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beanbaglove

Beanbag Love

I read. I write. I talk about reading and writing. That is when I'm not driving kids somewhere or teaching them. Married, educated, domesticated. I really enjoy the friends I've met through a variety of different message boards and venues regarding reading and authors. I try to take a positive view when I write reviews but sometimes I can't. Those times are few and far between, but they do exist. I'm mostly an old softy, though. I think so anyway.

Currently reading

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Susanna Clarke
The Serpent Prince - Elizabeth Hoyt Had a hard time putting this one down. While it had a stronger beginning than finish, it was just barely. I loved the two characters throughout and, even though it was extremely angst-ridden, it was romantic and hopeful as well.

Lucy meets Simon when she finds him unconscious by the side of the road. Naked. Bloody. Dead (or so she thinks). She's such a kind heart, she intends to haul him away even as a 'deader' but when she finds he's actually alive she demands her servant help her get him into their coach so she can take him home to care for him.

Needless to say, her father is not pleased to have this naked man in his house. When Simon wakes up and sees her he declares her an angel and the two hit it off right away. Again, this does NOT please Lucy's father.

I won't say much more about the plot because there are a lot of things going on and I don't want to spoil anything. Simon is a shameless flirt with a very dark undercurrent. Lucy is a very pure, very sweet woman who has an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the status quo of her life. Simon awakens her spirit the way no one else ever has. They are really wonderful together.

I thought this was a very romantic book. There were stretches where I was frustrated, but it was as a reader getting into the difficult situation in the story more than as a reader cursing the author for doing something I couldn't believe. It was actually a rather emotional read.

Simon is a dandy, be prepared. But one of the things I love about the Georgian era is the "alpha in lace" aspect. Simon is deadly. He's all male. Right down to his red-heeled pumps. LOL. The fashions of the time did NOT take away from my enjoyment of his character.

There is some very explicit violence and gore. It's a necessary part of the plot, but it can be a bit upsetting. It's not quite at Outlander level, but it's pretty gross.

So, there you have it. I really liked this book. It's the best of the three "Prince" books as far as I'm concerned. My only complaint was the usual one. It needed an epilogue. Especially if it's the last of a trilogy. We needed to see the HEA beyond the ending of this story. And it would have been nice to bring all three couples together for a scene of their future. Just as a button on the whole series. But I won't take away a star for that. Maybe she'll put a little something on her website at some point. We can hope. :D