Customer Reviews

A Touch of Sin

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Honestly, the circumstances of how Pasha and Trixi met each other made me cringed and braced myself for a trashy bimbo story. In fact, those steamy scenes are what one look forward to read about in her books. In that aspect, the book did not disappoint.

Trixi was quick to succumb to the charm of Pasha and lust of her own, so quick that all claims of her naivety sounded quite hypocritical. Then followed by the sex scenes in the coach on the way from Paris to Calais. There was something naughty and wanton about. Sex is very much on the mind of both characters, until Pasha felt compelled to go off and fight a war in Greece.

Really, I found it not very convincing for Pasha to fight a war just to help his friends. He was not a soldier like his dad and he was supposed to be the manager of their family wealth and enterprises. That conveniently set the scene for Trixi to be pursued by her enemy and travelled all the way to Greece to see Pasha, Of course, that set the scene for her to be captured, sexually toyed by her captor and then rescued by Pasha. This erotic scene at the Turk's tent mirrored that of 'Love Storm', though disappointingly brief and tame in comparison.

Overall, the sex scenes were exciting enough but not refreshingly imaginative. The story had a flimsy plot and the characters lack depth. So be clear of what you want out of the book to avoid disappointment.

As a newcomer to Susan Johnson's work, I was delighted to discover her less-than-usual approach to the romance genre. In A Touch of Sin, the heroine is no virgin - sexy and beautiful, Trixi is a willing participant in the book's steamy scenes of sex and love. The hero, Pasha, is one of the best male characters I've ever encountered. He's handsome, sensual, charming and physically appealing. What a combination! I also enjoyed the historical setting and the fact that Johnson included pages of footnotes to give credibility and background to her love story. Overall, a great read - I'm now searching for all the Susan Johnson I can find!

This is the second book I have read by Ms. Johnson(first being 'Love Storm' 2 yrs ago)and I should've known. Nothing has changed. Not that I am knocking her for writing it, writing is a difficult process and I commend her for it, but this wasn't, shall we say, my 'cup of tea'.
The hero, Pasha Duras was too callous and sex starved to be believable as a 'romance hero' and Trixi was too dimwitted to be a true 'romance heroine'. The two had sex nonstop throughout the book and it got tiring. It was more like a porno with an elaborate plot. The history is great and very interesting, and I wish Ms. Johnson would try and write more romance into her stories and bring the characters more to life. All the sex, and I mean sex, cause there is pages and pages of just explicit sex here, just seems to cloud the plot. I found the plot interesting, but everytime I was just getting into it more, the sex came back, full force, lol. Don't get me wrong here, I read Beatrice Small and other 'frank' writers, but this was just tedious.

~Beatrix Grosvenor, or Trixi as she is known, was caught in a bad postion when she was found locked in a Parisian apartment, nude and horrified while her captor lay dead with an ax through his skull. All the months of being held prisoner by the man was enough to drive her crazy, but when the man was murdered right in front of her, Trixi felt like she had lost her mind!

Pasha Duras was also stunned to find the very man he wanted to strangle already dead and a nude woman standing on the bed in shock. Did she kill him? No, she couldn't have, she wasn't covered in blood and the weapon was missing. There was something about her that made him want to shelter and protect her. Soon the notorious rake of Paris found himself accompanying her home to Kent, England and falling in love. But love would come with a price...Trixi was being hunted by someone intent on killing her and her son. Pasha would have to open his heart and mind in order to save her. A hard feat for a rake of his repute...

I heartily wish it were a better tale, but the sex got in the way for me and ruined the intricate plot Ms. Johnson wove so well...a shame...

Tracy Talley~@

I'll admit it, I love everything Susan Johnson writes. The heroes are heroic - in bed and out! - and the heroines are never shrinking violets. This book did not disappoint me. I can hardly wait for her next!

I am a Susan Johnson fan, or I USED to be a major fan. To me, what makes her books a good read : her wonderful way of weaving the language - it's like reading a marvellously written poetry, the language is sooo elegant, so quaint - in brief, BEAUTIFUL.

But this book is a MAJOR disappointment! I even checked the name on the cover several times, to check whether this is REALLY Susan Johnson. I hate the heroine. Trixie (the name itself is an embarrassment in such sophiticated surroundings in the book) is soo...FRAIL of willpower, succumbs so easily to temptation. I prefer the strong, intelligent and independent character of Flora Bonham in Pure Sin. And the hero in this book is a total turnoff too. Oh yeah, he's very good-looking, but he has no depth in character. He has an air of aimlessness, irresponsibility. I prefer Adam Serre of Pure SIn - now THAT is a MAN. Or Kit Braddock in Brazen. Those are good strong men, with brains to match. The hero in this book seems to be an 'airhead'. I guess he is the perfect match for this Trixie character, who, to me, is a bimbo. The storyline is flat, the erotic scenes make up most of the pages of the book, which is disgusting after a while, and I find myself losing interest after the first few pages. What a waste of money.

I do not recommend this book to others. If you like to read Johnson's books, I'd suggest Pure Sin, Brazen and even Wicked. You'll find Susan Johnson in her element there, but not in this book.

I would rate this book with "no Star" if that is possible.

I purchased this book hoping that it wouldn't read the same as many of Susan Johnson's other books, but it didn't. The plot is the same - gorgeous man finds woman in distress, takes her into his home, has sex with her. Yes, that's what romances are about, but Johnson keeps using the same scenario - if you've read one of the Kuzan line or one of the Dumas line you've read all of them. You could easily exchange the name of Sasha Kuzan for Pasha Dumas and it really wouldn't make much of a difference. Her 'trademarks' are getting old. She needs a new plot twist besides a war and the capturing of the heroine. She needs a plot that doesn't involve first night sex, the philandering hero who feels the same emotions at the same time, the reconciliation that always occurs in the same fashion with the hero and the heroine feeling the same things as every other hero and heroine, and if I have to read one more time that the hero is so distraught over the pain endured by his true love in childbirth ("He turned pale watching her suffer, wincing at each labor pain, deciding, as the ordeal continued for what seemed endless hours that he would see that she never had another child.") I may scream. Every hero says it or thinks it! Every book is the same!!! Sure her books are hot. Sure they're sexy. But its the same sex! I am so disappointed that I won't be picking up another Susan Johnson novel - as I've said - if you've read one, you've read them all.

Now this is what I would call an awful book. The hero was an overbearing oaf who thought that he can do anything he wants. The heroine was a spineless idiot who let others lead her around. I always hate it when the heroines just look at the hero and swoon and fall in their bed. So awful. I could understand it in a contemporary romance, but not in one that takes place in 1825.
I really don't recommend this book. Save yourself the pain and skip it.

I have read all of Susan's romance novels and this is one of my favorites. I have read "A Touch of Sin" twice because I love Pasha. He is gorgeous, he is spoiled, he is sensual and you can't help but love him. Trixi is also far more easy to like than most romance novel heroines and it is great fun to watch the interaction between the two. I will admit that Susan's characters throughout her books do tend to all sound alike. But if you read as much as I do, then it won't bother you to return to an author you can trust every now and then to read about your favorite leading ladies and gentlemen with new names, in a new lusty adventure.

I agree this is one of her worst books, but I love most of her older books and am looking forward to future books. Opening chapter was boring and unrealistic. She should have her fans input on her books before they are published , if she had done that on this book she would have found out it wasn't up to scratch.

The story is a mess and there is no good characterisation of Trixi and Pasha at all! I miss the old Susan Johnson who wrote keepers like "Outlaw" and "Sinful".