The Serpent Prince (again)

The Serpent Prince Elizabeth Hoyt Grade: A- Sensuality: Hot I blogged briefly about this book back in May, promising at that time to actually review it closer to release date. That date is just about upon us.

When the book opens, Lucy Craddock-Hayes comes upon a naked and unconscious man left for dead in the road as she returns from a walk with her manservant in tow. Although said manservant is apoplectic about the situation, Lucy takes control and has the man brought to her home to recover, even though her father is dead-set against it. Lucy is a strong young woman not given to moments of flightiness, and though she loves her father, right is right.

When Simon, Viscount Iddesleigh, awakens, Lucy's quiet country life changes forever. She spends a great deal of time with him as he recuperates, and is enthralled by his wit, intelligence, and beauty. As for Simon, he is enchanted by her as well, and as the book progresses, what appealed to me most of all is that while indeed he has great physical lust for her, that lust and his overall attraction to her partially derive from her intelligence and goodness. I can't tell you how much that exquisite change from the norm appealed to me.

But it wasn't for nothing that Simon was left for dead on that country road, and Lucy knows it. Simon is out for revenge against the men responsible for his brother's murder. The men are on to him and will do whatever it takes to protect themselves against him - and the information he has uncovered about them, which could destroy their fortunes. So our hero and heroine try to deny their growing feelings. Simon will do what it takes to protect Lucy, less from himself perhaps than from danger, particularly after a most erotic scene in which he catches her bathing, touching herself, and knowing she's thinking of him as she does it. My God, this scene is hot! As for Lucy, she continues to allow the local vicar to court her, although he's waited for many years to press his suit.

Among the many things that makes this book different from 99% of other romances wherein the hero leaves the heroine "for her own good" is the way Hoyt handles their reunion. These are intelligent people, and they behave intelligently by owning up to their feelings and acting accordingly.

I won't say more about Simon's quest for vengeance and how that figures throughout the remainder of the story because, to quote Sandy's eloquent DIK review earlier this week at AAR, "that storyline takes second place to the development of the relationship between Lucy and Simon." And thank goodness, because many a romance novel features revenge sub-plots that overwhelm the romance. That said, though, the revenge does come between Simon and Lucy, but in the best, Mary Jo Putney, Silk and Shadows sort of way that forces growth in each character. Even Lucy's father is affected by this, but to read how, you'll have to catch Monday's ATBF column.

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

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