Official Review: Seduction by Shayla Hart

[L_Therese]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Seduction" by Shayla Hart.]

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Isabelle Tyler can’t catch a break. From her abusive home life to her confused love life, she can barely cope with daily events. In Seduction, author Shayla Hart introduces the reader to Isabelle and her friends Kelly and Jordan Callaway as they learn lessons in life, love, and friendship when trauma and upheaval throw Isabelle’s life into chaos. As the drama unfolds, the reader is forced to question how (or if) Isabelle can emerge from the conflict with her relationships surviving.

The first thing I feel like I have to say is that the book is too long. At well over 700 pages, it is incredibly long for any genre but especially for a New Adult/ erotic romance novel. I think it would have been improved if it were separated into two or three books in a series. There were plenty of plot points that would have allowed for such division. In fact, the book was packed with phenomena. No sooner would one conflict come to a head, but a new one would be introduced. While this did keep the book exciting, the result was that it got tiring. If separated, the length would be more manageable and the plots tighter.

Seduction, as one might expect from the title, was advertised as an erotic romance. True to form, it was stuffed with sex, as well as underage drinking, mentions of drug use, vulgar language, and teenage pregnancy. There can be no question that this is a book for adults despite the youth of its main characters. However, there is an immaturity to the characters and a naivete to the plot that is more reminiscent of Young Adult books. The main characters, who are either beautiful, obscenely wealthy, or both, are prone to extreme emotional reactions to events. They are incredibly sexually experienced and accustomed to drinking in public while still under the legal age. While such a scenario could possibly exist, it sounds more like a fantasy than real life. I can only conclude that this book is intended for a college-aged audience looking for a quick, stimulating read.

Despite what I feel the book lacks in sophistication, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the importance of various themes introduced. Throughout Seduction, Ms. Hart explores heavy topics like child abuse, prostitution, child exploitation, teenage pregnancy, suicide, and abortion in addition to positive themes such as forgiveness, friendship, and second chances. She also spends a lot of time fleshing out love, both the erotic and the familial. The way that each of these is explored and developed builds in the end to a beautiful conclusion that is a pleasure to read.

I regret that I only feel like I can give this book 1 out of 4 stars. I would like to see more sophistication in the character development and interactions as well as some correction of technical errors and adjustments from British-style English to American, since most of the book takes place is Los Angeles. I think just dividing the book into several shorter ones would have encouraged me to push my rating up. I want to leave the author encouraged, knowing that I didn't hate the book but could not recommend it as is.

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[amybo82]

I appreciate your honest review. I definitely tend to shy away from books that are so long. Certainly, in 700 pages, I expect to be absolutely blown away and to come away having had a very unique experience with the book. This book sounds like it is more along the lines of those short monthly romance novels. It is also interesting that the author decided to incorporate such serious topics into an erotic/romance novel. That seems out of place.