We are not all what we
seem, is one of the themes that pervades this story, as well as the
delightful introductions to each chapter of the real fairy tale The
Raven Prince, that make this story a delight and a book difficult to
put down. Edward De Raff, the fifth Earl of Swartingham is a large,
pox-marked man, and is the lone survivor of the horrible smallpox
disease that took his entire family in his youth. He returns to his
home estate plagued with memories of them and a past marriage that
ended in the death of his wife in childbirth; a wife who died unable to
love him because of his scars. He plans to remarry the young, quiet,
Lady Gerard, who continues to tell him (while always looking down at
her hands) that the scars do not matter. But this man is also known for
a temper and now has a more difficult situation because he is in need
of a secretary; one that will stay with him long enough to complete his
manuscript.
Anna Wren has lived in Little Battleford her entire life. A beautiful
widow of good moral standing in the community, she has been living for
the past six years with her mother-in-law and a young woman in need the
two women took in. She has been hurting financially and emotionally, as
when her husband passed, he not only left her to live with a financial
burden, but with sad memories of a childless and unfaithful marriage.
She is thinking through her situation and how she is to continue
feeding her little family, when the Earl charges through town on his
horse and nearly runs her over and unseats himself. As he rages out of
the mud puddle he has fallen into, Anna sees this famous temper for
herself, but also finds that she is intrigued by this large man. She
soon learns the Earl's steward is looking for a secretary and asks for
the position. Mr. Hopple is desperate and he hires Anna.
When Anna arrives at the estate to begin her job it is the Earl's turn
to be intrigued. He finds her beautiful and intelligent and soon finds
himself overwhelmed by lust for her. He travels to London to visit a
famous brothel, Aphrodite's Grotto to work off his lust and temptation
for Anna. Anna is drawn to the Earl as well and becomes angry that he
would lust for her and then turn to another woman. She wants to
disguise and mask herself and request the Earl as her guest at
Aphrodite's Grotto. At one time Anna rescued a prostitute, Pearl, from
the side of the road, after she was beaten and left for dead. Anna
turns to Pearl for help, as Pearl knows the owner of Aphrodite's
Grotto. Edward and Anna meet for two nights of passion so intense that
they are both haunted with the sensual pleasure afterward. Soon Edward
finds out it was Anna he met with and once his anger subsides, he makes
the decision to end the arranged marriage to Lady Gerard and marry
Anna. Anna feels she is not good enough for Edward, especially because
she feels she is childless, and the chase, continued lust, passion and
love build to a delightful ending.
The Raven Prince is truly a beautiful story with characters that are
real and unforgettable. The love scenes are beautifully written. It is
a story that makes you believe that true love conquers all. Elizabeth
Hoyt is one of those authors that will not be able to write fast enough
for her fans.
Publisher: Warner
(November 2006)
Reviewed
by Beverly,
Beverly Romance Books
