Prince of Ice by Emma Holly

Prince Corum is born with a defect but his mother had so much trouble even getting pregnant that she chooses to try to hide his problem from those around her. Corum's problem is that of emotion, that he feels too much for the rather Spock-like Yama. Fortunately when an orphan girl, Xishi, plays with Corum when they are both babies it seems that Xishi calms him so the two grow up together until they are eight years old. At that point Corum's mother decides Xishi isn't helping him to grow away from his emotions and she is sent away. Corum grows up on his own, a Prince of Ice, with just his martial arts teacher as a source of warmth and friendship. 

Xishi ends up in a school for Pillow Girls and Boys, a training academy for courtesans to the princes and princesses of Yama. Apparently there are physical differences between the Royals and 'normal' Yama, the Rohn, but the Purple Crane school, where Xishi is training, has a royal prince to practise their skills on. His family have cast him out and made it known that he is dead so Prince Pahndin's life, following the death of his wife and mate, is empty; however, he spends time with Xishi and they forge some kind of a friendship, until one of the Pillow Boys reports Xishi and she is sold. 

Fortuitously for Xishi, she is sold to Prince Corum. Cor has changed very much from when they were children and yet they soon find that they are very compatible. However there's a secret behind Xishi's birth which soon begins to leak out, especially when Corum and Xishi find themselves at the mercy of a plot to have them killed for treason. 



This is a good story and an interesting premise. It is complete within itself, but leaves a door open so that we can visit this world again. Yes, the sex is extremely explicit, and there is a great deal of it, but it doesn't feel especially gratuitous. The erotic scenes are an essential part of the storyline and very well done.

I will be looking out for more in this series.