Review: Seduction by Amanda Quick

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This lovely little book was a quick and delightful read. I was sad to finish it because it meant that I would have to let the leads Julian Ravenwood and Sophy Dorring go their own way. The novel starts out with Julian accepting Sophy’s refusal to marry him. The word was passed down to him through her grandfather and Julian is stunned. Little Sophy could not hope to make a better match and his offer was generous to the extreme. Determined to gain an audience with Sophy Julian contrives of a way to do so. He tracks her down and demands to know her requirements to marry him. She spouts of a few outrageous ideas and he agrees and adds a few of his own turning the tables and leaving Sophy stunned.

Julian is an earl and all that implies. He’s the epitome of the controlling domineering alpha male. He’s also a widower; his late wife drowned. Not that this was a hardship, there was something wrong with the woman. Elizabeth, the dead wife, was for the lack of a better word a nymphomaniac. She loved to cuckold Julian, especially since she didn’t want to marry him in the first place. She took what was warm and good inside Julian and killed it. After the second duel to defend her honor, Julian came to the realization that his wife was not virtuous and didn’t have any honor. He labeled all women susceptible to the madness and vowed never to risk his fool neck for a woman again, but he needs a wife to supply him an heir and Sophy as far as he’s concerned is as different from Elizabeth as night and day.

Sophy is a typical unusual female for her times, but in slightly new way. She’s not put together and far from sophisticated. Pieces of her clothing and accessories like ribbons and feathers are always askew. She loves to read (mostly herbals and a treatise on women’s rights). She doesn’t trust seduction or lust without love. The reason Sophy doesn’t trust a man’s passion is because her sister, Amelia, was seduced and killed by one man’s passion. Sophy thinks sex without love is the epitome of masculine ruthlessness. She has the ring of the man who seduced Amelia and plans to find him and ruin him.

When Julian corner’s her for her list of demands she begs of him three things. One, that she not be forced into the childbed right away or more accurately forced into the marriage bed. Julian promises her three months of leeway. This is acceptable to her because she’s loved Julian since she was 18 not that the fool would notice, panting after Elizabeth as he was. She hopes to make him love her in the time they are not sharing a bed. Two, she wants to control her inheritance. Julian counters that his quarterly allowance for her exceeds the money her grandfather will leave her, but she insists. Three, she wants no interference from him on what she can and cannot read.

Sophy was quite loveable as a character I thought; Julian on the other hand at times was not. While his motives are quite known he still comes off as stern, intractable, and unwilling to reach compromises not in his favor… he breaks his side of the bargain while Sophy always keeps hers and dares to get mad when Sophy questions his honor. Depending on the reader you might be tempted to throw the book because of his outlandish behavior. Also true, however, is that you might enjoy his high handedness. In addition Julian is protective and concerned for his new wife. By the end I was persuaded to like him, but he was definitely ridiculous at times. Perhaps that makes him flawed realistically. Grin.

Rating 3.5 to 4 Stars

Seduction Amanda Quick Good Book

Seduction Amanda Quick Good Book

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Seduction by Amanda Quick 1990 Paperback

Seduction by Amanda Quick 1990 Paperback

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Originally posted 2008-12-19 19:25:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Audio Review: Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

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This is the first time I read the books. I admit I am a bad girl and watched the movies first. That said, I really liked the reader, Barbara Rosenblat, as she reminded me of the movie. Her voice for the mother was fabulous. It was airy, a bit ditzy, and a tad lofty. Her Bridget was cute, the voice and inflections similar to Renee Zellweger in the movies.

There was less cursing than you’d think considering the movie which was full of fucks. The most used curse word was probably bloody.

The book and the movie are very different:

  • For instance in the book there was no mix-up of who cheated who’s wife. That’s a plus.
  • However on the other hand there wasn’t a fight scene between Daniel and Mark, which really was a deliciously wonderful and sexy dorky scene. Boo.
  • Also, Bridget’s mother’s new boy toy Hoo-lio (Julian) is a scam artist opposed to a home shopping sales rep.
  • Richard, the television boss, is not a rescuing savior but a revoltingly nasal and crass man. There were elements of the ridiculous in the movie but not nearly as over the top as in the book.
  • Sadly Mark never read her diary in the book as he did in the movie and the super cute ending with kiss in snow isn’t there either. They do share a cute ending though.

On another note, Hugh Grant must have a great sense of humor because he’s mentioned in this book for the prostitute thing and Bridget compares Daniel Cleaver to Grant. I busted a gut laughing. It is only funny because he ends up playing Daniel Cleaver in the movie.

Overall, I loved the book. In my opinion it is much better to get this as an audio book versus reading because I didn’t mind at all the cigarette, alcohol units, and calorie counting as I would have in reading it. I also would probably skipped them all after a certain point and missed the subtle humor in it.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

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Review: Lord Braybrook’s Penniless Bride by Elizabeth Rolls

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This was a terrific novel; very well written and such a treat to read. I absolutely loved Christy and Julian together. Christy is a great heroine and Julian has a very logical mind (which works great for his sister’s situation but not so much for his own) and kind heart, even if it takes him a while to reach some… ahem conclusions.

When Miss Christiana Daventry’s brother sets his sights on Julian Trentham’s half-sister, Julian is determined to stop it by any means necessary. At first he thinks Miss Daventry is in fact Harry’s mistress, but quickly comes to the right conclusion that she is not. Still, he knows exactly how he can used Miss Daventry to break Lissy and Harry up permanently.

Christy is in full agreement that her brother Harry is not the sort of man Lissy should marry and agrees to go into Julian’s employ as a governess and companion. From the inside she can help persuade the headstrong Lissy of her brother’s ineligibility… so long as she doesn’t have to tell either Lissy or Julian her greatest secret to manage it.

For his part, Julian is undeniably attracted to Christy. He can hardly stop thinking about her and he doesn't know what to do about it. He's a good man and doesn't believe in sleeping with his employees, but he can't deny that having Christy as his mistress would be very pleasant. He keeps his distance when she tells him to back off but one thing leads to another and all of a sudden they must get married to preserve her reputation... but Christy knows her reputation need be protected and so she reveals to him her darkest secret...

Rating: 4.5 Stars

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