Book Review: In Enemy Hands by M.A. Church
A prince must always do his best for his people. Prince Varo Kutchif, the third son of the royal family and a starship captain, must attempt the impossible to prevent the Yesri kingdom from spiraling further into chaos. The king, his father, cares more for satisfying his carnal appetites than making sure the kingdom flourishes. His desperation for more money to support his hedonistic lifestyle has pushed him to send Varo on a fool’s mission: convince the Helkans to allow the mining of Black Phospolrock.
The mysterious Helkans maintain isolation from other planets. There have been many others who attempted to exploit them for Black Phospolrock, but all have failed. Varo makes contact with Adler Mondur, the king’s older brother and head assassin. Adler is determined to protect his king and kingdom from any threat, including the Yesri prince when he crash lands on their planet after being commanded to exit their planet’s orbit.
Varo is alone on an unfriendly, unfamiliar planet that never releases hostages. It isn’t long after he crashes that Adler finds him, and makes sure Varo can’t get away. Thus begins a journey where two men from disparate civilizations grow from enemies to lovers.
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Varo goes into his diplomatic mission almost desperate not to fail. His father has ordered him to attack if negotiations fall through. He can’t ignore orders either, since his crew was threatened to force his compliance. Varo is willing to sacrifice himself to protect his crew, which is how he ends up stranded on Helkan. Once there, he’s open-minded enough to begin truly understanding the tenets of Helkan culture. He even begins to appreciate and respect the Helkan way of life more than the Yesri traditions.
Adler has no respect for the Yesri since he knows them only as violent people with no respect for the environment or interest in preservation. He knows that if the Yesri, or any other interested party, are allowed to mine Black Phospolrock, they won’t make any effort to do so sustainably or avoid destruction to the land. The Helkans have no interest in allowing that to happen. After meeting Varo, Adler believes he is not as violent or willfully ignorant as expected and attempts to help him experience Helkan culture.
Both of them are caught off guard by their intense attraction to each other, though Varo is the most resistant. Having experienced very little love and care in his home life, Varo isn’t prepared for how Adler treats him. The Helkan isn’t necessarily kind, but he is patient and he never does things without asking for Varo’s consent.
5 stars! Recommended for anyone interested in princes, assassins, and enemies-to-lovers.