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Seduction
Clea felt insulted -- by both men!
Clea's stepfather, Kerasteri, had followed Greek custom in choosing a man for her to marry. Defying him meant arousing his violent temper.
Ben Winter was the man who desired her and was determined to have her. I know what you want more than you do, he kept insisting. But he saw only the betraying signs of her body; he didn't listen to her reasons for refusal.
Clea had little choice. But she was sure of one thing: she would not be owned or used by anyone. She was her own person!
Clea's stepfather, Kerasteri, had followed Greek custom in choosing a man for her to marry. Defying him meant arousing his violent temper.
Ben Winter was the man who desired her and was determined to have her. I know what you want more than you do, he kept insisting. But he saw only the betraying signs of her body; he didn't listen to her reasons for refusal.
Clea had little choice. But she was sure of one thing: she would not be owned or used by anyone. She was her own person!
192 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1980
2 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Lamb
261 books313 followersSheila Ann Mary Coates Holland
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
February 3, 2021
Me while reading this book:
I want to shake this sweet and shy heroine.
I want to choke the life out of her perverse and patriarchal excuse for a stepfather.
I want to slap her jealous and careless stepsister;
I want to torture her entitled stalkerish pursuer as the hero painfully slow.
I want to punch the hero's cunning booby trap kind of a friend aka ex-lover in the face.
I want to hug the heroine *sigh*
I want to feel a little pity for the idiot hero but I need him to die at least 2 times first.
Also me:
I don't have a violent bone in my body 😇. I'm 100% emotionally stable👉🥺👈
I love this book.
I want to shake this sweet and shy heroine.
I want to choke the life out of her perverse and patriarchal excuse for a stepfather.
I want to slap her jealous and careless stepsister;
I want to torture her entitled stalkerish pursuer as the hero painfully slow.
I want to punch the hero's cunning booby trap kind of a friend aka ex-lover in the face.
I want to hug the heroine *sigh*
I want to feel a little pity for the idiot hero but I need him to die at least 2 times first.
Also me:
I don't have a violent bone in my body 😇. I'm 100% emotionally stable👉🥺👈
I love this book.
March 31, 2021
This is Charlotte Lamb at her most unbelievable ! It's like a lite version of dark romance done before dark romance became the "in thing". I was captivated by this trainwreck from the beginning to the end !
We have:
A nubile, goody two shoes heroine called Clea.
A dark, obsessed and stalkerrific H called Ben.
A stepfather, called Kerasteri, who's got a sick sexual infatuation with the heroine. He tries to hide it with paternal concern but the obsessed H knows when another man has got the hots for the woman he yearns to have for himself.
A jealous stepsister called Melissa who throws herself at the H but he only has eyes for Clea. It actually appears that the H might have gotten into a relationship with Melissa had be not met the heroine. This is due to the fact that the H had met Melissa first and he was only introduced to the heroine when her stepsister invited him home to meet the family.
A betrothal arranged between the heroine and a meek Greek guy of whom her controlling stepfather approves.
A H who is angry when he hears about the betrothal because he wants Clea for himself.
A H who engineers a scheme ( with a former lover of his ) whereby the heroine ends up in England and at his mercy. He keeps her in a locked apartment and eventually seduces her forcibly; it does appear to be a seduction that's a bit bordering on rape. Gasp !
A heroine who manages to escape from the H's clutches, gets a job at a hotel as a receptionist and is independent for the first time in her life.
A H who stalks her but hides in the shadows because he's suddenly turned remorseful and ashamed.
A heroine who turns around and makes him suffer quite a bit because she has finally come into all her full womanly power since she lost her virginity to the hot H. Clea makes him suffer from the pangs of unrequited love as she spurns him while he keeps stalking her like a besotted puppy. Lol.
Yeah and I'm probably sick in my brain to actually enjoy this angst fest of politically incorrect OTT drama. There are so many things that other readers will find wrong with this novel and my logical brain will probably agree with them. However, after overdosing on a series of light hearted regency and Edwardian tales by Marion Chesney, this totally lit up my imagination ! Sometimes, I love a story with a H whose obsessive tendencies can border on the politically incorrect. Hey, I don't have to live with the guy or sleep with him and it is just a story right ? And maybe you're noticing that I'm protesting too much and going on the defensive a lot. Lol. Here's the deal: many readers are going to totally hate this novel and trash the H and they might be justified in doing this. However, I found this totally entertaining because of the way Charlotte Lamb turned things around towards the end and gave the heroine the upper hand. It was awesome to see the heroine get a bit of mild revenge on the H and it's even more fun to see a H get taken down a notch or two before the MC's get their happy ending.
One of the most interesting scenes in the novel is presented early on in the story, where the heroine has just finished showering at night and stands naked in front of her bedroom window. She looks down and sees Ben standing there, like a sick obsessed stalker, looking up at her:
Drying herself with a great white towel, she stood at the window breathing in the heated night air. Far away the sea rushed up on to the sand with a restless murmur. Clea heard it, her face troubled. Moonlight rippled over her naked body, lending it the dappled beauty of some white statuary. She rubbed her damp head, her arms raised, gazing out over the moonlit garden. A blur caught her eye. She glanced down vaguely and froze, so startled for a moment that she did not think of leaping back out of sight. On the terrace stood Ben, a smouldering cigar forgotten in his hand, his head lifted and his eyes fixed on her, the silvery gleam of them the only sign of life in his taut face.
The sexual chemistry between Ben and Clea is intense and scorching from their first encounter, but the heroine has been brought up to believe that her sexuality should be suppressed. She cannot understand why she is so drawn to this man, especially when she's supposed to marry a guy called Dimitri in a few months:
Ben Winter's voice sent shivers down her spine, too, but she would die rather than let him know that. She had the strong suspicion that he already knew what sort of effect he had on women with those slanting dark brows, mocking grey eyes, deep sexy voice.
Clea tries to stifle her sexual attraction to the H but he's an experienced man of the world/manwhore who knows how to play her to get what he wants:
Her own lips were trembling, burning, returning the passion of his kiss without volition. When he drew back her eyes were closed and her face intensely flushed, the bruised parted lips quivering. She forced her lids up and met Ben's searching stare.
'That's what you'll miss if you marry Dimitri,' he told her thickly.
The H pines and suffers when Clea leaves him. He's not interested in his work ( he owns a large worldwide electronics empire ) or in other women. All he does is stalk after her and logic will suggest that this type of thing is unhealthy but the man is obsessed ! Eventually, his former girlfriend Natalie begs the heroine to go and see him and he finally opens his heart and confesses his love:
Slowly she put her other hand up to brush back the damp hair from his forehead.
'Don't hate me, Clea,' Ben whispered huskily. 'I know I deserve it, but don't. You put me though weeks of misery. I've paid for what I did to you. Must I go on paying for the rest of my life? I love you. I think I'd die if I knew for certain I was never going to hold you in my arms again.'
She saw a tiny pulse beating in the side of his throat.
This is a super intense scene where he is almost begging her to come back to him, but before she capitulates, she needs to know if he had really suffered; that's because she wants to know that he has paid ( even if it is just a little bit ) for his forcible seduction/rape of her:
He closed his eyes, his mouth wry.
'Do you know, at first I was convinced you'd come back to me? I wouldn't admit to myself that you'd walked out for good. I was so sure of you. For days I drove around London like a lunatic, looking for you, haunting every restaurant, every pub, in the hope of seeing you. I wore down gradually, bit by bit, to the point of admitting you'd really gone and didn't mean to come back. That was the lowest point of my life.'
'Did it hurt?' Clea wanted to hear him admit it had. He had hurt her so badly. She needed to know she wasn't the only one who had suffered.
'Like hell,' he grimaced. 'I made myself unpopular with all my friends. They thought I was going off my rocker. I was a man possessed. I looked for you all the time, everywhere I went.'
This was a novel that's very old school and filled with a politically incorrect type of H but it was a fascinating story for me personally. At the end of it all, I came away with the notion that the H will always be more in love with the heroine than she is with him. That's a wondeful thing, in an age where heroines are always the ones who do the chasing and manwhore heroes smirk and find replacement women if they're unable to have their own way with the heroine. The forced seduction/rape bit will upset some readers but it's a fade to black scene. It didn't bother me that much and I'm admitting this at the risk of a few judgemental comments that will undoubtedly not be coming my way ( at least not out in the open ). Lol. In the final analysis, it was a lite bit of vintage dark romance - Harlequin style. I'm not usually a reader of the dark type of modern romances but I have enjoyed quite a few with H's who are all darkly aggressive, stalkerrific and obsessive. Sometimes, I enjoy taking a little walk on the lighter side of the dark side, if you know what I mean. And, the way I see it, is that I'm a grown woman so if I choose to openly state that I've really enjoyed an old school, politically incorrect romance novel then that's my business.
This is Ben and Clea:
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2011
Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this very disturbing book is the title. “Let’s see, we have a romance about a heroine kidnapped and raped by the hero, how do we make that look nice? I know, we’ll call it Seduction and maybe no one will notice.” These same publishers are now putting anorexic women on the cover of romances with fat heroines.
It was a really interesting story, I’ll give it that. The backstory and secondary characterizations are more thorough and involved than we usually see in category romance, and it was clear that the author recognized herself how truly awful her hero Ben is, in the way she describes how he sulks and broods over not getting his own way, and completely fails to take responsibility for how much damage he’s inflicted. “I know I was a bit rough with you -- I’m sorry. Believe me, I didn’t mean to be, but you made me angry.” Of course, his anger is her fault, for not giving in and so forcing him to rape her. Then when she's still unreasonably upset over having been raped, instead of thrilled, he storms off and gets drunk. Nowadays he would probably be diagnosed as a narcissistic personality or sociopath; this being an old romance, he is just warped and bitter because his mommy treated him mean and so she has to forgive him.
I was very caught up in the story, and I can certainly see why some readers might really love its intensity and drama. But the ending, miserable and repentant though Ben is, was somehow not sufficient for me to give retroactive reader consent for his actions. The happiest ending I can see for this couple is divorce if she’s very lucky -- her winding up dead at his hands seems the most probable outcome.
It was a really interesting story, I’ll give it that. The backstory and secondary characterizations are more thorough and involved than we usually see in category romance, and it was clear that the author recognized herself how truly awful her hero Ben is, in the way she describes how he sulks and broods over not getting his own way, and completely fails to take responsibility for how much damage he’s inflicted. “I know I was a bit rough with you -- I’m sorry. Believe me, I didn’t mean to be, but you made me angry.” Of course, his anger is her fault, for not giving in and so forcing him to rape her. Then when she's still unreasonably upset over having been raped, instead of thrilled, he storms off and gets drunk. Nowadays he would probably be diagnosed as a narcissistic personality or sociopath; this being an old romance, he is just warped and bitter because his mommy treated him mean and so she has to forgive him.
I was very caught up in the story, and I can certainly see why some readers might really love its intensity and drama. But the ending, miserable and repentant though Ben is, was somehow not sufficient for me to give retroactive reader consent for his actions. The happiest ending I can see for this couple is divorce if she’s very lucky -- her winding up dead at his hands seems the most probable outcome.
May 9, 2021
Well what do ya know 😌 Another Charlotte Lamb couple that I truly believe on a subconscious level deeply hate each other. This was a book about crazy, delusional people. Every single character was trash in their own way.
Surprisingly Clea (h) carried the story for me. Her brain was a wonder to behold. I don't know if I've ever worried over a heroines brain processing ability the way I did her. How does she even survive.... I swear if you asked this girl what planet she's living on she'd say I have no idea but let me go ask my stepdaddy who's been preying on me for 21 years but for some reason I can't tell wants to fuck me.
me and clea:
Even though I'm roasting the shit out of her rn, I can't say I disliked her because disliking someone so stupid feels like hating a newborn baby or something. She's just so dumb and helpless lmao. Her stepfather is forcing her into an arranged marriage she doesn't want, but she's never told him she doesn't want it and when it's pointed out to her how fucked up the situation is she says:
.......................
Girly, honey, babe, I find it so amazing that you don't comprehend that YOU are the chicken in this scenario 😵 God her mind was brilliant, I wish I could live that out of touch with reality. It seems peaceful there. I will say though that Clea would have these profound moments of insight that would leave me genuinely impressed. By the end I did respect her.
Now onto our hero, Ben.
Well if that ain't the sweetest thing you've ever heard. Once he got past his severe hatred for women he knew she was the real deal
Smh and ppl say romance is dead. Anyway there's really not much to say about Ben besides mommy issues galore. Him getting his ass handed to him by her creepy stepdad not once but twice had me freaking dying tho. I don't know what the difference was between him and Alex from Savage Surrender, bc action wise, they were both despicable, but I found myself more willing to accept Alex even though Ben actually groveled and Alex never did. Anna and Irunía, help me make sense of this.... Anyway to wrap this up, everyone was horrible but Melissa and Natalie and like usual, this HP was a trashy fun time.
Surprisingly Clea (h) carried the story for me. Her brain was a wonder to behold. I don't know if I've ever worried over a heroines brain processing ability the way I did her. How does she even survive.... I swear if you asked this girl what planet she's living on she'd say I have no idea but let me go ask my stepdaddy who's been preying on me for 21 years but for some reason I can't tell wants to fuck me.
me and clea:
Even though I'm roasting the shit out of her rn, I can't say I disliked her because disliking someone so stupid feels like hating a newborn baby or something. She's just so dumb and helpless lmao. Her stepfather is forcing her into an arranged marriage she doesn't want, but she's never told him she doesn't want it and when it's pointed out to her how fucked up the situation is she says:
“That's his whole attitude, don't you see? He takes life as it comes and makes it enjoyable. He treats life as though it were a chicken whose neck he meant to wring, he just grabs it and makes it do what he wants. You don't realise what a fantastic man he is.”
.......................
Girly, honey, babe, I find it so amazing that you don't comprehend that YOU are the chicken in this scenario 😵 God her mind was brilliant, I wish I could live that out of touch with reality. It seems peaceful there. I will say though that Clea would have these profound moments of insight that would leave me genuinely impressed. By the end I did respect her.
Now onto our hero, Ben.
“I love you. At the back of my head I think I always knew I loved you, but I was too obsessed with my belief that women weren't to be taken seriously to realise that this time I was really in love.”
Well if that ain't the sweetest thing you've ever heard. Once he got past his severe hatred for women he knew she was the real deal
Smh and ppl say romance is dead. Anyway there's really not much to say about Ben besides mommy issues galore. Him getting his ass handed to him by her creepy stepdad not once but twice had me freaking dying tho. I don't know what the difference was between him and Alex from Savage Surrender, bc action wise, they were both despicable, but I found myself more willing to accept Alex even though Ben actually groveled and Alex never did. Anna and Irunía, help me make sense of this.... Anyway to wrap this up, everyone was horrible but Melissa and Natalie and like usual, this HP was a trashy fun time.
April 18, 2021
A lot of times I’ll read reviews of romances that state the author must hate women. And I never agree because it’s too hyperbolic for my taste. But after reading this story, I think CL hates men – or the type of men depicted in this story at least.
The two men in the story – the controlling stepfather and the entitled rapist hero - seem to have been created so Charlotte Lamb can yell at them.
It’s not romance, but it is interesting.
The two men in the story – the controlling stepfather and the entitled rapist hero - seem to have been created so Charlotte Lamb can yell at them.
It’s not romance, but it is interesting.
March 13, 2023
Seduction by Charlotte Lamb presents us with a real weasel of a "Hero." This isn't one of her OTT, crazy-possessive Alphas. This is a little cowardly weasel who lets his
ex girlfriend do the dirty work of tricking and trapping a reluctant h for him. He really made me miss those jerky tycoons who at least did things themselves without the help of their minions. And they had the guts to own up to their unscrupulous, evil ways. This guy just bitches and whines all day long, and blames everything that happens on the heroine because she "provoked" it. He is not in love with her, and I don't think he even likes her. He is just peeved that she didn't fall on the ground worshipping him after meeting him for five minutes. He was motivated mostly by revenge against her overbearing stepdad who kicked him to the curb, quite rightly so.
The inevitable conclusion that has him realizing after the fact that he does in fact love her and regrets how he mistreated her was hollow and implausible. And once again, he does nothing proactive, or meaningful, to atone for his despicable actions, leaving the responsibility of fixing his huge fuck up to an intermediary: same ex-girlfriend as before. Not my kind of Harlequinny goodness-filled fantasy world at all.
ex girlfriend do the dirty work of tricking and trapping a reluctant h for him. He really made me miss those jerky tycoons who at least did things themselves without the help of their minions. And they had the guts to own up to their unscrupulous, evil ways. This guy just bitches and whines all day long, and blames everything that happens on the heroine because she "provoked" it. He is not in love with her, and I don't think he even likes her. He is just peeved that she didn't fall on the ground worshipping him after meeting him for five minutes. He was motivated mostly by revenge against her overbearing stepdad who kicked him to the curb, quite rightly so.
The inevitable conclusion that has him realizing after the fact that he does in fact love her and regrets how he mistreated her was hollow and implausible. And once again, he does nothing proactive, or meaningful, to atone for his despicable actions, leaving the responsibility of fixing his huge fuck up to an intermediary: same ex-girlfriend as before. Not my kind of Harlequinny goodness-filled fantasy world at all.
January 22, 2015
What can I say. Charlotte Lamb was a good writer, but she sure knew how to create a disturbing hero and I can totally see why she is a fav of many who are fans of the more hardcore old, old skool, dark romances.
The title was either meant ironically or it was the hero's idea. Seriously. Seduction was not what was happening here, unless you were the hero. 'Obsession' would have been more appropriate.
I like old skool bodice ripper type of novels. I know it's offensive or triggering for some and I respect that, but the rape fantasy is a thing. It doesn't mean that a woman wants to be raped IRL, hence the term 'fantasy'. It's very much like CL knew that and decided to screw with those readers by introducing some reality.
The h's thought process and the things he said to the heroine was classic rape culture dogma. I've seen movies (both Hollywood and the Lifetime made-for-tv variety) over the past 20 years where the male lead said/did many of these types of things BUT he was the villain. Usually the heroine ends up outsmarting him and killing him. Much more of a horror movie than a romance. Oh, how times do change.
There was some groveling in the end of this and the hero did supposedly recognize his wrongs and the heroine didn't immediately melt. Still, I'd never trust his epiphany. He admittedly hates women. That's a dangerous thing.
Anyway, wish I could have met CL. I bet she was a fascinating woman. She so obviously (from things that heroine thought and in other books things that secondary characters say) was not drinking her own Kool-Aid. She knew how f'd up her books were. I'd have liked to have gotten her true perspective and know what she was trying to accomplish. Maybe she just enjoyed screwing with people ;)
The title was either meant ironically or it was the hero's idea. Seriously. Seduction was not what was happening here, unless you were the hero. 'Obsession' would have been more appropriate.
I like old skool bodice ripper type of novels. I know it's offensive or triggering for some and I respect that, but the rape fantasy is a thing. It doesn't mean that a woman wants to be raped IRL, hence the term 'fantasy'. It's very much like CL knew that and decided to screw with those readers by introducing some reality.
The h's thought process and the things he said to the heroine was classic rape culture dogma. I've seen movies (both Hollywood and the Lifetime made-for-tv variety) over the past 20 years where the male lead said/did many of these types of things BUT he was the villain. Usually the heroine ends up outsmarting him and killing him. Much more of a horror movie than a romance. Oh, how times do change.
There was some groveling in the end of this and the hero did supposedly recognize his wrongs and the heroine didn't immediately melt. Still, I'd never trust his epiphany. He admittedly hates women. That's a dangerous thing.
Anyway, wish I could have met CL. I bet she was a fascinating woman. She so obviously (from things that heroine thought and in other books things that secondary characters say) was not drinking her own Kool-Aid. She knew how f'd up her books were. I'd have liked to have gotten her true perspective and know what she was trying to accomplish. Maybe she just enjoyed screwing with people ;)
September 24, 2020
Reading two books by Charlotte Lamb in ONE day can mind-fuck you...with that it feels like my brain and heart is going to explode,well that`s why i love CL this much!The title of "Seduction" should really have had the title "Obsession" or "Submission",as i agree with many reviews at that point.But in all this was a epic train-wreck where i got enthralled by the beauty of Greek and it`s exotic beauty through heroines eyes.It get better that the forceful romance between the innocent and wary Clea Keraster and the cynical Half-Greek Alpha Benedict Winter starts in the foreign Greek,and wow was it mind-blowing with their vigorous chemistry.
Benedict is a hero HOT in PURSUIT and determined as hell to make her admit that she wants him.Their moments in Greek are very and i mean VERY sexy and sizzling..but AH aren`t CL´s heroes always this delicious!(well..even if they are barbaric and cruel).Hero does a decent grovel at the end and i just loved him anyway.He is a stalkerish,obsessive,cruel and passionate hero of CL`s,and i always love them.The thing about the step-father being in love with Clea is something that i didn`t believe in,and it was not clear either if it was true in the end.Even Clea didn`t believe it. (which Ben believed and was jealous about)
A memorable keeper i certainly will re-read in the future!
WARNING!There is a rape-scene involved.
Benedict is a hero HOT in PURSUIT and determined as hell to make her admit that she wants him.Their moments in Greek are very and i mean VERY sexy and sizzling..but AH aren`t CL´s heroes always this delicious!(well..even if they are barbaric and cruel).Hero does a decent grovel at the end and i just loved him anyway.He is a stalkerish,obsessive,cruel and passionate hero of CL`s,and i always love them.The thing about the step-father being in love with Clea is something that i didn`t believe in,and it was not clear either if it was true in the end.Even Clea didn`t believe it. (which Ben believed and was jealous about)
A memorable keeper i certainly will re-read in the future!
WARNING!There is a rape-scene involved.
June 24, 2017
MINI-REVIEW:
Charlotte Lamb's "Seduction" features an innocent, sheltered heroine, a slutty step-sister, a creepy-step father with unhealthy designs on his step-daughter and a hero that is so crazy and obsessed, he can only be found in an old-skool HP, a bodice ripper, a "mated-pair" paranormal or one these self-published new-adult books that are so popular right now.
Ben is obsessed with Clea and will do anything to get her. She is abducted by Ben and escapes...and falls in love.
This was not the first Harlequin Presents I read, but it was the one that got me addicted to the Presents line.
It's very chauvinistic, very politically incorrect. But this is a book: a fantasy, not reality. Charlotte's Lamb's writing was at its best in this one. I love this book, as crazy as it was.
5 stars/ A-
Charlotte Lamb's "Seduction" features an innocent, sheltered heroine, a slutty step-sister, a creepy-step father with unhealthy designs on his step-daughter and a hero that is so crazy and obsessed, he can only be found in an old-skool HP, a bodice ripper, a "mated-pair" paranormal or one these self-published new-adult books that are so popular right now.
Ben is obsessed with Clea and will do anything to get her. She is abducted by Ben and escapes...and falls in love.
This was not the first Harlequin Presents I read, but it was the one that got me addicted to the Presents line.
It's very chauvinistic, very politically incorrect. But this is a book: a fantasy, not reality. Charlotte's Lamb's writing was at its best in this one. I love this book, as crazy as it was.
5 stars/ A-
April 28, 2022
1.5 stars
So this is my first Harlequin romance and safe to say it was quite the shit show.
I did a little search on Harlequin overall before starting this and here's what it said:
We have Clea who lives with her spiteful step-sister, and a step-father with anger issues who is lusting or "in love" with her, but covers it under misleading fatherly affection. Apparently she has some sort of weird ass feelings for him as well (she denied it but I didn't buy it). The hero is a creep that becomes obsessed enough to lock her up in an apartment so he can convince her to have sex, but ultimately rapes her, then blames it all on her.
YOU CALL THAT SIMPLE????
At some point I've come to realise that every character in this book is awful.
The heroine is about as interesting as a brick wall. It doesn't help that she is also -how do I say it without sounding mean- a little stupid. I can't tell if Clea has zero common sense or she is just that naïve.
But that's okay because all the personality points go to our hero.
Here are some of Ben's most prominent attributes:
-honest
-smart
-logical (kinda....almost)
-Stalker
-a lil psychotic
-will probably watch you outside your window
-Romance? Dating? Courting?
Rubbish, he'll kidnap you instead
what else,what else...
...Oh, he's confident in himself. Always a plus, especially when he acts like a lil bitch after getting rejected.
Besides that, Ben also has some sort of victim mentality. He never once asked how Clea felt or even tried to understand her.
Oh but Clea I just felt so awful after raping you. How could you leave me like that?? Do you know what I went through? I had a shitty mom so that's an excuse for being such a dick. Marry me?
I really do hate those two. Ben for being a sexist ass and Clea for being an airhead. Therefore, naturally, it makes sense to want two people I really can't stand to be together.
I'll give Clea some recognition though, she was the only character who was relatively a good person. She did have some backbone and towards the end I didn't not like her.
Then we have the father. Who is just another sexist prick. He's short tempered, old fashioned, and is kinda a pervert. After a while I've come to realise that Ben is actually not much different from him. But at least dad isn't a rapist.
I know this is an unpopular opinion but I liked Melissa (The step sis) more than any of these assholes. I didn't care much about Clea if I'm being honest, what I wanted to see was Melissa's book where she has grown up, matured and became everything amazing she had the potential to be. If she wasn't so mean spirited that is.
Overall: Did I enjoy it?
After the 50% mark I wanted someone to hand me a gun so I can shoot everyone here.
So this is my first Harlequin romance and safe to say it was quite the shit show.
I did a little search on Harlequin overall before starting this and here's what it said:
"Harlequin Roˈmance
noun
one of a US series of romantic novels about men and women who fall in love. The stories are usually simple, with a happy ending."
We have Clea who lives with her spiteful step-sister, and a step-father with anger issues who is lusting or "in love" with her, but covers it under misleading fatherly affection. Apparently she has some sort of weird ass feelings for him as well (she denied it but I didn't buy it). The hero is a creep that becomes obsessed enough to lock her up in an apartment so he can convince her to have sex, but ultimately rapes her, then blames it all on her.
YOU CALL THAT SIMPLE????
At some point I've come to realise that every character in this book is awful.
The heroine is about as interesting as a brick wall. It doesn't help that she is also -how do I say it without sounding mean- a little stupid. I can't tell if Clea has zero common sense or she is just that naïve.
But that's okay because all the personality points go to our hero.
Here are some of Ben's most prominent attributes:
-honest
-smart
-logical (kinda....almost)
-Stalker
-a lil psychotic
-will probably watch you outside your window
-Romance? Dating? Courting?
Rubbish, he'll kidnap you instead
what else,what else...
...Oh, he's confident in himself. Always a plus, especially when he acts like a lil bitch after getting rejected.
Besides that, Ben also has some sort of victim mentality. He never once asked how Clea felt or even tried to understand her.
Oh but Clea I just felt so awful after raping you. How could you leave me like that?? Do you know what I went through? I had a shitty mom so that's an excuse for being such a dick. Marry me?
I really do hate those two. Ben for being a sexist ass and Clea for being an airhead. Therefore, naturally, it makes sense to want two people I really can't stand to be together.
I'll give Clea some recognition though, she was the only character who was relatively a good person. She did have some backbone and towards the end I didn't not like her.
Then we have the father. Who is just another sexist prick. He's short tempered, old fashioned, and is kinda a pervert. After a while I've come to realise that Ben is actually not much different from him. But at least dad isn't a rapist.
I know this is an unpopular opinion but I liked Melissa (The step sis) more than any of these assholes. I didn't care much about Clea if I'm being honest, what I wanted to see was Melissa's book where she has grown up, matured and became everything amazing she had the potential to be. If she wasn't so mean spirited that is.
Overall: Did I enjoy it?
After the 50% mark I wanted someone to hand me a gun so I can shoot everyone here.
September 24, 2021
I should probably be embarrassed with how much I liked this book. 🙈😬
Ben, our darling Hero, well… he’s just terrible. He takes what he wants with absolutely ZERO thought to the consequences. He bulldozes and coerces and well… any feminist worth her skin would DESPISE this man. And yet… here I am over here…
👀
“Yeeeesssss, Ben. Lock her in your apartment until she’ll agree to let you smexx her up. Muwahahahahaha!!”
And then he loses his shit and Takes anyway… and is so confused when our h doesn’t fall at his feet in sexual submission 👀🙄🤣… why do I love that?? That utter confusion?? Whyyy??? I shall never understand it. 😅
The h is not a pushover… and when poor tortured Ben falls to his knees during his grovel, I may have SHED AN EFFING TEAR for this terrible human. 😅
And there you have it. He’s terrible and I can’t get enough. 🤷🏼♀️Well played Ms. Lamb. 🤡 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- light OW drama - she thinks he likes her sister and an old friend
- dubcon/noncon - he’s not asking
- she’s a virgin
- he’s a manwhore
Ben, our darling Hero, well… he’s just terrible. He takes what he wants with absolutely ZERO thought to the consequences. He bulldozes and coerces and well… any feminist worth her skin would DESPISE this man. And yet… here I am over here…
👀
“Yeeeesssss, Ben. Lock her in your apartment until she’ll agree to let you smexx her up. Muwahahahahaha!!”
And then he loses his shit and Takes anyway… and is so confused when our h doesn’t fall at his feet in sexual submission 👀🙄🤣… why do I love that?? That utter confusion?? Whyyy??? I shall never understand it. 😅
The h is not a pushover… and when poor tortured Ben falls to his knees during his grovel, I may have SHED AN EFFING TEAR for this terrible human. 😅
And there you have it. He’s terrible and I can’t get enough. 🤷🏼♀️Well played Ms. Lamb. 🤡 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- light OW drama - she thinks he likes her sister and an old friend
- dubcon/noncon - he’s not asking
- she’s a virgin
- he’s a manwhore
December 21, 2011
*FULL OF SPOILERS*
My take: Clea lives in Greece with her stepfather and step-sister. She came to live with her stepfather, Kerasteri as a young girl when Kerasteri married her mother. After her mother's death when she was a teenager, Clea stayed in Greece as she has no close family in England.
Clea's stepsister is a very outgoing and flirtatious young woman who happens to be a year younger than Clea. One day her stepsister brings home the very handsome half Greek half British Ben Winter for dinner.
Ben was taken with Clea's beauty from the beginning. Clea feels an attraction to Ben as well but gives him the cold shoulder. Karasteri notes Ben's attraction and informs him in a subtle way during dinner, that both Clea and her stepsister are engaged to be married.
Clea has been thinking about her upcoming nuptials for some time and decided that she must make a run for it. Her stepfather will not allow her to stay in his home if she refuses to marry the man he chose for her. Furthermore, her feelings for Ben are equally troubling for her. While thinking about her upcoming move, she moves to the window after having taken a shower lost in her thoughts. Ben is standing outside right below Clea's room. When Ben looks up and notices Clea's naked form, he is completely transfixed by her youth and flawless beauty. Clea notices Ben staring at her and the two stand for a long moment looking at each other. Clea is finally able to pull herself away from the window and is deeply troubled.
A day or two following the window incident, Ben comes around to Kerasteri's house yet again. This time Kerasteri is not around to chaperone his daughters. Ben unleashes his desire for as well as his frustrations on Clea. He starts to kiss her and just as she is starting to relax into the kiss, her stepfather walks upon the two. Kerasteri is beyond mad punches Ben out, and calls Clea a whole host of bad names. After this incident Clea plays it safe around her step father so he won't grow suspicious about her upcoming lescape from his home. Clea mistakenly told Ben about her plans. Clea meets a woman on the plane who befriends her and offers to allow Clea to stay with her in London since she has nothing booked.
As soon as Clea enters the apartment, guess who comes out to greet her.... Ben. The woman who befriends Clea on the plane was in fact a friend of Ben who he paid to string Clea along. Clea is mad and lets Ben have it. The friend leaves, Ben locks the door behind her, placing the key in his front pocket. Ben has in effect kidnapped Clea, he keeps her in his apartment for a week. Clea manages to escape because Ben becomes drunk after Clea rejects him following her first encounter*wink wink* with him.
Clea manages to get the key and slip out of the apartment. She finds work through an agency at a hotel as the front counter person. A few months into her new job, guess who walks through the door??? The chic who led Clea to Ben's apartment. Clea hides before the woman sees her, or so Clea thinks. A few days later while Clea is out on her lunch break, she happens to notice someone following her, it's Ben.
He is walking some distance back from Clea with his head down looking so depressed. It obvious he misses Clea and loves her a lot. In a twisted way, Clea found it amusing that Ben should appear so distraught. Ben never approaches Clea just walks some distance away like a sad puppy dog. In the end the female friend of Ben, comes to the hotel to beg Clea to at least talk to Ben again. She tells Clea that Ben is falling apart, and how she "has never seen him look or behave like this".
After mucht begging on the part of Ben's friend, Clea agrees to come to dinner. When Ben walks in and sees Clea, he is a very angry but manages to calm down. After the friend and her boyfriend leave Clea and Ben alone for a few, the two manage to talk out their problems and like all good romance novels declare their love for each other.
I really liked this book a lot. I think it's going on the keeper shelf. The forced seduction and kidnapping I could have done with out. I give this book 4 stars.
Things you may/may not like about this book:
1. May/December romance
2. The heroine's stepfather is in love with her(says the hero)
3. Forced seduction that turned into a very painful first time for the heroine
4. The heroine was kidnapped
My take: Clea lives in Greece with her stepfather and step-sister. She came to live with her stepfather, Kerasteri as a young girl when Kerasteri married her mother. After her mother's death when she was a teenager, Clea stayed in Greece as she has no close family in England.
Clea's stepsister is a very outgoing and flirtatious young woman who happens to be a year younger than Clea. One day her stepsister brings home the very handsome half Greek half British Ben Winter for dinner.
Ben was taken with Clea's beauty from the beginning. Clea feels an attraction to Ben as well but gives him the cold shoulder. Karasteri notes Ben's attraction and informs him in a subtle way during dinner, that both Clea and her stepsister are engaged to be married.
Clea has been thinking about her upcoming nuptials for some time and decided that she must make a run for it. Her stepfather will not allow her to stay in his home if she refuses to marry the man he chose for her. Furthermore, her feelings for Ben are equally troubling for her. While thinking about her upcoming move, she moves to the window after having taken a shower lost in her thoughts. Ben is standing outside right below Clea's room. When Ben looks up and notices Clea's naked form, he is completely transfixed by her youth and flawless beauty. Clea notices Ben staring at her and the two stand for a long moment looking at each other. Clea is finally able to pull herself away from the window and is deeply troubled.
A day or two following the window incident, Ben comes around to Kerasteri's house yet again. This time Kerasteri is not around to chaperone his daughters. Ben unleashes his desire for as well as his frustrations on Clea. He starts to kiss her and just as she is starting to relax into the kiss, her stepfather walks upon the two. Kerasteri is beyond mad punches Ben out, and calls Clea a whole host of bad names. After this incident Clea plays it safe around her step father so he won't grow suspicious about her upcoming lescape from his home. Clea mistakenly told Ben about her plans. Clea meets a woman on the plane who befriends her and offers to allow Clea to stay with her in London since she has nothing booked.
As soon as Clea enters the apartment, guess who comes out to greet her.... Ben. The woman who befriends Clea on the plane was in fact a friend of Ben who he paid to string Clea along. Clea is mad and lets Ben have it. The friend leaves, Ben locks the door behind her, placing the key in his front pocket. Ben has in effect kidnapped Clea, he keeps her in his apartment for a week. Clea manages to escape because Ben becomes drunk after Clea rejects him following her first encounter*wink wink* with him.
Clea manages to get the key and slip out of the apartment. She finds work through an agency at a hotel as the front counter person. A few months into her new job, guess who walks through the door??? The chic who led Clea to Ben's apartment. Clea hides before the woman sees her, or so Clea thinks. A few days later while Clea is out on her lunch break, she happens to notice someone following her, it's Ben.
He is walking some distance back from Clea with his head down looking so depressed. It obvious he misses Clea and loves her a lot. In a twisted way, Clea found it amusing that Ben should appear so distraught. Ben never approaches Clea just walks some distance away like a sad puppy dog. In the end the female friend of Ben, comes to the hotel to beg Clea to at least talk to Ben again. She tells Clea that Ben is falling apart, and how she "has never seen him look or behave like this".
After mucht begging on the part of Ben's friend, Clea agrees to come to dinner. When Ben walks in and sees Clea, he is a very angry but manages to calm down. After the friend and her boyfriend leave Clea and Ben alone for a few, the two manage to talk out their problems and like all good romance novels declare their love for each other.
I really liked this book a lot. I think it's going on the keeper shelf. The forced seduction and kidnapping I could have done with out. I give this book 4 stars.
Things you may/may not like about this book:
1. May/December romance
2. The heroine's stepfather is in love with her(says the hero)
3. Forced seduction that turned into a very painful first time for the heroine
4. The heroine was kidnapped
November 2, 2021
Oh what a book.
We have a psychopath here, a real creep.
And a stepdad who wants his stepdaughter and is jealous of om, creepy too.
Hero is obsessed by the heroine, follows her everywhere (stalker), mauls her, tries to persuade her to have an affair with him, and when she refuses, and she refuses repeatedly, telling him she doesn't want to be a sexual objects he kidnaps her with the help of one of his ex girfriends.
Creepy?
Not over yet!
He keeps her imprisoned in his flat for days trying to have sex with her and even if she tries very well to explain that he left his stepdad's house because she doesn't want to be an object and the hero is trating her just like an object, he still believes she wants him and she only wants him to force her because she feels guilty for desiring him
This is called erotomanic delirium, and it's a typical sign of psychosis.
He thinks she's in love with him even if she denies repeatedly and eventually he rapes her.
Well actually it is a forced seduction but even more painful because he forces her to surrender emotionally.
It is a very strong scene and the heroine is actually shocked but thanks god she manages to run away because the hero gets drunk.
Then she finds a job and tries to recoved but of course she's a very hurt creature, leaving in fear and ashamed of her inability to resist him.
One day his ex sees her and tells her the hero is in despair and he is not himself anymore but thank god the heroine refuses to have anything to do with him. I really appreciated this heroine, she was very young ans sheltered but she was very resilient, sensible and even if she was attracted by the hero she understood that he only wanted her for sex and she refused to have such a sordid relationship with him, so she kept rejecting him.
I loved that she was not victim of TBS, because even if she was attracted to him she decided not to act accordingly and tried to resist his seduction.
Of course he was stronger and more experienced but even if he forced a response on her she was not complying.
He's a rapist and a madman and she should have gone to the police and pressed charges because he kidnapped her and raped her.
Unfortunately the author spoiled all the book when the heroine in the end accepted his excuses and accepted to marry him.
Very big mistake. Huge.
The man is a complete lunatic and I'm afraid that she won't survive her first year of marriage (literally...)
We have a psychopath here, a real creep.
And a stepdad who wants his stepdaughter and is jealous of om, creepy too.
Hero is obsessed by the heroine, follows her everywhere (stalker), mauls her, tries to persuade her to have an affair with him, and when she refuses, and she refuses repeatedly, telling him she doesn't want to be a sexual objects he kidnaps her with the help of one of his ex girfriends.
Creepy?
Not over yet!
He keeps her imprisoned in his flat for days trying to have sex with her and even if she tries very well to explain that he left his stepdad's house because she doesn't want to be an object and the hero is trating her just like an object, he still believes she wants him and she only wants him to force her because she feels guilty for desiring him
This is called erotomanic delirium, and it's a typical sign of psychosis.
He thinks she's in love with him even if she denies repeatedly and eventually he rapes her.
Well actually it is a forced seduction but even more painful because he forces her to surrender emotionally.
It is a very strong scene and the heroine is actually shocked but thanks god she manages to run away because the hero gets drunk.
Then she finds a job and tries to recoved but of course she's a very hurt creature, leaving in fear and ashamed of her inability to resist him.
One day his ex sees her and tells her the hero is in despair and he is not himself anymore but thank god the heroine refuses to have anything to do with him. I really appreciated this heroine, she was very young ans sheltered but she was very resilient, sensible and even if she was attracted by the hero she understood that he only wanted her for sex and she refused to have such a sordid relationship with him, so she kept rejecting him.
I loved that she was not victim of TBS, because even if she was attracted to him she decided not to act accordingly and tried to resist his seduction.
Of course he was stronger and more experienced but even if he forced a response on her she was not complying.
He's a rapist and a madman and she should have gone to the police and pressed charges because he kidnapped her and raped her.
Unfortunately the author spoiled all the book when the heroine in the end accepted his excuses and accepted to marry him.
Very big mistake. Huge.
The man is a complete lunatic and I'm afraid that she won't survive her first year of marriage (literally...)
December 20, 2021
This had all the things CL is famous for but I wasn’t feeling it. I was rooting for the pervy stepfather 😂 more than the H who was dating her step sister.
But hey, this authors 3 star books are still better than what boring PC authors are writing these days.
But hey, this authors 3 star books are still better than what boring PC authors are writing these days.
February 14, 2012
So far so good. The hero is a spoiled rotten vain little twerp. The heroine isn't giving an inch and I'm loving it. I wish all heroines recognised the childish acts of the heroes rather than admiring them.
This guy was going out with her sister Melissa, and decided she should go instead since Melissa wasn't ready yet. When she declines and goes to get Melissa he winds up bodily forcing her into the car and taking her anyway. Then he gets pissed at the end of their trip when she doesn't admit that she enjoyed it. Poor baby.
This guy was going out with her sister Melissa, and decided she should go instead since Melissa wasn't ready yet. When she declines and goes to get Melissa he winds up bodily forcing her into the car and taking her anyway. Then he gets pissed at the end of their trip when she doesn't admit that she enjoyed it. Poor baby.
December 24, 2017
“Seduction” is the story of Ben and Clea.
Let’s recap this mess
-Clea lives peacefully in Greece with a strict stepfather and flighty stepsister
-The stepsister brings home Ben, half Greek, half English stranger who gets attracted and then stalks Clea
-The stepfather is getting the sisters arrange married
-Ben doesn’t like it and forcefully kisses her/takes her to breakfast/beach molests her
-Heroine eventually tries to run away from Greece to London but hero sends his ex Natalya to intercept her via deception and gets her to his hotel
-Then kidnaps the heroine and sorta rapes her- it’s totally non consensual. No did not mean No here.
-The heroine runs away while he pretends to justify his actions with love
-While heroine is trying to recover Natalya STALKS her again and annoys and pesters her to come and help her lovesick ex who is heartbroken as the women he forcefully sexed didn’t want to stay with him (boohoo)
-Some sort of stupid HEA where everything is magically resolved
And let’s not forget the creepy subplot of stepfather possible attraction.
This was a bloody mess. I hated the pathetic hero and the heroine, I just felt bad for her for being surrounded by these psychos. IF POSSIBLE ID HAVE GIVEN THIS NEGATIVE STARS.
Egh
1/5
Let’s recap this mess
-Clea lives peacefully in Greece with a strict stepfather and flighty stepsister
-The stepsister brings home Ben, half Greek, half English stranger who gets attracted and then stalks Clea
-The stepfather is getting the sisters arrange married
-Ben doesn’t like it and forcefully kisses her/takes her to breakfast/beach molests her
-Heroine eventually tries to run away from Greece to London but hero sends his ex Natalya to intercept her via deception and gets her to his hotel
-Then kidnaps the heroine and sorta rapes her- it’s totally non consensual. No did not mean No here.
-The heroine runs away while he pretends to justify his actions with love
-While heroine is trying to recover Natalya STALKS her again and annoys and pesters her to come and help her lovesick ex who is heartbroken as the women he forcefully sexed didn’t want to stay with him (boohoo)
-Some sort of stupid HEA where everything is magically resolved
And let’s not forget the creepy subplot of stepfather possible attraction.
This was a bloody mess. I hated the pathetic hero and the heroine, I just felt bad for her for being surrounded by these psychos. IF POSSIBLE ID HAVE GIVEN THIS NEGATIVE STARS.
Egh
1/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2018
The beginning of this book I was captivated and intrigued to see how thing will turn out. Everything was going great until midway when h ran away from Greece to get freedom. Everything that happened after left me feeling pretty hollow. This was a gripping read nonetheless.
The book should be called submission not seduction.
June 5, 2020
More old-skool cray cray from the Mistress of Crazy, CL. The hero in this one is an out of control sulky manchild with anger issues and contempt for women. The h is a reserved innocent blonde who is outraged by the hero's treatment of her and gives him much-deserved hell until the bitter end.
There’s a lot to digest in this one—lots of discussion about consent and equality between men and women and the right to choose and not be controlled or owned, but alas, the tropes of the genre and CL’s own mixed attitudes about these things leads to a very unsatisfying conclusion in which HEA just means the heroine getting over her justifiable rage and outrage and giving into her “feelings”(which seemed pretty much just physical infatuation to me) for the so-called hero.
There’s a lot to digest in this one—lots of discussion about consent and equality between men and women and the right to choose and not be controlled or owned, but alas, the tropes of the genre and CL’s own mixed attitudes about these things leads to a very unsatisfying conclusion in which HEA just means the heroine getting over her justifiable rage and outrage and giving into her “feelings”(which seemed pretty much just physical infatuation to me) for the so-called hero.
September 28, 2013
Wow...ICK...ewwww
Heroine annoying, icky step father and the hero? She should've just had a sandwich instead
Heroine annoying, icky step father and the hero? She should've just had a sandwich instead
August 17, 2013
Wow. This may be the creepiest ' hero' ever. He came across as a criminal stalker/rapist. He yelled at her for her tears of pain after he raped her (virgin), and he failed to get that she thought it was rape....
Seriously , Charlotte needed therapy.
I'm wondering though if it was the times - where women couldn't be as sexually free as they are today, therefore these awful rape moments in stories were seen as 'freeing'. Not that rape is freeing. It's the opposite, but the stupid fantasy aspect of it... oh, I don't know. Guess i'm attempting to make sense from senselessness.
Oh. And.... this does NOT happen at orgasm:
The little death which overcomes a human being at the point of sexual satisfaction
is not lightly named. At that moment the body stops, the heart, the brain, the lungs all briefly
halted for a beat of time.
Seriously , Charlotte needed therapy.
I'm wondering though if it was the times - where women couldn't be as sexually free as they are today, therefore these awful rape moments in stories were seen as 'freeing'. Not that rape is freeing. It's the opposite, but the stupid fantasy aspect of it... oh, I don't know. Guess i'm attempting to make sense from senselessness.
Oh. And.... this does NOT happen at orgasm:
The little death which overcomes a human being at the point of sexual satisfaction
is not lightly named. At that moment the body stops, the heart, the brain, the lungs all briefly
halted for a beat of time.
August 18, 2015
What the hell just happened?
I can't believe I read this.
The hero is off his rocker and the heroine is LOVIN' it!
I can't believe I read this.
The hero is off his rocker and the heroine is LOVIN' it!
March 4, 2021
He is one of Charlotte Lamb’s obsessed heroes. Very intense, very passionate, very determined, very overpowering. Her heroes don’t take no for an answer. Many of her heroes also have a cruel side.
Because of the nature of her heroes, Charlotte Lamb’s books are not for everyone.
I’m a fan of Charlotte Lamb’s HP’s. I like her writing style, I like the intensity and the angst in her stories, I like the passion and craziness that goes out from her heroes. I like the fact that her heroines are virgins and the heroes are rich, handsome, dominant alpha males.
Because of the nature of her heroes, Charlotte Lamb’s books are not for everyone.
I’m a fan of Charlotte Lamb’s HP’s. I like her writing style, I like the intensity and the angst in her stories, I like the passion and craziness that goes out from her heroes. I like the fact that her heroines are virgins and the heroes are rich, handsome, dominant alpha males.
April 25, 2021
3.5 stars
January 23, 2022
There is no "seduction" happening in this story. Hero is around 30/31 but acts like a 15 year old boy. He's selfish and immature, and definitely no alpha. He kidnaps the heroine, calls her a b***h multiple times while trying to get her to sleep with him, eventually forces himself on her, and later becomes whinny, depressed, and stalks her after she runs away. Heroine is introverted, quiet, and holds her own against the hero. In the end, he falls to his knees (literally) to beg for her.
November 11, 2021
Ha! What a hateful book! Or rather, what a hateful H! Ben, I'm talking about you. The thing is, the book is well written. No one can fault that part of it. The problem is that the ending was not supported by anything that came before. It was almost as if Lamb was telling one story, a story that was insightful and disturbing with a lot of salient points and then at the last minute, she took a severe turn. Sort of a "I'm telling this story but yeah, I know the publisher and the specific genre so I have to force it into this ending."
The thing is she was SO convincing in making Ben this huge, date raping, obsessive, stalker-ish PREDATOR. Yes, predator. I felt that from the moment he saw the h Clea, he had summed her up. I remember many years ago watching this program and it was about how sexual predators can walk into a room and immediately pick out their victim. Like, they know who will fight and who won't and they go after them. I felt that was Ben. He walked into a room and saw this young woman who was a shy introvert and then just went after her. He was GOD AWFUL. Even his groveling towards the end wasn't enough to make up for ANYTHING that he did leading up to that moment. OH, and I hated his innuendos regarding Clea's stepfather. I really did. There was one sort of odd moment with Clea and her stepfather but it wasn't like ODD. Especially in the light that Clea sees it as he is the only father she knows and loves him like a father and had always known him as an affectionate and demonstrative person. And it wasn't like he was doing weird things behind closed doors. He touched her neck. It was odd but it was the ONLY thing throughout the story that seemed slightly out of place. It was more Ben's reaction to it. Like, he was over the top about her stepfather. And it was awful because it was like he was trying to poison her mind and make her cut ties with her family by making her uncomfortable.
Hateful, absolutely hateful H. I mean, I've read a lot. And there are some grade A, hateful ahole H's out there. But man, this one really got to me and I'll tell you why. Because he was so REALISTIC. I mean, this wasn't a rich millionaire owner of a lucrative business. I believe he was a white collar worker but he wasn't like in the upper echelons. I got the impression he simply had a decent job. It was because his attitude and behavior was so rooted into real life that I found myself really really wanting Clea to kick him in the nuts so hard they would permanently lodge up his nose.
However, 2 stars because Lamb writes well.
The thing is she was SO convincing in making Ben this huge, date raping, obsessive, stalker-ish PREDATOR. Yes, predator. I felt that from the moment he saw the h Clea, he had summed her up. I remember many years ago watching this program and it was about how sexual predators can walk into a room and immediately pick out their victim. Like, they know who will fight and who won't and they go after them. I felt that was Ben. He walked into a room and saw this young woman who was a shy introvert and then just went after her. He was GOD AWFUL. Even his groveling towards the end wasn't enough to make up for ANYTHING that he did leading up to that moment. OH, and I hated his innuendos regarding Clea's stepfather. I really did. There was one sort of odd moment with Clea and her stepfather but it wasn't like ODD. Especially in the light that Clea sees it as he is the only father she knows and loves him like a father and had always known him as an affectionate and demonstrative person. And it wasn't like he was doing weird things behind closed doors. He touched her neck. It was odd but it was the ONLY thing throughout the story that seemed slightly out of place. It was more Ben's reaction to it. Like, he was over the top about her stepfather. And it was awful because it was like he was trying to poison her mind and make her cut ties with her family by making her uncomfortable.
Hateful, absolutely hateful H. I mean, I've read a lot. And there are some grade A, hateful ahole H's out there. But man, this one really got to me and I'll tell you why. Because he was so REALISTIC. I mean, this wasn't a rich millionaire owner of a lucrative business. I believe he was a white collar worker but he wasn't like in the upper echelons. I got the impression he simply had a decent job. It was because his attitude and behavior was so rooted into real life that I found myself really really wanting Clea to kick him in the nuts so hard they would permanently lodge up his nose.
However, 2 stars because Lamb writes well.
May 17, 2018
Giving two stars for Clea. Some of her justification for forgiving the "hero" totally dismisses the fact that Ben is a rapist, but she does not shy away from making him feel like shit. The story is engaging in that this-is-an-eighties-Harlequin way, but Jesus, gross.
Let's not dance around it, ok? Even if you get physically aroused (if you get wet or get a boner, it's a physical reaction you HAVE NO CONTROL OVER) or even if you come, even if you love the person who is assaulting you, even if you've had sex with that person before, even if you change your mind in the middle, if you say NO or STOP or GET OFF ME and that person does not stop, IT'S RAPE, OK.
It's ok to say "yeah, maybe you turn me on but I still don't want to have sex with you" or "I love you but you aren't ready for or don't want a relationship that's more than just physical, so I don't want to have sex with you". It's also ok to say "I only want a physical relationship". But people who want the former and not the latter or people who want the latter and not the former ARE NOT COMPATIBLE. It sucks, but you have to accept it AND MOVE ON.
Let's not dance around it, ok? Even if you get physically aroused (if you get wet or get a boner, it's a physical reaction you HAVE NO CONTROL OVER) or even if you come, even if you love the person who is assaulting you, even if you've had sex with that person before, even if you change your mind in the middle, if you say NO or STOP or GET OFF ME and that person does not stop, IT'S RAPE, OK.
It's ok to say "yeah, maybe you turn me on but I still don't want to have sex with you" or "I love you but you aren't ready for or don't want a relationship that's more than just physical, so I don't want to have sex with you". It's also ok to say "I only want a physical relationship". But people who want the former and not the latter or people who want the latter and not the former ARE NOT COMPATIBLE. It sucks, but you have to accept it AND MOVE ON.
June 8, 2021
Clea felt insulted -- by both men!
Clea's stepfather, Kerasteri, had followed Greek custom in choosing a man for her to marry. Defying him meant arousing his violent temper.
Ben Winter was the man who desired her and was determined to have her. I know what you want more than you do, he kept insisting. But he saw only the betraying signs of her body; he didn't listen to her reasons for refusal.
Clea had little choice. But she was sure of one thing: she would not be owned or used by anyone. She was her own person
He sees her naked on her balcony
Clea's stepfather, Kerasteri, had followed Greek custom in choosing a man for her to marry. Defying him meant arousing his violent temper.
Ben Winter was the man who desired her and was determined to have her. I know what you want more than you do, he kept insisting. But he saw only the betraying signs of her body; he didn't listen to her reasons for refusal.
Clea had little choice. But she was sure of one thing: she would not be owned or used by anyone. She was her own person
He sees her naked on her balcony
March 25, 2016
truly terrible ....hero was ridiculous as was the storyline.
His excuse? he didn't know what love is....she was equally frustrating with her childish behaviour
one of the worst Harlequins I've ever read
so honestly forget this one ....away with you ...
His excuse? he didn't know what love is....she was equally frustrating with her childish behaviour
one of the worst Harlequins I've ever read
so honestly forget this one ....away with you ...
February 15, 2012
crappy trashy wallbanger
January 12, 2016
Totally revolting.
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