SEDUCTION IN SCARLET
Author: Sara Bennett ISBN: 9780061336348 1/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: Victorian, 1850 England
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One wicked night.
Lady Portia Ellerslie, dearest confidante to Queen Victoria and a woman of impeccable breeding, normally wouldn't dream of dallying in Aphrodite's Club, London's most exclusive and erotic bordello. But one lonely night she finds something enticing about the idea of a wild encounter in the notorious hothouse.
Donning a daring, dangerously low-cut scarlet dress and a veil to mask her identity, she arrives at the club ready to succumb to the torrid desires raging inside her. and is shocked to find herself gazing into the eyes of Marcus Worthorne, the man she swooned over at seventeen.
Could lead to a lifetime of ecstasy.
Back then, Marcus barely knew she was alive, but now he's about to make her most wanton fantasies come true. Portia's proper life is about to change forever. because for Marcus one night with the lady in red could never be enough. |
 RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:
While I am sure fans of Sara Bennett's matchmaking courtesan Aphrodite will find this a decent read, I am really not impressed. Why? Well, there are a few reasons, actually, but mainly I do not care for the heroine. She only finds her backbone with the man that actually wants her for herself and loves her. It is rather annoying to witness. But what really gets me is the glaring inconsistency that forced me to read some passages over to be sure I was not imagining what I knew I had read before.
Portia, the heroine, can swim. Sounds like a minor issue, I know, but the scenes that involve her in the water are a point of contention for me, because they are elaborate and detailed with lots of dialogue and emotion. This is why I cannot believe no one else caught this little faux pas. (I truly hope someone did before final printing.)
{SPOILER ALERT}
Anyway, here it is: When Portia and Marcus, the hero, take a holiday where she attempts to save him from supposed drowning, she glides through the water with the greatest of ease. She impresses the hero with her tale of bathing chamber escapades and just how she learned to swim. But, towards the end of the book, Marcus steals Portia away in a rowboat where she claims to be nervous because she cannot swim. What? I know my copy is uncorrected, but this seems such an obvious oops!
{SPOILER ALERT END}
So, when a heroine that cannot decide if she is an adult or what she is doing—yes, I know she feels she is under pressure from Queen Victoria, but the way that resolves does Portia no credit either—and you have this silly swim thing, I cannot help but be disappointed in A SEDUCTION IN SCARLET.
Shannon Johnson |
