Intrigue, politics, and beautiful men.
The premise is strong, the plot is compelling, but the execution fell short—for me, at least.

The bastard son of Akielos kills the king and sends the rightful heir, Prince Damen, into slavery in a neighboring nation. To make matters worse, Damen is given as a “gift” to Prince Laurent, the enemy prince.
These two despise each other. Laurent is cunning, sharp-tongued, and calculating, while Damen struggles to adjust to life as a slave. However, the two uncover a convoluted attempt at regicide and become unwilling allies.

It took me a while to warm up to the main characters. Damen is stubborn and narrow-minded, while Laurent comes across as cold and cruel. Their dynamic felt off at first, and it didn’t click for me for much of the book. That said, I did eventually connect with Laurent by the end, and now all I want is to see him succeed. 

As for the enemies to lovers trope, I’m not sure how the author will make it work. Right now, it feels like the only way is a toxic evolution of their relationship. But I’m intrigued enough to pick up the next book.