The Leopard Prince
by Elizabeth Hoyt
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Book Reviews of The Leopard Prince
Book Review: Get real! (or at least "likely" or "possible")
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this book because I wanted to find a new author (maybe not this new!). There is real potential there, don't get me wrong but a little more contact with what passes for reality in period fiction would be nice.
We are expected to believe that this 19th century heroine is experiencing the opposite of past-life regression (future life progression?). She is pure 21st century at its most impure. The story line is merely an excuse to thread one sex scene with another. The other characters also have 21st century sensibilities and broad mindedness.
Then there is this ongoing fairy tale (thus the title of the book) which could have just as well have been skipped w/o altering the story line in any way (just the title). This is like those 1940's musicals where people suddenly burst into song except here she bursts into fairy-tale-telling at the most inappropriate moments (and the hero eats it up, no less!)
Frankly, a few pages into the book and I already knew the middle, before the middle, I knew the end. No surprises or subtlety here. The bad characters were very bad, the good characters were very good or soon would be, there were no intermediate major characters, there are no unimportant issues, but very important issues (who is your father? who is your brother?)are just addressed as if you could say "Oh, well..." and go your merry way.
I am willing (and eager) to suspend reality somewhat in order to enter a fictional world. Why else would I be reading historical romances and escapist literature? But I have to be able to believe the characters could exist as fully-formed people, consistent to themselves, the experiences that formed them, and to the social framework in which they live.
You can't take 21st century characters, dress them in period costume, mount them on a horse and then manipulate them to behave in whatever manner best suits the ending. These are characters with little depth who never really become people. They never react or behave the way "real" people would have back then (and probably not now, either).
Something or someone has to be belieable at some point or the story just won't work.
Book Review: The Worse thing a lady Could do is ...
Summary: 5 Stars
... fall in Love with her servant. Well, maybe not in our time but it certainly was in 1760 England. Members of aristocracy ONLY mingled with aristocracy, common people only hang out with common people. Think of it like segregation. So pretty much any affair between an aristocratic and a commoner outside business was forbidden.
That's why it bothered and irritated her family greatly when Lady Georgina ( an independent and rich noblewoman ) choose NOT the newly titled Duke, or the Rich Earl's son who is the catch of the season not even a successful business man who came from a humble background but Her Own self employed Servant as her lover. Harry Pye never understood the aristocracy and in a matter of fact he never cared to, it's only enough that they ruined his life as a boy but he applied for a job as a land steward anyway a man must always take the opportunity and Harry needed food and money. However to his shock his Employer wasn't an Old Lord but a Lady and ( a pretty Lady ) so it felt only too natural that he as man will feel attracted to her, but can it survive ? Their affair ?
This has been my first Elizabeth Hoyt book and I LOVED it ! The characters are likable, kinda strange for 1760 though I thought they fitted better in the Regency period or perhaps Victorian but I can see where the author was pointing out in this one, in The Regency period taking a lover even if he was a low born was mostly common and although it might have caused a scandal it wasn't something too out of the ordinary and in the Victorian area people often started rebelling against their society's rules and regulations and they married for love, so an affair between a servant and his lady wouldn't have been too uncommon either but in 1760 well that's almost unheard of. So I get the point on the time. Either way, good book ! Really enjoyed it. The love scenes are steamy and this book has about everything suspense, mystery, drama, humor and the secondary characters were likable too except for the villains of course.
I'm looking forward to reading the other 2 books in the prince series by the same author.
Book Review: Am I the only one who notices these things???
Summary: 2 Stars
Okay, yet again I have to wonder if I am the only one who notices some of these things....
First, I need to say that I'm not going to recap the whole story. That's been done, ad finitum. I am, however, going to address some of the reasons that this book is, at best, a 2 star.
So, where on earth does Ms. Hoyt come up with her descriptions of genitalia? Really! The descriptions were horrible! If I saw a man with the coloration and shaping that Harry had, I would tell him to call a doctor! As for Lady Georgina's "weeping opening", I am left to wonder at how her genitalia has emotions! This is almost as bad as the crying vulva from Madeline Hunter's book, "The Sinner".
I agree with the other reviewer that this might just as well have been set in current times, less the sheep killings, of course. As most people, at least where I live, don't have a lot of sheep grazing around. Other than the sheep stuff, the mindset of the characters is not really appropriate to the time frame.
I don't know what book the rest of the reviewers were reading, but these sex scenes just weren't all that hot. They were a bit dirty, which is okay with me, but they didn't engender any feelings of "wow" in me. And the whole genitalia thing was a total turn-off.
I'm ticked with Lady George for her immature and absurd behavior through several parts of this book. I'm kinda wondering about the ending but I can't say anything about it without spoilers, and people tend to get a bit upset when I include those. ;)
Now that I've explained what I DIDN'T like, I'll tell you what I did... um... there weren't a lot of typos. Harry seemed like a decent enough fellow. I liked Will.
There you go. If you choose to read this, do so with a foreknowledge that you might get grossed out at the times you're supposed to be the most turned on, and you might find yourself scratching your head going "huh?" a lot. I leave the decision up to you, the reader.
Book Review: Almost a 4 star, not in love with the last part of the novel
Summary: 3 Stars
This was a very enjoyable read. I instantly liked the characters even if the heroine was a bit of a modern thinker for her time. Lady Georgina owns her own lands and has her own mind. She is attracted to her land steward Mr. Harry Pye. He is a self made man with a compassionate heart. The sparks are there right from the beginning of the story.
Harry is being framed for sheep killings in the area and for a related murder. There are lots of skeletons in his closet. The locals are convinced he is guilty of the crimes in the area because of his past difficulties with one of the weatlhy land owners. There is an obvious villian and the mystery was easy to solve but it is very secondary to the love story.
Lady George is falling fast for Mr. Pye. He is reluctant to engage in an affair as he recognizes their station differences and believes they will have no future. Lady George, however, is living for the moment.
So with all of these wonderful characters, why does this book not get 5 stars? Well, the ending has the book dropping to just 3 1/2 stars. Georgina acts totally out of character in the last third of the book. For a woman with her own mind, she allows her brothers to make all the important decisions in her life. I had a hard time believing this was the same Lady George who fell in love with her land steward. She is so under her brother's control that she gives over her future to their most incapable hands. Really, where is the Lady George who defies convention? Somewhere along the way she became the kind of heroine I really do not like, the simpering can't make up my mind, do what the strongest male in my family wants aristocrat. This would be an understandable ploy if we were not introduced to a spunky, carefree, unconventional heroine throughout most of the novel. Despite the ending, I still recommend this novel. The idea is fresh and Mr. Pye is quite the hero.
Book Review: Different and delightful...a real treat!
Summary: 5 Stars
Lady Georgina ("George") Maitland travels alone in her coach with her new land steward, Harry Pye, from London to her country estate. A severe rainstorm disables their coach and, when the driver goes for help, George and Harry take shelter in a deserted cottage where they spend the night. Nothing improper occurs, but the intimate accommodations and oddly charming banter make them most aware of each other as male and female. And they like what they see. But Harry is far below George in social rank, so nothing serious and lasting - or even frivolous and temporary - can ever come of their acquaintance. This is fine with Harry, who wants no part of any aristocratic virgin. He wants (or so he thinks) a strictly employer-employee relationship. George is not so sure. She truly does not know WHAT she wants from Harry, but she knows it's more than crop advice. And in her own unique and endearingly funny way, she is determined to find out.
What a fantastic read! George and Harry are wonderful romantic leads and PERFECT foils for one another. Harry has been solemn for far too long, and George's charming effervescence simply bowls him over. Their conversations and intimacies are a joy to read. The humor is wonderful and is nicely balanced with some mystery, some suspense, and some rather dark moments. There are so many little things to like in this story, particularly the many contradictions lurking beneath the surface. Such as clever George clueless about her own feelings; her tender nature hidden beneath an out-spoken veneer. And Harry's deadpan façade masking his warmth and inner mischief. There may be readers who find some terminology a bit raunchy, but I'm well past that...and it totally fits with the story and style of writing. Ms. Hoyt has expertly combined humor and passion to create a most compelling read, and better than the first (The Raven Prince). Very well done.