REVIEW: The Prince and the Ice King -Tales from the Gemstone Kingdoms- Amanda Meuwissen

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The Prince and the Ice King Book Cover The Prince and the Ice King
Tales from the Gemstone Kingdoms
Amanda Meuwissen
Fantasy Romance, Gay Romance, LGBTQ Fantasy
Dreamspinner Press
Aug 3, 2021
Kindle
312
Amazon

Every Winter Solstice, the Emerald Kingdom sends the dreaded Ice King a sacrifice—a corrupt soul, a criminal, a deviant, or someone touched by magic. Prince Reardon has always loathed this tradition, partly because he dreams of love with another man instead of a future queen.

Then Reardon’s best friend is discovered as a witch and sent to the Frozen Kingdom as tribute.

Reardon sets out to rescue him, willing to battle and kill the Ice King if that’s what it takes. But nothing could prepare him for what he finds in the Frozen Kingdom—a cursed land filled with magic… and a camaraderie Reardon has never known. Over this strange, warm community presides the enigmatic Ice King himself, a man his subjects call Jack. A man with skin made of ice, whose very touch can stop a beating heart.

A man Reardon finds himself inexplicably drawn to.

Jack doesn’t trust Reardon. But when Reardon begins spending long days with him, vowing to prove himself and break the curse, Jack begins to hope. Can love and forgiveness melt the ice around Jack’s heart?

Review by Jay Mountney

Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team

This is an intriguing and intricate retelling of Beauty and the Beast with added aspects of the legend of King Midas, and a thriller element – who killed Reardon’s mother, and how?

Reardon is heir to the throne of the Emerald Kingdom and when his friend is sent as a ‘sacrifice’ to the Ice King in the Sapphire Kingdom, Reardon follows, determined to find out the truth about the feared monster. The king and the prince fall in love but there is a seemingly insurmountable curse.

Reardon wants to break the curse and also discover how his mother was murdered. The story is set in a fantasy world which is quasi-mediaeval and the fairy tale quality is enhanced by the existence of the domain of the fairy queen who cast the curse, as well as the way the focus is on the main characters and action and we get very little idea of the ordinary lives of any set of subjects.

The plot owes more to the Disney version than the original French fairy tale but is beautifully twisted to suit the mm romance as well as the murder investigation. The major characters are well developed, and the fairly steamy sex scenes help to further both the plot and the characterization.

The magic is interesting and consistent. I was engrossed in the story and can recommend it highly. It ends with a glimpse of life in one of the other kingdoms and the sequel, or perhaps more accurately the second tale, is called Stitches.

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