Customer Reviews

Crave (Avon Red)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Crave is a new twist on the age old Snow White fairy tale.

Princess Bianca feared her evil stepmother to the point of running away. No place was safe however, except for the impenetrable Penitent compound. To enjoy the safety of the cult though Bianca must follow the cult rules, which include the prohibition of all things intimate.

Bianca has always frowned on the rules but has never been tempted to break them as badly as when she meets a man named Stephen who recognizes her as the run-a-way princess. Her step mother is getting closer and she must choose; safety and loneliness in the compound or capture and companionship out of it.

This is a dark, erotic and fascinating adaptation. Cathy Yardley has created a twisted plot and characters that aren't your typical Eros style. I hope Cathy remakes many more fairy tales. If you liked the Sleeping Beauty Trilogy this will blow you away.

CRAVE is a modern-day story, loosely patterned after the classic tale of Snow White, only this one is adult rated. Beth Cordova barely escaped her stepmother who intended to killer her. She found refuge under another name with a group of people called the Penitents in rural Pennsylvania. They were shut off from the outside world, which is why Beth felt safe until a new arrival came to the compound.

Stephen Trent is an investigative reporter. His boss sent him undercover in order to dig up dirt on the Penitents, but he knew this was punishment over his last assignment. Two things he didn't expect from this assignment. One was to find a princess who had disappeared and rumored to be dead. Two, he'd never expected to fall so deeply in love.

The cult leaders aren't what they appear. Beth finds out that her stepmother isn't the only evil person intent on killing her. Stephen tries to get Beth out, but places himself in the middle of danger as well. This assignment might just be his last.

While the story is creative in the location and set-up, I had a difficult time connecting with the hero and heroine. I also didn't feel the intensity of the story. Of course, that might be my inability to bond with the main characters. This is the first book I've read by Cathy Yardley. I'd like to give her other book, RAVISH, a go before making up my mind.

Stephen Trent was sure of it. His editor was punishing him. What could there be for him to investigate at the Penitent Compound in Pennsylvania? The residents live a very simple life of abstinence and strict gender separation. And he is really having a hard taking the whole assignment seriously. But when he spots (and can't take his eyes off of) a young woman in the dining hall, he decides this assignment might not be so bad. Why does she seem so familiar to him?



Beth Cordova has been hiding a very big secret for ten years--herself. The world thinks she's dead and that's exactly what she wants them to think. If she is ever found, her stepmother will kill her. The Penitent Compound has been the perfect place for her. The seven Founders of the Compound have been more than happy to have her there. One of them even more so than the others.



Beth's identity is in danger of being revealed by the man she can't stay away from. Stephen discovers more than just Beth's identity, there is more to the Penitents than meets the eye. He has to get Beth out before it's too late because banishment is not what it sounds like. And it seems that her stepmother knows where to find her.



As soon as I got CRAVE: The Seduction of Snow White I started reading and I couldn't put it down. I have always loved fairy tales and would read them over and over when I was a kid. I was always delighted when I found a new story or a new version of a fairy tale that I loved. That hasn't changed. CRAVE: The Seduction of Snow White is an amazing twist to the story of Snow White. Ms. Yardley's imagination is so brilliant that this adult version is hard to put down. It's all here, the 7 men who take Snow White in, a jealous stepmother who wants to kill her and her Prince--okay, so he's a reporter--who sweeps her off her feet. And did I mention the really hot sex? You've never seen Snow White like this!

Willow
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I was expecting more from this book. The description is accurate, but the title is not. I felt there was no seduction, just rushed, oddly written sex scenes. Plus, the book is so loosly based on the tale of Snow White, I cannot even think why the author bothered. The writing ended up being amateurish and repetitive. The author used the same descriptive term 3 times in less than two pages. All this book did was get me aggravated and want it to be over quickly. Even the steamy scenes were weird. Maybe if the author would have put more thought into this book, it could have been a winner. But it seemed rushed and cut up. A lot of the action felt like after thoughts.
You might like this book if you like your sex scenes rushed and don't mind lack-luster writing, but I just couldn't wait for it to be over.

crave the seduction of snow white is an exotic spin on a classic fairytale. the story of a girl who was trapped in a penitent life and the struggle of resisting her desire and temptation as well as the struggle to keep her true identity hidden. this book keeps you on your toes until the very end and if you want a good love story this is the best one i have read so far....

I guess I'll be playing the role of odd man out here since I'm the only one who didn't care for the book so far. I gave this two stars because I think the author wrote well and I liked the overall concept of trying to place the snow white story in a modern setting. That said, it simply didn't work for me.

The plot didn't have me convinced - the heroine's reasons for staying in such a looney bin colony just didn't work for me. Even if I was running for my life, I would take total isolation in a cabin somewhere to staying with a bunch of oppressive, potentially violent weirdos. The hero wasn't really all that likeable and I just didn't think their romance had any, well, romance. I was a little bored and even the forbidden forest frolicking (whew, almost seussian) by a few of the colony's more rebellious (why do they stay, too?) members didn't really make the story all that interesting for me.

Cannot recommend this one.

Investigative reporter Stephen Trent decides to breach the impenetrable Penitent compound in order to do a story on the primeval cult. He expects to see horrific conditions as the group has allegedly repelled modern living. However, he is stunned when he meets Goodmaid Beth inside the complex because he recognizes Beth Cordova.

Ten years ago Princess Bianca vanished without a trace fleeing from a wicked stepmother to hide inside a strict cult. Now Stephen has found her using the name Goodmaid Beth. Attracted to one another the pair breaks the strictly enforced sex rules. Soon they are in love, but Stephen realizes getting inside proved easy; getting out with his beloved Beth impossible; an if miraculously they escape the wicked stepmother maintains her vigilance just in case the missing princess should return.

Modernizing the epic Snow White fairy tale with a secretive cult instead of a sleep disorder, Cathy Yardley writes an engaging timely contemporary romance. The story line is fast-paced, from the moment that Stephen meets Goodmaid Beth as each is instantly attracted to one another even as he knows who she is. Fans will appreciate their taboo relationship and wonder what they will do as breaking the strict rules is dangerous and leaving is dangerous. Fans will crave more such tales from Ms Yardley as the Seduction of Snow White is a winner.

Harriet Klausner