A PERFECT SEDUCTION Author: Leslie LaFoy ISBN:0312987633 12/2003 HISTORICAL Publisher: ST. MARTIN'S PRESS
I love intelligent and resourceful leading ladies. Thinkers. Doers. Women who stay calm, cool and collected in the face of adversity. Such women do exist, and the perfect example of one is Seraphina Treadwell in Leslie LaFoy's newest release, THE PERFECT SEDUCTION. I've long been a fan of Ms. LaFoy, and with her latest Victorian romance she doesn't let me down. Carden is portrayed as an unrepentant rake who's out to seduce Seraphina, but soon finds the tables are turned and it's he who becomes the seduced. He stays true to his character throughout most of the book, and LaFoy makes his enlightenment from rake to, at first, a somewhat unwilling family man, totally believable. The love scenes between Carden and Seraphina are filled with not just the physical, but with sensual tension and emotion. They connect and they bond with no regrets by either party. And then there's the dialogue. Witty and intelligent, these are people that have IQs. They spar, they debate, they make each other smile and laugh, but most of all they communicate with and understand each other. It's dialogue written and conveyed just the way I like it. Pert, smart, and the perfect seduction for the reader. If there is any negativity at all to this book, it would have to be in the personalities of the children that Seraphina takes charge over. I had a very hard time grasping at their characters in relation to their ages, especially the smallest, Camille. She Elmer Fudded her words when she first was introduced, but soon the lisp fell away and I thought her speech just a bit too intelligent for a 5 yr old. However, this is a minor issue and for the subdued role these children play in the story - necessary to the plot but more of a foil for the grownups, I think - it doesn't detract from the story. The secondary characters of Aiden and Barrett, Carden's best friends, are well developed and extremely likeable, but it's Sawyer, Carden's stoic butler, who is such a memorable character that if this were a movie he would have stolen the show. THE PERFECT SEDUCTION does begin a bit slow, but it eventually builds to an exciting, action-filled and satisfying climax. It's another finely crafted love story by another of my favorite authors and is sure to please not just fans of LaFoy's previous books, but make her plenty of new fans as well. Nancy Davis |
After a lengthy journey, Seraphina Treadwell appears at the doorstep of Carden Reeves with his three young nieces in tow determined to ensure their uncle will properly care for her charges. However, judging by the man's rakish smile and dancing eyes--now alight with the fire of a new conquest--that day seems far off indeed.
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