Series: Princes, #3
Traits & Tropes: antihero; titled hero; second son; hero out for revenge; class difference; sick/comfort; reformed rake
Publication Date: 09.01.07
Genre/Setting: Historical; Georgian; Kent/London, England, Winter, 1760
Heat Level: 4
Rating: 4.25/5
Narration Rating: 5 stars
Lucy Craddock-Hayes is perfectly content with her quiet country life until the day she stumbles across an unconscious man and sets into motion events that will change everything for her.
Simon, Viscount Iddesleigh was beaten and left for dead by the enemies responsible for his brother’s death. He’s determined to have his revenge but his single-minded focus is interrupted by his growing attraction to Lucy and her forthright honesty.
Lucy finds herself charmed, albeit reluctantly, by Simon’s polished manner and clever way with words. She falls for him quickly, though he remains honorable. But when his enemies put Lucy in danger, Simon’s thirst for revenge ramps up even higher, causing Lucy to begin her own campaign to save him from doing further damage to himself and his very soul, attempting to soothe him with her love.
This was my first foray into Elizabeth Hoyt’s earlier backlist, and I was pleasantly surprised. This story takes the revenge trope and turns it on its ear a bit given the fact that the hero’s thirst for revenge is entirely separate from the heroine, and he is not out to use her as a tool in that plotting. There are quite a few tropes at work here and I think that wide range kept this interesting for me, especially with sick/comfort being the first one deployed as it is a favorite of mine. I think I was most surprised by how much of an antihero Simon turned out to be. Quite a few of his actions and behaviors are ones we wouldn’t typically ascribe to a hero and yet I couldn’t help but root for him. He’s so obviously damaged and in pain, trying to do good, to be better, and falling short several times. For instance, he believes himself, rather rightly so, to be a danger to Lucy and not good for her, so he tries to stay away, though he quickly fails at this as she is so irresistible to him. His desperation for her was rather sweet and I really liked the fact that he didn’t try to play down his feelings or his need for her. Simon was an outrageous amalgamation of whimsical and dangerous, a dandy and yet somewhat of a rake, not to mention quite the dirty talker. Lucy was the sort of strong heroine I love, practical and willing to stand up for herself and what she wanted, but never overbearing or overly harsh. She loved Simon even as she disapproved of some of his behavior and called him out on it, always encouraging him to be better and holding him to a higher standard, giving him a reason for his existence beyond avenging his brother’s death.
I loved that Simon acknowledged his flaws and tried to overcome them, despite failing several times. This made him human and relatable, in addition to adding depth to his relationship with Lucy. This made for a gritty story that served as a lesson in forgiveness and love even when neither are easy. I do think the ending felt just a bit abrupt and the story would’ve been well served by the addition of an epilogue, but I enjoyed it nonetheless as I found myself rooting for antihero Simon and Lucy who grounded him.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1607997389
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5032418870
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