Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
This was a good conclusion to the series. In the previous books, Prince Nikolai has the reputation of a womanizer and someone more interested in pleasure than duty. Here we discover that there is more to the party prince than meets the eye.
The story opens as his grandmother, the irrepressible Tata Natasha, Grand Duchess of Oxenburg, has gone off to visit an old friend in Scotland. Unfortunately, she left behind a black "case" of her lotions and potions and has tasked the daughter of the house with writing to the prince to have him send it. The exchange of letters between Ailsa and Nikolai sets the stage of their preconceived ideas of each other. When the Duchess is kidnapped during her visit, Ailsa feels compelled to inform the prince, but also lets him know she has the matter in hand. She doesn't want him showing up and getting in her way.
The prince has no intention of leaving his beloved grandmother's rescue up to an unknown woman. He has other reasons for wanting to get away from London without anyone knowing he's gone, so he goes undercover as a groom. His arrival in Scotland arouses Ailsa's suspicions because it is obvious that he is not a servant. Their confrontation was hilarious as she played with him before calling him on his deception. After some more push and pull, and Ailsa's attempt to leave him behind, she and the prince eventually agree to work together to rescue the captives.
The sparks fly between Nik and Ailsa from the very start. He is equally intrigued and frustrated by Ailsa's independence and stubbornness. He is also wary, as his experiences with women have made him very cynical and unwilling to trust. Ailsa is irritated by Nik's arrogance, but can't deny her attraction to him, though she is determined not to give in to his seductive ways. After all, there's no chance of anything permanent between them. It was fun to watch these two together as their preconceived ideas were disproved as they learned more about each other. I especially enjoyed Nik's growing respect for Ailsa and her leadership style. He took a bit of a hit when she accused him of being spoiled, but earned some respect when he took her words to heart. And though their heads fought the feelings that grew between them, their hearts knew what they wanted. Unfortunately, there were a couple of obstacles in their way. Nik refused even to consider exposing Ailsa to life at court, believing that it would destroy who she is. Ailsa considers herself bound to her land, besides believing that she isn't good enough for him. Their relationship is further complicated by a boneheaded move on Nik's part when he makes some pretty terrible accusations against her. It takes some deviousness by Tata Natasha to bring them back together. The epilogue was a nice wrap-up.
The underlying mystery of the book is the kidnapping and rescue of Nik's grandmother and her companion. Ailsa and Nik butt heads over the proper way to deal with it, both of them stubbornly sticking to their own plans. Each of them had good points to make, and I wondered for a while if they were going to end up working against their best interests because they couldn't compromise. Matters were complicated by several attacks on their party, one of which seriously injured Nik and separated him and Ailsa from the rest of the group for a few days. The tension mounted as they came closer to where the captives were held. There were some interesting twists to the rescue, one of which I had begun to suspect but was still a shock. Nik and Ailsa's rescue came from an unexpected source, making for a very satisfactory resolution.
The story opens as his grandmother, the irrepressible Tata Natasha, Grand Duchess of Oxenburg, has gone off to visit an old friend in Scotland. Unfortunately, she left behind a black "case" of her lotions and potions and has tasked the daughter of the house with writing to the prince to have him send it. The exchange of letters between Ailsa and Nikolai sets the stage of their preconceived ideas of each other. When the Duchess is kidnapped during her visit, Ailsa feels compelled to inform the prince, but also lets him know she has the matter in hand. She doesn't want him showing up and getting in her way.
The prince has no intention of leaving his beloved grandmother's rescue up to an unknown woman. He has other reasons for wanting to get away from London without anyone knowing he's gone, so he goes undercover as a groom. His arrival in Scotland arouses Ailsa's suspicions because it is obvious that he is not a servant. Their confrontation was hilarious as she played with him before calling him on his deception. After some more push and pull, and Ailsa's attempt to leave him behind, she and the prince eventually agree to work together to rescue the captives.
The sparks fly between Nik and Ailsa from the very start. He is equally intrigued and frustrated by Ailsa's independence and stubbornness. He is also wary, as his experiences with women have made him very cynical and unwilling to trust. Ailsa is irritated by Nik's arrogance, but can't deny her attraction to him, though she is determined not to give in to his seductive ways. After all, there's no chance of anything permanent between them. It was fun to watch these two together as their preconceived ideas were disproved as they learned more about each other. I especially enjoyed Nik's growing respect for Ailsa and her leadership style. He took a bit of a hit when she accused him of being spoiled, but earned some respect when he took her words to heart. And though their heads fought the feelings that grew between them, their hearts knew what they wanted. Unfortunately, there were a couple of obstacles in their way. Nik refused even to consider exposing Ailsa to life at court, believing that it would destroy who she is. Ailsa considers herself bound to her land, besides believing that she isn't good enough for him. Their relationship is further complicated by a boneheaded move on Nik's part when he makes some pretty terrible accusations against her. It takes some deviousness by Tata Natasha to bring them back together. The epilogue was a nice wrap-up.
The underlying mystery of the book is the kidnapping and rescue of Nik's grandmother and her companion. Ailsa and Nik butt heads over the proper way to deal with it, both of them stubbornly sticking to their own plans. Each of them had good points to make, and I wondered for a while if they were going to end up working against their best interests because they couldn't compromise. Matters were complicated by several attacks on their party, one of which seriously injured Nik and separated him and Ailsa from the rest of the group for a few days. The tension mounted as they came closer to where the captives were held. There were some interesting twists to the rescue, one of which I had begun to suspect but was still a shock. Nik and Ailsa's rescue came from an unexpected source, making for a very satisfactory resolution.
