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Title: The Seducer by Madeline Hunter ISBN: 0-553-58589-4 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.29 (17 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Good or bad? Depends what you compare it to...
Comment: I like a good escapist read as much as anyone else. Some time ago, I happened on Madeline Hunter's medieval novels. I liked a lot of things about them. Most important, they did not contain anachronisms. The people in them acted like people who lived then really acted. Women in her books acted like it was normal to be treated as pawns in political marriages, even if they did not like it. (Just as an aside, I always hate it when heroines are outraged at arranged marriages, when they grew up in a class and society where that is the norm -- anachronism destroys suspension of disbelief.) Within this setting, her medieval novels contained interesting characters who had true human depth. Those characters were not stereotypes. I found all her books well worth reading, and worth keeping. Engrossing, well-plotted and paced, with compelling characters, they provided me with wonderful escape reading.
But I am really a sucker for a good regency romance, so I was very excited when I heard that this same author had decided to write a series of books set in my favorite period. This is the first book in that series. While the book remains more true to its historical time than many set in this time period, it is in many ways a weaker book than her earlier efforts. The first thing I noticed is that the plotting was heavy-handed. It was obvious what was going on long before she revealed the details, which even made it easy to guess who some of the mystery characters would turn out to be. Moreover, I did not feel connected to the heroine. She struck me as alternately stupid and vapid, with occasional flashes of the kind of emotional strength required to lure a man away from a life focused on revenge. The plot is a well-worn enough one that the in this kind of book, the characters and writing have to carry the book, and these characters were not strong enough (nor was the writing graceful enough) to do that.
This was still far better a book than most historical romances set in this time period, and it was not a complete waste of my time to read it. However, compared to what she has done in the past, Madeline Hunter disappointed me this time around.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Seducer
Comment: I was captivated by the characters in all of Madeline Hunter's books; The Seducer, The Saint, The Charmer and The Sinner. All are a must read. In the Seducer, Daniel St. John has been Diane Albret's guardian for 10 years. He placed her in a school in France and visited her once a year. She has named him The Devil Man. He finally removes her from the school when he realizes that she is 20 years old. As the story unfolds a mystery evolves, along with a growing love for each other. Romance, mystery and seduction. A very good story. Please, read all of the books.
Rating: 4
Summary: A Refreshing Addition to the Regency Setting
Comment: I was heartbroken when I heard that Madeline Hunter was abandoning the medieval time period for the done-to-death Regency setting, but I needn't have worried. Hunter's THE SEDUCER is no cookie-cutter, wallpaper historical, but rather a rich portrayal of life in postwar England.
Orphan Diane Albret is both terrified and fascinated by her self-styled guardian, Daniel St. John. When St. John comes to her school in France to see to a disciplinary matter and discovers her true age, Diane throws herself on his mercy and asks that he help her find a suitable position in England. The more time Diane spends with Daniel, the more her previous terror is eclipsed by her fascination.
For his part, Daniel grooms Diane to be the perfect tool for some long-awaited vengeance. But somewhere along the way, he realizes that he can't sacrifice Diane in such a heartless fashion - not when his own heart is involved.
Hunter breathes new life into the guardian-ward plot, and the suspense of whether love or vengeance will win the day was drawn out with great finesse. One of the things I love about Hunter is that her heroes can be ordinary men - merchants and younger sons of the nobility - and her heroines can actually use the brains they are purported to have. In a genre peppered with the biggest rakes holding the biggest titles and bluestockings who run around like brain-dead twits, such characters are refreshing indeed.
THE SEDUCER is the first of a quartet of books, and I cannot wait to dive into the remaining three books. Though I still hold out hope that someday Hunter will return to the medievals she so excels at, her Regencies are a credit to the genre.
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Title: The Saint by Madeline Hunter ISBN: 0553585908 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 04 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Charmer by Madeline Hunter ISBN: 0553585916 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 02 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Sinner by Madeline Hunter ISBN: 0553585924 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 30 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: A Gentleman's Honor by Stephanie Laurens ISBN: 0060002077 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Lady Chosen by Stephanie Laurens ISBN: 0060002069 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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