"A humerous and sexy space opera"

Ship's Captain Samantha Dorsey has created more of a democracy with her crew because they are more like her family to her than subordinates. They have been working hard to gather all the items on a list needed to complete a scavenger hunt that pays out a lot of currency to the winner. Everything is going great; they only need one more item: a wild beast from a primitive planet. Then, one night in a drunken stupor they land on a planet and dart a wild cat.

Prince Falke almost didn't know what hit him. He saw the drunk humanoids but a curious attraction to the female kept him from retaliating before he was knocked out. Stuck in a cage (in feline form) was more than a bruise to his ego, but the lovely captain peaked more than just his interest!

THE BOUND PRINCE had me laughing from the very beginning. I thought the story sounded great, but wow! It was better than I bargained for! Seeing as I have a hard time reading anything in order, I just wanted to say that the author, Michelle M. Pillow does recommend reading the series in order. This is the third book in the series, and I am really looking forward to going back and reading the first two (as well as the rest)!

Samantha is a spunky heroine with a very troubling past. She is madly in love with Falke, almost from the beginning, but regardless of the fact she's bound herself to him, she doesn't want to make him stay against his will but only because he loves and wants to be with her. So while this story is full of humor, it does develop a very serious streak of miscommunication. I loved how everything was resolved between the two though.

Falke is a hard man to interpret. He appears very stoic, and yet he really isn't: its part of his heritage. As the Commander of the Var Armies, he could have taken a more adversarial approach because he was kidnapped, and yet he believed them for the drunken mistake it was. As a man, it really seemed he only had one thing on the brain (bedding Sam), and yet he was very understanding and forgiving with her. He did a really good job of rattling Sam, and I think she really needed that!

This is a very sensual book; which I really like. However, for me the sex scenes were very tastefully written and not over the top. Nor was the language offensive.

The crew Samantha flies with are great, they add their own flair of humor to the story and I really look forward to reading the next book because they will be continuing on with the next adventure. I highly recommend reading THE BOUND PRINCE, but with the way Michelle M. Pillow writes, it would be worth it to read the series in order.

Reviewed by Cynthia Eckert
Posted April 20, 2006

Summary

A simple mistake... Captain Samantha Dorsey and her crew are on a mission, a mission to complete a Galactic Scavenger Hunt and claim the prize money. Flying about space for a year collecting their items, they only have one thing left to get--a primitive wild beast. Drunk and feeling like some fun, Sam and her crew fly to Qurilixen to finish their collection by snagging a white tiger. Only the next morning, severely hung over, Captain Sam realizes that they got more beast than they bargained for. They kidnapped a warrior Prince. A royal destiny... Prince Falke, Commander of the Var Armies, is a man raised to fight. Out of all the Var Princes, he alone must be the hardest. When the beautifully frustrating female Captain kidnaps him, no one knows where to come looking. Now it's up to Falke to use all his training, and powers of seduction, to find his way back home. Rating: Contains graphic sexual content, adult language, and violence.