Customer Reviews

Eternal Seduction

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this book because the blurb grabbed my attention. And I must say I wasn't disappointed at all.

Kerestyan, the hero, is a dark, brooding, 10,000 year old vampire. Logan, the heroine, running away from a tormented past, and has been living on the street for the last 15 years. She is a drug addict with no interest in life, and then she meets a vampire she finds intriguing, who is deciding if he's going to kill her, since her memories are packed with knowledge of vampires, which no human should have.
Given the choice of life (becoming a 'servio', servant to a vampire) or death (humans aren't suppose to know about them), Logan, basically doesn't care one way or the other if she lives or dies, so with a shrug, leaves her fate in Kerestyan's hand.
He is intrigued by her and so he takes her to his home. Her future is then decided for her and her immortal life begins.
Kerestyn, soon falls for her, but the shell Logan built around her is too hard to let him in, even though she thinks he's okay.
Layer by layer, Kerestyn peels it away and she starts to feel again.

What I liked about this book is that it's so different from the usual PNR's I've been reading lately. I liked Logan, she is a drug addict, doesn't care what anyone says about her and can laugh at herself. And she doesn't fall immediately in love with the gorgeous hero, who is the total opposite of her. In fact he does all the running, a theme I definitely like.

Logan, later starts to realize she has feeling for him.
Kerestyn, knows she cares but he wants her love. Knowing time is what she needs, makes a promise to himself, he'd give her time. Two hundred years should do it, after all he is a patient man, if it means getting what he wants :)

I loved this book, it was fresh, well-written and the love scenes are hot. Enjoyed the humor too.
Wish it was longer though.
I look forwards to the following books in this series, 'ETERNAL HEARTS', 'ETERNAL EMBRACE' and ETERNAL DESIRES.

When I was asked to review Eternal Seduction the first thing that caught my attention was the beautiful cover. I love the black and white image against the striking red roses and although it's not necessarily reflective of the story, it is certainly eye catching and beautiful.

Logan Ellis is a 30 year old heroin addicted street waif in New York City. She's spent over a decade living on the streets, and has become disconnected from the harsh realities of her lifestyle and the human condition in general. She's seen her share of street crime and doesn't hesitate to do what she has to do to get by. Logan has seen some pretty shocking things living on the streets including vampires. She knows they're real, but keeps her distance and knows well enough not to tell anyone. Who would believe a homeless heroin addict, and as long as the vamps aren't bothering her why should she care?

When Kerestyan Nelek, a 10,000 year old vampire and Lord Of New York, discovers Logan in an alley provoking a group of fighting fledglings so she can pass, he is intrigued by her lack of fear. It is forbidden for humans to know of the existence of vampires so he must punish the young vampires for breaking the veil, and decide how he should deal with Logan's knowledge of vampires. After spending a bit of time with her, his interest is piqued and he decides killing her is not an option. He must find another way dealing with her knowledge of vampires and possibly explore his attraction to her. Kerestyan takes Logan to his home where she is eventually introduced to a his vampire family and the supernatural world where it will be decided if she will die for her knowledge or become a part of the vampire world.

Jennifer Turner has created a world of vampires that is dangerous, gritty and somewhat deceptive. At the same time her vampires cherish emotion and love above all else. Just when you think you've decided who to trust, she throws in a little plot twist that sends your loyalties in another direction.

What I really loved about this story was the unlikely heroine Logan. She is nothing you expect a paranormal romance heroine to be. When we first meet her she is skinny, dirty from living on the streets, she smokes, does heroin, eats out of trash cans and steals to get by. As the story progresses we don't see major physical changes. She cleans up and begins to lead a healthier lifestyle and it is reflected in her appearance, but she doesn't transform into a busty blonde bombshell or anything like that. We also see a heroine who holds true to her character. She is sarcastic and at times quite witty and maintains the qualities that make her who she is no matter the circumstances of her life. Although she goes through some emotional changes, her core holds strong and her ideals remain intact. If you're paying attention you'll find plenty of things to love about Logan.

Kerestyan is however everything you want a hero to be. He's sexy, a vampire, in touch with his emotions, fair, loyal and protective of those he cares for, including his city and fledgling vampires. He's able to look past Logan's tough exterior and see through to the qualities that appeal to what's left of his humanity as well as what appeals to the inner beast of his vampire nature. While he is clearly alpha male he never comes off as being an overbearing jackass, instead refusing to force his will on Logan to allow her to make her own decisions. Well, except for the kidnapping. :)

The secondary characters are colorful and certainly don't fade into the background. They support the plot well and shine without dominating the story. They add a bit a flare to this slightly dark romance. My favorite is Odin, the twin brother to Kerestyan. He is "Odin, the god of war", literally. He is badass, sarcastic, unpredictable and loves his brother dearly. He also likes to sew, and manages to add some well placed comic relief. I hope we'll see more of Odin in future novels.

Jennifer Turner has taken paranormal romance, added wit and humor, mixed in a dash of mystery, with a unique take on vampire politics to create a novel you will not want to put down. I will definitely be looking for more from this author in the future

I read this book back in January, after it had sat on my TBR stack for a little while. I really kicked myself for not reading it sooner. I loved the book! I ended up reading this book in three sittings, although it would have been in one if silly things like plans with friends and the need for sleep hadn't of gotten in the way... Almost immediately I felt drawn into the mystical, yet realistic, world that Jen has created. After only a couple of chapters, I already felt as if I knew the characters and all of their quirks and idiosyncrasies.

Why traditional agents and publishers passed on the opportunity to buy this series is truly beyond me and I applaud Jen for her drive to self-publish this wonderful story. The characters are rich, the world is believable, and the plot draws you in and keeps you turning the pages. The only "negative" thing I found with it is that I wanted certain scenes to last longer, but isn't it the sign of a good book that you find yourself wanting to spend more time in the world created? I think so, but that's just me.

I'm no professional book reviewer, but this one definitely gets two thumbs up from me!

The story itself is decent enough, though it's clear that this is the beginning of world building.

I wasn't left with a clear image of Kerestyan in regard to physical appearance, but inside of his head rings true. Emotionally he's a solid character, though I did wish for more background. Logan is not your typical heroine by far, but she is strong of character and has a brutal honesty about her that makes her compelling and appealing. Again, the inside of the character, the heart and soul as it is in the now, rings loud and clear. In Logan's case the history is also present and so I found myself understanding her.

There is blatant sex in this paranormal romance and it is short, sweet and to the point with a nice, naughty bite to round it out. I'd say for those that enjoy their romance with all the earthy parts thrown in, this book carries the bare minimum information to meet that criteria. I'd not have been upset to have more of the lewd details, but I'm not feeling cheated for their lack. A good balance.

I can see why folks liken her to J.R Ward, but despite the similarities, Jennifer's voice is very much her own and with a little more time I suspect she'll have more than a mere 9 reviews for her trouble.

If you are a fan of fangy romance, have an appreciation for thorough and layered world building and mythos creation, and have a special place in your heart for flawed/damaged characters, stop reading this review and start buying Eternal Seduction, because this one has it all. This book not only hit all my happy spots as a reader, it stroked them and made them wriggle with pleasure!

I loved it. I loved Logan, the heroine-addicted street waif with a jaded view of life and utterly disconnected with humanity. I loved her decidedly broken moral compass and her blase attitude coupled with a steely sense of responsibility for her actions and choices, however unsympathetic those may be. I loved that for as flawed and damaged a character as she was, she still had an intensity of personality that was as compelling to me as it was to Kerestyan. And I just flat-out adored Lord Kerestyan, the Ancient vampire who has spent at least the last several...several years in a sort of emotional ennui even as he rules the city of New York, watching out for the fledglings and keeping the Veil intact. When he stumbles onto Logan, a human aware of the existence of vampires, instead of killing her, he abducts her and gives her a choice. Live or die. The complexities of that simple-sounding choice have the power to change Logan and Kerestyan in ways they may not be able to comprehend.

With a totally unique vampire/werewolf/Paladin/Celestial mythos that I found to be astoundingly complete, original, and remarkably well defined (even for it being the Cliffs Notes version), a stubborn street waif that seemed fiercely determined to make her own way in the world regardless of cost or destination - and at times despite them, a sexy Ancient vampire that falls for said stubborn street waif with endearing alacrity, the ensuing romance that was enchantingly realistic given the character development of each of them, and a fascinating (and at times hilarious), well-developed stable of secondary and ancillary characters, Eternal Seduction has managed to reaffirm my rabid lust for dark vampire/paranormal romance. And the plot was very well paced with an enthralling mix of humor, tragedy, danger, and sheer grit, too. There just isn't anything I can say that's even remotely critical about any aspect of Eternal Seduction.

I suppose I could complain that the second book, Eternal Hearts, isn't available yet. That's a major downer. On the bright side, according to Jennifer Turner's Twitter page, it's in a final proofreading phase (whatever that means). It sounds a heck of a lot better than "it's not even finished being written yet," so I won't complain...too much. Beyond that, absolutely a five star read for Eternal Seduction, and one of my top two favorite reads of 2010 to date.

I had high expectations for this book, most likely higher than for some other author's first book but Jennifer Turner did not disappoint in the slightest.

Her world, full of vampires and werewolves and so many more ... `beings'... (don't want to spoil anything), is something fresh and new in the sphere of vampire/supernatural/dark romance/urban fantasy.

Her protagonists Logan and Kerestyan are characters like you will find them nowhere else. Logan is the absolute anti-heroine. Emphasis on `heroin', she steals from old ladies and is a drug addict, and while you read that you may start to be prepared to not like her but she is absolutely unique and has a certain street charm that is hard to come by in books.

Kerestyan on the other hand is the vampire lord of New York. Among the vampires, he belongs to a special family that is pretty much like nobility in vampire circles. He is thousands of years old and is pretty sure he has seen and done it all, until he meets Logan, that is.

Logan has pretty much given up on life, only existing until her next shot, totally disillusioned with what's going on in the world. Will Kerestyan be able to pull her from her detachedness back into life? And what kind of life will it be?

No where else will you find a book so witty, sad, romantic and dark in that combination all at once. The world is gritty and realistic to a point that you totally lose yourself in it. I'm looking forward to explore more about the world Ms Turner has created. This is a new goddess on the author-pantheon, just look out!

BTW, the next book `Eternal Hearts' will be out in MAY.

-Ines

Eternal Seduction isn't your run of the mill vampire love story. In previous vampire series, the heroine (the woman the vampire falls in love with) always has a special trait that makes her bound to an vampire. Logan's special trait is that she doesn't give a damn and is all about self, which makes her the perfect candidate to become enfolded into the vampiric world. I enjoyed reading this book because it strayed from many of the typical plot lines that other paranormal romance/urban fantasy books tend to follow. I found the characters interactions with each other funny which is surprising considering the dark nature of the book. The constant verbal jabbing between Odin and Logan had me laughing out loud many times. My favorite line: "Oh and don't forget to give her a razor. Lord knows how much bush she's grown since the last time she used one." So rude, so wrong and yet so funny!

If you're a paranormal or urban fantasy fan, you need to drop what you're doing and arrange to get your hands on this book NOW. "Eternal Seduction" by Jennifer Turner is one of the best paranormal/urban fantasy romance/close to erotica books I've read...ever. Not sure if it's the gritty reality, the flawed yet redeemable main characters, the compelling secondary cast, the dark humor, or the fascinating complexity, but this story sucked me right into the author's world and I'm still a little bit there.

The heroine in this book? A drug-addicted homeless thief whose life experiences have resulted in a wall between her and everyone else. She's NOT perfect...not even close. Duh, she's an addict. That means she's underweight, dirty, pseudo-amoral, and uncaring about almost everything. Yet she's also compelling in that way that only skilled authors can depict.

Our hero? Well, he's the Lord of New York. An impossibly ancient vampire, the 'son' of a primeval being whose life and history surpass human knowledge. Is he an Alpha? Well...yes and no. His 'beast' can certainly become that and for a being who could raze a city in a hand span of time, how can he be less than Alpha? Yet at times he's also terribly 'human', conscious of himself and his feelings and striving to temper his strength and control to allow others the choices they need.

While the 'story' itself is typical paranormal, the execution is far from it. I could go on all day, but then those of you reading this wouldn't have time to get your own copy. As soon as I finished, I went looking for the next book but it's not scheduled for publication until May 2009 and is titled "Eternal Hearts". If it's anywhere as good as this one, I'll be one VERY happy camper. But don't take my word for it, find out for yourself.

I found this author in the BDB Cellie chat in the Mansion's Library where it received great reviews, so I decided to take a chance. It was well worth it. A totally different take on a Vampire world with terrific characters, a great back story and wonderful possibilities for the future. Don't be fooled by the length of the book, there's a lot going on in a very short page count. A great way to pass the time waiting for Rhevenge's story in May from the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Logan Ellis has lived on the streets in New York City for the last ten years. To cope with her past she has become addicted to heroin. She has no friends or family and keeps herself closed off to protect herself.

Kerestyan Nelek is a 10,000 year old vampire and Lord of New York. His job is to make sure the other vampires and their fledglings are behaving. They must stay out of site of humans or deal with his punishments.

Logan is on her way to get her heroin fix and finds three vampires fighting in the ally. Oddly that does not disturb her but having them magically disappear by one man does. Kerestyan knows that Logan has seen too much so he takes her home. He gives her the choice of death or asking his father to allow her to become a Servio or servant to the Nelek family.

Kerestyan knows that there is something behind the vacant looking eyes of Logan. She has been through something traumatic in her past and he wants to help her but at the same time he wants to take her over. She would become immortal and have blood powers similar to her sire. Before a decision can be made about her future, she must go through withdrawals from the heroin. Logan just is not sure which is worse. The withdrawals or the thought of not seeing this beautiful man with fangs. Is he worth the pain or does she want to continue to be numb?

Eternal Seduction is one of the best books I have read this year. Jennifer Turner writes similar to JR Ward with the fast paced story and vibrant characters. Do not drink anything while reading this book. With all the laughing it is bound to come out of your nose. Between Odin losing his tongue all the time and not reacting to it and Logan well, being Logan, you can hardly breathe let alone drink.

Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by Megan