H Is For Hoyt

Jennifer reviews Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt…

Elizabeth Hoyt is one of my favorite historical authors of all time. Aside from the fact that she’s a really nice person (having met her at conferences and spoken to her via Facebook and Twitter), her characters are memorable and her stories are delightful. I’m a sucker for dark and twisty and her heroes and heroines usually have something they’re hiding, whether it’s physical, mental or psychological. However, she has a wonderful way of making them completely likeable and relatable—too often, heroes, and to some extent, heroines, who have some issue send warning flares to the reader and we leave the book saying, “Okay, that was a good story, but no normal person in their right mind would EVER fall for someone like that!” In Hoyt’s case, this is not true. Her characters always have a human side that shows through and they are always redeemable, without turning their love into a raving lunatic.

I was first introduced to her writing through her Four Horsemen series. Her current series, Maiden Lane, is phenomenal. The latest book I read is Dearest Rogue (I’m way behind in my reading). Here’s the blurb:

HE CAN GUARD HER

Lady Phoebe Batten is pretty, vivacious, and yearning for a social life befitting the sister of a powerful duke. But because she is almost completely blind, her overprotective brother insists that she have an armed bodyguard by her side at all times-the very irritating Captain Trevillion.

FROM EVERY DANGER

Captain James Trevillion is proud, brooding, and cursed with a leg injury from his service in the King's dragoons. Yet he can still shoot and ride like the devil, so watching over the distracting Lady Phoebe should be no problem at all-until she's targeted by kidnappers.

BUT PASSION ITSELF

Caught in a deadly web of deceit, James must risk life and limb to save his charge from the lowest of cads-one who would force Lady Phoebe into a loveless marriage. But while they're confined to close quarters for her safekeeping, Phoebe begins to see the tender man beneath the soldier's hard exterior . . . and the possibility of a life-and love-she never imagined possible.

As an aside, she has a great author page on Facebook, where she runs contests, etc., and she posts photos from the cover shoots, has her editors answer reader questions and really gives you insight into the author process. I highly recommend following her!

https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethHoytBooks/?fref=ts

5 Hearts