From New York Times Bestselling Author, Claire Contreras, comes a new, sexy, 100% stand-alone novel . . . If you had any ties to Marbella, it was impossible for you not to have heard the stories about Prince Elias and his debauchery. Every summer he arrived with his security detail and friends in tow and rented out a row of cottages near the water. Cottages that belonged to my family. Each of … family.
Each of those summers, my parents sent me away – summer camp and later, boarding school. Anything to keep me away from the royals and their partying.
I hadn’t been home in years, but when I finally come back for the summer, I see that not much has changed. Like all the summers I’d been gone, Prince Elias is back, but this time with an incognito security detail and no friends. This time, there is no partying, no noise, no crowds. No reason at all to even think he was there.
I’m given strict orders not to talk to him, not to even look in his direction, but he makes this an impossible task. I may be doing everything in my power to stay away from him, but there is no one in the world who can say no to the future King of France.
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I absolutely loved The Sinful King. I personally haven’t read many “royal” romances, but I fell royally in love with Prince Elias and Adeline. This is an epic and passionate love story that will make you melt. You will swoon, but you will also get ticked off at times. It’s such a perfect story from beginning to end.
*** I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book. ***
5 stars
I was sucked in from page one. It is simply a fairy tale come true and every once in a while a girl needs this kind of escape from too much reality. Adeline is no damsel in distress and King Elias is not exactly perfect, but if you want a love story; the kind where you are swept off your feet, and pulled into a world where HEA do exist, then make this a must read.
The Sinful King by Claire Contreras was a royal romance with some interesting drama and twists. The focal point of the story was Adeline surprisingly, not Prince Elias. Adeline is an independent and free spirited woman who has own business and own mind. And being with a Prince or King is the last thing on her agenda. She is still recovering from a social media scandal about her ex and her father aka counsel to the king of France is very vocal about his dislike about monarchy. But as she comes to know the elusive and intriguing prince, she realised this man is different. But she is a commoner and Elias is going to be the king and choose a royal princess to marry.
Adeline carries a lot of weight on her shoulder. I love her colorful personality. She is fierce, sassy and at the same time very sentimental. She is not impressed by the royal life. I expected Elias to be a bit more complicated and stronger. He does show glimpses of his stressed life and vulnerability. But I was missing the arrogant and majestic side somehow. The chemistry felt a bit lacking to me. Some parts were too good. They had everything- explosive chemistry, nail biting suspense, intense emotions, angsty heartache and all the swoony sexy souldeep feels. But some parts felt rushed and inconsistent. May be it’s Claire Contreras and I expected more.
The Sinful King by Claire Contreras is worth reading if you like royal romances with power games and equally interesting games of heart.
Received ARC for honest review
This book is an exceptionally well written. It’s captivating and engaging read. I binge read this story and loved everything about this book. The story is epic , it’s a forbidden royal love story with HEA . I loved Addie and Elias characters and the chemistry between them. The story was everything I had expected from Claire Contreras . The story was captivating and engaging with sweet moments, well developed characters and powerful chemistry between the lead characters. Not only the main characters well developed but the secondary characters were brilliantly written as well . Claire has done exceptional job with this story, she totally hooked me to this story and I didn’t want this story to end. I am really hoping she is planning on writing stories on the Elias siblings. Definitely worth the read and deserves all the sinful stars
Everyone needs a little fairy tale romance in their lives. Even the adults. Thank you, Claire for giving us “commoners” a little hope.
This book of forbidden love starts out with a prologue that was meant to pull you right in. A little sexy, a lot forbidden and something that wasn’t timed right. I got that, but it was the latter part of the prologue that did me in. I knew it was going to be something more than I anticipated.
Prince Elias of France is forever known as a playboy and one of royalty’s most eligible bachelors. He throws the parties everyone wants to be at….. except for himself. He’s bored of his “expected life” and comes off quite cold to those that don’t know him. But he’s first in line to become King and his father isn’t well. Becoming King is only a matter of time and he will be expected to live a certain way.
Adeline has ties to the Crown, but only by her father that sits on the cabinet of the government and her friend, Etienne. She is a commoner that is educated, beautiful and successful. She is the real deal. But when a scandal invades her life, she runs away to her family’s estate in Marbella where she sees the Prince daily. Their interaction is always filled with tension, but it feels as if Elias is playing games.
I enjoyed Elias and Adeline’s characters. They were honest and you could feel their chemistry even in the beginning. They had a tension that was palatable and I felt bad for anyone getting in the middle of it. I really liked their story more than I thought I would. There was some drama, but not so much that it took me away from the romance at hand. It was believable and constructed in a way that worked for the story. I almost just wish I had more time with the characters to get to know them and their families and friendships (but thank goodness Claire Contreras let us know she will be revisiting the Royal world with the siblings ).
This is a fairy tale for adults. It’s romantic, real, filled with a little history (for those history buffs), but most of all, it’s filled with an honest sort of love. All the characters we get to know through the story are likable. There are a couple that are questionable in their beliefs, but we do get to see growth. The story is fast paced and you won’t want to put it down. It’s a quick read and will leave you feeling hopeful. Hopeful that we can make changes to the past for a better future and hopeful that there is a love out there that would do anything to have you.
“What I would give for things to be different. To be a normal citizen and be able to have you.”
“You have me now.”
“I want you always.”
Be ready for a Royal Romance that will leave you swooning and wanting more.
***4 “I want you… Always!!!” stars***
“What good was savoring something exquisite if you had no shot at keeping it?”
Everyone knows by now that i’m a sucker of royal romances and this book was such a lovely and pleasant surprise!!!
I loved Elias and Adeline very much and their story was beautiful and in a way, romantic, even though there were obstacles that were standing between them…
Also, I’m looking forward for Aramis and Pilar’s turns!!!! And i might have a good idea which their significants ones will be. Or maybe not!!!!
“Love is a game. You need to play to your heart’s advantage.”
Adeline’s family was owning some luxurous villas in Marbella… Villas that the royal princes were using on their vacations very often… Unfortunately, her parents never allowed her to be close enough to ever meet one of them…
So, one night, when she was eighteen, she accompanied her best friend on one of their parties and there she met a mysterious but gorgeous man and she spent a night with him….
And then, she left for good to start living her adult life, even though she realized very late that the man was one of them, the crown prince, the future king of France…
“What I would give for things to be different.”
Five years had pass since that night and Adeline is returning back to Marbella…
The circumstances are weird the least and she is being forced to meet prince Elias over and over again…
He is cold and detached to her and she is assuming that he has no idea that she was the girl that night…
But the prince is acting strange and he is always around and even though she is drawn toward him, she doesn’t need his attention…
She can’t have any kind of relation with him, but unfortunately, they both can not seem to stay away from each other…
“I’ve had one date with him and I already felt myself unravelling. I couldn’t afford to be unravelled. I was in no state to fall in love with a prince, let alone one who would be king.”
Yes, there is something between Adeline and Elias…. Something that is getting stronger with every encounter they are having…
But Elias is about to become the king and Adeline is just a commoner…
They don’t have only their families standing between them, but a whole nation…
And not only that but the future king needs a princess for a wife…
He just have to follow the traditions…
So, what will happen after all with these two when their relationship is doomed from the beginning???
“His smile was small and pained just before he turned around and walked away.”
“I’m in love with you. The is no after you.”…
“You love me… A commoner.”
“There’s nothing common about you, Adeline.”
I really loved this story…
I laughed, i became antsy as hell, but i enjoyed the ride very much…
I liked how the things were developing between Elias and Adeline… even though it hurt sometimes…
But also, i liked how the things ended up after all!!! It was really a clever solution…
I loved Adeline and Elias so much and they deserved to be together…
Also i liked that after some point we got also Elias’s POV. It was necessary for his voice to be heard as well…
“The more time I spent around Adeline, the more I found myself wanting to twist things and do the wrong thing because in my head and heart she was the right one to do the wrong thing for.”
Well, if you’re fan of royal romances, this is a book that you don’t want to miss!!!
It was really that good!!!
I totally recommend it!!!! Go for it!!!
“You don’t have to be a king to change history.”
“No, I suppose not.” He smiled. “You can be a queen.”
*I was provided an Arc in the exchange of an honest review***
Oh my heart!!!!!! Elias and Adeline love story started out one way and along the way you get more answers that make you love Elias even more. Adeline was awesome!!!! She tried to stay away from the future king but just couldn’t. And he just couldn’t stay away from her as much as he tried. The things he does to be able to see her will have you swooning. And what he does to be with her?!?! They had history that no one knew about and it just added more to their love. I loved it!!!!! Loved everything about them and wish to read more on them because that will be one awesome story to read.
Oh my, I loved this twist on royals. I was hooked from the first page. I absolutely love Adeline and Elias. The minute these two meet, you can feel the change in the air, but they aren’t suppose to talk. Adeline is assigned a task for the summer in which she is taking a break from her usual routine and job. Prince Elias is the next in line for the throne and known for his ridiculous parties. Adeline and Elias take you on a crazy, emotional, rollercoaster of a ride. Once you start reading you won’t be able to put this fantastic book down until you discover what will happen. I loved the twist on royals and now I want to visit these royals!
“You don’t curtsy to me,” he said into my ear.
“Are you not my King?”
“Are you not my world?”
This sweet, steamy, royal romance is a must read!
King Elias is so swoony. Seriously. I was not expecting him to be so sweet and thoughtful when I first started.
This is my first Claire Contreras read! I’ve been wanting to read her forever and I am so glad I did.
“Even in a room full of people, I can’t seem to take my mind off you.”
Every little girl wants to be swept up off their feet by a prince. To be a princess. To wear a crown. This steamy royal romance reaches all the hearts of the grown women that always wanted to be a princess.
Even Adeline. She can’t deny Elias and honestly.. I couldn’t either.
All around, a great read!
The Sinful King is a charming royal romance between a future king and a commoner that I enjoyed very much. Adeline was born in Marbella, but spent most of her youth in the states. The day before she goes off to college she attends a masquerade party at one of her family villas, which the Princes of France happen to be renting out for the summer. She meets and connects with a masked stranger and leaves the next day, finding out later that this stranger was Prince Elias.
Fast forward five years later, Adeline is in London, recovering from a scandal with her ex-boyfriend, so she leaves for Marbella to hide out for awhile, and she runs into Prince Elias again. They still have so much chemistry, but she’s pretty irritated at his reputation and angry at men in general. They have a very passionate relationship in the first half, and then the second half really focused on how/if a king and a commoner can make it work and really the politics behind royalty.
All the characters, including secondary, were all well developed and easy to love. I hope we get books on all the siblings! I thought the entire story was cute, charming and a great take on royal romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Normally, royal romances are not my favorite tropes because it could be either be super cheesy and predictable.
I enjoyed The Sinful King. Elias wasn’t the average prince, he was in a sense almost normal and human to the point where I could picture him as Prince Harry and Adeline were Meghan Markle.
The Sinful King is a fairytale romance. The prologue itself had me intrigued, two masked strangers meeting a party and deciding to have a heated anonymous tryst.
Adeline has ties to the Crown, but only by her
I loved the chemistry between Elias and Adeline, their love story is steamy and yes absolutely filled with swoon worthy romance.
I LOVED Elias & Adeline so very much!!!
I love and read all different types of books but this sweet and romantic yet sooo sexy romance just sucked me in! It was exactly what I needed!
Claire Contreras gave us complete perfection with this modern day spin on royal romance! These characters felt real and true to each other in a way that is hard to find in a lot of books. Her descriptions and words helped my imagination to create this world inside my mind; it felt like I was standing on the outside of a bubble just watching it all happen.
This story is one that will remind you to believe in fairytales and that what you see isn’t always what you get. The sacrifices that Adeline is willing to make for the people she loves no matter what it does to her is awe-inspiring. It’s the way she does it; with a strength most of us wouldn’t possess in a time like this that makes me love her even more! She’s fierce and determined to do what she needs to no matter the pain it causes her own heart.
Sexy Prince Elias…I’m not sure I’ve ever met a more misconstrued character before. Torn between who he is expected to be and who he wants to be most definitely took it’s toll. Seeing him turn into the King he is destined to be was one of my favorite parts of this book!
I love all of the main characters but what I loved even more than anything was that there was no villain! The way Claire wrote this romance; it was almost as if I just couldn’t get mad at anyone for anything that happened. It was all about tradition and what it means to uphold a tradition that you are required to protect once you take your place on the throne! How that tradition conflicts with the one thing you want most in life and what/if you can do to change it.
Some of my favorite scenes involved masks…you’ll see why when you read it. Can you blame me though, I am The MasqueReader so how could I not love when masks are involved!
This story had my heart from beginning to end. Elias and Adeline’s powerful and epic love story takes us on a journey. A tale that goes beyond royalty and power. Adeline and Elias not only face the obstacles of their relationship but the struggle between family,loyalty and tradition. Their instant attraction and sexual chemistry drew me in from the very beginning. The rest of the story held me capitative from the world of the royal family, media scandal and political traditions. (Claire Contreras explains in the beginning of the book that the political part of the story is fiction, so roll with it ). I throughly enjoyed this story and was only disappointed when it ended. Definitely looking forward to reading Elias’s siblings book in the future!
Hands down the best book of 2020! it was an incredible story, I was hooked since the very first page. The story gave me so many Harry and Meghan feels! I couldn’t put it down! I want my own royal fayritale story!
I really enjoyed this Royal and forbidden storyline. Elias and Adeline’a chemistry was instant and electric. You’ll definitely will be hooked from beginning to end and the angst and feels will have you rooting for them. Another great read by Claire Contreras.
*4.5 Stars*
This royal romance was so much fun! I fell so hard for Prince Elias and the world he lives in. He is so dang swoony! He knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to go after it.
Adeline has a heated, mysterious, one-night stand. Five years later, she is reunited with him and is surprised to find out he is Prince Elias, next in line for the throne in France. While the attraction between them is still there, there are quite a few obstacles in their way.
The storyline is unique to me and something I haven’t read before. From the prologue to the epilogue, I was captivated by the characters and the world. The pacing was wonderful and I had to find as much time as I could during the busy days to read this as quickly as possible.
I am absolutely thrilled that the author announced books for both of Prince Elias’s siblings! I am head over heels in love with this world and am not ready to say goodbye.
Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.
The Sinful King was soooooo good!!! It was funny, it was dramatic in parts, it had the perfect amount of angst. It was a beautiful romance!!! Addie and Eli gave me all the feels. Their first encounter. Their first date. It all gave me butterflies, I felt as though I was feeling what Addie was feeling. The Sinful King is a beautifully written story, with a cool, modern day royals background. Prince Eli had moments where I hated him but you had to understand where he came from. Addie was fun and free, and one of the most likeable heroines I’ve ever read. She was real. She could me you or me!! I loved this book so much!!! Claire, Thank You for writing this book, so much
A masquerade ball, no names, no true identities. This was where she gave the stranger her most precious gift.
Now she knows who he was, but still it’s not a regret.
Years later life places her within arms reach of him. Will he remember her, or was she simply a notch on his bedpost?
Ohhh what a heart melting swoonfest of a royal romance read!
My heart was heavy, but my mind was full of hope. It was not going to be easy but the best things in life never are!
Adeline is such a lovely character. She’s warm and friendly, helpful and honest.
I really felt her pain. Your heart wants what it wants no matter the circumstances. She really had me hoping her dreams rang true!
Elias is a very unique character. He was born to be the king to follow rules and regulations and be what the country needs him to be.
But then he meets her again. My heart was putty in his hands it honestly was!
His commanding presence had me swooning like never before. He’s mine ladies!!
Two characters who shouldn’t even know each other, fight to do the right thing, at the cost of their true happiness.
Brave and beautiful, divine and spellbinding. Perfection!
I’ve read a few books of Claire’s now, and I will continue to do so as she always produces deep and meaningful reads that leave you speechless, and this is no exception!
This is such a beautiful romantic royal story, i just adored Elias and Adeline their story swept me away and left me with happy vibes when I finished. Claire manages to give the reader a light fun read but it was also emotional and filled with tension. Prince Elias is seen as the playboy but we get to see his fears about becoming king and how he feels about the expectations placed upon him. Adeline running from a scandal reconnects with Elias and the sparks fly from the first meeting. I enjoyed the build up of the sexual tension they are one hot couple but the connection wasn’t just sexual they had a good friendship and some really tender moments. A couple of situations happened that were slighly glossed over where I would have expected Adeline to ask more questions but apart from that I really enjoyed this book.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a book about a royal couple, and when Claire popped up with this gorgeous cover and I read the blurb, I knew I had to read it.
The first thing I will say is this is a fiction story, so you need to forget that in real life, France no longer has a king and queen. There is a republic in place. But in Claire’s story, there is a king and queen, along with their children – two princes and a princess. And Adeline happens to meet one of the prince’s at a party the night before she’s leaving for college in the US, she just doesn’t know who he is. Now, 5 years later, she sees him again at the villa he rents every summer from her uncle. Will he remember the one night they spent together, or was she just one of his numerous conquests?
I loved how Claire paired a prince with a commoner. It gave the story so much angst and a touch of drama, watching Adeline have to watch Elias court a princess to marry to fulfill his obligations to the crown.
It was obvious from the prologue and their very first meeting that there was instant attraction and chemistry between Elias and Adeline, and it was still there five years later when they meet again. How are these two supposed to navigate any type of relationship when every odd is stacked against them. Adeline is just recovering from a media scandal that has rocked her world, the last thing she needs right now is to get involved with the future king.
Claire leads the reader through a whirlwind, behind the scenes romance that takes Adeline to the palace and all kinds of opulent places that Elias lives in. Can this commoner fit into this kind of life? Will she even be accepted? Or will this just be another scandal that rocks her world when the public and media find out about her?
I really loved these two characters, and I especially loved the secondary cast of characters that surrounded this couple. I’m so anxious to see if any side characters will be getting stories of their own. I’m not ready to leave the kingdom!!
If you’re looking for a good royal romance to get lost in, The Sinful King is perfect for you!