The Seducer

Daniel St. John is a man haunted by a past that refuses to let him go. He is driven by revenge; to repay a great wrong inflicted on his family many, many years ago. Into his plan steps Diane Albret, a girl grown into a woman who was left in Daniel's care. Daniel needs Diane to lure one of his enemies into his web but his plans go awry when he falls in love with her. Unwilling to risk hurting Diane, Daniel falls back on a plan already in place: to ruin his enemies financially, but it turns disastrous when his plot is discovered. In retaliation, Daniel's enemies kidnap Diane and attempt to use her to destroy him. Out of options, Daniel willingly confronts his enemies in an attempt to save Diane, knowing that his life no longer matters if she is killed. I just finished reading this book. The remnant aftertaste of it still flows through my emotions and my thoughts. It's a really great book. The author took great care to allow each subplot to unfold with enough care so that it didn't overwhelm the main storyline: that of the romance between Daniel St. John and Diane Albret. The story held my attention because the way it was written didn't reveal the reasons behind Daniel's plans or the secrets he held about Diane's past. It was brilliantly written, like a gift unwrapped one seal at a time, one layer at a time, until what's before you is this beautifully woven story that is so poignant, so suspenseful, you're left wondering why you never guessed the entirety of it in the first place. I highly recommend it.

This was my second reading of this torid page turner! Like the title Daniel St. John totally seduced me! He is one of those dark mysterious but oh so charismatic heroes. He has a past that has cast him in a role that makes him seem like the Devil himself. For years he has done his duty by yearly visits to the orphaned Diane Albret but when he must take her with him finally in her 20th year he is immediately drawn to this lovely lady like no other. Their paths are so intertwined in mysterious unforgiving ways that Diane has no clue about. Daniel is for the first time in his 31 years faced with a feeling other than hate and revenge. The passion he feels for Diane will not be denigned and she finds herself loving this man even though he might be the very man that caused her orphaned existence. This is such and intense love story and truly one of Madeline Hunter's finest!

I've read all of the books in this series, but I read them out of order. So, when I picked up The Seducer it was more out of a sense of obligation to read the entire series and because I truly enjoy Ms. Hunter's writing style and voice. I didn't think I needed to read this book because I'd read all the others. I was so blown away by this story. It is humorous and sensual and is now my favorite of all the books in this series. It is a must read. If you haven't read it, buy it today. If you have, read it again!

I have found this book hard to put down, as I have found all of Ms. Hunter's stories and definitely rates 5*s despite some contrived scenes especially with the antagonist. The romance is excellent because the hero is intense and mysterious, the heroine strong, their attraction mesmerizing. Everything I like in a romance which this book basically is.My only problem with Ms Hunter's books (as with all my most favorite authors) is it's hard to pick up another book of lesser quality right after.

This is my first Madeline Hunter book and I enjoyed it very much. The characters believable and the plot had enough twist and turns to keep it interesting. One of the important things to me that alot of books seem to have now is that it was not so full of filler words, meaning the characters playing out the scene and then they think about it or are restating it over and over again throught the book. Or they have all these elaborate descriptions of the clothes they wear or describing every piece of funiture in the room. So you have to speed read over the boring parts that you already know. Anyway I like it very much and look forward to reading more of her books.