The Prince's Chambermaid (Mills & Boon Modern) [Kindle Edition]

Prince Xaviero is the most offensive Harlequin "hero" I've encountered. I only finished the book so I could review it. I enjoy books with jerky alpha male heroes who have some redeeming qualities and are gradually transformed into better men by their love of the heroines. Xaviero doesn't have any redeeming qualities, and his transformation in the final pages of the book is ridiculous. Even worse, there's nothing remotely interesting about the heroine, a spineless nitwit.

Xaviero, the prince of a made-up island country, desires Cathy but is disgusted by her sexual desires (which are, of course, inappropriate for a woman), her lack of education, and her lowly position as a maid. The only quality he values in her is her submissiveness; he tells her he wants to marry her because she is "wonderfully compliant." I didn't find much to admire in her, either. We're supposed to sympathize with her because she lost her parents at a young age, and we're supposed to think she has hidden talents (and a personality) because she gardens and has a nice bedside manner with Xaviero's comatose brother. Instead, she's a shallowly-drawn character who lets Xaviero emotionally abuse her. Every time I thought she was about to stand up to him, she backed down or was swept away by his kisses. I felt tricked again and again.

After Xaviero undergoes his sudden and unbelievable transformation and claims to have loved her all along, we're told the lesson of this awful story is "that love truly could conquer all." (i.e., Stay with that demeaning, manipulative, abusive s-o-b and eventually the power of your love will turn him into a kind, generous, loving prince.) The lesson I learned from this book is that there are more enjoyable ways to spend time than reading books by Sharon Kendrick.

A brief summary of the Plot:
Catherine is a chambermaid that works at an upper-class hotel. The hotel is undergoing renovations in order to be adequate enough to meet the demanding needs of Prince Xaviero Vincente Caius di Cesere of Zaffirinthos. Unbeknownst to Cathy, she has already met this important guest. At their first meeting, Prince Xaviero pretends to be a regular guy employed by the hotel. The attraction between them is instantaneous and he quickly takes advantage of young Cathy. Over the course of a couple of weeks, he begins to mold her into his mistress. After Xaviero's brother( the king) is injured during a riding accident, he is forced to take over the affairs of the state and make Cathy his wife.

My thoughts:

The male character in this storyline is a rude, obnoxious jerk. There were three people in this relationship (Xaviero, Cathy, and his ego). He is obsessed with his good looks, royal blood, and sexual abilities. I admire people who are self confident, but this guy was over the top. His arrogance and selfishness had me rolling my eyes and shaking my head in disbelief. Obviously, these are qualities that most Harlequin male characters have in abundance, but this book went over the line. He treated Cathy like she was a brainless bimbo and she allowed him to. She had no backbone, no pride, or self esteem. He makes this big deal about how he hates that people bend over backwards for him because he is a prince, but on the very rare occasions where she stands up to him, his male ego is affronted. He proceeds to remind her that she is just a lowly maid and he is royalty. I gave this book 2 stars because the sexual chemistry is really good between the main characters, but that is where it ends. I just could not see anything romantic about this book.

The Prince was the most ridiculous person in the world. The biggest jerk and Cathy was the biggest twit. She acted like a puppy dog following his master. What a waste of time..