Customer Reviews

The Scorpion & the Seducer (Leisure Historical Romance)

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In London, the Ton has always treated half-Egyptian Jasmine Tristan as a pariah disparaging her as the "Brown Scorpion". Perhaps the only exception besides her adopted father is the Earl Thomas Wallenford, who not only admires her élan, but believes he is in love with her. Although she reciprocates his feelings, she knows they cannot make a match; when he was twelve, his late father made it clear she was a loser two times as a heathen and as an illegit; affirmed by Thomas' mother.

When his older twin Nigel the "perfect one" dies, Thomas becomes the duke and must ignore his heart for the sake of his title. Still he and Jasmine make a trek to Egypt where she hopes to learn who her natural parents are and he spent time with family there when Nigel was ill back when they were preadolescents. As they admit their love in the desert, the person who killed the twin plans to murder Thomas too.

The latest desert historical romance is a superb tale that brings to life Egypt in the late 1890s. The lead couple is a strong pairing as both knows his mother thinks Jasmine is beneath her socially yet love blossoms between them. The murder mystery is well done, but serves as a minor subplot as Bonnie Vanak provides another strong Victorian Egyptian romance filled with a vivid background.

Harriet Klausner

This book is set in the 1800's and takes place in England and Egypt. The heroine, who was a child in past books from this series, has to deal with bigotry and a sense of not knowing where she belongs. the hero is someone trying to fullfil his horrible family's expectations for his place in society. don't let that bore you...there is also a great mystery and twist with Eqyptian adventure! AND if that itsn't enough, there are great love scenes. If you enjoy this time period/setting in a romance, and like to see a little paranormal or adventure thrown in, then bonnie vanak's books are for you. this book didn't have really any paranormal elements, but some of her past work does. this is a great stand-alone page turner, however, the other books in this series are so fantastic and original, i would start there. the Eqyptian romances by bonnie vanak in order are:
the falcon & the dove;
the tiger & the tomb;
the cobra & the cocubine;
the panther & the pyramid;
the sword & the sheath; and
the scorpion & the seducer.
the first one is still one of my favorites!!

From page one, The Scorpion and the Seducer managed to draw me right into the story. The writing and the story was amazing, compelling and interesting. Bonnie Vanak is a wonderful author, truly a one of a kind, who writes romances that are not only steamy but touching and very vivid, not only in the emotions but also in the descriptions of the story and characters, the background and culture. Like all of her other books, The S & the S is set in Egypt, with a bit of England thrown in, and she manages to capture all of the country's bright colors and culture, painting a beautiful story as you read. Vanak has a way with words that very few authors have.

Jasmine and Thomas's story was very touching and loving, and the journey they had to endure to be together forever was long and treacherous, but they stuck to it. Besides their love, which was tender and sweet, their conversations were also very interesting and funny. Jasmine is no meek and weak English miss, but a fiery and tough woman who has no problem speaking her mind. Because of this, she won't back down when Thomas, or any one else for that matter, tries to engage her in a battle of wits and remarks, which leads to a very funny play on words between them. And since you know that they love each other, their 'battles' of words are that much more enjoyable.

Aside from the romance, which was also very intense and sexy in all the right places, The S & the S was filled with intrigue and mystery, suspense and action, which blended together perfectly with all the other elements- there wasn't too much of any one of them. I love how Vanak writes such delightful stories set in the captivating backdrop of the heated and magical Egypt, something that I don't see in many historical romances, and definitely never describe to the extent that Vanak does. She makes everything flow together, moving along smoothly, painting the perfect picture to go along with the story.

5/5 STARS! An absolutely delicious romance that has everything you could possibly want in it: tender love, steamy sex, wit and humor, suspense and action. Easily one of the best romance novels out there, written by one of the top authors in the field! A must read for anyone.

This book kept my attention all the time and I could hardly put it down to do other things that needed doing. I couldn't wait to get back to it.

Although entertaining, the motivation of the villain is really unclear and makes little sense. Also, I really enjoyed the other stories with the based in the Desert. So this one was a little disappointing.

Heroine Jasmine in Bonnie Vanak's latest book is so incredibly likable and also very unlikable, complex and flawed; she had all the traits of a bold heroine but also many traits of a brash spoiled child. I was on a roller coaster ride of emotions with her and so was hero Thomas, an English Aristocrat who was enchanted by her but was constantly in a tug of war with his feelings because of his duty to family.

This novel is both plot and character driven. Jasmine is the daughter of Egyptian parents but adopted by an English Lord. She has never fit into the ton because of her heritage and very brown skin. She longs for acceptance and when she is publicly humiliated in front of the aristocracy she is bent on revenge.

The one person in the ton who seems to accept her is Thomas. These two have known each other for years but his mother has decreed that Jasmine is beneath them. Thomas is especially loyal to his family because his older twin Nigel died and he feels the burden of an imposing Earldom, and a fierce protectiveness toward his sister. In many ways Thomas is blinded to the prejudice against this girl even in his own family.

Jasmine begins a series of unflattering newspaper articles directed at Thomas's younger sister with the hopes of hurting his mother. Thomas tries to stop Jasmine, after all his sister will be hurt and she is innocent of any wrongdoing. Jasmine though is so full of hurt she refuses not only Thomas's requests to cease her vendetta but her parent's too.

Feeling like an outsider, Jasmine returns to Egypt determined to find her identity. What concerns her most is finding some goodness in her deceased biological father, a man who really was evil. Here Jasmine becomes rather obstinate and almost painfully childlike in trying to find any decency in an indecent man. Added to her troubles are death threats that began in London which have now followed her to Egypt.

Thomas is also in Egypt on a buying trip and he is part of an archaeological dig. He is still drawn to Jasmine but notices that her seeds of destruction are more from her own actions rather than any sense of evil she inherited from her father. Thomas is understanding but also is in a struggle between protecting his family and committing to Jasmine. The mystery in Egypt caught me a bit by surprise, but I liked how the it was solved.

I recommend this novel due to very good story telling. Jasmine was all over the map with her emotions, understandable but at times annoying with almost childish tantrums directed at her loving family. She becomes a much more mature person by the end of the novel. Ditto for Thomas, who overcame his own bigotry and realized that life is more than London's ton.

It is great you stay with it almost in the end you get a little confuse but you get in to it.

Egyptian born, Jasmine Tristan was part of London society by way of adoption by an English Viscount. Try as she might to adopt the strict rules of the upper crust in both manner and dress, Jasmine was shunned for her dark exotic looks and nicknamed "the little brown scorpion". After a disastrous attempt to disguise her dark skin and mingle with the upper crust at a masquerade ball Jasmine was unmasked and found herself once more in the limelight - the target of bigotry and hatred. Taking revenge on those responsible, Jasmine exposed their secrets in a gossip column with enough detail for readers to comprehend who they were. Revenge was sweet but it came with a price.

Lord Thomas Claradon - heir to an Earldom had always admired Jasmine and her intelligent forthright manner, unlike the simpering ladies his parents expected him to, as was his `duty', marry and beget heirs. After sharing a passionate kiss with Jasmine, Thomas astounded by his response. However, he was later let down and furious after discovering Jasmine was behind the attempts to ruin his beloved sister's betrothal. Even though he could never marry Jasmine, it did not deter him from pursuing the woman who stirred his passion like no other.

Later when Jasmine traveled to Egypt to seek the truth of her parentage, the threats and attempts on her life which started in London followed her in her wake. Someone wanted Jasmine out of Thomas' life; someone who knew the truth of Jasmine's connection to Thomas' twin brother's death.

*** As always, Bonnie Vanak has created another memorable historical period piece with an Egyptian theme. In THE SCORPION AND THE SEDUCER, Vanak has zipped forward and reintroduced the child Jasmine from her previous books THE COBRA & THE CONCUBINE and THE PANTHER & THE PYRAMID as a grown up young woman. Even though I have read these previous titles, let me assure you that this, as any of Ms. Vanak's Egyptian titles, while connected do stand completely on their own. Let me also say, that each and every one is a thrilling book chock full of steamy sensuality, high adventure, and complete with imaginative and superb plots.

Right from the start, Jasmine was an interesting composite of good and bad, or misguided, with a temper that overrode good sense. In a fit of anger and pushed beyond endurance by the bigotry of her peers, and for Thomas who seemed not to care for her feelings, Jasmine thirsted for vengeance against the people who had hurt her. Revenge was sweet but when found out, Jasmine felt ashamed and began to fear that the rumors of how vile her biological father was, were true and that the saying "...blood will tell..." would prove her as evil as he. When given the chance to travel to Egypt and write articles to send home of the history of her father's people, along with the updates on the latest archaeological dig, Jasmine knew she had to go. It was imperative Jasmine prove to herself that no one could be as soul-less as her biological father was portrayed.

Vanak also made Thomas an extremely complex personality who I was not sure I even liked at times. As a young child he'd been vigorously tutored and punished to uphold the traditions as befit the heir to the Earldom - it was his `duty' to hold himself to a higher level. When in private with Jasmine, Thomas seemed compassionate, but in public his whole demeanor changed and one had to ask themselves, was this to shield Jasmine from more scorn or to hide his real feelings?

The love story between the two leads was emotional at times, with steamy and sensual encounters. While many attempts at trying to dissuade Jasmine from staying away from Thomas occurred in London, Vanak hit the overdrive button on the intrigue aspect when more attempts continued along the trip and into Egypt. Bottom line - Ms. Vanak has written another highly imaginative high adventure tale with complex characters, rich details, and a satisfying love story that is sure to captivate the most discriminating reader. Very much recommended!!!

Marilyn Rondeau