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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
There comes a time in a woman?s life when she must do the unthinkable - and find employment. For the widowed Anna Wren, that means taking a job as female secretary for the Earl of Swartingham. Secretaries are always male - never female - as Anna well knows but the real downfall of her career is the realisation that she is falling in love with Edward de Raaf - the Earl. But when she realises that he is going to visit a brothel in London to take care of his 'manly' desires, Anna sees red - and decides to take advantage of the opportunity to also take care of her 'womanly' desires - with the Earl as her unknowing lover. But the Earl has another reason for going to London. He is formalising his betrothal and trying (with little success) to forget about a secretary that has no right being female. Unhandsome, he knows that no woman wants him. Except for the mysterious lady with whom he spent two unforgettable nights at Aphrodite?s Grotto, the most scandalous brothel in London. But when Anna?s plan is revealed, a bit of blackmail is thrown into the mix, a proposal is rejected and even the Earl himself will be unprepared for the intrigues that ensnare them.

Customer Reviews: Read 97 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Ooh La La...Great debut novel! January 4, 2009
You know, there are occasions when a great historical romance really hits the spot. And this one is. Great, that is. I can't remember exactly how I stumbled onto this gem, but I had it sent to my Kindle and when it looked like my hubby was settling into a long afternoon of New Year's Day football, I started reading. And reading. And didn't top until nearly midnight!

I have gotten away from historicals in recent years, simply because it had been awhile since I had seen anything good. Let's face it, historicals can be a little cheeseball with the naive, sheltered heroines and egotistical Dukes and Earls. And the writers who did these best, your Judith MacNaughts and Julie Garwoods among them, have moved onto to greener (read: mainstream fiction) pastures.

This book really kept my attention, though, for a number of reasons. First....the HERO was charmingly unsure of himself due to a disfigurement. I don't know what it is, but I just LOVE historicals featuring a man who is imperfect. Maybe it's all the Amanda Quick novels I read in high school, but I just find it makes the character all the more endearing. The heroine was also less than perfect, but smart, sassy and brave. Second...the dialogue between these two made me chuckle out loud many times--in fact, I was reminded of a few Loretta Chase books I have loved, and in my opinion, no one does witty banter like Chase. In an earlier (poor) review of this book someone cited a lack of emotional connection between the main characters. Huh? Wha...? They were friends first and foremost, and the physical stuff was just icing. Third, the story was gripping, yet still had an element of "cute" to it, almost like an early Julia Quinn. In essence, a story with great bones that still didn't take itself too seriously.

I would take a half-star off if I could for the love scenes. They were pretty good, but not totally stellar. Some of it lacked a little believability. It certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, though, so I just gave it a full 5 stars.

Thanks for the great afternoon of escapist reading, Ms. Hoyt. I look forward to getting the rest of your backlist on my kindle!

2 out of 5 stars

I didn't like this book. January 4, 2009
I think the reviews on this book hugely exaggerated. I didn't think it was witty and I didn't like the characters. Mostly, though, I thought the story humdrum and thin.

A poor widow finds employment as a sort of scribe to a wealthy nobleman. He doesn't really notice her and she spends most of the time copying his notes. While spending long hours at her desk in his office, the widow falls in love with the grumpy but rather quiet nobleman. She finds out that every so often he frequents a brothel for sex and decides to masquerade herself and become his one-night partner. This leads to an anonymous sexual encounter. At this point I lost track of what happened next. SOMEHOW they fell in love. I must have missed it. Then he becomes a jerk OR the story becomes unbelievable. One or the other. Because - without spoiling the book to others - the "big misunderstanding" introduced at the end of this rather short book felt like a huge effort on the author's part to give us a forced ACT III. The end was uncomfortably stupid.

Perhaps much better books by superb authors I have recently read and reviewed have ruined this book for me. I thought it was very mediocre, especially the writing. No brilliance here. Not a memorable book.

5 out of 5 stars

fantastic writing and plot December 27, 2008
Great to find another author I enjoy. The pace is fast, the characters have depth, lots of humor, twists in the plot, and inventive steamy scenes. Altogether a great recipe for a gripping, fun romance novel. The heroine Mrs Wren is a great character, and even though then hero is not 'handsome', the author manages to make him hot. All of the side characters were given good lines and was part of the plot, and a couple were great comic reliefs.
I don't give that many 5 stars anymore, but this one had all the elements I like.

5 out of 5 stars

love love loved it December 13, 2008
i read this book in two quick days. the love between the two characters are beautiful. the sex is passonite and i even kept thinking about the book even after i finished reading it. the story just draws you in. elizabeth hoyt is a good writer with many laugh out loud moments. edwards' butler is a crack up. a good purchase you"ll love it

5 out of 5 stars

This Book Shall NEVER leave my Library December 6, 2008
Having given away my old romance books serveral years ago, I never thought that I would once again be reading Historical Romances. That being said, I loved the Raven Prince. From the first fateful meeting to the end, I was caught up in the lives of Anna and Edward. I love that Anna chose to follow her heart and not her head and go after what she wanted - which was Edward. The book had the right mix of intrigue, romance and intimacy to keep you going. I couldn't put it down and finished reading it at 2: a.m. It's a novel that can stand up to repeated readings. I also loved the "raven prince" story that began each chapter, which complemented what was happening to the major players in the story. The reference to a cupid and psyche's type romance made me what to keep reading to see how that little fairy tale played out. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Hoyt's work.