Customer Reviews

The Illegitimate King (Silhouette Desire)

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For the conclusion of The Castaldini Crown trilogy, Olivia Gates lets her imagination soar to new heights as emotions conflict and passions blaze. The depth of the main characters makes this couple realistically believable, and their story brings out many profoundly poignant responses from the reader. THE ILLEGITIMATE KING will raise your heart rate with scorching passionate encounters while also touching you on numerous emotive levels.

The first meeting between Ferruccio Selvaggio and Princess Clarissa D'Agostino does not go well as she rejects his offer to leave with him. Although Ferruccio is illegitimate and his parentage is unidentified, he is actually from a notable family in Castaldini where Clarissa belongs to the royal family. Her repeated refusals just fueled his determination to one day have her go out with him, whether she wants to or not. After six long years, the showdown Ferruccio has been dreaming of participating in is finally taking place, as the princess of Castaldini is being sent to his home.

With her father ailing, a crown prince needs to be immediately obtained. Two candidates have been offered the imperative position, but both refused for personal reasons. When the king says Ferruccio is their next best choice and she must go to confer with him at his request, Clarissa believes he just wants to humiliate her for all the rebuffs. Her plans to be diplomatic vanish as soon as they meet to discuss his terms for becoming the crown prince, as she must keep reminding herself this master manipulator cannot be fully trusted. With numerous false impressions from their first meeting, if Ferruccio and Clarissa cannot see past the doubts clouding their relationship then there can be no future for them and possible no hope for the country of Castaldini.

Olivia Gates brings her unforgettable The Castaldini Crown trilogy to a close, where every aspect brilliantly comes together to craft a story of unrivaled intensity. From the very start, the sexual tension begins to build between Ferruccio and Clarissa, and this combustible heat continues to rise until a breathtakingly described love scene takes place. The fervent reactions conveyed by these two will make you sigh from their exceedingly apparent consuming desire for each other. They also put their longing into words, and several of these expressions are utterly entrancing. Unfortunately, Ferruccio and Clarissa must face way too many dilemmas before they can ever have a relationship with any real contentment, and Ms. Gates definitely takes this couple on a path filled with countless highs and lows. Their feelings of joy over a current set of circumstances could turn to total devastation in an instant without warning, and their anguish over these situations had my own heart aching right along with them. Both of them have haunted pasts, and revelations regarding their background let the reader get a clearer perception into their natures plus cause you to truly care about this spiritedly determined couple. The writing style of Ms. Gates is dramatically visual, as every scene comes alive by letting the reader experience the moment to the fullest in all ways. May any future series imagined by this gifted author be just as memorable. With unanticipated turns, heartfelt desires and a myriad of emotions, THE ILLEGITIMATE KING will not soon be forgotten.

The Illegitimate King will probably be my all time favorite Oliva Gates love story because in this particular story, it's not only the passion and banter between them it's the obstacles both Clarissa and Ferruccio had to overcome. The Illegitimate King was brilliant and a fitting ending to The Castaldini Crown.

As the history of the crown is again revealed in the book, one is given the knowledge that there is an illegitimate member of the D'Agostino family who the King and Council believe should be the new King and that's Ferruccio Selvaggio. Just his physical description makes the reader drool but it's not just his looks, it's his past and the demons and hurdles he's had to overcome which make him the man he is today. However, one is made aware of his passion for business and now his passion to lead his country but there's a catch, he wants the King's daughter Clarissa.

Six years earlier the lovely and spirited Clarissa D'Agostino was attending a state function when she spies Ferruccio. They are drawn together immediately by their eye contact and he asks her out and she refuses. For the past six years he has extended invitations and she's refused each and everyone but now she been summoned to his villa to discuss he's becoming King. However, when he reveals he will only become King if he can have her, well let's just say, there are fireworks!

Their pasts are so similar, Clarissa for the most part never felt she was loved for herself, suffered abuse from her mother and now this man wants her but not for who she is, at least that's what she believes. It's the same for Ferruccio, he was adopted and fled his foster home and grew up in the streets! In the end, for both of them to find actually that they both want love and family was wonderful to read.

The Illegitimate King is brilliantly crafted, the love scenes sensual and amazing plus the fire and passion between them just leaps off the pages. The build up to their union, the coronation and wedding and the blow one receives when there is a secret revealed at the end is mind blowing! This book is a perfect ending to the perfect series, The Castaldini Crown.

With a king ailing, the kingdom of Castaldini searches for an heir to the crown. None of the three choices live up to all the rules of succession. Now the hunt for an heir has narrowed down to the third and last remaining choice, Prince Ferruccio Selvaggio, an outsider scorned for the circumstances of his birth and a man bent on revenge for the past misdeeds of the royal family. Above all, Ferruccio plans to teach the spoiled Princess Clarissa D'Agostino a lesson. Clarissa has a mission to secure the future of the kingdom by convincing the prince to return and accept the kingship. She will do whatever it takes, endure any sacrifice, to insure the future of the kingdom. As urgency and plotting bring Ferruccio and Clarissa together, underneath unexpected yet familiar passion inflames their hearts. Will Ferruccio's plan for revenge succeed or will Clarissa change his heart? Will Clarissa be able to confide in him and become the queen she was destined to be, not only of the kingdom but within herself?

In the third and final installment of The Castaldini Crown series, Olivia Gates brings a perfect conclusion to this series as she delves even deeper into the history and passions that inflame the Castaldini royal family. Olivia Gates creates multi-faceted characters whose depth increases the emotional impact of their romance. Ferrucio is an intense alpha male hero with just enough wounded soul to make him much more intriguing than the typical alpha male. Although an outcast with darker motivations, Ferrucio is a man whose rejection has driven him to make a success of his life, the very success upon which the future of the kingdom may rely. Princess Clarissa may appear to be a spoiled princess but there is more to her than meets the eye. Once top of her class at Harvard business school, can Clarissa close the deal with Ferruccio? If closing the deal means revealing the secrets and hurts of the past, will she be able to open her heart to love? In her creation of Clarissa, Olivia Gates makes a bold move that not only gives depth to her character but also to the dynamics of the royal family's emotional background history.

THE ILLEGITIMATE KING is a stunning conclusion to this series. Although this the third book does work as a stand alone, readers of the series will find certain threads developed that were introduced throughout the series and especially in the second book, THE PRODIGAL PRINCE'S SEDUCTION. Now in the third book. Olivia Gates brings a deeper look inside the hidden secrets as they have been passed down. Not only does passion inflame the characters, but together, they unlock the darker secrets within, enabling them to achieve a love that transforms both the hero and heroine into a wholeness for themselves as individuals and also for the kingdom's future. THE ILLEGITIMATE KING is not a book that coasts into a lackluster resolution. As the hero and heroine come closer and closer to the romantic happily-ever-after, Olivia Gates ramps up the level of wonderful surprises, inner glimpses and passionate scenes. From first moment to last, THE ILLEGITIMATE KING is an emotional, passionate romance that takes the reader to the very heart of her characters.

In this, her second Desire series, Olivia Gates brings a new look into royal passion. The previous Throne of Judar series is magnificent with its passionate poetic, powerful language and these intense heroes and the women who capture their hearts. In the Castaldini Crown series, Olivia Gates adds whole new dimensions. She welds together all the background elements to create rich, legendary characters. In the Castaldini Crown series, Olivia Gates creates a fine mix of fairy tale themes, a realistic look at the kingdom's economic fate in focused, precise details, and a rich inner psychological secretive family history passed on to the next generation in such a way that the stakes are even higher both for the kingdom and her character's hearts, packing each book with intense emotion, drama and romantic passion. With the Castaldini Crown series, Olivia Gates exhibits a certain maturing and growth in her writing style as her imagination creates an even more finely interwoven setting for the passions of her characters. Olivia Gates is a romance writer to watch and hopefully one who will someday give her readers even more in a sweeping multi-generational saga. :-)

COURTESY OF BOOK ILLUMINATIONS

Of the entire fabulous Castaldini Crown Trilogy, The Illegitimate King is hands down, my favorite. It is full of the description and the emotion that only Olivia Gates can incorporate into each encounter of the main characters. In a flawlessly effective metaphor, Gates portrays Ferruccio as a predator on the hunt. He is so hot, and oh so potent, that he won't give up until he has what he's after. And even though his motives aren't always pure, he never disappoints.

Gates' vivid description, backed by deep-seated and strong emotions is absolutely phenomenal. Mix in rich dialog and the heroine's struggle not to succumb to his seduction or her own emotions, and we have a book that's impossible to put down.

If you like deeply passionate and meaningful love scenes, you certainly won't be disappointed here. There is a love scene that is so seamlessly incorporated into the plot that it can't even be called a scene, that's how integral a part of the story it is. Within this section, Clarissa and Ferruccio's emotions spanned the breadth of the spectrum from anger, to jealousy, to concern, to fear, to compassion, to lust, and to love. Each emotion rolling and blending into the next, all the while, guiding the reader into their paradise. It was nothing short of incredible.

It started with a tender and caring Clarissa kissing his eyelids to wake him from his nightmare, and lead into the most beautiful, passionate love scene around. And, although Olivia Gates incorporates hot, steamy, sex into all of her books, she never strays from the core of the novel - deep, all-consuming love.

If you haven't read the Castaldini Crown Trilogy, read the first two books, but don't miss reading the last one, The Illegitimate King.

This novel sizzled from page one! The tension between Ferruccio and Clarissa is as delicious as it is palpable. Olivia Gates' prose is gorgeous. Lush description, sumptuous detail, and sensuous delights await the reader on every page. Ms. Gates deftly unveils layer after layer of the story, revealing the inner demons that fuel these two unforgettable characters and allowing us to revel in their passionate attraction as it deepens into an abiding love. The Illegitimate King is a legitimate winner!

The Illegitimate King by Olivia Gates
(Ferruccio Selvaggio D'Agostino & Clarissa D'Agostino)

This is the final book of the trilogy. You are spellbound by this story from start to finish. The characters from the previous books all re-surface and you can re-connect with them. Ferruccio & Clarissa are two star crossed lovers that you will never forget. You laugh and cry together with these two marvelous characters. You want them to make it. They keep your attention you realize they both have demons that have to be exorcised. Their story is sad but these are two determined people who you are cheering for till the climax.
The ending of this story will blow your mind away. I would love to see this book made into a movie, it that good. It's like a love story of Oscar proportions.
Make sure to read the Epilogue from this story and the Epilogue from Blackmailed into the Prince's Bed. The link is located at [...]
I hated to see this trilogy end, it was magnificent.
Great Job Olivia.

This book is a five star read. A MUST read.

FYI:

Prelude to the Castaldini Crown
Blackmailed into the Prince's Bed by Olivia Gates
(Eduardo "Eddie" D'Agostino & Jade Mitchell)
This is the Prelude to The Castaldini Crown
I loved this online read at [...]
I loved the story of Eduardo "Eddie" & Jade. In this story some of the characters from The Castaldini Crown are introduced. This story is very fast-paced but a great read. I wish this could have been a complete book. I loved Eddie and he seems to be a vengeful hero until he meets the right woman. You get a glimpse of what the trilogy is and what will happen. Make sure and pay attention because one character controls all these marvelous couples and you will fall in love with Eddie & Jade.

As in the other stories this couple will make you cry and rejoice.
This story is a five star read. A MUST read.

Ferruccio is expected to step in and take over as king when the old king feels he can no longer rule. Clarissa has been sent to ensure that Ferruccio says yes. But will they be able to see past their misconceptions when they are instantly attracted to each other?

What an incredible story. Olivia Gates has an incredible gift she shares with the world. She pens stories that delight, overwhelm, entertain and totally captivate that reader. She creates these amazing worlds and sucks this reader in every time. I cannot remain detached and `outside' of the world she shares with us.

Some people see auras around other people. I associate colors with all of Olivia's books. Her last book (the middle book of this series) was a lush oriental carpet of colors, deep burgundies, sapphires, emeralds with creams, and tans. One of her Throne of Judar books was like an artist's palette filled with a complete range of colors--some in pure form and some smeared with other colors mixed and blended together. This book is so different from those that have deep, vibrant, multi-hues. The colors that bathed each page of this book were creams, light tan, turquoise, gold or three hues-rose, yellow and "white", a variety of pinks. Lush in a more subdued way, but no less beautiful. What an awesome story. Move over Durante. It pains me to tell you that you must share the step with Ferruccio.