The Rogue Prince is Book 1 in Royals of Cardenas, a historical romance series set in the fictional kingdom of Cardenas, following the lives of the royal Rothchester family.A rakehell prince … Third son of the king of Cardenas, Prince Damien Rothchester is known for his drinking, gambling, and whoring. Knowing he will never inherit the throne, he goes about life feeling purposeless. But when he … feeling purposeless. But when he steps into a glittering ballroom on the night of his twenty-fifth birthday, the roguish young prince’s life will be forever changed.
A fiery Gypsy dancer …
When Esmeralda Amador steps into the king’s ballroom to perform for the prince’s twenty-fifth birthday, every eye in the room is upon her. One pair of eyes intrigues her most of all … those of Prince Damien, seeming to stare straight through to her soul.
The two know nothing can ever come of their attraction; he is a prince, and she a Gypsy dancer. Yet, neither can seem to resist the passion that sparks when they are together, or the unmistakable call of destiny forcing their lives onto the same path.
However, love is not the only thing destiny has in store …
With a deadly plot against the royal family surrounding him in danger and intrigue, Damien will face a decision he never thought he would have to make. Will he step up to claim a responsibility that should never have fallen to the third son? Or will he abandon it to risk all for love?
Previous published as The Third Son. Re-released in 2019 with all-new edits, content, cover, and title
Royals of Cardenas Reading Order
Book One: The Rogue Prince
Book Two: The Awakened Prince
Book Three: The Lady Warriors of Barony
Book Four: Wild Gypsy Rose
Book Five: The Gypsy Lord
Bonus Novella: The Courtesan
Spin-off Series: Sons of Cardenas, coming soon!more
What a great book by a new-to-me author! I love invented historical worlds, and the one Elise Marion has created is awesome. And what terrible, fun villains! I was turning pages from beginning to end.
If I could give 6 stars this on would get it. Loved the extra time I put into it. Felt like I was part of the story, and the description didn’t reveal the surprises like some do.
Excellent blend of forbidden love, treachery, villains, and assassination. The story kept me impatient to find out what would happen next, and the ending – most unexpected. I received an ARC of this book.
Elise Marion
Great world-building and a sexy, captivating love story! I loved the hero, Prince Damien. Esmerelda is an interesting, unique heroine as well! This is a true historical romance with all the things we love about the genre. Political intrigue, a slow burn, a devastating love story.
Prince Damien Rothchester is the third son of King Adare Cardenas, Damien is known for his drinking, gambling, and whoring. Knowing he will never inherit the throne, he goes about life feeling purposeless. But when he steps into a glittering ballroom on the night of his twenty-fifth birthday, the roguish young prince’s life will be forever changed. When Esmeralda Amador steps into the king’s ballroom to perform for the prince’s twenty-fifth birthday, every eye in the room is upon her. One pair of eyes intrigues her most of all those of Prince Damien, seeming to stare straight through to her soul. The two know nothing can ever come of their attraction; he is a prince, and she a Gypsy dancer. There is someone plotting against the royal family, there’s a rejected mistress out for revenge & an old friend who wants more than friendship. These intrigues had me engrossed in the story.
The book was previously published as The Third Son in 2011 but has been reworked for this release.
I found the premise of a Prince & a gypsy dancer wanting to marry to be highly unusual & wondered if I would enjoy the book. I did enjoy the book, it was well written & I found the characters interesting & they had depth. Cardenas is a fictional country that isn’t in Europe & because of this suspended belief that two people from such diverse backgrounds could form a relationship. The road to their HEA is littered with obstacles one of the main ones being Queen Alexandra who I would have banished if I’d been Damien. The pace is good & it held my interest all the way through. It’s meant to be a fictional historical romance & as such works well, I look forward to the next book in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Heady, Tragic, Angst & Romantic
How to describe this Book is not easy. It was Great yet a bit depressing.
Very romantic in areas yet despite everything that happened, it leads to a HEA. This is the first book by this author & I although I enjoyed most of the Story, I was frustrated the rest of it. I truly thought this was leading to 4 people finding love with other people.
Very interesting story with lots of twists and action.
Couldn’t finish. Starts right off with a needy sex scene…. low class. What about some character? Hero just seems like a self serving jerk.
This book had a lot of interesting elements, was well written and well put together.
Read it twice!!
Great plot! Very unusual, action packed. Couldn’t put down until the end – lost half a night but it was worth it!!! Highly recommend!
This novel is more than the average “historical romance” book! There was a lot of unpredictable twists and turns and it was longer than usual. I enjoyed it so much I immediately read the next book in the series and plan to read them all.
couldn’t put it down. I laughed, I cried,I got angry, I was in suspense it held my attention to the very end.
looking for the sequel
People read this book! Elise Marion, remember this name.
The Rogue Prince, by Elise Marion is a wonderfully written love story. Elise has proven by this book, that she can sit at the table with the other profound romance writers from the past to the present. I don’t know where to begin with this review. I have no words that can tell you how phenomenal this book is. My words are are not enough to tell how much of an impact, The Rogue Prince will leave on the reader.
I was on such an emotional roller coaster ride reading it. I mean, whew! This book really packed a wallop to the emotional mind and heart. Lets start by giving high praises to the writing. This story captured me from the beginning, with strong characters that stood out with their powerful presence in each scene.
These characters brought their own troubles to the story line. These troubles helped build the anticipation of the drama, as it unfolded page after page, to the very last page. Elise vision of where she wanted the readers to go in the book, was spellbinding. Each drop of a hint or twist had you gasping, pushing you further into the drama of this family. The Details and the imagination of the scenes, made it easy for the reader to get lost in the book, with the characters.
There was no time for the story to slow down or stall, because each paragraph gave the reader more and had them wanting more. The drama and betrayals totally will blow you away. The sword fights were few, but boy did they play a powerful role in the book. The duty, loyalty to throne and family, grips all emotional strength that one has. When all they ever wanted was to be their own person, with some symbolism to who they really are.
The story of Damien and Esmeralda’s love really tugged at my heart. Two people from different worlds, brought together by desire. Not knowing where that desire would lead them. The passion and love that these two people have for one another, pushed them to sacrifice themselves for the happiness of the other. Damien went through so munch heartache in this book.
I didn’t know if he would make it back to the woman, who made him the man that he truly is. Esmeralda, she played a great role in this book that made her fit, to be the queen, Gypsy or no Gypsy. I recommend this book with two snaps, a twist, and as Captain Kirk says when going into battle… shields up! Until next time my fellow readers… read on!
People read this book!
I voluntary reviewed this ARC after receiving a free gifted copy.
A well written story with nice storyline and plot. It is written in dual POV which gives the reader more of the feelings and thoughts of the main characters. Likeable main characters who develops nicely through the story. Nice chemistry and passion between them. How to choose the right partner and fight for it despite all the issues that is thrown at you. How to catch the chance for your HEA.
This is an amazing book. The country is so real that I want to look for it on a map. The characters are rich and I became emotionally attached to them (well, not all of them; some I despise). The events were described in such vivid detail that I was right there. I can only say this is a wonderful book! It is definitely a 5-Star, but because it needs quite a bit more editing, it dropped a star.
This was my first book by Elise Marion. I’ve already purchased the next book in the series and intend to read them all plus her others. I highly recommend this book. Lots of tragedy, but HEA.
Really love what I call ‘popcorn’ books – light reading just can’t put down!
Still reading it. So far it is a slow starter
Very sssslllloooowww!
The last part of the book was not what I expected. Thank you for the wonderful surprise.