Elizabeth Hoyt - The Serpent Prince

Copyright 2007 by Nancy M. Finney

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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First eBook Edition: September 2007

ISBN: 978-0-446-40448-8

Oh, cruel angel.

W hy do you call me that? Is that a name you give many of your London ladies? said Lucy.

No, only you. He touched a fingertiponly a fingertipto her cheek. Her skin was warm, even in the night air, and soft, so soft.

Then she stepped away. I dont believe you.

Did she sound breathless? He grinned like a demon in the dark, but didnt answer. God, he wished he could simply pull her into his arms, open her sweet lips beneath his, feel her breath in his mouth, and her breasts against his chest. He stood and ventured a step towards her, until they almost touched and she had to turn her pale face up to his.

A lock of her hair bridged the scant inches between them and caressed his throat. She reached her hand out, hesitated, then touched his cheek lightly with one fingertip. He felt the contact sizzle throughout his body down to his very toes.

Indulge in the Tales of Elizabeth Hoyt
Praise for The Leopard Prince

An exhilarating historical romance.

Midwest Book Review

4 Stars! TOP PICK! An unforgettable love story that ignites the pages not only with heated love scenes but also with a mystery that holds your attention and your heart with searing emotions and dark desire.

Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine

Not to be missed... a delight from start to finish. The story is so well written, the characters so engaging, that one would have to call Elizabeth Hoyt the new master of the historical romance genre.

HistoricalRomanceWriters.com

Hoyt creates another of her powerful stories of love and romance.

NovelTalk.com

Hoyt isnt afraid to play with conventions while taking risks... She gets into the soul of her story and lures the reader in.

PaperbackReader.net

A spellbinding and sensually charged novel that grabs you from the first page... Hoyt is a fresh new voice in historical romance.

TheMysticCastle.com

Four-and-a-half stars! Absolutely fantastic... filled with witty dialogue and sparkling characters.

TheRomanceReadersConnection.com

Praise for The Raven Prince

A sexy, steamy treat! A spicy broth of pride, passion, and temptation.

Connie Brockway, USA Today bestselling author

A very rich, very hot dessert.

BookPage

Hoyt expertly spices this stunning debut novel with a sharp sense of wit and then sweetens her lusciously dark, lushly sensual historical romance with a generous sprinkling of fairytale charm.

Chicago Tribune

Will leave you breathless.

Julianne MacLean, author of Portrait of a Lover

Hoyts superb debut historical romance will dazzle readers with its brilliant blend of exquisitely nuanced characters, splendidly sensual love story, and elegant writing expertly laced with a dash of tart wit.

Booklist

A terrific Georgian romance starring a fascinating heroine.

Midwest Book Review

A mixture of Jane Eyre and folk tale... sensuous and passionate... a book that kept me immersed and entertained until the end... this book has a bit of every-thing with a turn of the page. A bit out of the ordinary, The Raven Prince is a great find.

RoundtableReviews.com

Youll adore Hoyts intelligent characters and their spicy dialogue as much as the heated love scenes.

Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine

Offers an unexpected take on seduction... A must read.

FreshFiction.com

A romance novel that refuses to blend in with count-less other historical romances that fear even the tiniest deviation from the tried and true.

MyShelf.com

5 Hearts! A fantastic and unusual book. The story captivated this reviewer from the beginning... Ms. Hoyt created a terrific cast of characters for this novel... The Raven Prince is a very good debut noveland you will definitely want to keep an eye open for more books by Ms. Hoyt.

LoveRomancesandMore.com

Im strongly recommending that you go out and buy The Raven Prince.

PaperbackReader.net

OTHER TITLES BY ELIZABETH HOYT

The Raven Prince

The Leopard Prince

For JADE LEE, the critique partner who has it all: coffee, chocolate, and wisdom... not necessarily in that order.

Thank you to MELANIE MURRAY, a wise and wonderful editor, and to my agent, SUSANNAH TAYLOR, for always watching out for the details.

MAIDEN HILL, ENGLAND

NOVEMBER 1760

The dead man at Lucinda Craddock-Hayess feet looked like a fallen god. Apollo, or more likely Mars, the bringer of war, having taken human form and struck down from the heavens to be found by a maiden on her way home. Except that gods rarely bled.

Or died, for that matter.

Mr. Hedge, Lucy called over her shoulder.

She glanced around the lonely lane leading from the town of Maiden Hill to the Craddock-Hayes house. It appeared the same as it had been before shed made her find: deserted, except for herself; her manservant, puffing a ways behind her; and the corpse lying in the ditch. The sky hung low and wintry gray. The light had already begun to leak away, though it was not yet five oclock. Leafless trees lined the road, silent and chill.

Lucy shivered and drew her wrap more closely about her shoulders. The dead man sprawled, naked, battered, and facedown. The long lines of his back were marred by a mass of blood on his right shoulder. Below were lean hips; muscular, hairy legs; and curiously elegant, bony feet. She blinked and returned her gaze to his face. Even in death he was handsome. His head, turned to the side, revealed a patrician profile: long nose, high bony cheeks, and a wide mouth. An eyebrow, winging over his closed eye, was bisected by a scar. Closely cropped pale hair grew flat to his skull, except where it was matted by blood. His left hand was flung above his head, and on the index finger was the impression where a ring should have been. His killers mustve stolen it along with everything else. Around the body the mud was scuffed, the imprint of a boot heel stamped deep beside the dead mans hip. Other than that, there was no sign of whoever had dumped him here like so much offal.

Lucy felt silly tears prick at her eyes. Something about the way that hed been left, naked and degraded by his murderers, seemed a terrible insult to the man. It was so unbearably sad. Ninny, she chided herself. She became conscious of a muttering, drawing steadily closer. Hastily, she swiped at the moisture on her cheeks.

First she visits the Joneses and all the little Joneses, snotty-nosed buggers. Then we march up the hill to Old Woman Hardynasty biddy, dont know why she hasnt been put to bed with a shovel yet. And is that all? No, thats not all by half. Then, then she must needs call round the vicarage. And me carting great jars of jelly all the while.

Lucy suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Hedge, her man, wore a greasy tricorne smashed down over a shock of gray hair. His dusty coat and waistcoat were equally disreputable, and hed chosen to highlight his bowlegs with scarlet-clocked stockings, no doubt Papas castoffs.