Review: The Raven Prince

The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So, I read Ursula's review of The Serpent Prince and was intrigued, but of course I can't read the third book in a trilogy - because - so I started here, and what a lovely romance it was.

Anna Wren is a childless widow living with her mother-in-law in a tiny cottage. Money is tight and she desperately needs a job.

Edward de Raaf, Earl of Swartingham is a gruff man, scarred from the smallpox which killed the rest of his family, he is a keen agrarian and writer. Unfortunately his bad temper, shouting and tendency to throw things when in a rage has left him without a secretary to transcribe his scrawl for his latest book. While Edward is away in London formally proposing to Sir Richard Gerard's daughter, his steward hires Anna in desperation. A week later Edward returns home to find a plain little woman dressed in brown sitting in his secretary's office. Intrigued by her lack of fear and spiky conversation and impressed by her neat work the Earl allows her stay on.

Slowly Edward and Anna develop a friendship, she shows an interest in his views on farming, she talks to him about gardening and his family. He seduces her with his swarthy looks and sexy voice, she seduces him with her intelligence, wit and erotic mouth that drew his from the first moment. Edward decides his obsession is merely because he hasn't had sex for a while, so he plans to get over his unseemly lust for a virtuous widow by going to a notorious brothel in London to relieve his urges. When Anna discovers his intentions she feels the double standards between men and women keenly. Why is it permissible for him, an unmarried man to slake his sexual urges but not for her? So she hatches a daring plan to travel to London and meet the Earl at the brothel in disguise.

This was a raunchy, sexy historical romance with two fabulous characters. I loved grumpy Edward and Anna was another strong, caring, sexy woman. I can't wait to read the other books in the series!

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