Recent Reads

The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

Why this one: I adored her first two

Level of Heat: Ohhhhhhhhhh yeeeaaaaaaa

Amazon blurb: Lucy Craddock-Hayes thought the man lying in the ditch was dead, but he survived the assault. With the help of her servant, Lucy brings the gentleman home, and learns that he is Viscount Simon Iddesleigh. As Simon slowly recuperates, he finds himself falling in love with sharp-witted and surprisingly sharp-tongued Lucy, but he also knows that the longer he stays, the more likely it is that his quest for vengeance will endanger Lucy and her family. Delectably clever writing, deliciously complex characters, and a delightfully sexy romance between two perfectly matched protagonists are the key ingredients in the third book in Hoyt's superbly crafted, loosely connected Georgian-era Princes trilogy.

My thoughts: The first time I met Elizabeth Hoyt, was in the elevator. I gushed, I followed her way past my floor in full gushing mode. I made an idiot of myself and gave my roomies lots of laughs. If I had read The Serpent Prince before I ran into her in Dallas I probably would have followed her off the elevator, down the hall, into her room and just sat on the bed and not wanted to leave, I loved this book that much.

Simon is just not that nice a guy in some ways. He is bent on revenge for the murder of his brother and nothing is going to stop him. He makes a great anti-hero. There is something you don’t like about him, yet he is so compelling, so riveting, you just have this attraction to his character. You don’t see this kind of character all that often so when you do – Wowzers – he makes an impression. And what really sold me on Simon and on this book, was how he was completely wrecked for the heroine. I’ve mentioned before how I love this in a romance book; when the hero is so gone for the heroine. Simon says that Lucy is his salvation and you really get the feeling that she is. This otherwise urbane, dissolute, revenge seeking anti-hero really needs the heroine to keep going.

And Lucy is also a great heroine. Not quite as memorable as Simon, but I think she was a great match for him. Although somewhat innocent, she still has a lot of sense to her. And I love how Ms. Hoyt captures the atmosphere of the time. I love a good Georgian setting and this is a Very Good One.

I know this is going to be a book I read over and over. I’ve already placed it on my Top 100 of all time Romance books

Grade: 5 out of 5

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas

Why this one: heh, heh – I don’t think this needs any splainin’ It’s Lisa Kleypas.

Level of Heat: She’s had hotter, but this one is just fine

Amazon Blurb: When an unexpected inheritance elevates her family to the ranks of the aristocracy, Amelia Hathaway discovers that tending to her younger sisters and wayward brother was easy compared to navigating the intricacies of the ton. Even more challenging: the attraction she feels for the tall, dark, and dangerously handsome Cam Rohan.

Wealthy beyond most men’s dreams, Cam has tired of society’s petty restrictions and longs to return to his “uncivilized” Gypsy roots. When the delectable Amelia appeals to him for help, he intends to offer only friendship—but intentions are no match for the desire that blindsides them both. But can a man who spurns tradition be tempted into that most time-honored arrangement: marriage? Life in London society is about to get a whole lot hotter….

My Thoughts: Cam Rohan blazed onto the scene in The Devil in Winter. It didn’t take much for him to captivate all of us and I think many of us were counting the time until this one came out. I had an ARC but I didn’t want to read it too far ahead of everyone else. But with it’s eminent release I decided the time was right. Now I’m not even nearly the first to post their thoughts on this book.

First up – it didn’t knock Dreaming of You off it’s pedestal but then it would take an EXTREMELY rare book to do that. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this one.

I think Amelia made a fine heroine for Cam after we all thought that he was going to end up with Daisy. I much prefer Amelia. I enjoyed how she was the spine in her family and took care of all of them after the death of her family.

And Cam – oh he was delish! I’ve read a number of books with heroes of Gypsy heritage and he is right up there now on the top of the list – well, he shares it with Nicolas from MJP’s Thunder and Roses. I loved how he so quickly became so protective of Amelia and her family.

To me this seemed a bit different than Lisa Kleypas’ other series. I’m not sure how to put it, but it seemed more like a first chapter of a continuing story and I almost expected the words “To Be Continued” to be on the final page. I found that very intriguing and smart.

I can’t say a whole lot more other than I love, just love her books, her writing and her personally and this book only adds to the love.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

'til later