Book: Seduction: A Novel of Suspense (The Reincarnationist #5)
Author: M.J. Rose
Release date (if applicable): May 7, 2013
Synopsis: In 1855 Isle of Jersey, author Victor Hugo, still reeling from the loss of his 19 year old daughter 10 years earlier, seeks out mediums to conduct seances. He is able to speak with numerous significant thinkers from history. When Hugo brings the Devil out in one of the seances, he encourages Hugo to commit an act that changes the game.
Present day, Jac L'etoile, heads to Jersey to recover from negative incidents in her life and assist a friend going through his own trials and tribulations. As they search deeper, they determine that there is a common character in this story's timeline and it goes back deeper in history than Jac or Theo ever thought.
My rating: 5 Stars
My opinion: The Reincarnationist series is one of my favorite series. I have said before that Ms. Rose is a master of writing within multiple genres including very light horror. I think the author disagreed with me on this, but this series is what I talk about when I say that. I don't feel that this book classifies as a thriller. The breadth of what Seduction is deeper than your everday thriller and presents itself as chilling down to the spine.
Seduction has an eeriness to it that goes beneath the surface writing of this book. Ms. Rose has such a talent for weaving a story that is comparable to some classics that I have read. I was reminded of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. In addition and almost more importantly, as in all Ms. Rose's works, the characters are laid out well and written with a vivid picture.
I am working through the first books in the series, but I would say that this one depended much more on character revelation in the first works in the series more than I would have said it in other books later in the series. Jac is a complicated character and she requires a deep understanding on garnered through reading the beginnings of the series.
One other point that I would like to make in my review. There are a couple of books that do not convert to ebooks well. This is one of those books. In my opinion, there was some of the deepness to the novel that I think was missed in the ebook format. Give yourself an extra treat and splurge for the print version of this book. I rarely recommend this, but on this one, it is worth it.
Source: Edelweiss for Atria Publishing
Would I recommend? : Um, yes!Stand Alone or Part of a Series: Part of Series
The unprecedented talent of this particular writer enthralled readers with, “The Book of Lost Fragrances.” With this new offering, readers will literally fall off their chairs.
ReplyDeleteIt is the mid-1800’s in Jersey - the Channel Islands - where Victor Hugo (the author of Le Miserables), is experiencing a horrific twist in his life. The loss of his beloved daughter causes his wife to turn toward a world of séances, attempting to ‘call’ souls back from the dead. Although not actually believing in this power, one night ‘The Shadow of the Sepulcher’ arrives to make Hugo a deal: Herald the evil Lucifer in writing and Hugo’s daughter will be returned to the living.
In present day, Jac is still seeking treatment. A woman in search of answers, Jac is also working on her TV show that debunks mythology, yet it’s her way of desperately trying to figure out what her own strange episodes are all about. You see, Jac comes from a family of perfumers - the best in the world at creating scents - and has the unique gift of not only being able to create amazing concoctions, but also to link history with them. What comes from this ‘gift’ is both enchantment and fear, when Jac goes on ‘journeys’ through the past.
When an old friend - the boy who was her first love while they were staying at a clinic that basically saw them as ‘crazy’ - lets her know that he needs her help with an all-out mystery involving Victor Hugo and a lost diary, Jac heads to the Channel Islands to check it out. Once she arrives, not only does an old passion begin to flame, but a past involving everything from an ancient tale of two brothers to a woman named Fantine, is unveiled. Not only must Jac uncover the truth, but she must also save herself as she’s led into a past that may not allow her to return.
As with this author’s last literary ‘gift,’ the sensuality, and the pure and utter dreamlike state with which she writes is effortless and engaging, producing yet another story that’s impossible to leave behind. Each page feels as if it’s actually ‘breathing’ on its own, drawing the reader into the depths of a sensual mystery that they will truly never forget! THIS deserves a standing ovation!
-- topspot-official.blogspot.com --