Seduced by Passion

EPIC! I loved it!!

Okay, I don’t even know where to start... I've read hundreds of books and only three of them have ever made me cry: My Sister's Keeper, The Baron in the Trees, and Seduced by Passion. This book is even more epic than its pages allow. It has everything that I want in a TV series, and a lot of things I didn’t even know I wanted in a book. Even though it doesn’t have a time-travel or blatantly supernatural element, I think other fans of Outlander would love Seduced by Passion. It has the romance and sex, along with history, adventure, villains, family drama, comedy, and a little bit of fantasy and glamour.

The book is kind of an alternative history, too. I mean, I’m from the Caribbean, and I can’t tell you how much I loved living in this world in Akilina where the island wasn’t colonized, where the indigenous people were able to live in peace and according to their customs, and where escaped slaves could rebuild their lives. It was just amazing. Pure magic. If only a place like that really existed…

What I have a hard time putting into words, without giving it away, is the love I have for the backstory that is revealed towards the end of the book. Everything leads up to it. I could read this book over and over again just to get to that part (actually, I’ve already read it twice). The early chapters of the book set the scene, and the romance between Raph and Xio ebbs and flows nicely as they both grapple with their own demons (both real and imagined), but it is all building up to this epic, mind blowingly tragic family secret.

Talk about a tear-jerker…Ana doesn’t hold anything back. More than once I was crying, and then the next minute laughing at and with the characters. I came to love every character. All of them–even those with limited scenes–were so well developed. I really had a sense of who they were. I absolutely love Xio’s family, especially her little brother and sister. They are actually laugh out loud hilarious. Everyone needs an Akilah in their life! And I can’t wait to meet Raph’s brothers in the next book. I hope we get to see more of the family and friends in the rest of the series. They’re awesome.

Raph and Xio are perfect for each other, and their journey to HEA was worth every page. Watching them each overcome their personal demons was so sweet. Especially Xio’s. I think a lot of women will be able to relate to her and the pain caused by the jerks she dated in the past.

In short, this is a contemporary romance novel that will satisfy fans of historical romance, historical fiction, fantasy, and alternative history. If you want to laugh, cry, clutch your pearls, and cheer for the characters, this is the book for you.

I loved loved loved it.

P.S. I had to um..pause during one of the love scenes. When you read “she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes laced with impatience while her tongue slid temptingly…” get ready for a wild ride.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, and I’ll never be the same… This is one of my new favorite books.