The Leopard Prince
by Elizabeth Hoyt
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Book Reviews of The Leopard Prince
Book Review: Good, but not great second novel from the author of The Raven Prince
Summary: 3 Stars
Lady Georgina Maitland, daughter of the Earl of Maitland, neither wants, nor needs, a husband. She was bequeathed land and wealth by her aunt and runs her own estates without the assistance of a man. However, at 28, George is beginning to discover that while she might not want or need a husband, there are some things for which one might come in handy. For instance, whenever George is around her land steward, Mr. Harry Pye, she finds herself feeling the strangest things. Never having had any serious encounters with men, despite one failed engagement, George doesn't really know what these feelings mean, but she does know that she wants Harry to be the one to teach her.
Mr. Harry Pye has returned to his former home a prouder and more important version of the gamekeeper's son who left so many years ago. In his position as George's land steward, he hopes to show the people who shunned him and his family when he was a boy that he has grown into a mature and responsible adult. However, not everyone in his old neighborhood is happy to see him. When the sheep on the neighboring farms start turning up dead, the first person the locals suspect is Harry. When he left their countryside so many years ago, he did so with anger in his face and a grudge in his heart. Many believe that he has returned to settle the score. What they can't know is that revenge is the furthest thing form Harry's mind. He's too busy being consumed with the lust he feels for his employer, which he knows is silly as the woman is the daughter of an earl. But when George and Harry join forces to find the real culprit who is killing the sheep, the heat between them reaches fever pitch, and the last thing on either of their minds is who has a higher rank in society...
The Leopard Prince is Elizabeth Hoyt's second novel, and while I liked it, it wasn't nearly as explosively passionate as I found her first book (The Raven Prince). It took awhile for things to heat up between Harry and George, and the mystery that they are trying to solve detracted from the romance for me. This book was kind of a cross between the heat and romance of The Raven Prince and the mystery and intrigue of an Amanda Quick novel. The problem is that Hoyt doesn't have the chops just yet to pull off both without one suffering. At times the mystery was at the forefront and it was what I focused on, but at those same times the romance was suffering. At the times when the heat was blazing between Harry and George, the reason that they got together (to find the real killer) was somehow lost in their passion. This book was good, but not great. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes Amanda Quick romantic mysteries, but if you are in the mood for a passionate romance where the relationship is at the forefront, I'd suggest you look to Hoyt's previous novel, The Raven Prince.
Book Review: Sophisticated Fairy Tale Passion
Summary: 5 Stars
Elizabeth Hoyt captivated romance fans with her previous story The Raven Prince. In The Leopard Prince she mesmerizes fans with a sexy and passionate story about a bastard land steward and an aristocrat lady who fall in love. Harry Pye has led a tragic and rough life. As the bastard son of Lord Granville he has lost his father, a part of his hand, his home, and good name in an attempt to save his father's life and mother's honor from the evil Lord Granville who uses and discards not just women, but anything around him. In a strange twist Harry became one of his discards, while Lord Granville kept Harry's brother Bennett as his heir. The handsome Harry is exiled for years, but then recently returns to the land of his birth and becomes the land steward to Lady Georgina Maitland. The beautiful, charming and independent Georgina has inherited the lands next to Lord Granville from her grandmother. Already gossips are focused on her because it is shocking for a lady of the ton to own and operate her own lands. The rumor mill is really brewing now that it is rumored she is infatuated with her handsome steward. Georgina is more than infatuated with Harry. The moment they meet desire sparks and passion grows. She is captivated with his looks, strength and talent for working her lands, as well as his talent for animal wood carvings. As they meet for many moments of passion, Georgina begins to tell Harry the story of a Leopard Prince. The story and Georgina captivate Harry and he gifts her with a carving of a Leopard in a cage. Soon their idyll is interrupted as Harry is accused of poisoning the sheep of local farmers and in a further shocking incident where he is accused of poisoning a local woman. And to make matters worse, Georgina's family become involved with trying to drive a wedge between them and lure her away from Harry. As Georgina and those close to Harry work at proving his innocence, Georgina and Harry's love grows. But then Georgina begins to feel that maybe her love may hurt more than help Harry. She makes a difficult decision to free the Leopard from his cage, obey her family, and marry within the nobility. As the many truths in Harry's past are revealed and numerous accusations are overcome, can Harry prove to Georgina that he truly loves her before she makes a mistake and marries the wrong man for her? Will Georgina come to realize that true love is what can set the Leopard free? The Leopard Prince is a touching and moving story with characters and a storyline so interesting that the reader does not want the story to end. A series destined for romance collectors, fans are looking forward to the next book in the Prince Series, The Serpent Prince.Book Review: A very enjoyable, sensual historical romance.
Summary: 4 Stars
E Hoyt once again shows us her fine writing skills with this fresh take on an old plot - a gentry falling for a commoner. However, in this twist the gentry is our heroine, the wealthy twenty-eight old Lady Georgina (aka George), who falls hard for her new land steward, commoner Harry Pye. A forbidden passion erupts between them, and as you can imagine circumstances try to pull them apart. Laced throughout the book is of course the wonderful fairytale of The Leopard Prince. Instead of being at the top of each chapter (as was in The Raven Prince), Hoyt has incorporated the tale into the story itself. I loved how this fairytale played into the romance, and was yet another example of Hoyt's great writing skills.
A background subplot included the mystery of dieing sheep, a crime that Harry is wrongly accused of committing. This subplot was a bit far-fetched in my opinion, but then again I have never been a fan of mystery romances so I may not be the best person to critique this genre. However, it did keep our hero and heroine in close proximity, which gave way to the fiery passion that I very much enjoyed. When we finally find out who really did kill the sheep, I was just glad that subplot was done and over with. It is why I give the book 4 stars instead of 5.
The hero and heroine were both great, likable characters. Harry Pye made a great hero. He is quiet and reserved, but he has a dark passionate side that any romance fan will fall in love with. He was also strong willed, and not one to cower to the upper gentry or the magistrate who wrongly accused him. He made a great match for George. George was raised in a world of wealth a privilege, and as a result is understandably disconnected from the plight and day-to-day life of the common folk. She has a great heart and is intelligent, and by no means a meek minded person. Watching these two find common ground and understanding was wonderful. There were unexpected twists to the story, and their happily-ever-after ending doesn't come as easily as one would hope. It was a great book, I only wish the sheep subplot didn't take up so much of the story or was at least more interesting. Regardless, I still loved this book and I can't wait for the Serpent Prince!!
Book Review: so glad that the hero is an alpha, the very best kind
Summary: 5 Stars
I was reluctant to read THE LEOPARD PRINCE. I tend to avoid romance novels about poor and low-ranked heroes who fall in love with wealthy and aristocratic heroines. I like my men alpha, and it's hard for a man to be alpha when the woman he loves has all the advantages. Even worse, I thought, when the hero is actually in the heroine's employ.
Luckily, THE RAVEN PRINCE gave me some faith in Elizabeth Hoyt and I'm grateful because THE LEOPARD PRINCE is a wonderful book and its hero, Harry Pye, is delicious. He is absolutely an alpha male, and it takes a whole lot of inner alpha to close the gap that separates a talented land steward from his aristocratic employer.
I was reminded more than once while reading of Lady Chatterley's Lover - Harry Pye's father was a gamekeeper, after all, and Harry's pure, unvarnished masculinity is what makes him so desirable to Georgina Maitland (George). He's manly in the best of ways - disciplined, intelligent, earthy and resolute. He's the kind of man who you'd say is like a rock - he is a hard man, but also reliable.
If Harry is masculinity personified, George is femininity personified. That's why they're such a perfect match. She's soft but not weak, warm but not cloying, charming and good at putting others at ease. She's incredibly likable, and I rooted for her from the start.
Once George decides to support Harry against nearly the entire local populace and believe that he is not responsible for a recent spate of sheep-poisonings, it's them against the world. Harry knows the region and it's people, while George is a city girl, and that gives him a measure of authority as they work together to find out who's really behind the killings.
There are many barriers to a love match between George and Harry, and it's incredibly moving to see them tumble one by one as the two grow closer. It's a very sweet and heartwrenching romance, but meanwhile their physical relationship is raw and so sizzling hot that sparks practically fly off the page. It's this combination of tenderness and violence that Hoyt seems to excel at, and I enjoyed seeing it here in THE LEOPARD PRINCE.
Book Review: S'Wonderful
Summary: 5 Stars
I think Ms. Holt proved she is not a one hit wonder with her second book, The Leopard Prince. She wrote another exciting and thoughtful historical romance, it kept me turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning.
Once again Ms. Holt created characters that aren't exactly the norm for historical fiction. They aren't perfect Barbie and Ken type characters; they are flawed but extremely likeable and relatable. The heroine in this story, Lady Georgina Maitland (George), is a single woman and a major land owner. An aunt left her a considerable fortune and a lot of land. George isn't gorgeous, but she's pretty, it's her personality that makes her beautiful. She's a little unconventional, very personable, loving and caring. She has hired a land steward to run her estates, Harry Pye. He's a good looking man with stunning green eyes. He tries to remain professional and standoffish, but is caught trying not to smile and showing his amusement more often than not. Harry has had some trouble in his past and soon George's choice of land steward is challenged by the neighboring land owner, someone is poisoning sheep and all signs point to Harry.
From the start George doesn't believe that Harry is guilty of these crimes, she surprises Harry with her loyalty, and in turn he starts to see her as more than his boss. Harry and Georgina have an attraction for each other that they are both trying to ignore, because of their social positions. Their relationship builds naturally and feels completely genuine. It is easy to fall for both of these characters as she has made them very human and real. Together they burn up the pages with some very hot, extremely sensual and erotic love scenes.
While I believe this is being billed as a series, I think this book is more of a stand alone. You only briefly encounter De Raaf from The Raven Prince, and its way at the end of the book. For me, it would have been impossible for Ms. Hoyt to top the first book, The Raven Prince. This one definitely doesn't top it, but comes very close to matching it in its splendor. I am not in the least disappointed and eagerly await the next book, The Serpent Prince.