**OctobeRec Fest Review #3 ~ Kissed by a Dark Prince ~ Felicity Heaton**

I won Kissed by a Dark Prince from Berls @Fantasy is More Fun during her Blogoversary giveaway. I'd been meaning to start the Eternal Mates series because Berls loves it so much (as does Traci @Mad Hatter Reads) so when I won the first two books, I was ecstatic!! 

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Kissed by a Dark Prince
Eternal Mates #1
Release Date: November 30, 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: Won an ecopy from Berls
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ B&N

Synopsis
Olivia thinks it's her lucky night when a dangerously handsome unconscious fae ends up on her inspection table. He's her change to redeem herself with her employer, the demon-hunting organisation, Archangel. But when the tall, dark and deadly immortal warrior awakes, she gets much more than she bargained for...

Attacked by his enemy in the elf kingdom, the last thing Prince Loren expects when he comes around is a beautiful angel watching over him and medical technology of the mortal realm. Hazy from his injuries, all he can focus on is the pulse ticking in her throat and the sweet allure of her blood.

One single bite reveals she is his eternal mate, triggering a bond between them that will leave him weakened until it is complete...or broken, and pulling Olivia into the crossfire of his ancient feud.

To protect his people and his mate from the machinations of a madman, Loren must risk everything by working with Olivia at Archangel to find a way to break the bond blossoming between them.

But will Loren be strong enough to place duty before desire and give up the one thing he has waited millennia for and craves above all others -- his eternal mate? And will Olivia be able to resist the incredible heat that burns between them and the temptation of her dark prince's kiss?

After having read Berls' and Traci's reviews of Kissed by a Dark Prince, I was eager to get started on this series. My only regret upon finishing? That I waited this long!

Kissed by a Dark Prince not only chronicles the lives of Olivia and Loren following their fateful meeting but also sets up the world this series inhabits, as well as explaining how the bond between eternal mates works. We learn that the world is inhabited by shifters, vampires, fae, and demons. Oh, and elves. Vampires are essentially evil but everyone else seems to co-exist relatively peacefully. There is a human organization, Archangel, that hunts supernaturals. I'm not sure their mission exactly, but Olivia seeks knowledge of the others in order to better relations between species. When Loren surreptitiously lands on Olivia's doorstep, a species Olivia has never seen, she's excited.

Olivia is a doctor and as such studies the other species brought into Archangel. She has had a few bad experiences though and feels a desperate need to redeem herself with her colleagues. Loren seems like the perfect place to start - until he bites her and sets into motion something that will change her life forever.

Loren is an elf prince and comes around with no recollection of how he got to Archangel. What he does know is that he's in need of blood and this beautiful woman hovering over him will suit just fine. But the first taste of her blood unleashes something he was unprepared for...something he'd stopped hoping he'd find.

I liked both Olivia and Loren. Olivia is smart, tenacious and stubborn. She's always thinking, calculating, considering - and I liked that about her. Of course, I wished she'd stopped over-thinking at a few points and had just gone with her heart. But I understood her reasoning. Loren is strong, loyal almost to a fault, kind, and protective. He's sacrificed so much to protect  his people, never giving up hope of finding his mate. He and Olivia share compassion for others and complemented one another well. It took awhile for Olivia to see their link wasn't just about the bond.

We also meet Loren's brother, Vail, his second in command, Bleu, Olivia's best friend, Sable, and others. Each character is well defined and I'm anxious for their stories. They added depth, and often humor, to the story.

I will admit that parts of the story dragged for me. I tired of Olivia's waffling on whether or not she wanted to complete the bond with Loren. Of course, the waffling enabled them to better get to know one another and realize they had developed real feelings, so it had purpose. The last 25% though, the action and tension really ramped up and I was flying through the pages. I was shocked at the turn of events - and just as relieved by them as Loren and Olivia were.

Kissed by a Dark Prince was every bit as good as I was hoping it would be. I'm looking forward to losing myself in this world again and seeing who's up next in finding their eternal mate.