Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Fool Me Twice picks up directly after Fool Me Once. The books are intended to be read in order and this review will naturally reveal plot points from the Court of Pain duology.
Lark was thought to be the fool working as the jester in Court of Love. He thought he was immune to any feelings of love, as all he’s ever known is pain, but that was until he found Prince Arin. Lark and Arin made the perfect pair for a moment until Lark’s half brother, Razak, dragged Lark back to the Court of Pain and Arin thought Lark was lost to him forever. Razak will stop at nothing to have all four crowns and to have Lark all to himself and Arin played right into his hands. Now, Lark, Arin, and Draven, who is intimately connected to their lives, are cast out into the harsh elements and survival is the only goal.
Razak knows that Arin is Lark’s weakness and he will never stop manipulating and making Lark’s life unbearable, but Arin is determined to stop him. Arin and Lark never wanted to be parted, but now Draven has a claim over Arin, although Draven doesn’t own his heart. The men know Razak will never let them alone and they will have to rise up and stay together to prove that their past and their future were always about love.
This story is Ariana Nash spinning tales and creating worlds and doing what she does best. There isn’t a lot that I can disclose, as the fast moving plot makes everything a potential spoiler. I like books where the action starts directly in the same scene as the previous book and we get that here as Lark, Arin, and Draven are cast out into the unforgiving sands. Their lives are a constant struggle, a constant battle, and a constant game where they have to outwit and outlast.
Lark is so internally beaten down that he truly doesn’t believe he is worthy of anything, let alone someone like Arin. Yet Arin loves him and the two of them will sacrifice for each other again and again. Lark still thinks he needs to do things on his own, but his head is so clouded by years of torture at the hands of Razak. Arin realizes he can take a stand and he can fight for the man he so desperately loves.
There is a lot of story here and this is a long book. Yet, I was drawn to the story again and again through each scene as their tale unfolded. Not everything was a surprise, but there was plenty of betrayal and violence and intrigue that kept me on high alert. In the past, Nash has kept her main characters apart for long stretches, but here Lark and Arin remain at least somewhat connected most of the time, which was a nice change.
If anyone deserved a happy ever after, it is Lark and Arin and, while they struggle through defeating evil to get there, it’s rewarding to see them solidify their bond and their love to be together forever.
