Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘'s Reviews > A Royal Affair

Re-read: 02.12.18
I don't know why I started re-reading this book. I was going through my ‘M/M read’ shelf in the hopes that I'd find anything interesting to re-read and I came across this one; I didn't remember what it fully was about. Though the more I read, the more I remembered. The thing is, the book is not bad; it centers around two men falling in love in a world where you'd be killed (horribly) for being a sodomite. There's a war, deaths, religion and royalty. However, it feels really long simply because of the way it's written. It's almost like you're with the character; connected and all, and like you're on the outside at the same time, which can make things stressful and feel like it's taking forever to finish. It's still a interesting story that I'd recommend if you like some M/M in a historical world.
New Rating: 3 stars

Quotes From The Book (Contains Spoilers):
(view spoiler)[

“More medals?”
Still laughing, those incredible teeth making the look irresistible, he said apologetically, “I don’t really need medals; I’m head of the army: General His Royal Highness the Prince Christian. I sort of got given all the medals to start with.”

“I am a king now, Niko. Everything I say is obeyed; everything I want is given to me. I have so much power that I think I will swell up and burst sometimes. You are the only one who reminds me of what I really am, the only one who will tell me when I am wrong. You are my king, Niko, and I need you. Please do this for me.”

I, Christian, appoint you, Nikolai, Chief Minister of Hesse-Davia and Saxefalia, with all accordant rights. Do you solemnly swear to govern the Peoples according to their laws and customs?”
Chief Minister? It didn’t seem the time to ask for clarification. “I do so swear.” Could they not hear the thump, thump of my heart?
“Will you give good counsel and support?”
It was what I’d dreamed of doing for Aleksey since first we met. “I will.”
“Do you promise to be faithful to me alone?”
I heard my reply steady and strong, although Aleksey had begun to blur slightly. “I will be faithful to you alone.”
At that, he quirked his lip and nodded. It appeared I was dismissed.
I walked backward to the steps and then turned smartly to regain my place with my friends. They gave me congratulations due a man who now outranked every member of the council. I outranked everyone in the kingdom other than the immediate royal family. I even outranked the court nobility.
It was all as nothing to me.
I had just promised in front of the entire court to be Aleksey’s for life.

He looked completely magnificent, every inch a king, in beautiful clothes that I wished to rip off him very roughly. So I knelt once more to him. If he found this amusing, no one would have known from his expression. He looked very serious as he pulled out his sword.
I had never realized how significant this ritual was before—a man bowing his head meekly to another who stands over him so armed. My neck twitched a little as a cool draft blew over it. Perhaps it was the brush of ghosts of the many men I had relieved of their heads, their necks bared to my sword in the act this ritual was mimicking.
The blade was light upon one shoulder. I felt the air stir as it moved to the other.
“Arise, Sir Nikolai Hartmann.”
I took my knighthood with surprising equanimity until I saw the look of pure, unadulterated love in his eyes as I stood facing him. It took all my strength then to keep my grin inside. I did it for him, for my king.

(hide spoiler)]

Other Characters:
→ Faelan, a Tamask dog from a land far to the north of here. Looks like a wolf? Is a wolf?
→ Lord Salisbury, a patient of Niko. Madame Costain (wife to one of Hesse-Davia’s ministers) and Lady Caroline, the Lord's sisters.
→ King Gregor Alexander Philip Mountberg of Hesse-Davia and Aleksey's father. His queen died giving birth to Aleksey, their youngest son. The heir, His Royal Highness Prince George Charles Willheim (33), Aleksey's brother. The brothers have a rocky relationship because George blamed, not unnaturally perhaps, for his mother’s death. The king blamed everyone but himself for her demise, and so the family, according to Niko's hostess (Madame Costain), limped along with no love lost between any of them. (view spoiler)[Both king Gregor and prince George dies close to the end of the book, making Aleksey the king. (hide spoiler)]
→ Doctor Jules Lyons, French, a doctor who was summoned to try and save the king.
→ Stephen Eric Peter Mountberg (9, turns 10), Niko's page (servant) at the castle. He's the bastard child of Prince Peter. He was the king's oldest brother, but he’s dead now. The king had two living brothers: Harold, who was never to be called Hal, and John, who was a fool, according to Stephen. (view spoiler)[When Aleksey becomes king after the death of the heir and king, he pronounced Stephen as the legitimate and rightful heir to the throne of Hesse-Davia and Saxefalia and bestowed upon him all rights appertaining to him; is now a Prince. (hide spoiler)]
→ Princess Anastasia (19?), Aleksey fiancée.
→ Gregory, a friend of Aleksey. Sebastian (4?), Gregory's son. Pia, Gregory's wife. Gregory was the cook. He was also the proprietor of the inn and headman of the small village. (view spoiler)[Gregory gets appointed as minister for works when Aleksey becomes king. (hide spoiler)]
→ Colonel Johan, a colonel in Aleksey’s army and a close ‘friend’ of Aleksey.
→ Xavier, Niko's warhorse.
→ Mark, a boy who hanged out with Aleksey when Aleksey first saw Niko.

When we emerged from the tub, I asked Aleksey where I was to sleep, and he took my hand and led me to a large bedchamber with one huge bed hung with curtains. He looked at me and pouted a little. “I had thought that we would be more intimate by this stage—that you would be content to share a bed with me. I’m sorry. Perhaps you would—” I caught him around the waist, heaved him into the air, and, ignoring his furious objection to being so manhandled, dumped him on the bed, then straddled him.
“You are very masterful, sir.”
I groaned at his coquettish demeanor and tapped him disapprovingly on the nose. “That kind of language, sir, will get you into trouble. Be wary, or I will solve our problem for us by turning you over and showing you how masterful I can be.”

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*A dangerous royal affair* ⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

Doctor Nikolai ‘Niko’ Hartmann (35, becomes 36 at the end of the book) and youngest son (General His Royal Highness the) Prince Christian Aleksey (23, becomes 24 at the end of the book) met after what Nikolai believes was a bandit. He didn't not expect to met the man again. Specially not while doctoring the King and the man is the prince. An arrogant but beautiful prince. A prince that is just as fascinated with the doctor as the doctor is in the prince. But just because Aleksey is a prince doesn't that mean that Nikolai treats him as one. Soon they find themselves riding for war, sharing a tent... Two men loving each other is a sin, are the two men ready to say 'screw the rules' and just love?

I determined there and then not to underestimate this prince of mine again. He was not vacuous and flighty, as he liked to give the impression he was. And why was I calling him my prince? He was strong wine: something I thought about consuming but knew would be bad for me.

What a... strange, but quite interesting book this was. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at this. Though this wasn't the best book I've read - historical or M/M - it was still one of the better books I've read so far this year. Which is saying something. But as always, something was yet again missing. I believe that it might be because of the writing. Although some parts were written good, there was still some ‘annoyingness’ there. Perhaps it was the constant feeling of things being shortened or cut, like it could've been a bit deeper? I dunno. Anyway the ending felt a bit rushed. I dunno, I liked it, the ending that is, but I wanted a little bit more from it. I felt like the climax wasn't as high as it should've been. Overall, the story was fascinating. Some scenes were horrific; the war and the descriptions of them, yet Nikolai and Aleksey's love was adorable.

I had come a long way to forget, a long way for a new beginning. You cannot have one of those, I suppose, without an ending, and there had been no real ending. I had the horror inside still, carried all the way from that accursed country to this new one.

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (A) Historical Fiction (M/M)
Series: - Series, Book One
Love triangle? - (view spoiler)[No. (hide spoiler)]
Cheating? - (view spoiler)[No. (hide spoiler)]
HEA? - (view spoiler)[Yes. (hide spoiler)]
Favorite character? - Nikolai Hartmann.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Probably not.
Rating - 3.5/3 stars.