The Prince with the Hole in His Heart
Barri BryanErotic fantasy romance
Available from New Concepts Publishing
February 2004
| Prince Evander is sad and morose, so his adoptive father calls together Evander's tutors. One tutors Evander's mind, one tutors him in care of his body, and tutors him in things of the soul. The king demands an explanation of from each tutor on Evander's condition and Willie, the soul tutor and a con-artist, comes up with the false explanation that Evander has a rare malady called hole-in-heart disease, which can only be put into remission once Evander finds his heart's desire. When the king asks what Willie needs to help Evander, Willie, thinking that the cause must be Evander's virginity, says a beautiful young maiden. Unfortunately, the king thinks Willie spoke of finding Evander a wife, instead of a lover, and tells him that he will go on a journey with Evander in disguise, to make sure the maiden truly loves Evander for himself and is pure of heart. Along the way, they fall into several misadventures, often having something to do with sex as the solution.
The story is written very much like a fairy tale and Willie was a very funny character, sly but cowardly. He often stole the spotlight from Evander. The story had a very strong humorous tone to it, though sometimes the humor seemed slightly ludicrous in the manner of Terry Pratchett. And as long as you can remember the story is meant to be funny, not serious, it's a good read.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Tara Black |
