#ShelfLove Review ~ Tempted by a Rogue Prince ~ Felicity Heaton

Tempted by a Rogue Prince
Eternal Mates #3
Release Date: August 9, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased on Amazon
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Goodreads ~ Amazon

Synopsis
An elf prince on the verge of losing himself to the darkness, Vail is maddened by the forty-two centuries he was under the control of a witch and forced to war with his brother. Now, he roams Hell seeking an escape from his terrible past and the heads of all who bear magic. When demons on the Fifth Realm capture him, he sees a chance to end his existence, but when he wakes in a cell to a beautiful female, he finds not death but his only shot at salvation--his true fated mate.

Captured by the enemy of the Third Realm when the war ended, Rosalind has spent months in the cells of the Fifth Realm with her magic bound, forced to heal the new king's demon warriors, and haunted by the lives she has taken. When she's brought to heal an unconscious man, she discovers her only hope of escape has come in the form of her worst nightmare and the first part of a prediction that might spell her doom--a devastatingly handsome and dangerous dark elf prince.

Unwilling to fall under the control of anyone ever again, Vail must escape before the Fifth King can use him as a pawn in a deadly game of revenge, but he cannot leave without Rosalind, the woman who looks at him with dark desire in her stunning eyes and awakens a fierce hunger in his heart. A witch who drives him made with need even as the darkness within whispers she will enslave him too.

Can Rosalind escape her fate as they embark on a journey fraught with danger and resist the temptation of her rogue elf prince? And can Vail overcome the memories that madden him in order to seize his chance for salvation and the heart of his fated female forever?

Heaton satisfies once again with Vail and Rosalind's story. In Tempted by a Rogue Prince the battles fought are primarily emotional ones -- but they are equally as charged as those on the battlefield.

Vail has lived over 4000 years as the puppet of an evil witch. It's cost him his family, his home, his people, his sanity. He feels like he's destined to wander Hell - alone and battling the darkness that wants to consume him - in an attempt to escape it all.

Rosalind is a prisoner in the Fifth Realm having been captured while fighting for King Thorne. She's a light witch but King Bruan has taken all her powers save those he needs her to use to heal. It's her healing abilities that land her at Vail's bedside.

Heaton is excellent at conveying the pull between darkness and light, madness and sanity, hate and love. Much of the story is spent watching as Vail battles himself. Rosalind, because she's a witch, sets him off -- calling his darkness forth as Vail's memories invade his present. But Rosalind, as Vail's ki'ara, also has the power to soothe him...heal him. It wasn't always easy to witness but apparently love does heal all wounds -- eventually. Of course, Rosalind does have that pesky prediction to contend with.

Tempted by a Rogue Prince wasn't as action-packed as its predecessor and its hero and heroine didn't have the same spunk as Thorne and Sable, but I did enjoy this darker story. Vail will always hold a special place in my heart as his soul was truly broken. I wanted to see him healed after all he'd suffered. And Rosalind was truly courageous, battling her fear of both Vail's darkness and the prediction, to reach Vail and help him heal. The story isn't over, of course. It remains to be seen whether or not Vail can gain back all he lost. But I do know who'll be by his side.