could he even do that to her? I know it was his fear talking, but still it just left me feeling cold towards him and just wasn't feeling him. It just struck something deep within me when he did that. But the killer thing was that he didn't do it once but he did it twice. Plus during his point of view after their first time, he left her alone, as he did every other time they had sex in the beginning of their marriage, and he said he would have stayed if she asked him that first time. Comforted her, but when she did ask him to stay later on in the book, he just didn't. It was like, okay you wanted this and you got this, but then you just did the opposite. Huh? For me that just left a sour taste in my mouth and hard to be on his side once and for all. He was just too standoffish for me and he needed to give a little bit, emotionally, long before the end of the book. I needed to see him make more of an effort and for me he didn't. Okay, he groveled but I don't know if that was quite enough for me. I thought I would have liked Kairos a bit more than I did. I liked him in book one better for sure, but when he did what he did, I just wasn't swooning over him. Plus again he was too closed off for a majority of the book not really giving anything in return, at least my opinion. Again I get he was acting out of fear, but still it just didn't feel right.
I did enjoy the emotional roller coaster that went on between the two that created that tension and angst between them. Could have done with a little bit more angst, but it didn't decrease my enjoyment of the book I just wanted a bit more to up the intensity. Not that this book wasn't intense enough with the emotions and the sexy times, but there could have always been room more. But that's just me. Though it was really good the way it was written, and I don't have a complaint about that. If it was too intense it might have been too overwhelming, but this book was not that. It was a good balance between passion and emotion, and just everything that came along with trying to fix their marriage. I've come to enough these stories where they marriage is in trouble and the couple gets a second chance due to circumstance and just working through all that. I liked seeing Tabitha push back and fight for her marriage, and again how willingly she was to accomplish that.
Overall I really did enjoy this book and thought that Maisey Yates did a great job with this second chance romance. It was angsty. It was emotional. It was passionate. It was heart wrenching at times. I felt right along with Tabitha. I felt her hurt, pain and fear. She struggled to let down her walls, but she finally did and it was beautiful to see the ice queen melt. It showed the growth in her and what she was willing to put with and what she wasn't. It was a good balance of the good and the bad. There were many highs and many lows and they had to get through them until they got their happily every after.
I liked how Maisey Yates showed all those emotions of the highs and lows and how it affected them as well as their marriage. I loved the love scenes that she created that had her own unique spin on them to make them fun, unique, interesting and fully of passion yet filled with intensity. That intensity just gave it the edge that makes it engrossing and entertaining. I'm always entertained by Maisey Yates and she never fails to impress me, and I love to see the new twists and turns that she comes up with either with the lovemaking scenes or just the plot in general. She knows how to create fresh spins on classic themes in the Presents line, and that what makes her stories awesome and enjoyable. I really enjoyed this book by her and can't wait to read more of hers in the future. She's definitely one of my auto buy authors.
I highly recommend this book for Harlequin Presents fans as well as just romance fans in general. It's definitely worth the read, and you'll be engrossed from page one in this book. The story really started off with a real bang (no pun intended) and just took off from there without me wanting to put it down for one second.
Huge plot spoilers ahead (and I mean huge ones) Read at your own risk.
To begin with I was really looking forward to reading this book and about the trouble marriage of Kairos and Tabitha ever since I finished book one in this duet featuring Kairos's brother. They just immediately intrigued me both as a individuals and as a couple as soon as they came onto the page. Just from those little glimpses of them I was immediately hooked and was so looking forward to this story that would probably filled with lots of angst and drama a long the way with this marriage on the rocks yet deep feelings still on both of their parts without the other knowing about it.
This book definitely didn't disappoint with lots of angst, hurt feelings, and tension between Kairos and Tabitha as they tried to fix their marriage while trying to heal those past hurts and pains from their past. And they both had traumatic past that lead them to behave the way the way they did in their marriage so they wouldn't get hurt by coming to attached to one another. As you can imagine that didn't go well nor did it make for a successful marriage. There was just so much hurt that was there that in poisoned their relationship as well as caused them to put up these walls with one another, which wasn't good especially when they began deep feelings for one another over the past five years of their marriage but pushing it away and not telling the other what they were feeling. Lots of drama and tension like I said.
What I really liked that Maisey Yates did was put little snippets of backstory in the current to show what had occurred that caused them to end up at this current point in the story. It was just enough to give the full picture without being bogged down with moments from the past and quickly came back to focus on the present. I appreciated those moments and was glad that it was included and things weren't kind of summarized and glossed over.
One the flashbacks showed how it came about they got married in the first place and what was promised at the beginning of their marriage, knowing that both parties when in believing that there would be no love, but respect in their marriage, but that was it. But things changed as did they did over the years with Tabitha wanting more and causing the friticion between the two.
Another flashback was the first time scene between them and it showed both points of views at different times in the story. The emotions that went on during the scene as well as the feelings in the aftermath at all, showing that their physical relationship didn't begin on high note with both feeling a little let down by the experience for different reasons and kind of set the tone for their sex life for the next five years. It also showed what was going in their heads and how the other misinterpreted what the other was feeling or what was going on because they weren't open and honest about it and jumped to conclusions, which is never a good thing. But from that scene alone there was massive hurt, which just continued over time without either of them voicing their concerns or the needs and wants they wanted from the other person.
So their marriage was a mess at the beginning of the story as it was in book two. They barely spoke. They barely touched. There was no tenderness just bitterness and hurt feelings on both sides. The only time they were physical was when she was at a prime time at conceiving the next heir of Petras, and that was it. There was no pleasure from the experience. It was a wham bam thank you mam experience with both being closed off during the experience. For Tabitha, she just closed off her emotions and just laid there and took it for a better word while he just did his do and finished them left her alone with her bruised feelings. He was hurt too by the experiences with his wife as well, feeling her millions of miles away from while they did the deed and found he wanted the experience over as quickly as possible, and he was as dissatisfied with the experience as she was. He believed that she didn't want him while she believed he only wanted her for her womb. There was no hot passion between them. It was just a routine they did once a month until of late where she refused him for the last three months.
Again marriage a mess. The story began with Kairos at a New Year's Eve party, feeling totally dissatisfied with him marriage and the state of it. And he wanted something more from his wife where he wasn't with an ice queen all the time. He knew he could get any woman he wanted but he wanted Tabitha and no other. When he returned she was waiting for him, and mistaking thought he was cheating on her, and she asked for a divorce knowing they were both unhappy in this marriage. Plus she had yet to conceive a child which was suppose to be her "job."
As soon as the words divorce were spoke, the world exploded around them with not only anger, but passion for the first time in their marriage. Yes, the passion was fueled by the anger, but it was no less passionate to say the least. It was like fireworks in his office and they just both went off like firecrackers. Ripping each others clothes off and touching all over until they finally came together in a cataclysmic joining on his desk. And it was so steamy, sexy and hot all rolled into one because there was so much passion in that scene. That passion that finally got released after it being suppressed during their long marriage. Their control just snapped and it was delicious to watch. It was one heck of lovemaking scene, and it was in the first twenty pages of the books. Usually I am not a fan of those scenes early on, but this one just worked for me. It probably had to do that they had so much built up tension from years and years of suppression that got released. Plus I knew they had a fraught history together so that added to the excitement of the scene, and made it just more meaningful.
Now this spontaneous coupling, of coarse, had consequences. It was unbelievable to both of them, but Kairos knew now that she had carried his heir there could be no more divorce. He just had to convince her of that. So he kidnapped her and took her to his private island so they could hash everything out both emotionally and physically. This was when the truth was revealed especially on Tabitha's side as they tried to get to know one another while trying to fix there marriage. And they did so alone.
I loved that they were alone on that island with no duties or people to bother them and they could just focus on each other, and boy, did they. They had a lot more sexy love scenes. I mean hot love scenes that just keeps my eyes glued to the page as I flip through them. Maisey Yates knows how to create these unique and sexy love scenes that are filled with emotions that is reflected by what their bodies are doing physically. I love the creative twists and turns she comes up with when creating those scenes and just all the description that goes into them that are just enough where it graphic but not too graphic. She did this very well here. Plus I loved how many scenes she included that were passionate and sexy yet intimate at the same time. That scene on the dinning table. Hot. The scene on the couch. Doubly hot and very emotional and just showed them both raw and exposed to one another. It was intense. In fact all the scenes were really intense, and it was good as well as showed where they were emotionally as well as how far they were coming in their marriage. That they did have connection that had nothing to do with just getting sweaty between the sheets.
I just loved how willingly Tabitha went in order to prove that they could have something more by giving herself to him completely. It was beautiful as it was heart wrenching, but just showed her bravery and what she was willing to do to fight for her marriage and him. She was unselfish and she really opened up to him not only physically but emotionally too. She revealed her raw side, stripping herself until she was bare, which had scared her to death for years, but she did it because she wanted to be with him and wanted to fix her marriage. And she was very willingly to do so because she loved him, and it hurt that he didn't feel the same. I just loved her strength, and just loved her. I really felt for her. I could feel her pain and hurt over Kairos supposed indifference towards her. She wanted to be close while he seemed to not want the same. When she finally found the courage to stand up and tell him that they would be getting a divorce, she was scared to death but didn't let that stop her, knowing that they were both unhappy. That took courage. And as the book went along she got more courageous by choosing to trust him and open herself up to him. She was willingly to give them another shot. I really enjoyed her as a character.
As for Kairos, I wasn't as thrilled with him because for a lot of the book he was very closed off and refused to open up to her even a little bit while she was basically stripping herself bare for him, revealing everything to him even though it scared. She did it anyway. He didn't. In fact whenever she came close to him or his control got threated he'd pulled away and even pushed her away even though he was the one that said that divorce was not an option. He wasn't trying as hard she was to save their marriage. I think that part that killed me and made him not so favorable in my eyes was that a couple of times when she asked him to stay with her and just hold her, he completely refused and just walked way, leaving her completely vulnerable and stabbed her in the heart when he did so. It would have killed me if he did that to me, and I would have felt very used by him. And I am sure Tabitha felt that way too so I felt so heartbroken for her, and really pissed off at him. How could he even do that to her? I know it was his fear talking, but still it just left me feeling cold towards him and just wasn't feeling him. It just struck something deep within me when he did that. But the killer thing was that he didn't do it once but he did it twice. Plus during his point of view after their first time, he left her alone, as he did every other time they had sex in the beginning of their marriage, and he said he would have stayed if she asked him that first time. Comforted her, but when she did ask him to stay later on in the book, he just didn't. It was like, okay you wanted this and you got this, but then you just did the opposite. Huh? For me that just left a sour taste in my mouth and hard to be on his side once and for all. He was just too standoffish for me and he needed to give a little bit, emotionally, long before the end of the book. I needed to see him make more of an effort and for me he didn't. Okay, he groveled but I don't know if that was quite enough for me. I thought I would have liked Kairos a bit more than I did. I liked him in book one better for sure, but when he did what he did, I just wasn't swooning over him. Plus again he was too closed off for a majority of the book not really giving anything in return, at least my opinion. Again I get he was acting out of fear, but still it just didn't feel right.
I did enjoy the emotional roller coaster that went on between the two that created that tension and angst between them. Could have done with a little bit more angst, but it didn't decrease my enjoyment of the book I just wanted a bit more to up the intensity. Not that this book wasn't intense enough with the emotions and the sexy times, but there could have always been room more. But that's just me. Though it was really good the way it was written, and I don't have a complaint about that. If it was too intense it might have been too overwhelming, but this book was not that. It was a good balance between passion and emotion, and just everything that came along with trying to fix their marriage. I've come to enough these stories where they marriage is in trouble and the couple gets a second chance due to circumstance and just working through all that. I liked seeing Tabitha push back and fight for her marriage, and again how willingly she was to accomplish that.
Overall I really did enjoy this book and thought that Maisey Yates did a great job with this second chance romance. It was angsty. It was emotional. It was passionate. It was heart wrenching at times. I felt right along with Tabitha. I felt her hurt, pain and fear. She struggled to let down her walls, but she finally did and it was beautiful to see the ice queen melt. It showed the growth in her and what she was willing to put with and what she wasn't. It was a good balance of the good and the bad. There were many highs and many lows and they had to get through them until they got their happily every after.
I liked how Maisey Yates showed all those emotions of the highs and lows and how it affected them as well as their marriage. I loved the love scenes that she created that had her own unique spin on them to make them fun, unique, interesting and fully of passion yet filled with intensity. That intensity just gave it the edge that makes it engrossing and entertaining. I'm always entertained by Maisey Yates and she never fails to impress me, and I love to see the new twists and turns that she comes up with either with the lovemaking scenes or just the plot in general. She knows how to create fresh spins on classic themes in the Presents line, and that what makes her stories awesome and enjoyable. I really enjoyed this book by her and can't wait to read more of hers in the future. She's definitely one of my auto buy authors.
I highly recommend this book for Harlequin Presents fans as well as just romance fans in general. It's definitely worth the read, and you'll be engrossed from page one in this book. The story really started off with a real bang (no pun intended) and just took off from there without me wanting to put it down for one second.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2018
This story had some beautiful quotes, especially at the end. I actually cried a bit at the end!
The book had a very heavy, serious feel to it. No humor at all. Usually I don't love books like that...I like a bit of humor thrown into my romance novel. But this one worked. The growing emotional bonds between the H/h felt very real and believable and romantic.
I was really rooting for their happy ending.
Now I need to read book #1 in this series!
The book had a very heavy, serious feel to it. No humor at all. Usually I don't love books like that...I like a bit of humor thrown into my romance novel. But this one worked. The growing emotional bonds between the H/h felt very real and believable and romantic.
I was really rooting for their happy ending.
Now I need to read book #1 in this series!
March 30, 2016
This was a little different from the usual HP. We open with Kairos and Tabitha, the King and Queen of MadeupcountrythatIcan'tremember-ville. They have been married for five years and Tabitha started out as Kairos's PA (yes, really). See, all those years ago, Kairos's manwhore brother was caught in a very public affair with Kairos's original fiancee, the proper princess that Kairos was supposed to make his queen and so with only two weeks to go before the wedding, Kairos asked his secretary to marry him instead.
Like you do.
Anyway, five years in, the book opens with the two stuck in a cold, loveless marriage that they both thought they wanted. She's never been able to get pregnant and their sex life, never particularly acrobatic, has turned into a duty. Tabitha, believing Kairos has had an affair, demands a divorce and the two have wild crazy monkey sex, the likes of which they've never had before, on his desk.
Like you do.
And if the book's title didn't give it away, Tabitha ends up preggers. Thanks to non-existent HIPAA in Whateverthefuckthiscountryiscalled-ania Kairos finds out before she does (this is all in the first two chapters, so no spoiler tags) and comes charging in to get Tabitha back. She's still pretty adamant that she wants a divorce, despite the pregnancy, so Kairos kidnaps her in an attempt to force her to change her mind.
Like you do.
Anyway, from here we get a romance that is actually a bit different. Tabitha and Kairos are two sides of the same coin, both with Emotional Issues that caused them to believe a loveless marriage was what they both wanted. What I liked here is that they actually talked and discussed things between them, getting to know each other (sort of... at least as much as any two characters in a Harley P ever get to know each other). Sure, there was still the wild crazy monkey sex, but there was actual dialogue where the two were trying to explain their viewpoints to each other instead of simply the normal HP screaming followed by sex followed by screaming followed by sex and then HEA the end.
That said, it still didn't break any molds. The two had deeper conversations than you usually find in these, but it still didn't deviate much from the formula.
Either way, not one I'm sorry I grabbed, but also not one that I think I'd re-read.
UPDATE: Petras. The made up country is Petras. Also, wow, I'm apparently blind because the country is part of the subheading for the book.
Like you do.
Anyway, five years in, the book opens with the two stuck in a cold, loveless marriage that they both thought they wanted. She's never been able to get pregnant and their sex life, never particularly acrobatic, has turned into a duty. Tabitha, believing Kairos has had an affair, demands a divorce and the two have wild crazy monkey sex, the likes of which they've never had before, on his desk.
Like you do.
And if the book's title didn't give it away, Tabitha ends up preggers. Thanks to non-existent HIPAA in Whateverthefuckthiscountryiscalled-ania Kairos finds out before she does (this is all in the first two chapters, so no spoiler tags) and comes charging in to get Tabitha back. She's still pretty adamant that she wants a divorce, despite the pregnancy, so Kairos kidnaps her in an attempt to force her to change her mind.
Like you do.
Anyway, from here we get a romance that is actually a bit different. Tabitha and Kairos are two sides of the same coin, both with Emotional Issues that caused them to believe a loveless marriage was what they both wanted. What I liked here is that they actually talked and discussed things between them, getting to know each other (sort of... at least as much as any two characters in a Harley P ever get to know each other). Sure, there was still the wild crazy monkey sex, but there was actual dialogue where the two were trying to explain their viewpoints to each other instead of simply the normal HP screaming followed by sex followed by screaming followed by sex and then HEA the end.
That said, it still didn't break any molds. The two had deeper conversations than you usually find in these, but it still didn't deviate much from the formula.
Either way, not one I'm sorry I grabbed, but also not one that I think I'd re-read.
UPDATE: Petras. The made up country is Petras. Also, wow, I'm apparently blind because the country is part of the subheading for the book.
April 10, 2020
After reading the brother's story I moved on to this one. I didn't really like either character to begin with but found the H to be particularly obnoxious and condescending. The h serving him divorce papers was just the kick up the ass he needed.
He really had no excuse to be as cold as he was it was almost like he tried to make out he had it worse than his brother which he really didn't. I nearly choked on my beverage when he suggested he felt deeply like his mother. His mother that left them both with an emotionally remote bully of a father! Doesn't bode well for the future heir he is so desperate for.
The h is also honestly a rather nice and emotionally damaged golddigger but H is particularly awful to call her on it esp when it was his idea to replace his cheating ex with her. He hit a new low when he called her white trash then tried to make out its what she calls herself anyway. He was really just gaslighting her to get his won way, which sadly in the end he does complete with reconciliation with the abandoning them mother who gets to play doting grandma.
I'll leave this review here before I talk another star off it.
Bright note is his brother is having a lovely time getting his wife pregnant ALL the time!
He really had no excuse to be as cold as he was it was almost like he tried to make out he had it worse than his brother which he really didn't. I nearly choked on my beverage when he suggested he felt deeply like his mother. His mother that left them both with an emotionally remote bully of a father! Doesn't bode well for the future heir he is so desperate for.
The h is also honestly a rather nice and emotionally damaged golddigger but H is particularly awful to call her on it esp when it was his idea to replace his cheating ex with her. He hit a new low when he called her white trash then tried to make out its what she calls herself anyway. He was really just gaslighting her to get his won way, which sadly in the end he does complete with reconciliation with the abandoning them mother who gets to play doting grandma.
I'll leave this review here before I talk another star off it.
Bright note is his brother is having a lovely time getting his wife pregnant ALL the time!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2015
*ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Harlequin*
4.5 stars in fact.
Since I read "A Christmas Vow of Seduction" (Princes of Petras, book 1), I was intrigued by Kairos and Tabitha. And the author didn't failed with their story.
The conflict is very well developed, the scenes are fluid and its transitions are excellent and the characters are very alluring. As the story goes deeper, the author takes care of all the details with great magnificence. I wish the book to have a better photography, but it didn't affect the final result because the story is more centered in the main characters and their goods and bands in their marriage than the external tings around them.
When King Kairos' fiancee betrayed him with his brother Andres ("A Christmas Vow of Seduction"), he asks Tabitha to marry him. But he puts his cards on the table: no love, no emotions and everything will be only for the sake of the country. Also, they have to produce heirs. Five years passed, and there's no heir. In fact, their relationship became so cold and tamed that even their physical relationship is dead... or that's what they think. After Andres' marriage, Tabitha decided that what she has with Kairos isn't enough, and asks him for a divorce on January 1 (here's when the story starts). After her announcement, passion takes place and they have sex in Kairos' desk, in his office. Four weeks later, Tabitha and Kairos founds out that, after all, she finally is pregnant. That's when Kairos decided he wanted to stay married to Tabitha and not only he kidnaps her, but he blackmailed her with their unborn son or daughter.
Both Kairos and Tabitha are made for each other. They, for different reasons, decided to keep their hearts guarded and that's why their previous relationship was so good (Tabitha was his PA before the marriage). Kairos' personality is defined by his mother's abandonment and Tabitha's is defined by her mother's behavior with her stepfather. Even though I found their lack of communication a bit impossible to believe, as the story goes on this issue is very well justified and, IMO, that's why their interactions really work. This couple has a lot of restrained desire and passion and, then it's liberated, their chemistry was explosive. Their sex scenes were steam , really ho. (my fave is the angry sex on Kairos' office).
As secondary characters we have Andres (who turns out to be a good adviser), and Zara (this one is a quiet one). But is Kairo's mother who, as the center of Kairos' emotional issues, shines with her own light. A curious thing is that she is only an active character just at the end of the book.
This is Ms. Yates first book about broken marriages and reconciliations. I'm glad she did a marvelous job with Kairos and Tabitha. Especially because in book 1 of this series made everyone looking forward this story. There were high expectations with this book and, in my case at least, Ms. Yates fulfilled them.
Oh, and the epilogue is beautiful.
January 25, 2016
3 Cold Cold Stars
“Love is terrifying. It’s certainly the most terrifying thing I’ve ever confronted.”
This is the second book in the Princes of Petras duo. While I adored Andres and Zara in the first book, it was harder to feel the same about Kairos and Tabitha.
Kairos is the King of Petras and he married his PA Tabitha after a scandal involving his fiancée and brother Andres. They have been married for five years and their marriage is less than cordial. Tabitha is an ice queen and Kairos is her frozen king.
There is no heat between these two for most of the book. Their relationship is more of a barely tolerant roommate than a marriage. They live in the same castle but speak to each other through their assistants. They get together once or twice a month to try for a baby, and Kairos returns to his suite of rooms after the deed is done.
This was such an emotionally sad story. It had none of the charm of the first story in the series. My heart went out to Tabitha because Kairos was one cold bastard. Even though the epilogue was lovely, the book had me wanting to wrap myself in a blanket as I read it.
Kairos and Tabitha were not my favorite characters, however they redeemed themselves by the end of the book. I can recommend it as a Must Read if you love a lot of angst with your romance.
“Love is terrifying. It’s certainly the most terrifying thing I’ve ever confronted.”
This is the second book in the Princes of Petras duo. While I adored Andres and Zara in the first book, it was harder to feel the same about Kairos and Tabitha.
Kairos is the King of Petras and he married his PA Tabitha after a scandal involving his fiancée and brother Andres. They have been married for five years and their marriage is less than cordial. Tabitha is an ice queen and Kairos is her frozen king.
There is no heat between these two for most of the book. Their relationship is more of a barely tolerant roommate than a marriage. They live in the same castle but speak to each other through their assistants. They get together once or twice a month to try for a baby, and Kairos returns to his suite of rooms after the deed is done.
This was such an emotionally sad story. It had none of the charm of the first story in the series. My heart went out to Tabitha because Kairos was one cold bastard. Even though the epilogue was lovely, the book had me wanting to wrap myself in a blanket as I read it.
Kairos and Tabitha were not my favorite characters, however they redeemed themselves by the end of the book. I can recommend it as a Must Read if you love a lot of angst with your romance.
January 5, 2016
I don't understand why the ratings for this book aren't higher because Maisey Yates has successfully wrecked my emotions and teared me apart again! This book fully met my expectations. Hot sex, tension, and fully developed characters with believable reasons to why they acted the way they did. It was a roller coaster of emotions from the very beginning to the very end. The dialogue was fantastic between the two characters. Some of it may have caused me doubt to whether they would be able to patch things up!
January 5, 2018
Adult romance novels are a guilty pleasure of mine. I now that there are problems with some of them and that most contain love at first sight (which I usually hate), but there's just something about these novels that is so addicting. I have read many Harlequin Presents and some other adult romance novels and while I enjoy some, I also understand that there are many flaws with these and usually I don't mind them as much, but the whole "love can fix everything and love is all you need," is stupid and not true. What about food? That's important and delicious. I love food ok. So the scene where she puts the cookie back so that she can have sex again baffled me because cookies and chocolate, how can you say no to them? Especially if you love sweets.
I enjoy romance novels where the girl is hard to get throughout at least half of the novel and it seems more realistic instead of falling for the guy the minute you see him. Does that even happen in real life, is that even possible? Also, I've noticed that the couples in many of these romance novels, can barely handle being in the same room without wanting to touch each other. I've never been in love or lust, but I don't think that's how love and attraction works. It just seems stupid when people say or act like that they can't control themselves is a good excuse, it's not, it just seems stupid. But then again, these are romance novels, so of course they are going to have this kind of stuff in them, it's just hard to tolerate them sometimes, especially when they keep repeating that stuff over and over and over.
Full review to come
(I'm not sure if I will write more of my thoughts on the book later or if I'll just leave it like this).
Blog: nazishreads.net/TravelandBookBlog
My twitter account: @NazishTVDSwift
My Instagram accounts: @nazishreads, @nrcharmed01, @nrdisney, and @nazishcosplay
I enjoy romance novels where the girl is hard to get throughout at least half of the novel and it seems more realistic instead of falling for the guy the minute you see him. Does that even happen in real life, is that even possible? Also, I've noticed that the couples in many of these romance novels, can barely handle being in the same room without wanting to touch each other. I've never been in love or lust, but I don't think that's how love and attraction works. It just seems stupid when people say or act like that they can't control themselves is a good excuse, it's not, it just seems stupid. But then again, these are romance novels, so of course they are going to have this kind of stuff in them, it's just hard to tolerate them sometimes, especially when they keep repeating that stuff over and over and over.
Full review to come
(I'm not sure if I will write more of my thoughts on the book later or if I'll just leave it like this).
Blog: nazishreads.net/TravelandBookBlog
My twitter account: @NazishTVDSwift
My Instagram accounts: @nazishreads, @nrcharmed01, @nrdisney, and @nazishcosplay
December 8, 2019
Maisey Yates does it again. A clever, well-written story of 2 characters who have managed to hide from each other despite being in a marriage of convenience for 5 years. Kairos and Tabitha are 2 sad people who have never exposed their innermost feelings to anyone let alone each other.
At New Year, Tabitha demands a divorce and they argue bitterly and end up having passionate sex which results in her pregnancy.
The rest of the book is Kairos attempting to persuade Tabitha they can make the marriage work although he doesn't always do a very good job of persuading her.
I love Maisey Yates's style of writing. Like Caitlin Crews, it is adult, intelligent and operatic in its range. The dialogue is fabulous and her ability to engage interest in her characters is fantastic.
The love scenes are sensual, romantic and deeply satisfying. I've given this 5 stars because I think it was excellent!
At New Year, Tabitha demands a divorce and they argue bitterly and end up having passionate sex which results in her pregnancy.
The rest of the book is Kairos attempting to persuade Tabitha they can make the marriage work although he doesn't always do a very good job of persuading her.
I love Maisey Yates's style of writing. Like Caitlin Crews, it is adult, intelligent and operatic in its range. The dialogue is fabulous and her ability to engage interest in her characters is fantastic.
The love scenes are sensual, romantic and deeply satisfying. I've given this 5 stars because I think it was excellent!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2019
Unfortunately, this one was a bit slow for me. I didn't really connect as much to the characters and story, although it seemed like it would be my jam. I guess there wasn't enough tension in the book for me. The characters were missing that spark that I need in a romance. It wasn't bad but disappointing for this author.
March 12, 2017
I have been wanting to try this author for a while but I found this romance rather dull.
A royal couple from a made-up European kingdom have endured years of unsatisfying marriage. Tabitha seeks a divorce, but then finds out that she is pregnant. Karios convinces her to go to an isolated island for 2 weeks to work on their marriage.
The psychological revelations between the two of them seemed obvious, repetitive and didn’t go very deep- Kairos has mother issues and Tabitha is still feeling the effects of an impoverished childhood. (I had just read a rather searing Molly O’Keefe story and I think this book suffered in comparison).
I had hoped that the fantasy settings- (a deserted island paradise, royal setting etc) might have at least injected some escapist fun into this story…but sadly no. I might try one of her Western books and hope I enjoy it more than this.
A royal couple from a made-up European kingdom have endured years of unsatisfying marriage. Tabitha seeks a divorce, but then finds out that she is pregnant. Karios convinces her to go to an isolated island for 2 weeks to work on their marriage.
The psychological revelations between the two of them seemed obvious, repetitive and didn’t go very deep- Kairos has mother issues and Tabitha is still feeling the effects of an impoverished childhood. (I had just read a rather searing Molly O’Keefe story and I think this book suffered in comparison).
I had hoped that the fantasy settings- (a deserted island paradise, royal setting etc) might have at least injected some escapist fun into this story…but sadly no. I might try one of her Western books and hope I enjoy it more than this.
January 1, 2018
This one worked better for me than the first book in this duology. The opening chapter was great, and I liked that the heroine was feisty right back to the hero when they said words in anger. The hero holds on to his baggage for a bit too long for my liking, and he's so stubborn - he basically needs TWO secondary characters to tell him he's being an idiot. Yates usually hits all my "fairy tale" buttons, but this one felt more soap opera to me - but you know what? I love those too. Yates has written stronger HPs, but this one is still solid.
November 19, 2017
The emotions in this book were strong. Tabitha was a strong heroine. She had to fight for what she really wanted. She was the queen of Petras. She married her husband Kairo’s the king five years ago. It started out as a contract marriage. He needed a queen, and an heir. For 5 years they tried but never conceived. She realized she couldn’t live in a loveless marriage any more. She asked for a divorce at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Anger erupts into red HOT passion. Hot sex on his desk kind of passion. When she left the palace, she was pregnant. When Kairos found out she was carrying his heir, he kidnapped her and took her to his private island in Greece. The two agreed to 14 days of no lies, just raw truth. The two were working on their broken marriage. It seemed like the harder Tabitha tried the more her husband would pull away. He had emotional baggage he had to deal with before he could give his heart to his wife. I wanted to shake him from time to time, or yell at him. In the end he worked through his heart aches of the past. The ending was sweet, and made my eyes tear up. All in all, a good book.
January 26, 2016
I feel fairly disappointed with this latest Yates novel.
The hero is HORRID. I have no idea what the heroine fell in love with besides his appearance. By her own admission he's been cold and distant to her their entire marriage. They don't go on dates with each other or (judging by the conversations in this book) talk to each other.
The stars given are for the substance of their conversations while on the island, especially when Tabitha begins to accept her role in their failed marriage and her belief on trust. Really liked that part.
My biggest frustration is in wishing Tabitha stuck to her guns more. She allows her husband to talk down to her, kidnap her, etc etc. He doesn't really ever grovel either. She just accepts his words as truth.
In all, I much prefer Yates' COPPER RIDGE series.
The hero is HORRID. I have no idea what the heroine fell in love with besides his appearance. By her own admission he's been cold and distant to her their entire marriage. They don't go on dates with each other or (judging by the conversations in this book) talk to each other.
The stars given are for the substance of their conversations while on the island, especially when Tabitha begins to accept her role in their failed marriage and her belief on trust. Really liked that part.
My biggest frustration is in wishing Tabitha stuck to her guns more. She allows her husband to talk down to her, kidnap her, etc etc. He doesn't really ever grovel either. She just accepts his words as truth.
In all, I much prefer Yates' COPPER RIDGE series.
May 22, 2016
Despite the fact their is kings and queens, etc. This book has to be the most relative for me. The relationship and how they fixed it, is the way any relationship is, regardless of status. The give and take. I quite frankly enjoyed it because of the honesty expressed in each line.
February 15, 2016
I received this book for free from Goodreads Giveaways. This is a very entertaining romance full of misunderstandings, reunions and love.
October 14, 2015
*ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Harlequin*
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