With Pride

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Kristof never expected to have to take his brother's place as betrothed to one of the King's Princes of the Blood. But when his older sister became ill, then the eldest son moved forward to take her place, leaving the youngest Kristoff to become the Duke of Stehlmore, and the only one left to marry a notorious Prince of the Blood. All Kristof wanted was to continue his role as a Paladin and keep the borders of his mother's kingdom safe but fate clearly has other ideas.

On the journey to Guldbrandsen. Kristoff and his company are attacked by goblins. Overwhelmed, they are saved by the appearance of two Princes of the Blood. Kristoff had never met a Prince of the Blood before and now he had two to thank for his rescue. But the two Princes could not be more different in appearance and demeanor. One is courteous, handsome and tall. And the other? Well he is small enough to remind Kristoff of a piskie. He is also arrogant, insulting, and rude. And Kristoff can't wait to be rid of him once they reach the castle.

Unfortunately, upon reaching castle grounds and his meeting with the King, Kristoff finds that the Prince he is to marry is none other than that tiny abomination that rescued him from the goblins. Kristoff is unprepared for his new life at Guldbrandsen or for all the magical beings and demons that walk the hallways. As a Paladin, he is overly sensitive to the presence of demons, but the pain he feels in the hallways of the castle or even standing next to his fiance is almost more than he can bear.

Then a demon plot is discovered that could destroy not only Guldbrandsen but his mother's kingdom of Stehlmore too. Every warrior, Prince and Paladin is need to find the culprit and save the lands. Kristoff is determined to honor the contract and not to shame his heritage or mother by his cowardly fear of the Princes, especially now that he is needed for the fight. But the pain and stress is increasing daily. What is a Paladin to do?

I loved the first novel in the series, Of Last Resort. That story launched us into a dark and tortured world still trying to recover from a centuries old war that shattered kingdoms and loosed all types of evil upon the lands. Now such magical beings as giants, werewolves, trolls, goblins, necromancers, wraiths, and many other unworldly beings are assisting the humans to search out and destroy the evil remnants of that war still looking to overthrow human rule. Of Last Resort introduced us to the Princes of the Blood. Human but with the right amount of demon blood running in their veins through intermarriage, the few found that met the requirements were tested, and if successful were forever changed into Princes of the Blood, supernatural beings that feed on blood and helped protect the King and his realm. It was a powerful tale told mostly from the point of view of Raffe' who became a Prince of the Blood and his lover Algrin. Once at the end, the reader just needed to know more. More about all the characters Megan Derr introduced us to in her story but also more of the ongoing quests to search out and destroy all the leftover demons and evil forces that still remain.

Now ordinarily we might expect the second story in the series to pick up where the first left off, but Megan Derr has something far different in mind for this series. The second story, With Pride, takes place prior to the events in Of Last Resort. In the first story, Raffe' meets Algrin, a Dragon, and his mated ,deeply in love friends, Hakon and Kristoff, a totally unlikely couple. Hakon, a tiny, blond Prince of the Blood, couldn't have looked any less a bloodthirsty demon if he had tried. And Kristoff, his besotted husband? A tall imposing Paladin that glowed with holy fervor! How did such an improbable pair come about? With Pride marvelously answers that question as it takes us back to their first disastrous meeting.

One of the first things that charmed me about this story is the change in perspective with regard to the Princes of the Blood. Raffe' looked forward to becoming a Prince in lieu of his brother who disappeared prior to the testing. For Raffe, being a Prince meant a release from a life and future he never wanted. To be a Prince of the Blood if, big if, you passed the test, was the ultimate goal for Raffe, one he never felt he was good enough for. Definitely not the case for Hakon and Kristoff, a pair of reluctant and bitter participants from the beginning.

Kristoff, again the first point of view here, loves his family, home, and ruling mother. Kristoff is content with his role as a Paladin as well as that of a lessor son within his ruling family. He is so happy with his status quo that he knows nothing of his older brother's future role as fiance to a Prince of the Blood, only that they are somewhat monstrous and drink blood to live. And as he fights demons and monsters as a Paladin, his ignorance about the Princes is not something he is curious to inspect further. Until a sister's illness means a shuffle in the expected futures of himself and his siblings. Now he is the one to marry a Prince and he fears it like nothing else in his life. Only his honor and that of his family keeps him from fleeing back to his kingdom. Kristoff is full of complexities, including his belief that he is a coward and is in constant pain due to an allergy to demons he is not aware of.

And then there is Hakon, your second pov. Your and Kristoff's first perception of him is that of a fierce yet supremely offensive mite. He's white blond, delicate, and super tiny. Not one to inspire confidence on first contact. Yet his overwhelmingly obnoxious demeanor more than makes up for a lack of height. Like a noxious unassuming weed, there is much more to Hakon than is apparent. To go into Hakon's background is to spoil some of the best elements of this story but I will say that like Kristoff, Hakon too was an unwilling participant in this marriage as well as in the choice to be a Prince of the Blood. By the time the book is halfway through, your opinion of Hakon and his of Kristoff will have done a complete changeover. Yes, he's not thrilled about Kristoff being his fiance either. Misperceptions and misunderstandings abound throughout to our horror and delight.

A story rich in texture and with an almost encyclopedic wealth of details is a hallmark of a Megan Derr fantasy novel. With Pride is another magical addition to the great fantasy reads that has come from this author. Inside the pages we meet characters who must dig deep to find the best of themselves in order to triumph over overwhelming odds and almost certain destruction. There is an abundance of pain, deaths of innocents, and treachery. And to accompany that all, there will be glorious adventures, powerful battles, a dragon or two, dark magic, and of course, a troubled and tortured path to true love.

Ah, the romance. Well, to be truthful there isn't as much of it as I would have loved. It takes some time for each character to overcome their assumptions and misperceptions about each other. That's a great thing because those are some toweringly poor judgements each one of them has made of each other. And when they finally do get together it ends a little quickly without delivering a little more of a satisfying look at the future of Kristoff and Hakon.

Or least that's what I thought at first. Then I realized we already had that. We just didn't realize it at the time. It's in the first story Of Last Resort! And that realization sent me running back to that novel and a fully married Hakon and Kristoff. And its that little detail that made this story and it's ending all the more gratifying.

Now I have two stories to reread while I am waiting for the author to release the third book in the series, In Despair (Princes of the Blood #3). At the heart of this story is Prince Telmé Guldbrandsen and Korin: descendant of the Reach of the House, heir to the High Priest of the Temple of the Sacred Three. In Despair works the series backward even further to the time where Prince Telme' and Korin detest each other even while being betrothed since birth. I can't wait! After the scenes of them lovingly together and hauntingly apart in the first two tales, I am left deliciously in suspense as to their beginnings and romance. It should be quite a tale!

All three books can be read in any order but it is quirky and totally amazing to watch the couples, romances and events move backward. This and the first story are must reads for me. If you are a lover of fantasy and m/m romance, they will be a must read for you too. Consider With Pride one of Scattered Thoughts highly recommended stories and on our Best of 2014 lists.

Stories in the Princes of the Blood series are:

Of Last Resort (Princes of the Blood #1)
With Pride (Princes of the Blood #2)
In Despair (Princes of the Blood #3) expected release July 2014

Cover art by Aisha Akeju. It really references a major plot of the story. Dark and lovely.

Book Details:

ebook, LT3 Link Expected publication: April 16th 2014 by Less Than Three Press LLC original titleWith Pride ISBN139781620043202 edition languageEnglish seriesPrinces of Blood

4.5 stars

When family duty requires Kristof to not only be the Duke of Stehlmore but to marry one of the Princes of the Blood, Kristof hopes his life will at least have a little happiness. When he meets the bratty piskie prince, Håkon, and learns that’s his intended, his hope to have at least a friendship with his husband blows up in smoke when Håkon is openly hostile and insulting. Just after Kristof fights off a demon too close to home, he’s forced to go on an assignment with Håkon to find the one responsible for the sudden attack. While they hate each other, neither can deny their attraction and when their assignment turns deadly, they might just discover that what lay beneath all that hostility could be love.

I LOVED Kristof and Håkon together. Where Kristof is kind, gentle and a self-imposed coward, Håkon is snarky, bratty and just plain mean. He has a death wish and is more wild than sane. His marriage to Kristof is meant to tame Håkon or at least get him to settle down a little bit. Unfortunately, from the start Håkon is openly rude and insulting to Kristof, who has done nothing but try and be nice to the annoying man. I felt so bad for Kristof because he thinks himself a coward when in reality he just has a horrible allergy that makes him scared of the very things he’s meant to fight. Håkon doesn’t understand Kristof’s problem either so it drives a wedge between the two when Håkon doesn’t take Kristof at his word and causes him pain. One thing I did love about these two together were the physical differences. Where Kristof is the big Paladin who is tall, muscular and gorgeous; Håkon is small, slim and cute. It was adorable the way Håkon constantly complained about the overly tall Paladin who made Håkon ‘put a crick in his neck’ whenever they were too close together and talking. Just so cute!

While I adored this story, I would have preferred to read it before Of Last Resort because I think it would have given more background into some of the characters in the previous book. It’s not as coherent when it comes to describing the fantasy world as Of Last Resort was (at least from what I can remember) but, unfortunately, the world is so extensive and intricate that there is too much to remember and, with this book, it became almost confusing at times. Beyond that, the editing mistakes were very noticeable this time and I felt a little cheated that Kristof and Håkon had only a few scenes together where they were civil. I would have liked to see them more together to actually see the tides turning in their feelings. I also felt like the ending was very anti-climactic. Considering all that happened, I expected a bit more of a longer fight to resolve everything.

In the end, though, I won’t deny that I loved this book. Even with the world being so complex that it bordered on confusing, I really enjoyed it. I loved the intensity between Kristof and Håkon, the sexual tension and the hatred. It oozed from their pores and gave them a great connection and sexual tension. I’m looking forward to the next book although I hope we get one that is set after Of Last Resortand not before because I really want to revisit Raffé and ‘Cam’ again.

“Always he was second or third choice. Just once he wanted to be someone’s first choice. He wanted to be offered, accepted, with pride. Not from obligation or with resignation. He wanted to be a preference, not simply the least disappointing of limited options.”
Kristof from With Pride by Megan Derr

I can’t lie, I have been a fan of Megan Derr for many years, and she is one of my favorite authors. I was excited when she and two other authors I followed on LiveJournal began the Less Than Three Press. So when I saw that Derr had a new book listed on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it. Her work is some of my favorite, and is a bit of my guilty pleasure reading that I can rely on when I have had a bad day. With Pride is now among my favorites from her.

Here is a brief summary of the plot of With Pride. Kristof, a paladin (holy warrior) is sent to take one of his sibling’s places and marry a Prince of Blood (half-demon men who survive on the blood of pure humans). While he will do his duty and marry a Prince of Blood, Kristof is resentful of not having any choice in the matter, and especially of not knowing which Prince he will marry. Unfortunately for Kristof, Håkon (his betrothed) is the least welcoming of the Princes, and seems determined to provoke Kristof’s temper and disgust. However, before they can be un-happily wed, a demon attacks the castle, and the attack signals that there is a much larger attack planned. With their marriage plans on hold, Kristof and Håkon with a platoon of men set out to discover the mastermind behind the attacks. Having to rely on someone you don’t like and may have to marry is not something that comes easily to either of them. The trip may provide a way to the happier lives they both desire, if they don’t kill each other first.

I can’t lie, I loved With Pride! There are some parts that are a bit unpolished, but I loved the story and am happy it will live on my e-reader for when I have a bad day. I read the book in under a day, and just could not put it down. Some of the story elements (e.g. paladins, demons, and necromancers) and the world building reminded me of my favorite story by Derr, Black Magic. However, this was a truly unique story.

The best place to start is with the world building that Derr has done so well. The world building is even more impressive when you realize that this is the second book in the same world (I have not read that one yet, so my understanding is only based on this book). The bits and pieces about the world around the main characters, Kristof and Håkon, fall into place subtlety and in little chunks. I dislike when there are pages upon pages devoted to a surrounding, and Derr stays away from this. There were so many new and unique types of creatures all working together in the Legion (the ruling army of the world). There are paladins with holy magic, the Princes of Blood with their demonic powers, necromancers, piskies (I had to look this up as I thought initially it was a spelling error, but it is just a different spelling of pixies), dragoons who are able to shift their body parts to more draconian versions, and many others, more than I can list! I am excited to read more of this series to learn about these creatures and how most are gathered under one ruler.

The characters in the story were another stand out for me. While I enjoyed Håkon, it was Kristof that I related to and liked from the beginning. Kristof is everything you want from a paladin. He’s tall, handsome, and fills out his armor. But more than that, he is a good and courageous man, who sacrifices almost everything for others including his looks (he has many scars and is slightly disfigured), his choices in life, and even his potential future happiness. However, he doesn’t see this side of himself. Instead he focuses on his internal fear of demons, one that is justified by his previous encounters with them. There is also a longing to be seen for himself, and not to always be the one that everyone else leans on. He is just so human in those moments. He tries to make the best of his situation and reach out to his new fiancée. Kristof provides the perfect human foil to Håkon’s mostly demonic character. Their interactions are, at first, painful because of the dislike and animosity between them, but it is wonderful for the story. There are many great exchanges between them, but the exchange below is my favorite.

Kristof: “Since we have met you’ve been nothing but mocking and derisive. You despise me to the point you callously disregard facts and cause me pain to sate your own needs. It would not have killed you to show a little kindness. Not once have I denied you, Highness. All I asked was reassurance that you have a care for my pain when you feed.”

Håkon: “I didn’t mean—”

Kristof: “You didn’t care enough to mean anything. All you wanted was to satisfy your hunger and use me as a target for your anger. You’ve gotten what you wanted, Highness. Get out.”

One of Derr’s best abilities is to turn a character you dislike into someone you can not only sympathize with but then actually like. She has done this with Håkon. He is the very small, pretty, and vicious Prince of Blood, who is more demon than human at the beginning of the story. I did not like him until part way through the story, when we begin to see why he is the way he is, and when he starts to realize how cruel he has been. By the end of the story, I was rooting for Håkon and Kristof to end up together. One of the reasons he is to be married is to try and remind him to be human, and this is something he doesn’t want, but Kristof is hard to ignore. For example, Håkon thinks, “Damn it. He did not want to remember what it was like to be human. Not this much.” The second half of the story follows Håkon, and uncovers his painful history. It was great to watch his slow transformation into something a little more human. I also have to say I found it amusing that because he was so much smaller than Kristof, he either gets picked up or climbs Kristof when they have a private moment.

The other characters in the background are also interesting. The Princes of Blood were fascinating, and it was interesting to see how different these men were. I really enjoyed the moments where High Prince Telmé and his husband High Priest Korin are in the story. I am excited that they are the main characters of the next book. I would love to learn more about how they ended up together, as they are a very strong couple in this story. My favorite side character though was Erzébet, a kidapped village mother that helps Håkon to investigate the evil necromancer. She is just a normal woman, but she is strong and smart, and she does what needs to be done. There is strength and fragility in her, “All I want is to go home and never have to kill anyone again.”

One thing with this book is that it can be very dark at times. There are some rather gruesome ideas that show just how dangerous the world is. You get hints of this evil when you encounter the necromancer and how demons are “seeded” (basically planted to come and wreak havoc many years down the line). Yet for all the death and destruction, the love story works, and you are cheering for them!

My only issue with the book is that the second half of the plot didn’t really work. The first half was great; it was interesting and kept the reader engaged. The second half slowed down with many flashbacks, and because the point of view switched to Håkon while Kristoff and Håkon separate, you only really got to see Håkon. I probably could have completely ignored this if not for the fact that the final fight and the reveal of the evil mastermind fell flat for me at the last moment. There was such a great build up, and then it just sort of ended. Derr is capable of much more complex endings, or more delicate handling, so I was a bit disappointed.

However, that last plot point aside, I loved this book. Like I said earlier, I will be reading the rest of the series, and I know I will be re-reading this book. It will not be to everyone’s tastes (it does contain adult language and situations, just as heads up), but for me it falls in my guilty pleasure category.

Final Verdict: A great quick read, with an amazing new world, characters that will engage you, and a romance you can root for.

The demons are back in town and this time they we get a enemies to lovers story!

Love this series!

I have to be honest, I am a wimp when it comes to anything remotely resembling horror. I had to sleep with the light on for a week after I saw The Exorcist, so the fact that I'm kind of obsessed with this series surprises even me. I really wouldn't characterize them as horror per say, but there are elements that are gruesome and give me the heebeegeebees which is close enough to horror in my book. I don't read horror so I've no clue how the creatures stack up against others in that genre but they are creee-py to me.

description EEP!
*shudders*

With Pride can be read as a stand alone though some of the characters from Of Last Resort make appearances-Telmé, Korin, Alrin. This is a tighter story than the first, less epic in scale. It splits pretty evenly between adventure and romance. The relationship development between Kristof and Håkon is one of enemies to lovers and is one of my favorite themes. I liked that both characters are not what they seem at first glance. Ms. Derr again does an excellent job of giving the reader adequate time from both of their perspectives to flesh them out.

Kristof is seemingly full of pride but really insecure and lonely. Håkon is seemingly indifferent, maybe even callous but really masking an enormity of pain. How they misread each other and snipe at one another but are loathe to feel anything less than attraction for one another made With Pride a really good ride. Size difference between protagonists is also another hot button for me and that one got pounced on here.

Goddesses knew he wanted to climb the man, rut against him, see what it was like to be held close, held down, by all that mass and muscle.

The adventure keeps the suspense up and propels the story forward. There are also some great new secondary characters that added positively to the experience.

What was disappointing was the editing. My God are there a ton of silly mistakes. Extra words, missing words or 'that' instead of 'an' that kept pulling me out of the story. Annoying. I don't remember there being this many mistakes in Of Last Resort. Another thing that niggled was the Njål thing. I don't want to spoil but it didn't sit well relative to Kristof.

With Pride is another winner by Ms. Derr in my book. Highly recommend. It is very chaste though so for the hardcore smutters, you *might* be disappointed with the lack of sexy times.

I would like to thank LT3P and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.