The Raven Prince
by Elizabeth Hoyt
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Book Summary Information
Author: Elizabeth HoytEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-11-01
ISBN: 0446618470
Number of pages: 392
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780446618472
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Raven Prince
Book Review: the best book i've read all year. 5 stars (shoo...TEN stars)
Summary: 5 Stars
the idea that this is elizabeth hoyt's debut novel is ludicrous. i say this because if this is indeed her firsr foray into writing romance novels, this author has a stellar career ahead of her. the raven prince is the best book i've read all year. it has everything, a strong and compassionate heroine, an emotionally vunerable hero, and a plot that had just the right amount of excitement, sensuality, and intrigue. no doubt this author has become an auto-buy for me.
ann wren is a widow down on her luck. she is living in genteel poverty with her mother-in-law and maid. unfortunately, the money from the investments made by her now dead husband is no longer enough for them to sustain themelves. ann decides to get a job. although she is educated and a lady, no one is looking for either a governess or a tutor. a chance encounter with the earl of swartingham's stewart leads to her gaining a position as the earl's secretary. why is the stewart desperate enough to hire a female for the position? well turns out the earl has a wicked temper and likes to shout and throw things, which ends up scaring away the previous two secretaries in short order.
edward de raaf, the earl of swartingham, has just returned to his childhood home after being away for years following the marriage to his first wife. upon her death, he comes home to build a new life and hopefully start a new family. unfortunately, the house is full of ghosts, as he lost his beloved family to the small pox two decade prior to his return. as the sole survivor, he also bears the scars from his own battle with small pox, which has left his fax pocted, so he's not considered to be the most attractive nobleman available. his demanding and violatile nature makes him even less appealing.
ann and edward have AMAZING chemistry. it is obvious from the beginning that ann is more than enough for edward, and she does not cower beneath his anger, which leads to numerous ocassions where they butt heads. the dialogue is witty and intelligent. what was so great about this story is the fact that neither ann nor edward are these stunningly beautiful human beings. the reader gets to see how they find the less obvious attributes about each other to love. edward is in thrall of ann's voluptous lips, and ann can't help but admire edward's masculinely beautiful eyes and body. as the story continues, the reader bears witness to other attributes being revealed almost like the opening of gifts. we see that edward, despite his bad temper, is both fair and compassionate when it comes to his staff and tenants. ann, who at first one thinks is prone to only moments of bravery, evolves into the most appealing heroine as her association with edward forces her to address her needs as a woman, and her status in society when it conflicts with her duty as a charitable human being. she builds her backbone with each succeeding event in this book and by the end, i was totally applauding her for the courage and intelligence she displayed time and time again.
edward also evolved during this tale. he goes from someone who was willing to remarry simply for the sake of gaining an heir, to a man who realizes the importance of having love in a marriage. he is insecure about his scars despite his arrogance, which makes him even more appealing. edward reminded me alot of derek craven and i have NEVER until now come across a hero who so reminded me of that beloved character, so you know this is high praise indeed.
the plotline itself was mostly original. while i've read stories before of secretaries working for noblemen, i have yet to read a story where the heroine was brave enough to act on her passion in the way this heroine was willing to do. safe to say, ann was determined to have her night of passion with edward, even if it meant resorting to gaining his favor in a brothel.
but don't let that turn you off, folks. i'm telling you, hoyt has a true gift when it comes to writing intimate scenes. she has a deft touch at building the sexual tension between ann and edward, way before they'd even had their first kiss. when they finally consumated their relationship (albeit without edward's knowledge...nice touch, ms. hoyt), the heat existing between them torches the pages. hoyt has that mixture of explicit detail and emotional intimacy and sense of adventure i totally dig in a romance novel. these scenes reminded me of two other authors gifted at writing intimate scenes...sabrina jeffries and adele ashworth.
even the secondary characters had depth. from edward's steward with his garrish sense of fashion, to ann's mother-in-law, who shows a remarkable level of insight, to the 'soiled dove' who assists ann in achieving her night of passion with edward, hoyt doesn't just brush in these characters, she illustrates them in detail. in other words, these characters do more than just move the story along. they add texture to the story, bringing it even MORE to life and they're all unforgettable, even the dog. hoyt makes the reader actually care what happens to them.
the villains and the plot involving her dead husband is enough to add a bit of conflict and angst to the tale, as does edward's engagement to another woman. ann and edward have a few obstacles to overcome before they get to their hea, and reading as they get there, watching as they fall in love, was simply beautiful. the last ten pages of this story moved me and had me cheering.
and the cherry on the top of this exquisite story? an excerpt of 'the raven prince' appears at the beginning of each chapter. i was taken back to the time when i first read that story as a child, and even those excerpts were an integral part of the story. NOTHING is wasted here.
so in the end, i closed the book and sighed. and immediately came here to write this review because i was just too giddy and still feeling the reverberations from this tale. normally i pick up another book to read about an hour after the last one is finished. in this case, i'm gonna ride the cloud of contentment and relive the great moments in this book until tomorrow.
yes, folk...it is THAT good. HIGHLY recommended.
Summary of The Raven Prince
There comes a time in a womanrsquo;s life when she must do the unthinkable - and find employment. For the widowed Anna Wren, that means taking a job as female secretary for the Earl of Swartingham. Secretaries are always male - never female - as Anna well knows but the real downfall of her career is the realisation that she is falling in love with Edward de Raaf - the Earl. But when she realises that he is going to visit a brothel in London to take care of his 'manly' desires, Anna sees red - and decides to take advantage of the opportunity to also take care of her 'womanly' desires - with the Earl as her unknowing lover. But the Earl has another reason for going to London. He is formalising his betrothal and trying (with little success) to forget about a secretary that has no right being female. Unhandsome, he knows that no woman wants him. Except for the mysterious lady with whom he spent two unforgettable nights at Aphroditersquo;s Grotto, the most scandalous brothel in London. But when Annarsquo;s plan is revealed, a bit of blackmail is thrown into the mix, a proposal is rejected and even the Earl himself will be unprepared for the intrigues that ensnare them.Historical Books
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