Broken Prince of Ice (Forgotten Gods Book 1)

Shey Thrudesh-Vo, the Crown Prince of Caspagir, was running for his life in the back alleys of Bellville’s seediest neighborhood. He had come to Damardor to investigate the disappearance of a large numbers of the country’s citizens seemingly snatched off the street. He realized he should have headed for the border as soon as his two bodyguards were killed but when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and the world turned black he knew he had waited too long. Waking up in a dank prison cell did nothing to improve his mood and he couldn’t detect anyone else in his cell block. So he jumped when a voice spoke from the cell next to his. He knew he needed to break out, hopefully with the help of his cell mate, but he had not gotten the information he came for although he felt that he was much closer. He was also not aware that his mother the Queen had reached out to King Caelan of Eyra for help in location her son. Cael’s cousin Haru was visiting from the Isle of Stone, so the King decided to send Haru off with Cael’s Royal Guard Adrian to fetch the wayward prince. Avoiding Rayne and Eno’s wedding was petty but he had been missing too long to attribute it to pouting. Haru and Adrian showed up at the prison just after Shey and Ty escaped in dramatic fashion, but the rescuers were still able to take out the guards who had just caught up to the pair of escapees the next day. Broken Prince of Ice is the first book in the Godstone Saga spin-off, Forgotten Gods. Both series are a mash…

My review 🌕🌕🌕🌕 I really like this author, and even though I don’t remember the Godstone saga, this book can stand very well on its own. Haru is adorable, I love him to pieces. I really liked how he still thought and behaved as a dragon, just in human form, it made him more relatable in part, and I think it allowed Adrian to finally let go of his misgivings and fall in love with him. I enjoyed seeing the POV from all three characters, giving a depth to the story that might be lacking otherwise, as well as setting things up for the next books. Shey is pretty amazing, I was surprised at how resourceful he is. I guess I’m used to spoiled, useless princes, but Shey isn’t one of them, and it was refreshing and fascinating. I really enjoyed the banter between Adrian and Haru. It’s interesting how hard he’s fighting against his feelings, but they keep peeking out whenever he talks to Haru. I wanted to throttle him at times and tell him to just go for it, but given the circumstances, it’s understandable. It’s a bummer that things get so messy at the end, and there seems to be more trouble ahead, but they are really enjoyable characters, so I’m looking forward to reading the next ones. I really liked the balance between magic and tech, it was fun to be immersed in a world such as this. I am looking forward to book 2, that’s for sure. I received an ARC and this is my voluntary review.

First in series (Forgotten Gods). Spin-off from the Godstone Saga series. Fantasy. Found family. Multiple POV’s. With a devoted dragon by his side, royal bodyguard Adrian is sent by his king to find their mutual friend, Prince Shey. But Shey is captured investigating missing magical people and finds an unlikely ally in a fellow captive. A new set of couples and another action packed adventure set in the world of Thia first introduced in the Godstone Saga. All the main characters are interesting, and you do get a good description of their backgrounds and motivations. I was super invested in their mission, loyalty, strong sense of morality, and how they interact with each other was so entertaining. Adrian and Haru are further along in their budding relationship, and the possessive dragon with the capable magically blessed human were so fun to read. With Shey and Tyche we really see the beginning of a friendship that has romantic interest as a possibility and I look forward to seeing them grow together as the series continues. Absolutely compelling story and writing, with characters to root for, plenty of action, this was a fantastic start to a new series.

Wow, just wow, what an amazing story, I binge read it all through the night. I couldn't put it down. I hadn't read The Godstone Saga series first, and this can absolutely read stand alone. I did miss having some background information on Prince Shey, Adrian and Haru, but even without that, it was fairly easy to follow the clues and get into the story. And what a story it is. Jocelynn Drake is such a talented author, she really brings the characters to life. The story had me on the edge of my seat. It has so many twists and turns, I felt I was in a rollercoaster. So much fun! And then there is the concept of all those Gods and the magic they shared with certain humans. I've never read anything like this before. Especially the coffee-snob God of Luck had me in stitches. This highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a touch of romance combined with a good dose of action, suspense and adventure in a fantasy world. The story is light on romance, nail biting exiting and fast paced. A real pleasure to read. Please note, the story ends on a strong series cliffhanger and continues in the next instalment.

It's been a few years since the last Godstone book, but the author does a nice job inserting prior activity reminders into this story. Caelan, Drayce, Eno and Rayne even make brief appearances via phone calls. The story is told from Adrian, Haru, Shey and Tyche's POVs. As usual, there is a LOT happening. And, so far, there are a lot of bad people, with quite a few of them getting what they deserve. Luckily, the guys have some Luck and skills on their side, even though nothing is simple for them, as Adrian and Haru search for Shey. Since it is a trilogy, there is a cliffhanger ending. I quite enjoyed the interactions between all of the guys. And the G-squad is a hoot! I'm looking forward to the next books. I don't recall any proofreading issues in the ARC.