A brilliant ending to a brilliant story.

C.S. Pacat is my new favorite writer. I absolutely adore this trilogy. Furthermore, Juilliard educated Stephen Bel Davies is one of the best narrators Audible has to offer.
You haven’t lived until you’ve heard SBD say “F@$& Me”
We all want to Stephen. We do
This is a MM romance/ hate to love relationship at its best.
An absolute masterpiece.
I was never bored, the pacing was perfect from beginning to end.
I was enthralled with the political intrigue, well written action sequences, intoxicating erotica , and dynamic characters with a love so special and pure that it made my heart flutter. It was a satisfying ending that I found myself screaming out loud multiple times and my eyes filled with tears ;)

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Prefect ending

I really enjoyed reading this trilogy. I love that their love for each other grows slowly as time goes on. I love enemies to lovers!!! Once again! Stephen did an excellent job ❤️

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loved the series .....narrator wasnt top pic tho!

Where does Kings Rising rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's pretty low-scale on the erotica so depending if I'm listening for that intent or more for an involved storyline...though one of my favorite series from my Kindle library, while I didn't dislike the narrator it was not the voice I had imagined for either main character....I had been hoping for more like Gary Furlong from As You Wish.... honestly it was only my love of the series that had me listening despite the disconnect I found with the narrator. I had hoped it would be a voice I found attractive enough to have me backtracking and listening through the dense first and second novels.....

What other book might you compare Kings Rising to and why?

There's not too many in the m/m genre I think it can compare to really, the relationship between the two mc's reminds me of Honour by A.F. Henley, in that it is told from the pov of the "servant" who is more obv enamored of his prince then the prince's complex combo of personal and political allow, and causing him to be less able to easily warm to. I felt like the storyline was more comparable in complexity, not necessarily with regards to topic, to Harper Fox's Last Line series, especially with the idea that reading later on divulges certain knowledge or past connections that were surprising and required you to think back on the first book in reflection of this newly disclosed info and how it might expand your understanding of the complex relationships and storylines.

Any additional comments?

The third one dedicates the majority of their actual relationship coming to fruition and finally seeing some of the more intimate, personable side of Laurent, so I enjoyed that being explored. I do wish a diff narrator choice had been made ....just a matter of personal taste, the narrator didn't do a poor job... but I'd have been more anxious to go back and have the first two books on audio.

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Epic!

Loved every delicious moment. The characters, the plot, the voice...so masterful. I breathlessly await C.S. Pacat’s next work.

My favorite series this year!

I think book 3 could have been 2 hours shorter. Stayed up all night to to listen from start to finish but the slow bits in the middle was crucial for the story, I think.
Great series. Book 2 was my favorite.
I am all for enemy to lovers romance and this was a great one. Filled the action, twists and turns, and some steaming bits that had me grinning like a school girl...

There are no words...

Simply one of the best pieces of writing that I have ever encountered. The twists and turns had me anxious throughout, and the emotional impact was explosive.

A grand finale.

A grand finale that is still full of twists and turns, and expands on the final battles between Damen, Laurent, and the Regent!

Kings Rising

With the trilogy coming to an end. Laurent and Damen right to gain their true positions as Kings of their people. They come to find that the Regant, Lauren’s uncle is the one person standing in both of their ways. This was a great series.

satisfying conclusion to the series

Though Kings Rising was a satisfying conclusion to the Captive Prince series, I felt that the novel dragged a little in the middle. Most of the action took place in the beginning and the end, and most of the plot was about Laurent and Damen doing what they needed to do to get their enemy factions to work and fight together, to be allies, and repairing their relationship after Damen’s identity was revealed.

But first they had to decide if they wanted a relationship at all. Damen did, but Laurent was resistant for reasons. Damen had killed his brother in the war, and Laurent was scared of physical and emotional intimacy. To me, all the signs of trauma was obvious, and it didn’t make sense that Damen who was so observant of Laurent’s idiosyncrasies didn’t suspect even a little the real reason Laurent was so tense when they were intimate.

Either Damen’s ignorance was a character flaw or the author just wanted to show his reaction to the truth at a specific moment for dramatic impact and to hit a specific plot point. The action in the novel seemed more plot-driven than character-driven. Similarly, the two scenes in Laurent’s POV were included to show how clever Laurent was, since Damen wasn’t there to see it.

The ending was both satisfying and abrupt. I kind of wanted an epilogue but I also felt that this novel was overlong, intense, and exhausting. There were a few surprises and strange outcomes in the end. Damen had some knowledge that seemed to come out of nowhere. Laurent didn’t have an especially brilliant plan. But I did like how the ghosts of their past were put to rest in the end, and how Laurent showed how much he truly loved Damen.

I enjoyed Damen and Laurent’s story. The angst, sex, romance, and camaraderie between them were entertaining. I loved their courage and greatness, their strengths and vulnerabilities, their passion and compassion. But I didn’t really like the world they lived in, the slavery, hypermasculine requirements for leadership and kingship, and hereditary rule for that matter, so I’m glad that Damen turned out to be a bit progressive in the end. His experience as a captive prince changed him. Which goes to show that the privileged don’t really get it or care until it happens to them.

In any case, this series was really entertaining, and I will certainly consider buying this author’s future books. The audiobook narration again was good, though I got impatient when the action slowed down in the middle. I think I could have gotten through the book faster if I had read the ebook instead.

Fantastic

A great story performed by a most talented voice actor. Would definitely recommend both artists.