Unwrapping: Review of MY RUTHLESS PRINCE by Gaelen Foley

First- Thank you to everyone who participated in my little experiment - those who commented admitted that they were not able to accurately choose 'old' from 'new' which proves that maybe Historical Romances haven't changed as much as we thought they had - thank goodness - reading would be very boring if every heroine was a female Dirty Harry and every hero a Gentleman George! The winner of a copy of GENTLE ROGUE by Johanna Lindsey is ... Dalila G.   Congratulations!

Now on to the main event!
This weekend, I inhaled the historical romance novel, MY RUTHLESS PRINCE by Gaelen Foley ... I mean inhaled! I started reading it and didn't want to put it down and almost didn't even when I had to.
                                                      *                       *                     *
In MY RUTHLESS PRINCE, the Earl of Westwood is suspected by his brother warriors of having turned traitor, but Emily Harper knows this is impossible for the man she has loved since childhood—as impossible as a marriage between them could ever be—she, the gamekeeper’s daughter and he, a bold and adventurous nobleman.

Driven by hatred and revenge, Westwood is playing a deadly game of deception, bent on destroying the enemy’s dark conspiracy from the inside, and he’s furious when Emily plunges herself into danger for his sake. Forced into close quarters, their long-suppressed desire explodes into all-consuming passion.

Emily knows her love can save him…but Drake is a man who doesn’t want to be saved.
                                                        *                        *                    *
I am a huge fan of the Inferno Club and definitely recommend that if you haven't read the first three installments in the series then do and in order, but MY RUTHLESS PRINCE does well enough as a stand-alone, if you choose to read it as such.

Drake Parry, the Earl of Westwood, is by far the most 'tortured' hero I've ever read. He's tortured not only in body but in heart and spirit, too. Having endured horrible physical torture at the hands of his enemies, Drake feels beholden to one of them, James Falkirk, for saving him. So much so that he escapes his Inferno Club brothers who, along with his childhood friend, Emily Harper, are trying help him recover from his ordeal and mend his mind, body and soul. But Drake's misplaced need to protect the old man, Falkirk, is as great as for any of his brother warriors so he escapes to Bavaria and into the hands of those who tortured him, left him a broken man and took nearly all his memory, all but that of Emily. 

Unable to let him be lost to his enemies or hunted down and possibly killed by his own who now think him a traitor, Emily goes after him. She is convinced that she, and she alone, can reach him through his heart; that only she can reach the Drake that she knows and loves and bring him home safely. But Drake has changed and even though she knows the man well, she sees in him a darkness, a willingness to do whatever is asked of him by those who would do him, and her, the most harm. Her own belief in Drake is put to the test and it's only her love for him that keeps her from believing the worst. While Emily works from the inside, the rest of the Inferno Club works dangerously on the outside even as the same questions plague them all. Has Drake truly joined the Prometheans and turned to the darkness to fight against everything he has known and honored since being chosen as a young lad to be raised by the Order? Or will he prove to be their worst enemy?

Stepback - My Ruthless Prince
missed out on this
on my ereader  : (

From the minute you open this book, you're caught up in the struggle to bring Drake home and the mysteries of the Prometheans. The story is fast-paced and filled with action that keeps you on your toes. Gaelen wastes no time with a blossoming romance between Drake and Emily because their relationship has been in place since childhood. Emily has always known that she loves Drake even though their respective stations in life have kept them apart. Instead of watching the pair fall in love, it becomes more about them admitting to the love that's always been there between them. Even while suffering essentially 'Stockholm Syndrome', Drake is torn between his misguided loyalty to James and his need to protect Emily at all costs. It's no wonder poor Drake doesn't seem to know if he's coming or going. I suspect he's going to be out of sorts for quite a while so it's a good thing Emily loves him so and is more patient than most women would be. Possibly even a bit too patient, she might have done well with giving him a good quick kick in the pants.

Speaking of kick in the pants! Gaelen gives us plenty of intrigue, subterfuge and some intense action scenes that will have you on the edge of your seat and holding your breath such as when Emily is put in the precarious position of using her expert archery skills to fulfill a promise and destroy her reason for living. I have to say that it took a lot of courage on Gaelen's part to place her heroine in one of the cruelest, most heart-wrenching moments I've ever read but it worked. I'm not going to spoil your reading by telling you what happens but be prepared to hold your breath and wipe away a lot of tears.

MY RUTHLESS PRINCE is everything you expect from a Gaelen Foley historical romance and more.
Until now MY DANGEROUS DUKE has been my favorite of the Inferno Club. Even though Rohan is still the man I'd like to have come home with me, I have to say that I would easily trade places with Emily to help Drake find his way back to the life he knew and the laughter, camaraderie and brotherhood he shared with his brother warriors.  MY RUTHLESS PRINCE has definitely become my favorite of the series.

If you're looking for action, intrigue and subterfuge, edge-of-the-seat suspense and some very romantic love scenes then MY RUTHLESS PRINCE by Gaelen Foley is the one you want to read.  Published by Avon, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers and ON SALE NOW in paperback and ebook format, I Highly Recommend MY RUTHLESS PRINCE. 
In fact, my only question now is ... when are they making it into a movie??!!  

You can learn more about Gaelen Foley, her life, and her books by visiting her website or by reading about her when she visited us here at the blog on 12/28/11 - click here to read my interview with her.

Happy Reading Everyone!