This is Damian and Ava's story. They both go to university and Damian is involved in a secret society called The Four Hundred. This was such an intriguing story and really kept my interest. I do love dark secret society college romances and morally gray male characters but there was just something special about this one. Damian sets his eyes on the prize that is Ava. She is a v!rginal innocent preacher's daughter and he has "chosen" her as his v!rgin sacrifice. Ava may be a good girl but she throws Damian off his game a bit and that unsettles him in a way no other woman ever has. Their fiery chemistry is electric and the book is truly a phenomenal turner.

This was sadly a miss for me. While the story was rather original and intriguing and the tropes were all there, unfortunately the characters didn’t connect for me. I’m curious if listening to this book would have made a difference. Thank you for the chance to read.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I don't even know what to think about this book. It was just sooo cringey sometimes, but also kind of good? I don't think the book was supposed to be funny, but I laughed a lot.

Damien was so unintentionally funny and so down bad for Eva. Eva, well, she was supposed to be smart but made so crazy decisions. The plot unfortunately was so predictable.
I had fun reading it and I might even pick up the sequel.

If you enjoy dark romance set in elite universities, tangled with secret societies, power struggles, and characters who toe the line between obsession and devotion, then The Prince of Power should be at the top of your reading list.

Our heroine, Ava, is the daughter of a pastor and is far from the shy or submissive stereotype that might suggest. She is sharp, strong-willed, and more than capable of standing her ground. Enter the male lead, an heir with a title, a bad attitude, and the kind of dangerous charisma that leaves chaos in his wake. He is intense, possessive, and clearly used to getting exactly what he wants. Unfortunately for him, Ava is not an easy win.

From the very beginning, the book pulls you into a world where trust is scarce, secrets are currency, and nobody is entirely what they seem. The tension between the main characters builds with every encounter, and while the chemistry is undeniable, they often feel like they are orbiting each other rather than truly connecting. That said, the slow burn makes every moment they do share even more satisfying
The story has just the right amount of chaos. It is dramatic, full of dark twists, and entirely unapologetic about how over the top it is at times. And honestly, that is part of the appeal. If you are reading this expecting realism, you are missing the point. It is meant to be bold, intense, and addictive. It knows exactly what it is doing and does not pretend to be anything else.

This was a wild, addictive read that completely pulled me in. Ava and Damian’s dark, twisted dynamic had me hooked from the start. She’s innocent but strong, and he’s dangerously possessive in a way that’s both terrifying and magnetic. The secret society backdrop added layers of suspense and intrigue, with jaw-dropping twists I didn’t see coming. The audiobook made it even better. Corvin King nailed Damian’s intense energy, while Rachel Leblang perfectly captured Ava’s voice and growth. Their duet narration flowed seamlessly, making the story feel even more immersive. If you love dark college romance with power plays, obsession, and a little mystery, this book is a must.

Loved the story and the grumpy mmc who has all the women he wants but chooses her. The story kept me hooked and I loved the banter and the slow burn of their relationship

Posted goodreads review on 7/16

Thanks to @authorskymason and @netgalley for this ARC

⭐⭐⭐⭐.25

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The Prince of Power has one of the few storylines that could make a dark college romance work for me, and it delivered. A super exclusive secret society that works thru it's fraternities to train its future members!!

The chemistry between Ava and Damian was palpable and even in the most unhinged moments of the book it worked out perfectly

I wish that there wouldn't have been any hints to the plot twist so it would have been more of a surprise to us as it was to the MCs, also a little less emphasis on her virginity would have been better for me, but I know this is a recurrent them in the author's stories and I'm making my peace with it.


~Blurb~

Ava Sinclair lives her normal life in a not so normal college, she's alheard all the rummors about the fraternity and it's members but it's crazy to believe that a simple fraternity is a cult. Or is it? Because when the "president" of said fraternity duchy Damian Cross put his eyes on her she'll learn how much truth to the rummors there is.

Tropes:

Dark college romance

Boy obsessed

Dislike to lovers

Virgin sacrifice

Secret Society

This story has a mix of tropes I love—secret college society, good girl x bad boy, and a heroine who just can’t help trying to save everyone. (Ava, girl, why do you have a savior complex?? You should’ve just run!) 😂

The bathroom scene? Whew. 🔥 Definitely a standout moment.
Damien, on the other hand, wasn’t really my fave—but he brought the tension.

And that twist at the end? I knew something was off with Ava’s dad from the beginning. 👀

Overall, this was a fast-paced, dramatic read with plenty of secrets and suspense. A solid 3 stars from me—I enjoyed it!

2.5⭐️ The cover and title caught my eye immediately and the summary peaked my interest. I loved the storyline of a secret society/college cult with a good girl vs bad boy falling in love. Unfortunately I struggled to get into this story. It was pretty predictable so if you’re looking for a thrilling read I’d probably skip this one.

Ava, the FMC was not likable at all so she also kinda ruined the experience for me. I also wasn’t buying into the romance between Damian and Ava. There were parts that had me laughing out loud but I don’t think the author was actually trying to be funny. It was entertaining enough though. I probably won’t carry on with the series because something that really just rubbed me the wrong way was the constant attacks directed at Christianity. I went in knowing it was a cult story with dark rituals but I felt like the constant mockery of God and Christianity was just unnecessary. It wasn’t for me.

Prince of Power is a twisted, addictive ride set in a world of secret societies, elite privilege, and dark, dangerous obsession. And yes, Damian Cross is exactly the kind of morally gray man I lose sleep over.

This book gives possessive MMC, reluctant good girl energy, and a secret society so shady, it’s definitely a cult. Damian is feared for good reason. He’s ruthless, commanding, and radiates “you belong to me” from the very first chapter. But the way he softens (just barely) for the FMC? Cue my spiral.

Our FMC is everything I want in a dark romance lead. Ava is good-hearted but not naive, determined but not reckless. The dynamic between her and Damian is filled with tension, slow-burn seduction, and high-stakes danger. You feel his obsession in every word and honestly, I lived for it.

The pacing was good, the plot kept me locked in, and the emotional undercurrent added just enough depth without taking away from the dark, spicy tone. There were a few moments I craved more internal conflict or longer emotional unraveling, but even with that, this book hit exactly the niche it aimed for… and hit it hard.

If you love:
• Secret society drama
• Good girl/bad boy dynamics
• “I’d burn the world for you” energy
• Audiobooks with velvet-voiced narrators
…then Prince of Power belongs at the top of your TBR.


I highly recommend listening to this one 🖤🥵

This book is a dark, intoxicating plunge into the elite world of Ashford University, Damian Cross, the enigmatic heir to a secret society, is magnetic and merciless, while Ava, the rule-following pastor’s daughter, finds herself caught in his storm. What begins as captivity morphs into a dangerous dance of obsession, vulnerability, and unexpected strength. The author masterfully blends dark academia with searing romance, crafting a story that’s as emotionally charged as it is addictive. If you like your love stories with secrets, shadows, and a heroine who finds her fire, this one’s for you.

I really enjoyed Prince of Power! It was a fun and dark read! I loved the aspects of the secret society as well as the suspense in this story. Dark academia is always a favorite of mine!

Damian is from a wealthy and powerful family. He is gearing up to take on a leadership role within his university’s fraternity, but he needs to find a pure and chaste woman as part of a ritual. He meets Ava through another fraternity member and decides she will be perfect. Ava is incredibly distrusting of Damian despite her initial attraction to him.

Damian was absolutely unhinged in his obsession with Ava and he was going to do everything he could to make sure that she was his. Ava was not putting up with his shenanigans at all. No matter how powerful he was. She wanted to make sure that Damian earned her trust and love.

The fraternity and secret society aspect was interesting to me. I hope future books in the series explore some of the more ritualistic aspects and history of the group as well.

This was a great read! I feel like this author is really underrated and I definitely recommend checking out her books!
4.5/5

The Prince of Power. New Adult Dark Romance. Slow burn. He falls first. Secret Society. Morally Grey Book Boyfriend. This story had more plot than spice, which I really enjoyed.

We follow Damian Cross who is trying to move up the ranks in an elite secret society and in order to do so he has to perform a ritual to "sacrifice a virgin". He has his sights set on one specific girl, Ava, and will do anything to have her be his selection. Problem... she strongly dislikes him and tries to avoid his advances at every turn.

The secret society plot line was very intricate. It left me wanting to learn more which is great because there will be more books in the series. Had I not been able to correctly guess the ending, this would have been a 4 star read. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Skyler Mason, and Victory Editing for allowing me the opportunity to read The Prince of Power.
Review will be posted to my TikTok page on July 5th. As well as Fable and Goodreads.

Ok, honestly, I think this is one of my favourite books so far this year! I can’t wait to read the 2nd epilogue and (in time) the rest of the series!
As a Pastor’s daughter, Ava’s life is not as simple as she once thought, or could ever imagine. After heading off to college with her best friends, Rhett and Sienna, she becomes suspicious that the nepo-kid fraternity may actually be some kind of cult. In her pursuit for answers, she meets fraternity leader and charming bad-boy Damian. And everything starts to unravel…

I loved the storyline. A bit bizarre, a bit dark, a bit spicy and, of course, we LOVE a book that comes with content warnings.
I’ve already recommended this book to friends! I don’t think this book left my hand from the moment I started reading, until the moment I finished.
Overall, I’d say it’s on the tamer side of the Dark Romance category, but it was refreshing to read a story where the Main Female Character isn’t some stick-thin Barbie lookalike. And it has plenty of twists to keep you on your toes!

Thank you to NetGalley/Victory Editing for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book so much, I completed it in two reading sessions. I did not want to put it down, only doing so to eat and sleep. It quickly became one of my favorite dark romances. If you’re into dark romances and unhinged MMCs, this is the book for you. I love the gradual shift in Damian where he goes from thinking he only wants to use Ava to him wanting to do everything in his power to protect her. The secret society aspect of the book was done brilliantly, though I do wish the author explored it a little more.

This was my first book by this author and definitely not my last! I was hooked from the start and ended up reading into the early hours because I just had to know what would happen next. Damian is possessive, controlling, and completely unhinged and I loved every second of watching him fall hard for Ava. He goes soft for her in the most delicious way.

Ava might seem sweet and innocent, but she’s no pushover. She holds her ground and doesn’t let Damian walk all over her, which made their dynamic all the more compelling. The tension and banter between them was everything. Their chemistry was off the charts from the moment they met.

Corvin King and Rachel Leblang absolutely nailed the duet narration. They brought Damian and Ava to life in a way that made the story even more immersive. Highly recommend the audiobook!

Talk about he falls first. This story follows Ava and Damien who appear to be from two different worlds but not so sure that’s really true at the end. I won’t spoil the fun but Ava is mainly portrayed as a naive church girl just trying to do her studies. Damien is brought up on the more the darker side because of the family history on the secret society. We do have a happily ever after with some contingencies.


I would recommend this book to any dark romance reader.
The faint childhood memory, I Loved! I thought it was funny how both a kids asked about the other and were told it was just a memory and the other didn’t exist. There is also Ava’s father also as the head of the church, I’m watching you.

Curious to know if there will be a pregnancy is in the next book. Excited to follow Lucy and Hunters story next.

🔪ARC review🔪

The Prince of power by @authorskymason
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
I am hooked ! I read this all in one day because I just couldn’t put it down. The TENSION ! A man obsessed will do anything for his woman and Damian will burn the world down for her. Even if it means taking himself down too. To love a monster who is only gentle with you, is another kind of love. Cannot wait to see what happens next in this series 💥

Digital ARC was provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

Okay, so after seeing it all over Reels and then finding it on NetGalley? Of course I had to request it.
The verdict? It was okay. The tension goes up, then dips, then up again—like a seesaw that never quite finds its rhythm. And I feel like the climax came way too close to the end.

I actually really enjoyed Damian and Ava’s interactions. There’s chemistry there for sure, but something kept holding it back—and I can’t quite figure out what. Maybe they both gave the cult more weight than it deserved. Or maybe the book just needed a few more chapters to let it all breathe.

You know what I’m patiently waiting for now though? Lucy and Hunter. 👀

I rounded down from a 3.5. This book has/had lots of potential. It’s a dark secret society at college, similar to The Ritual by Shantel Tessier but minus the 🌶️ kink scenes. But I feel like the book tried too hard to fit that similar vibe. The writing itself seemed a big underdeveloped and lacking in quality. . There were gaps in description and character development that left me scratching my head. I didn’t feel the connection to the characters.

It’s a touch her and die, he falls first type of “romance” but I didn’t feel the pull. I wasn’t drawn into wanting them to be together…I wasn’t rooting for them. I found myself not interested in their “relationship”development one bit. And the plot twist wasn’t a twist for me. The author has a good start but definitely needs some fine tuning and more growth as a writer. I don’t think I’d recommend this to friends.

SPOILERS



What rounded it down for me was towards the end of the book and the pregnancy trope. First, ya’ll are crazy young and barely know each other to “want to put a baby inside her” also it was super cringy in the mirror scene when he says to her::

“You’re not getting out of this, I’m impregnating you tonight.” As he unbuckled his pants. Yeah, no thanks, that’s a major mood killer right there.

Sits her in front of the mirror. “Look, watch me put a baby inside you. That’s it, take all my cum.” Gross, she’s a virgin for most of the book too and that’s not what I’d want to hear from the first dude that dicks me as a smart virgin college student from a guy that’s supposed to be “using” me to gain rank in his secret society.

I also didn’t feel a connection to the narrators. Corvin King is alright in this book, he’s great in other books, but he felt way old for the character but a lot of the cringe is because of the book itself which the narrators can’t control. However, the female narrator was annoying in the tone of voice she used the entire book. She’s supposed to be intelligent but she sounds like a ditz the whole time.

🌶️ 🌶️


Thank you to NetGalley and Victory editing for the eARC and eALC of the book.