I had a little hesitancy when I started reading this book which was surprising to me because I do like Raleigh Ruebins' stories. I was expecting a lot of angst, and I guess I wasn't in the mood for it. I ended up putting the story down a couple of times before I finally just kept going. I am so glad that I just sat myself down and read this. It was so beautiful. I found myself tearing up a number of times as I read, really feeling the pain and sadness in Sebastian and Henry's desire to be together. Despite this, however, there wasn't as much angst as I was expecting, and it wasn't that heavy. Yes, they had some challenges to work through, but they communicated and once I really got going, it was a quick read. I loved both characters, and I was so happy that they found their way back to each other. This was very enjoyable.

I am voluntarily reviewing an ARC provided by Gay Romance Reviews ( )

This is a story of a prince and a pauper. Both their fathers are dead. Both are neglected by their mother. In the case of the prince it's bordering abuse. Both sneak away to see each other (I think they are 15 at the time).

After being caught kissing, the boys are separated. One is essentially imprisoned in his luxurious castle, being groomed to be the king of a small (imaginary) European country, the other sent to a boarding school.

They meet again after 11 years (I am still confused: why did Henry spend all this time living in a cabin in the mountains??? what was he doing there? what did he do for the living?). The young men are clearly still in love, and hurting terribly by the separation.

There is now real angst. There is no real magic. The story almost turned reverse-cinderfella. But this is a fairy tale, so the HEA is guaranteed. I am not sure what purpose the curse served, except for keeping the prince tied to the castle. The ending is a bit stretched out, so I skipped a few pages ;) On the whole, it was a good read, with a few really likable female characters.

4.5 stars

PS This is not a fantasy or an AU, except for a tiny useless curse in the very end. Location is somewhere in Europe, in the mountains, in an imaginary country. ( )