"The Prince," by Katharine Ashe, is the second book of the Devil's Duke series. Sigh. I loved this book. It was achingly beautiful (#nojoke). I'm pretty sure it's one of the best romance novels I have EVER read (a welcome relief after a series of duds the past two months, which I won't bore you about).
It's about Libby (Elizabeth), a brilliantly intelligent woman who dreams of becoming a surgeon (she disguises herself as a man in order to attend medical school since female surgeons were unheard of at the time), and Ziyaeddin (I'm gonna call him Z, for short), an exiled Middle Eastern prince laying low in Scotland. He's waiting for the right moment to return home and reclaim his throne and free his people. While he's waiting, he makes a living as a portrait painter in Scotland. He first meets Libby when she is 17, and is instantly drawn to her and smitten (love at first sight and all that). Three years later, he spies an effeminate young man with Libby's features at a surgical lecture and figures out what she's up to. She confronts him and talks him into letting her crash at his place while she pursues her medical studies. Z knows that this is a really bad idea, but because he's head over heels in love, he lacks the wherewithal to tell her "no," and the two become roommates. His only requirement is that she sit for him once a week while he paints or makes sketches of her.
Sparks fly, and while Libby is excelling in her studies and willing to experience everything in life to the fullest (including her growing attraction to Z), Z is cautious because (1) he knows he can't stay in Scotland for the long term and (2) he doesn't want to do anything that might hurt Libby. He tries his best to avoid interacting her, but Libby is not one to be avoided and the conversation between the two is witty and fun, and sometimes sexy. Ultimately, Z's love for Libby trumps everything in his life, and he is willing to give up everything that he has prepared for in order to ascertain her happiness.
Then the story goes and gets even better, because although Z is willing to sacrifice himself (and his kingdom) for Libby's dreams, things work out in a manner that leaves Z an honorable man while also giving us a satisfying happily ever after as the two literally walk into the sunset holding hands.
See why I sigh? If Z isn't the ultimate Hero, I don't know who is. He has a really really important goal of returning to his homeland to free his people from an evil dictator. And he's willing to give all of that up for LOVE! I find that a lot of romance novels have either a really contrived plot line where the hero convinces himself he has to sacrifice his heart for something really stupid, like to take care of a parent who doesn't need to be taken care of, or where the hero convinces himself he's not deserving of love. Stories like that drag on and on and make me want to nap. Here, not only is Z actively trying to accomplish something lofty, but Libby, the heroine, also has something important that she wants to accomplish. And what's even better is that through hard work and sacrifice, BOTH characters are not only able to achieve their goals, but also live happily ever after together!!! I LOVE it when characters are active instead of bemoaning the fact that they are not deserving of love.
You need to read this book. Five Hundred Stars.
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Top reviews from other countries
La veneziana
Insolita storia d'amore basata su storie vere
Reviewed in Italy on July 1, 2019
Mrs CM Rodgers
What a story - couldn't put it down
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2019