Customer Reviews

The Secret to Seduction

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After months of anticipation it pains me to rate "TSTS" with three stars. The first half of the novel starts out slowly. There is a lot of "thinking" from Sabrina's POV and not much dialogue from either character.

I found the author's style of repeating words and phrases over again in the same paragraph tedious and unnecessary. I also thought the sentence structures were hard to follow and had to reread passages repeatedly.

I thought Rhys's love and desire for Sabrina unconvincing. Partly because so little of the story was told from his perspective as a whole. The tension and love scenes were so tepid that I cannot fathom how "The Libertine" would be so overcome with lust, forsaking all others, based upon what I read.

The emotional and dramatic aspect of "TSTS" finally picks up about the last 100 pages or so, which is why I rated the book with 3 stars and not less.

The Secret to Seduction is the third in a series and it solves the central mystery that has unraveled bit by bit in each book. This particular installment was the most satisfying for me, not only because of the interesting plot twists and conflict between the hero and heroine, but also because the romance moved at the perfect pace. Although I enjoyed the first two books, and admired how skillfully the author developed her characters, I felt it took a bit too long for the hero and heroine to come together. But in Secret to Seduction, the pace kept me turning the pages happily.

This installment is about Sabrina, an adopted vicar's daughter whose plan is to marry Geoffrey, the curate, and move with him to Africa so they can devote themselves to missionary work. She and Geoffrey end up attending a house party at Geoffrey cousin's estate and since said cousin is none other than the famous poet known as the Libertine because of his sensual poetry, Sabrina is determined to make her mark. Sabrina considers herself to be sensible and cool-headed, but after only a few interactions with Rhys, the Libertine, she discovers she has a passionate side-- and a temper.

I loved the banter between Rhys and Sabrina-- it's immediatey apparent that these two are well-matched. They eventually give in to their attraction, and have to deal with the repurcussions. Just when Rhys and Sabrina seem to have found happiness, an unexpected secret is revealed that changes everything.

What's Good: Nearly everything is good about this novel. Long reminds me of Julia Quinn and Elizabeth Hoyt in terms of the high quality of the writing, genuine wit and humor and the obvious intelligence involved in crafting of the dialogue and plot structure. She's an expert at developing characters you initially won't think you'll like-- Sabrina seems too perfect, Rhys too flawed but by the end, we see them as complex and fascinating individuals. Every detail of the suspense plot rings true and we get to see characters from the other books return in a believable way. This novel is truly very well done and a pleasure to read.

What's Bad: Not much. I would say that after reading most of Long's novels, I'm a little tired of the fact that the heroine is always gorgeous, just because I find it easier to relate to a lead female character who is not flawlessly beautiful. I also think that sometimes she gives us too many points of view-- Morley's made sense in this story, but I don't know if we really needed Geoffrey's. And also, in all the books in this series, there are third and sometimes fourth parties. In this book there's Geoffrey sortof courting Sabrina and Sophia, Rhys mistress. It's very rare in romances that we get development of these kind of traditional spoiler-type characters, and I do applaud Long for taking a risk in trying for realism (after all, many upper class men did have mistresses and these mistresses were real people with real emotions. And it's also true that sometimes people are invloved with someone else when they meet their true love). But I will say that other readers might find the inclusion of such characters to be distracting, especially since it seems to be something Long does in every novel.

But overall, The Secret of Seduction is a wonderful romance-- fun yet poignant, sensual and beautifully written. I highly recommend it.

I liked the first book in this series a lot. The second book was pretty good. (I should go back and review them with 5 and 4 stars each.) This one was disappointing. It was readable, but I didn't find myself drawn in. It felt like the overlap with the trilogy was tacked on in a way that I could easily have liked the book without it better.

There were some little things that bothered me enough that they became big things. The heroine winds up alone in a big house with a tuned piano. She is known as a good pianist and presumably enjoys playing. (This is from her saucy mother's genes, apparently, to tie it into the trilogy.) Yet when she's concerned about all the time on her hands, does she raid the music library and hone her musical skill? Teach lessons to the village kids? Give concerts for the neighbors? No. She learns to knit. I wanted to scream at her, "The piano is right there! Go play it!"

I found the romance to be on the tepid side emotionally. I didn't buy into it very much. I found the trilogy tie in distracting and unnecessary. Sabrina didn't appear to pine for or in any way define herself in relation to her lost/unknown family they way the other two sisters did, and wasn't concerned about finding them, so why bother. The hero, I can barely remember enough to comment on other than he absented himself a lot and wasn't that great. Not that a hero has to be great all the time, but this was pretty eh.

So. If you want the end of the trilogy, read this. If you want a tame, non-threatening romance, you might like it. If, like me, you have all of JAL's previous works on a keeper shelf... I'll send you my copy.

Vicar's daughter Sabrina Fairleigh believes that she is in possession of an even temperament and not one to give to her baser needs. She doesn't have those. Her convictions are going to be put to the test though when she accompanies her friend Mary Capstraw to La Montage, the country seat of the Earls of Rawden. The current Earl is also known as "The Libertine" penning such intimate poems women can't help but loose themselves to their inflamed desires. But Sabrina is made of sterner stuff and she has a goal. She wants to travel as a missionary alongside her father's curate Geoffrey, who just so happens to be the cousin of Rhys--the Libertine himself. So if she is so set on her course why is she so drawn to Rhys and his kisses. Will this trip end up leading to her ruin?

Rhys is bored and in need of diversion. The prim and proper Sabrina Fairleigh is the perfect choice. She is too sure of her convictions and at the same time very disconcerting to his base instincts. When he should walk away and leave her alone, he finds himself drawn to her, to tease her, prod her and force her to realize she is no better then anyone else. What he is not counting on is becoming caught up in the passion that springs between them. Such opposites could never get along well or could they? When they are caught in a compromising situation he does the right thing and marries her. But will the passion cool once the games are over?

This is the first time I've read Ms. Long and I was truly entertained. This title is part of a three book series, this being the last story. And it's a strong stand alone. So, if you're like me and series challenged, you won't feel left out or confused when reading this book. Ms. Long's writing style combines humor and tenderness in a well modulated pace. There were several times I found myself laughing out loud at the situations our protagonists got themselves into.

Character development was slow at times and Rhys was almost obnoxious with his attitude but in the end Ms. Long and her talent for crafting a story saved him from being an unlikable character. I would have like to have seen a wee bit more of the story from his point of view. It would have explained some of his reactions to the situations he found himself in rather by his design or someone else's. It would have also given depth to the sensual connection between him and Sabrina.

Sabrina was a charming character. I could relate to her in many ways. Her realization that she was no better then others was sweet and entertaining. Truthfully it was what kept me reading the story. Her experiences of so many "firsts" were well told and done so in a fresh way.

The secondary storyline of the three sisters finally finding each other, combined with the secondary characters which were varied and likable only added depth to this tale. Ms. Long writes a sensual tale that pulls readers in. Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Sabrina Fairleigh is a sweet country miss who meets practiced seducer, Rhys Gillray, earl of Rawden at his house party. She is there to spend time with the earl's cousin Geoffrey, a man she believes to be above reproach unlike his cousin. The Earl is known as the Libertine because he has written such scandalous poetry.

Sabrina claims to be even tempered and quite self righteously states she is not one to succumb to passion, in fact, she feels compassion for those who do. Rhys is bored and finds Sabrina to be a worthy project, he will teach her about her passionate nature. These two have nice verbal sparring both are witty and there's a nice flow to their dialogue.

They are caught in an embrace and must marry. Neither is happy about it but both realize that duty requires it.

Rhys quickly hightails it to London after his marriage to enjoy being a Libertine. Sabrina "helps" people at the estate which brings her husband back quite frequently to advise and rescue her from her benevolent actions. This portion of the book moved a bit slowly and really keeps this book from being a four star. The character development was missing, especially with Rhys. The author states he is a war hero but there are no in depth stories to his heroics. He never convinced me he was falling in love with Sabrina.

Also, Sabrina, who I immensely liked throughout the entire book, became entirely too self righteous and judgmental toward the end. Yes, she had cause but it just went on too long. The book, however, is well written and it very nicely ties up the loose ends of Ms Long's trilogy.

I don't have a lot of spare time, so when I do carve time out of my schedule to read a book, it had better be worth it! I totally look forward to a new book by Julie Anne Long. I never have to worry about her books. I know I am going to be super entertained. Of the Holt sisters trilogy, she saved the best for last. I really loved Beauty and the Spy and Ways to be Wicked, but The Secret to Seduction is my favorite of the three so I am taking the time to share that. I love that there is no "She hates him - he hates her but they have hot sex and finally realize they are in love in the last chapter when the heroine is threatened" blah blah blah! As I said, I have no time for that trite, re-hashed crap. Sabrina is a vivid, real woman and I love that she faces herself and her own desires head on and tries to find what happiness she can glean from the circumstances she finds herself in instead of wallowing in histrionics.

I have to say, the 3rd book in the Holt Sisters trilogy didn't do it as much as the previous books for me. Like another reviewer has pointed out, the book has a slow start. Excruciatingly slow that I found myself pressing the 'next' button on my Kindle repeatedly many times to skip those boring pages. Too many pages were wasted in Sabrina's head, with nothing really interesting for this reader to learn. I never did warm up to Sabrina either: she's judgemental, righteous, and a bit too sure of herself. She's at least honest though, I'd give her that.

The ending to the romance between Sabrina and Rhys was concluded nicely enough, but that's not the problem. The problem was the conclusion of the villain's fate, or rather, the non conclusion of his fate. It was really disappointing that the author left the ending in such a way. Or perhaps she has a 4th book in mind for him? Who knows...

I'm sorry to say that this book is the weakest in the trilogy.

I have to agree with the other reviewers who thought this book was the best of the series. Of the three sisters, Sabrina knew herself the least. When her journey began, she was a docile creature who believed she wanted nothing more from life than a mediocre curate for a husband and the ordinary prospect of becoming a missionary. Sabrina came across as slightly self-righteous (due to her upbringing as the adopted daughter of a vicar)at the beginning of the story. However, she soon began to truly know herself as she delved into the relationship that was forming between her and Rhys. Her struggle for self-awareness and the intensity of emotions as she and Rhys first discovered their love for one another, and later, when Rhys betrayed that love, was beautifully expressed by Long. The reunion between the Holt sisters and finally between the daughters and their mother, Anna, was dramatically portrayed and was most satisfying at long last. I highly recommend this series and this author. Thank you, Julie Anne Long.

This, the third in the stories of the Holt sisters, delighted me as much as the last two. According to the backstory, Susannah (BEAUTY AND THE SPY), Sylvie (WAYS OF BEING WICKED) and Sabrina (this book) are the daughters of Richard - a popular and handsome politician - and his beautiful and clever mistress Anna. When the three girls are only three, four and five years old, Anna is framed for the murder of Richard and must flee the country, leaving the girls in the care of a family friend who found each girl a different home.

In the first two books, Susannah (raised as a society belle) and Sylvie (raised as a prima ballerina) first discovered their hitherto unknown history, and then discover each other. Now it is Sabrina's turn.

Beautiful Sabrina has been raised in a vicar's family, which explains her strict upbringing, her "even temperment," and her compassion for the poor and for those who must find it "terribly uncomforatble to be at the mercy of the sort of uncontrollable passions that lead to duels." Fortunately for Sabrina (and the readers), she meets her match in Rhys Gillray, Earl of Rawden, aka The Libertine, writer of seductively beautiful poetry about . . . seduction. Rhys has indulged his passions for so long that he's become restless and bored with it all. Then he encounters the prim Sabrina and decides that dissolving her primness is the perfect antidote to his boredom.

Long's dialogue is a joy to read. She gives her characters exactly the right words spoken with precisedly the right tone. And, even better, what her characters say and do is often surprising . . . going beyond the standard romance script, so that you may want to immediately re-read an exchange just for the pleasure it brings.

In her scenes of passion, Long also chooses just the right details to describe in just the right words. She evokes anticipation, tension, and passion in a way that draws the reader into the scenes, without any of the purple prose or florid description to which some writers feel compelled to descend.

I found the story laugh aloud funny in some places, tenderly moving in others. I think most readers will be rewarded.

The Secret to Seduction is the third in the Holt sisters trilogy, but the first I have read. I found it very difficult to stay with. It just didn't seem to be going anywhere. The intrigue was not nearly intriguing enough to hold my interest, and while the banter between the hero and heroine was witty enough, there wasn't nearly enough sensual tension between the two to make me care if they ever got together. The background characters were not clearly drawn and the names of most of the female characters were so similar that it created confusion. I found that I kept putting it down and picking it back up again. Admittedly, it might have been easier and less confusing had I read the first two in this series, but any book within a series should be able to stand alone on it's own merits if the reader is to be enticed to continue on to the other books in the series. The Secret to Seduction just didn't do that for me.