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The Dark Prince

by Katrina Michaels

September 5th, 2006

The four Qurilixian Princes have no problem with commitment. In one night, using the power they were born with, they will meet and choose their life mate in a simplistic ceremony involving the removing of masks and the crushing of crystals. With very few words spoken and the shortest, most bizarre courtship in history, they will bond to their women forever. And once bonded, these men don’t let go…

Out of the fire…

Intergalactic thief, Olena Leyton is one the best space pirates in history. Sailing the high skies in search of adventure is in her blood. When her crew is scattered in a run from the law and her ship crashes, exploding into a ball of flames, the injured Olena is forced to find sanctuary on a Galaxy Brides ship. Posing as a blushing ‘mail-order’ bride to elude the bounty hunters that pursue her, Olena finds herself heading to the primitive planet of Quirlixen. But, being a bride isn’t something that Olena takes seriously.

Into the flames

Prince Yusef of Draig, Captain of the Outpost, leads a simple life away from the palace. He knows from the first moment he sees his fiery temptress that he will possess her and make her his bride for all time. However, Yusef learns that playing with fire will always leave a man burned. But, with passions as powerful as this dark Prince’s are, he is not willing to give up his bride without a fight.

She Says…

Galaxy Brides, short courtships, dominant shape-shifter Males, strong, independent women used to modern century luxuries, Michelle M Pillow takes us once more to the primitively beautiful planet Qurilixian where Man rules supreme and Woman knows her place!

The Dark Prince is the third book in the four book Dragon Lord Series. While all four books unfold at the same time, each story is a stand alone novel. The Dark Prince is Yusef and Olena’s story, and their turbulent journey to find love.

Captain of the Outpost, Prince Yusef was an interesting character - almost Beta in comparison to his three Alpha dominant brothers. The level of sexually graphic content in this novel is considerably higher than Pillow’s previous two novels, but even so I found the repetitive sex scenes still lacked an intimacy — sensuality — that one would expect from erotica romance fiction.

Dominant, strong, determined, and compassionate, Yusef is every woman’s fantasy come to life. Trying to convince his fiery bride that she’s his wife for all time is proving to be a taxing affair. Keeping her out of mischief, and out of harms way, more so. I liked Yusef’s character very much; he was tender when tenderness was needed, yet firm when required, although there was one scene where my brows raised. Olena was his perfect foil, with her stubborn nature and desire to be free.

Pillow’s has crafted uniquely interesting characters, each with their own individual emotional conflict that throws obstacles at every turn, and Olena was no less problematic than her newly acquired sisters-in-law. Determined never to be a slave again, she fights Yusef at every turn, even at the risk of her own life. As with Pillow’s two previous novels, the central characters still lacked depth and multi-layered characterisation.

The rapid head-hopping is still disturbing, and incredibly irritating as is Pillow’s anti-logic style of telling the reader what is taking place instead of showing us. Consequently I couldn’t sympathise with either character even if the book was 500 pages long.

Again, I’d like to see Pillow’s develop a plausible secondary conflict with higher risk factors to one or both central characters, instead of beating the original conflict to death. I’d also like to see her heroines develop more emotional backbone, so they are not dreadfully portrayed as a “screaming shrew”, which in this book Olena was a master at.

Emotional confusion is one thing — in fact it makes for exceptional reading, especially when the heroine is confronted with even one of these strapping seven foot plus dominant sexually aggressive warrior Males. But dragging what is a skinny conflict — not wanting to be a wife — over the course of a full length novel can turn a wonderfully strong heroine into nothing more than a one dimensional contrived “shrew”.

In the end I was pleased I got through it; which is a shame given the premise is so unique, clever, bold and interesting. As favourite goes, I’m still partial to Olek and Nadja’s story