Hannah Armstrong

I think it was, it predates, it either predates content warnings or it was like the first edition just didn't have it and it was issues later.

I can't remember the exact chronology.

I think that is fair to say, but I don't know.

I think there's such a... I don't know.

I was thinking about how dark romance is kind of the context we're looking at Captive Prince in these days, but when it was published, we were kind of looking at the context of Game of Thrones, and it's such a big divide.

And so I suppose with dark romance, it's all about exploring taboo themes within a safe context, but that probably...

It might somewhat apply for Captain Prince, but it's also published in a landscape where fantasy was violent and it was a bit gratuitous and there was a lot more being explored from a non-romantic perspective that I think is...

Like that's a little point of nuance that I think does change the conversation.

Yeah.

And I love the visual at the end where they both have, like,

one manacle each and it's like there's so many like visual cues to say like no they are on the same playing field on the same playing field which is why the title of the third book is called Kings Rising yes oh my god um well let's talk a little bit more about Damon and Laurent our our loves um

Yeah, I agree.

Yeah.

Because it is, it's third person, but it's in his perspective.

And you do not like Laurent at the start of the book.

Well, this is the ultimate enemies to lovers book, and it is the book that I judge all other enemies to lovers romances against.

Like the slow burn of that two-book romance arc where there's like nothing happening in those two – nothing happening for however long it's not happening.

But the point of pining from book two where things start to shift is so exquisitely tight.

And I think it really hones in on this like –

like, neutral moment in that relationship.