The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt~~DIK READING CHALLENGE

WHEN THE DEVIL MEETS AN ANGEL
 
Country bred Lucy Craddock-Hayes is content with her quiet life. Until the day she trips over an unconscious man—a naked unconscious an—and loses her innocence forever.

HE CAN TAKE HER TO HEAVEN

Viscount Simon Iddesleigh was nearly beaten to death by his enemies. Now he’s hell-bent on vengeance. But as Lucy nurses him back to health, her honesty startles his jaded sensibilities—even as it ignites a desire that threatens to consume them both.

OR TO HELL

Charmed by Simon’s sly wit, urbane manners, and even his red-heeled shoes, Lucy falls hard and fast for him. Yet as his honor keeps him from ravishing her, his revenge sends his attackers to her door. As Simon wages war on his foes, Lucy wages her own war for his soul using the only weapon she has—her love…

My Thoughts:
I started reading this trilogy about two years ago. I was really impressed with EH's The Raven Prince and honestly couldn't wait to read the remaining two books. Things definitely did not go as I had planned. I did not immediately grab up book two, The Leopard Prince, or the third The Serpent Prince...other books just seemed to fall into my lap or these titles didn't fit into the challenge that I was doing. I sincerely regret this. I do believe that The Serpent Prince is my favorite.

Lucy is a country mouse set to wait out her time until the Vicar finally gets up the nerve to propose to her. She does her duty to her town and her father and life is just the same old thing until she stumbles across a man that she presumes dead lying face down along the roadside. When Lord Simon Iddesleigh moans she knows she is mistakened. Lucy does what any caring person would do, she has him carried home with her.

In the week or so that Simon spends in the Craddock-Hayes home he is bowled over by Lucy's beauty, strength, honesty, and her brow. His Angel sees through him right to his very soul, and a black soul it is. He has already sold his soul to the Devil to get revenge on the men who murdered his brother. Loving his Angel the only thing he can do is set her free to live her merry life with the Vicar, this is the only way to keep her safe from the would be assassins and his own devilish needs.

I almost instantly fell in love with the characters in this book. Lucy's father is a blowhard with a foul temper, but you have to laugh at his conversations. Poor Lucy doesn't know how to subdue either man when in each others presence and the banter is comical at times. Edward de Raaf shows himself a few times throughout...I don't remember him being so humorous in his book The Raven Prince.

This is my favorite part of the book. The hopeless romantic was rearing its ugly little head while reading apparently.

"You won't speak, won't tell me,' he said huskily. 'Are you taunting me? You taunt me in my dreams sometimes, sweet angel, when I'm not dreaming of...' He sank to his knees before her. 'You don't know me, don't know what I am. Save yourself. Throw me from your house. Now, While you still can, because I've lost my determination, my will, my very honor--what little of it I had left. I cannot remove myself from your presence." p.152

Simon is pouring his heart out into Lucy's lap after leaving and spending a week in London. He is looking ragged and not all together healed from his last ordeal that landed him on Lucy's doorstep to begin with.  My heart definitely did the pitter patter while reading this particular part of the book. Elizabeth Hoyt did a wonderful job with the hero and heroine and their story and at the same time she weaved the Serpent Prince's fairytale into the plot of the book with an expertise that I have grown to love. The Serpent Prince definitely earns high ratings!!

5 stars

I'm Jealous!

My sister came down for a visit last week, and she surprised me by actually wanting to see me for a change. I love my sister but I am not high on her priority list when she comes to visit her house and in laws. It's not like I am so out of the way that spending an hour or two hanging out at my house or meeting for lunch/dinner should be such a chore. She has really put my kids noses out of joint on this visit because she didn't bring her boys with her when she came to have lunch with me and she didn't stay long enough to see my daughter. I will give her some credit though, she was suppose to be gone before my son got home which is why she didn't bring the boys. My sister is self absorbed for the most part and I know this so I really try not to get my feelings hurt that she doesn't seem to think that it is necessary to come visit with us when she is in town. My husband is laying down the law now though...there will be no more helping her inlaws out with babysitting when the boys come down. I don't know if I like that because it may be the only way I get to see my nephews.  But this is not what this post is suppose to be about!!! So I am going stop my rant right here and tell you why I am jealous!

While she was down she showed me her Birthday gift from her husband. (This present really shocked me because when I got my Kindle she thought I was insane.) She pulled out her brand new Nook!! Yes, both devices have basically the same things going on... and I didn't have too much time to really check her Nook out, but OMG was it so cool with its touch screen and color. She did like that I have a keyboard that she doesn't have. I was in complete awe!! And her cover was in color as well. She also didn't get my post on facebook quick enough... she went out and spent the $25 for a book light for her Nook, I tried to tell her that the el cheapo that I got from Wal Mart works really well with my Kindle, and after seeing my light she wishes that I had gotten on the computer sooner. Me on the other hand seriously has that ugly green eyed monster rearing its ugly little head. I love how her book light clips to the side of the device and hides nicely beside it when not being used and the cover conceals it when it is closed. So now not only am I envious of the new device but I am also jonesing for a new cover and book light. I checked them out and Yikes! I can't see wasting that money...I mean thats money that I could be using to buy more books. So I will sit back and be happy with what I have and know that my husband loves me very much.

I am guessing that this means that the days of trading books back and forth are over. We all know that the readers will not be able to read the books purchased at either bookstore.

Oh and I just thought of something that should make me feel better but doesn't really... she hasn't learned to shop around and do price comparisons. I won't purchase an ebook if it costs more than a paperback at the store. She is learning the hard way. She had a book in her shopping cart and her husband (remember he is the one who bought the Nook for her) secretly pulled the book from the cart. When she realized the book was not in the bags she went to her Nook and bought it. Im not sure how long it took for her to realize that she paid $3 more for the ebook than she would have at Wal Mart, but she was highly upset about it. 

Fortunate Harbor by Emilie Richards

Join five women connected only by their growing friendship and the road that runs like a lifeline between their cottages in a run-down Florida development called Happiness Key.

Tracy Deloche finally gets a chance to swap business for a romantic evening with Marsh Egan, but dinner goes cold when she spots her ex-husband prowling outside her cottage. CJ is supposed to be in prison and out of her life for good. Exactly what is this modern-day pirate seeking and what will it mean for Tracy's future?

Janya Kapur envies every pregnant woman she sees, but Rishi, her husband, is suddenly reluctant to talk about children. Is he disappointed in her inability to conceive? Their marriage was a contract between strangers. Can they ever hope for anything more?

Waitress Wanda Gray loses her job after new owners turn the Dancing Shrimp into a tapas bar. Wise neighbor Alice Brooks's suggestion that Wanda start her own business seems like a brilliant solution, until Wanda starts Pie War I with the owners of the local bakery.

When the empty cottage at Happiness Key is rented by single mother Dana Turner, everything seems perfect. With Alice volunteering to watch Dana's daughter while she works and Wanda's offer of a job, this spit of Florida Gulf Coast land should be a fortunate harbor for a mother and daughter who have moved far too often. Except for Dana's shocking secret.

As the women of Happiness Key struggle to discover the truth in time to help their new neighbor, their only weapon is friendship. But will friendship be enough?

My Thoughts:

While Fortunate Harbor took me just about a month to read I have to say that it was not from the content... I have just been overly busy and trying to squeeze in 5 minutes here or there to read was just not cutting it. I hate that my son had to get sick before I could sit down and really devote enough time to reading this book. That being said I just finished Fortunate Harbor and I am definitely quite pleased and may have just found another author to grace my list of to read more of.

Fortunate Harbor is my first encounter with Emilie Richards and I have definitely enjoyed the ride.  This is the second book in a series, but other than the well established relationship between four of the women on Happiness Key you would never know that you have been dropped into an on going plot. Tracy Deloche is the owner of the property and the five little cottages that bless the area. The cottages are rented out to Wanda and her husband Kenny (a cop), Janya and her husband Rishi, and Alice and her Granddaughter Olivia. Like I said these four ladies were brought together previously in another book and from what I gather from the information given in Fortunate Harbor, the death of the fifth renter brought them together.

They are all experiencing shifts in some part of their lives. Alice is raising her granddaughter and trying to get her through a rough past with a father in prison and a mother who has past away.  Janya and Rishi have past the early stages of marriage and are now ready to conceive, only they are experiencing some troubles of their own that are preventing them from sealing that deal. Wanda's love of baking pies is going to move her in another direction after she walks out/loses her job working at the Dancing Shrimp. Tracy is the head of the rec department. Her love life is in tatters when both her ex and her new boyfriend's ex drop back into their lives.

Wanda brings home a stray... Dana a single mom who is running from a past that no one can guess, has every excuse in the book why she should not get caught up with these lovely ladies and let her guard down.

There is a buried treasure to be found, love to cultivate, exes to get rid of, secrets to unearth, and wonderful pies to indulge in.  This sweet read about friendship and troubled pasts was exactly that a sweet read. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a light read with little romance and no steam.

4 stars