Review by Ronny
Series Name: Princes, # 1
The Raven Prince hooked me in and took me on one swoony ride.
Favourite Quote:
“I’ve hear some people say my temper is rather…” He paused, apparently searching for a word.
Anna helped him. “Savage?”
He squinted at her.
“Ferocious.”
He frowned and opened his mouth.
She was quicker. “Barbaric?”
He cut her off before she could add to her list. “Yes, well, let us simply say that it intimidates some people.” He hesitated. “I wouldn’t want to intimidate you, Mrs. Wren.”
“You don’t.”
Book Synopsis:
There comes a time in a lady’s life…
Widowed Anna Wren is having a wretched day. After an arrogant male on horseback nearly squashes her, she arrives home to learn that she is in dire financial straits.
When she must do the unthinkable…
The Earl of Swartingham is in a quandary. Having frightened off two secretaries, Edward de Raaf needs someone who can withstand his bad temper and boorish behavior.
And find employment.
When Anna becomes the earl’s secretary, it would seem that both their problems are solved. Then she discovers he plans to visit the most notorious brothel in London for his “manly” needs. Well! Anna sees red—and decides to assuage her “womanly” desires…with the earl as her unknowing lover.
Review:
Ok, I am going to admit something that, as a historical romance bookworm, I am a bit ashamed of. Up until now, I have not read an Elizabeth Hoyt book. Thankfully, with the help of Kobo, I have finally corrected that terrible mistake. It’s been a gloomy and stressful winter, and when I’m stressed, I turn to comfort reads, which for me are historical romances. I was browsing the Kobo store and was thrilled to see a bunch of historical romance books on sale, written by authors I haven’t read yet. I know Elizabeth Hoyt has been writing historical romances for a long time, and her books have been praised by both members of our book club and the hosts from Fated Mates. I chose The Raven Prince as my first Elizabeth Hoyt book, and I am so glad I did.
There is definitely an old-school vibe and writing style to this book. I cannot believe I am saying this, but I am now grouping the early 2000’s into the old school realm, since this book is 20 years old (God, I’m old). When I say old school, think lots of detail, especially when it comes to describing the setting, the heroes tend to have borderline red flags (not intentionally done), and you can clearly see what was trending during that time in the romance world. Now, I love old school romances, and I can overlook things that would be considered faux pas nowadays. I guess my word of warning is: keep in mind that this book is 20 years old, and things that were considered acceptable then may not be the case now. In my opinion, this book aged well. I didn’t find any glaring problems with the plot or its characters.
Let’s talk about the story. It’s so damn good. There are so many big emotions, and I love a good old-fashioned forbidden romance that is surrounded by misunderstandings, hidden identities, and a hero who is just so damn broken. We have Anna, a widow who needs a job to help support the ragtag family she lives with. As romance luck would have it, the mysterious Earl is in need of a secretary, and after some perfectly timed events, Anna ends up getting the job. Edward is that golden example of a broody, stand-offish nobleman who you know is so broken and believes he doesn’t deserve to be loved. Right from the beginning, it is clear that there is a connection and tension between Anna and Edward. Both characters, of course, are blinded to what is brewing between them. They are both stuck in that societal expectation mindset, where any sort of lustful feelings they may have for one another would be forbidden. She is his employee and a lower-class widow, and he is an Earl who is sort of betrothed to another. One of the things I loved about the growing relationship between these two was that they continued to surprise one another. Edward is so used to everyone being afraid of him because of his temper, which doesn’t bug Anna, and Anna gets glimpses of a softer side to Edward that he tries so damn hard to hide. This story is emotion-driven. There aren’t any big action scenes or fast-paced ones. The story really focuses on these two characters trying to navigate their growing feelings for one another and having some really great sex.
The romance is great. I liked the chemistry between these two. There is just so much drama and dynamic feelings going on. Because both see their feelings as being forbidden and that they cannot act upon them, you get those frustrated moments where misunderstandings happen, and tempers fly. The forbidden element also drives Anna to disguise herself and enter the brothel to seduce Edward, which was such a spicy scene (or two). I was actually surprised at how spicy this book was. If you like your romances on the spicy side, you will love this book. Setting aside all the lusty feelings, I also enjoyed watching these two grow closer and break down the walls they built because of societal expectations. Those quiet moments stood out just as much as those lusty moments.
The Raven Prince is such a gem of a read, and if you like your heroes broken and broody, then you will devour this book.
