Wednesday 14 November 2007

"Lessons in Seduction" by Sara Bennett

Lessons in Seduction by Sara Bennett 2005

"Lessons in Seduction" is the story of Vivianna Greentree, a prim-and-proper young lady with a dark past who helps manage a home for orphans, and Sir Oliver Montgomery, an aristocrat who wants to see the orphanage (which he owns) torn down brick by brick to help solve the mystery surrounding his brother's death. Vivianna, very much the crusader, continually harasses Sir Oliver not to destroy the house, but she meets continually with staunch resistence. Eventually, under the tutelage of one of London's most famous courtesans, Vivianna attempts to seduce him into getting what she wants...

I found this book rather annoying. Prim and proper Vivianna suddenly under the tutelage of a courtesan? Trying to seduce a man to get what she wants? It seems like it's a rather porn-movie-esque attempt (aka, unbelievable) to bring sex into the book. Vivianna is an annoying, single-minded character who rather annoyed me. Despite the premise of the book practically forcing the sexual content on you, the sex was actually rather bland, partially because of the lack of emotional connection between the characters and the reader, and the lack of emotional connection between the characters themselves. The subplot between Aphrodite and Vivianna is corny to say the least, and I never quite understood why she didn't just allow Sir Oliver to build her another orphanage when he offered. Ridiculous, really.

RATING:

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

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RATING RUBRICS

OVERALL RATING

(or less)
Seriously. Don't waste your time. The author could spell and put together a sentence, but not a whole lot else.

This book might be worth reading, but it had some major flaws. Perhaps there were a lot of anachronisms, or plot elements that were not resolved. Perhaps the heroes were one-dimensional. Perhaps the love story was not believable. Perhaps the writing style left a great deal to be desired. Perhaps the plot was so complex that you got laden down with it about halfway through. These books are worth reading if you're really, really bored, but I wouldn't buy them at full-price.

This is a good book. There is a strong story line, the book is well written, and there aren't too many anachronisms. Still, there is something missing. Perhaps there are holes in the story. Perhaps one of the heroes is insanely annoying. Perhaps there are unrealistic elements in the plot. All in all, worth reading, and perhaps even buying, but there are better ones to be had.

This is an excellent book. Strong characters, good reader connection. The book is well written, interesting, and stays true to the time period. The heroes are engaging and three-dimensional. These books are worth having on your shelf.

These are books that are phenomenal, above and beyond the call of duty. They have everything that exists in a four-star rating, plus that extra little something that just throws them over the top. These books are worth having in hard-cover.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING

(or below)
There is very little to no sex in this book. What little that exists is not the least bit graphic. There is very little, if any, innuendo.

There is a small amount of sex in this book (one or two scenes). The scenes are loving and not incredibly graphic.

There is a moderate amount of sex and innuendo in this book. It is moderately graphic, but consensual and not violent.

There is a lot of sex and innuendo in this book. The sex is quite graphic, but not violent. The innuendo is quite coarse and descriptive.

This book is inappropriate for children. There is a good deal of graphic sex, some of which may be violent or non-consensual. The innuendo is very coarse and descriptive, and found quite frequently. The sex is the over-riding purpose of this book.

Historical Romance Novel Reviews

Wednesday 14 November 2007

"Lessons in Seduction" by Sara Bennett

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