I picked 'The Serpent Prince' with a very low expectation. That's pretty good, I think. I went in with the thought of reading 'the least-liked' of all Prince's series of Elizabeth Hoyt. But of all three, I am more comfortable with the plot. It is a very classic plot: devil meets angel. So I'm pretty curious whether it will be the same old, same old. It turns out it's more than that.

All the cliche goes out of the window.

The basic remains the same. Devil-meets-angel still get their happy ending. But how the writer executes it is quite different. This book is full of angst (revenge and murder is part of the plot). But I like it. It still has its humour albeit dark ones but it keeps me glued to the book.

The hero and the heroine aren't really classic characters. The heroine is no fragile little angel. The hero is stubborn but also relents. So he has principle and he does hide somethings from her but it is a commitment far before he meets her. And he's not really concealing his emotions. That's a plus. There is usually a BIG MISUNDERSTANDING in this kind of story but no, there is none. It's comforting in a way because while I enjoy a misunderstanding now and then, it can get boring.

And for the first time, I can understand his motive. There is emotional scar but it is believable. Of course, if it happens in the present time, I'll not understand his motive. But perhaps, for people in that era, honor is pretty important. I always find kamikaze in samurai is pretty dumb but when you read the stories and understand how honor is important in that era, you will get it that no matter how selfish I think killing yourself is but for them to defend their honor (and their family's), the act is an honorable one. So is duelling in the eyes of the England society.

Their love story flows quite well too. It is quite a whirlwind romance but I guess it flows really well since the setting is perfect for the blooming romance. (Hero is wounded, left for dead right in the path of the heroine).

Secondary characters are pretty fun and solid too. I love them all. It seems that they are more than just minor characters fleeting on paper. And it's a nice change from the usual.

O.K so final conclusion is : bloody romance, angst, a bit dark but very good too. I, surprisingly, like this book very much. Lovely, indeed!