Yet another mind-blowing and intense read from Anja Barrons. I absolutely love this series, and Their Princess is not exception. The stakes are so high in this one and I truly love how the four main characters of this story so seamlessly became a part of me. I cared about all of them SO MUCH!
Adelina is bratty, but in a way that really worked because I could totally relate to her belligerent snark as a form of passive resistance towards the situation the people she trusted threw her in. The arranged marraige trope is handled with brilliance from this character's point of view, and I thoroughly enjoyed how she manages to find her perfect place despite it all.
Graff is such a sweetie, and I found his backstory fascinating and absolutely loved his dynamic with Adelina. His artsy side under the tough MC exterior came through in a wonderful exploration of contradictions and shows up the complexity of human nature very beautifully.
Sas is an ass, but an endearing one because he still manages to do what's right despite it all and constantly chooses the better path even when he could devolve into a beast. I feel the author handled this character perfectly by walking that very difficult tightrope of "lovable ass". And I absolutely adored how he came to terms with his growing attraction to Adelina, despite everything he wanted to hold against her. It made for some great conflict.
Lastly, Rafe is in about as difficult a situation as Adelina in terms of the MC and Mafia connections, and the problem of not being accepted in the new environment, but despite it all he just keeps soldiering on, and I really respected him for that. Add to it the taboo of his feelings and how he kept tearing himself down, I'm really curious to see how his story develops in the next volume of this duet. I liked how this character handled things and admired how he kept trying even when everyone around him didn't want to listen and no one really supported him.
Overall, this spicy why-choose contemporary romance blending Mafia and MC themes is an absolutely brilliant addition to the series, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next. The over-arching plotline that spans the whole series is really ramping up, and this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, although it is one of the best examples of how these ought to be done, because it totally worked to keep me wanting more.
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