Beyond Seduction (Kindle Edition)

by Stephanie Laurens (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
After six unsuccessful months of wife-hunting in London, Gervase Tregarth, earl of Crowhurst and the second-to-last unattached member of the Bastion Club (last seen in series prequel Captain Jack's Woman), reluctantly agrees to the requests of his three mischievous younger sisters, who would rather their brother find a local lady they can vet and approve. He doesn't have to look far before he finds Madeline Gascoigne, acting regent of nearby Treleaver Park, a now-independent woman he's lost touch with over his years abroad. Gervase decides to satisfy his end of the deal by pursuing Madeline, but only "enough to make his declaration of incompatibility credible." However, it's harder to win some time with the disciplined woman than Gervase foresees, and soon a cast of supporting characters (including Madeline's three younger brothers) are scheming to get the couple together. Complicating matters are the continuing machinations of Malcolm Sinclair and a nameless villain who believes Madeline's brothers know where to find a missing treasure. Though it's a reliable serving of rogues and romance, Laurens's latest feels like less of the same; reliant on too many stock plots and situations-not to mention Laurens's endlessly spiraling euphemisms-it's ultimately too safe to satisfy.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
"In a moment of recklessness, Gervase Tregarth, 6th Earl of Crowhurst, swears he'll marry the next eligible lady to cross his path. Cloistered at his ancestral castle in Cornwall, with nary a suitable woman for miles, he never expects he'll have to fulfill his pledge, at least not until the London Season begins. But then he meets his neighbor, the very appealing Madeline Gascoigne.

Years of secret service to the Crown have taught Gervase the value of always having a loophole -- there will be no wedding if he and Madeline are incompatible in any way. So he sets out to prove that they would make a most dreadful match...by luring her into his arms and, ultimately, his bed.

From their very first kiss, Gervase discovers that the headstrong and independent Madeline is no meek country miss...and that the fire between them will burn long beyond that first seduction."

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 403 KB
• Print Length: 496 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
• Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (August 28, 2007)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000UZQGX0
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,461 in Kindle Store (See Bestsellers in Kindle Store)

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• This is item 7 in The Bastion Club Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very uncomfortable reading, October 12, 2007

By	tachi1 "tachi1" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond Seduction (Bastion Club) (Mass Market Paperback)

While Stephanie Laurens writes good fiction and her plots are interesting and play out reasonably well (this book being no exception), I was made to feel very uncomfortable by the relationship between the two main characters. There are so many inconsistencies that the relationship is impossible to believe. I, for one, believe that believable characterizations are vital to a story and, no matter how interesting the plot or subplot, no book can be good without it.

Gervase is a pleasant, courteous person. He loves his family, fulfills his responsibilites, is a good friend and citizen. Throw in rich, handsome, and titled. So far, so good.

Madeline is a confident, competent, consciencious, loving, wealthy, responsible, and attractive young woman. Not titled but confident of her place in the world and in society.

So why do these two people engage in such a sick relationship?

Gervase is consciously looking for a wife. Why doesn't he make his intentions clear to her instead of implying to her that his only goal is getting her in bed.

Why does Madeline allow the constant manhandling (I'm not talking of innocent hand holding or stolen kisses, but escalating serious liberties being taken with her person and her clothing?) She is not in a position where she has to put up with it to avoid consequences. She not only could avoid it but could stop it. Why doesn't she?

I don't know who irritates me more. Gervase who treats her disrecpectuflly in a way inconsistent with the way he treats everyone else (and goes as far as to think on p.140 that he "felt denied of his lawful prey.) or Madeline who employs authority, common sense, and self-respect in every other aspect of her life and acts like a complete idiot in this situation.

Maybe its the author who alternates a scene of plot serious development with a scene of semi-consentual sexual abuse which, in her vocabulary or opinion, apparently passes as "seduction."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasing Enough and Fun, September 20, 2007

By	Beth Jones Henkel "sabriel25" (louisville KY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beyond Seduction (Bastion Club) (Mass Market Paperback)

Beyond Seduction starts hilariously with an interesting and fun hook. Very playful in the beginning, the romance does take some time to really build. Teasing us into just glimpses of the individualistic nuances of her characters, Laurens livens up a rather insipid meeting of her romantic leads. Once compatibility plays into the picture, the usual possessiveness most Lauren heros exhibit masterfully comes into play.

Gervase Tregarth, may be the fifth Earl of Crowhurst, a former spy for the British government and a force to reckon with all the matchmaking mammas in London, England, however, these skills are of no use to him when he cannot ever spend longer than a week in London before being summoned home to clean up some mess or another unknown vandals in his home town keep causing. After discovering it's not worth running back and forth, Gervase just gives up and decides to combine his Earldom duties and wife hunting into one. Looking around the community, he stumbles upon Madeline Gascoigne, someone he has known for years but never really assessed as a woman. Once he does, the idea sticks with him so much so that he becomes obsessed with determining their compatibility.

Madeline, on the other hand, quite at ease with her spinster role and guardianship of three young brothers doesn't really look upon Gervase's interst with much enthusiasm. Of course, most romance readers know how much this turns off the high and mighty Earl. Not a wit, of course. Soon the entanglements of two strong, stubborn individuals has the whole town keeping mum about their future as earl and countess. The final decision will be Madeline's to make and with her brothers' lives at stake, how can she refuse?

This book does borrow characters from the former Bastion Club books as well as hinting at the futures for Dalziel and Christian and the ever present traitor that always pops up in these books to cause trouble. In fact, it sounds like both these men will get their own books and readers are finally close to discovering the true identity of the enigmatic Dalziel. My bets on the traitor and Dalziel are relations of some sort... cousins, brothers even. Also, one of the other readers mentioned a tin mine scam. The details of this character and the result of his misdeeds are continued in the Cynster novel, "A Taste of Innocence."

A fun, romantic read, "Beyond Seduction" delivers where it should. Granted there are times when it dragged with a bit too much character development, but overall the plot, conversation, characters and humor flowed easily and entertainingly for anyone just coming into the series. However, it is a must read for those who have been following the Bastion Club series because it offers new insights and future intrigues for the upcoming books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good addition but severely lacking, January 21, 2008

By	Evilcleo "evilcleo" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond Seduction (Bastion Club) (Mass Market Paperback)

While this was a good addition to the series, I found myself questioning just how entertaining it is. The beginning caught my attention but then it didn't. For one thing, it is difficult to believe that Gervase had known Madeline for years and never really felt a thing and all of a sudden there is an attraction? Not exactly believable, then again the fact that Madeline, a very intelligent and mature woman, never even considered using some type of birth control is not either. As she was spinster age,an affair is something but a kid coming from it is just scandalous.
Then there is the characterization of Gervase, who began to be a generally nice guy and a hero many people would like but then quickly started lacking to be seen as one. I mean he wouldn't let Madeline leave before she agreed to an affair? A: Madeline could have done something to get out of it and B: that is not a hero, that is a jerk. A determined hero would just find another way. Then after that he thought just the physical components would create love each other and "show" he wanted to marry her. No one would be able to get that message- that is where words are needed, words he gave too late.
It is another typical Bastion book: hero has affair with heroine to convince of compatibility and somehow that creates love on its own and they marry, and they coincidentally get along every other way which is way too much of a coincidence. Okay, so this physical component is important but there is more to a relationship than that, Laurens has plenty of time to give the characters more of a personality. Or maybe she should just cut back period cause there was a considerable amount of drag in the novel and frankly sometimes it is just better to get to the point.
What I honestly really want is just to see a relationship that is grown on something more than just sex. Like A Rogue's proposal-that was enjoyable because you got both strong character's personalities and the physical part of it. A great balance, one Lauren has lost throughout the years.