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Book Review of The Serpent Prince (Princes, Bk 3)

The Serpent Prince (Princes, Bk 3)
The Serpent Prince (Princes, Bk 3)
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Genre: Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
reviewed on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


I loved this book!! It is the last - and in my opinion, best - book in a trilogy. It is not necessary to read them in order, but all three are excellent. The premise of this book is that a young woman, living in the country, comes upon a nearly dead, naken man in the road. She brings him home and nurses him back to health, over the objection of her father, a brusque sea captain who grudgingly allows her to keep him in the house. He finally regains consciousness and we learn that he is Viscount Iddesleigh, a man who is more accustomed to debauchery in London than to simple country living. Iddesleigh and his rescuer, Lucy, start to get to now one another and begin a flirtation. The dialogue is hilarious, as Iddesleigh is something of a sarcastic bastard who has witty repartee for every occasion.

But Iddesleigh struggles with many of his own demons, and the men who originally wanted him killed, but failed, pursue him to this tiny hamlet, where he is shot at. Though it is obvious they both having feelings for each other, he leaves Lucy in order to protect her, and also to save her from himself, who he sees as unworthy of her. In the meantime, Lucy realizes that life as a country wife might not be what she wants, and she turns down the proposal of her longtime suitor.

What I loved about this book was that the struggle between Iddesleigh and Lucy seemed realistic - His issues were portrayed convincingly, and it was understandable why Lucy would have a hard time, at first, with accepting his demons. I loved that once Iddesleigh got past his initial hesitancy with Lucy, his love was so intense and his fear of losing her was so desperate. I really liked that the book did not focus a lot on the character's inner debate over whether they really loved the other person. Thus, I was a little disappointed when Lucy "realized" that she loved him. I thought that it was clear to both of them that they loved each other pretty early on. Unlike books that start with a marriage of convenience or for honor, these characters fell in love first - so why it even had to be an issue at all confuses me. But nonetheless, I strongly recommend it!