The Rules of Seduction

This is the first novel I have read by Madeline Hunter and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I am now looking forward to reading more of her works. Miss Alexia Welbourne and Hayden Rothwell are two characters who have been presented to the reader by an author who obviously wanted us to have a thorough understanding of what their personalities and histories were like. Alexia retained her personality and ideals throughout the entire novel. I appreciate that. Too often I find that romance novelists start a heroine out with the appearance of ideals and then have her immediately throw them out the window in order to jump into bed with the hero. Alexia was a complex person and her life underwent a fantastic amount of change and yet she handled all the new challenges with the calm, logical thinking which life had made her develop. She did not want to be attracted to Hayden yet her innate honesty would not allow her to deny that attraction nor did she blame anyone or any situation with causing it. She simply dealt with it by trying to understand him better. Hayden was a love. He was kind, generous, honorable and a man after my own heart. He had his demons to confront and Ms Hunter allowed him to do that in a slow, sure process that made him grow and become that man I wish to read more about, a man who was not afraid to tell Alexia that he loved her. It was a very moving experience to read about the coming together of these two characters. The next book in this series will be about Hayden's younger brother Elliot and Alexia's friend Phaedra. I'm actually sorry about that. Phaedra figured quite prominently in this book and I did not like her character and cetainly not her name. It was very hard for me to get a pronounciation formulated in my mind and I had to stop each time to figure out how to say it. Elliot yes, Phaedra no. Now Christian, wow, I can't wait to read about him. Wonder what happened to cause his behavior? Alexia said it best, he seemed to be just waiting for something. What? Or should we say who? (Should that be whom?) Maybe in the next book we can find out more about the ship that sailed. I find I am exceedingly bloodthirsty. I don't want innocent people to die but I wouldn't mind seeing something happen to that boat.

Madeline Hunter is a thought-provoking romance writer whose stories and characters linger with me long after I have finished her books - and this one is no exception. Its hero is the cool, confident and wealthy Lord Hayden Rothwell. Hayden's tightly controlled universe is thrown into disarray by his unexpected attraction to the spirited Miss Alexia Wellbourne, destitute cousin of a banker he is blamed for ruining. Unknown to Alexia, her cousin embezzled a fortune from his bank's customers, including a Rothwell aunt. Hayden, who is one of the bank's largest clients, discovered the crime. However, he did not make it public in order to save the bank and keep her cousin from hanging. Hayden is now working behind the scenes to help his friend, the bank's principal shareholder, quietly repay the stolen funds. Alexia believes that her cousin is a wronged man who was forced to sell his bank shares and other assets (including the London townhouse where she lived with him and his two sisters) due to ruthless money maneuvering by Hayden. Owing to her cousin's reduced circumstances, Alexia - the poor relation - is left behind to fend for herself when the family removes to the country. Hayden's aunt now owns the house, and Alexia has no alternative but to accept an offer from Hayden to stay on as his cousin's finishing governess. She is now a servant of sorts in the same house that she once lived in as a member of the family! She despises Hayden and holds him responsible for her fall. It is therefore rather unnerving that she finds him so attractive. And Hayden is fascinated by Alexia, whose behavior to him often borders on uncivil, but is always electric. He is not sure what to do with her, but he is fairly certain he cannot let her go. I definitely like this book. The storyline is excellent, the writing first-rate, and the leads compelling and sympathetic, at once drawing me into their plight. There is an intensity to their relationship that is present from the start. There are also some good emotional moments, as well as some slyly diverting ones, as the couple spar and spark and regularly misbehave while they inwardly debate what the hell they are doing. Alexia is an appealing blend of passion and pragmatism, which is not lost on Hayden. And Hayden's seductive mix of arrogance and compassion is hard to resist, as Alexia discovers. My one dissatisfaction is that a few of the love scenes feel a little hollow, but this is a minor point. Overall this is an excellent read - very intriguing - with a truly wonderful ending that could be among my favorites.

"Rules of Seduction" approaches the tenderness of "Lord of a Thousand Nights." I admire the strong heroine in this. Alexia's wit and pragmetism allow her to marry despite realizing that her groom's appeal is mostly sensual. As the mystery unravels (what Hunter novel is complete without a mystery?) she finds herself emotionally caught up with him. I love it that he is secure enough to loosen his grip, allowing her to explore choices. If, in the future, the minor characters inhabit their own novels, I'll be thrilled. Christian (Easterbrook) is especially compelling.

I'm glad to see Madeleine Hunter has gone back to writing characters with depth and vividness. Alexia is sensible, realistic, and quite strong. A woman who has her own mind. Hayden is sexy, straight-forward, and passionate. The relationship between them has definite chemistry, though it was not as spicy as I had read in the previews, that did not bother me at all since the development of Alexia and Hayden's relationship was so well written. I loved her previous book, Lady of Sin and this one has joined that novel in my Keeper Shelf.

No spoilers here. If you like Madeline Hunter, you'll love this. I think this is her most well-written novel. It wasn't her best story (that would be "By Arrangement"), but it was so well-told with great characterizations that I give it 5 stars. I appreciate the level that Ms. Hunter writes her books on. Lately, the historical romances I've been reading have been written at the 3rd grade level, but this one isn't dumbed-down at all. This novel has no big misunderstandings--merely the honor-bound silence of a gentleman, no childish reactions--uncertainty and confusion founded on a budding relationship, and no overdramatization--just passion where it is merited. This book has a wonderful prosey style at times and an earthy realism at others, but I assure you, romance is written into every page. Thank you for restoring my faith in the romance novel, Ms. Hunter, Brava!