Title: Seductive Shadows
Author: Marni Mann
Publisher: Booktrope
Release date: July 17, 2013
Genre: Erotica, Contemporary Romance
Age Group: Adult
Source: This is a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review/opinion.
Charlie is a passionate, sensually inspired art student, desperately seeking an escape from an abusive past that haunts her and a tragic accident that emptied her heart. Scarred and unable to love, her yearning for physical pleasure and contact leads her into a tantalizing, dangerous world of power and seduction. The anonymity of the deal offers security, the money provides financial freedom, and the madam’s authority is the mother figure she longs for.
But the thrill of the mansion and its arousing dominance quickly fades when she meets the renowned yet mysterious Cameron Hardy, whose intense, baby blue eyes send a nervous flutter through her core. He’s sexy, and not in a subtle way. Cameron stimulates her art, intellect and desires. Just as he begins to break through her emotional boundaries, Charlie discovers a devastating connection between her past and her scandalous work at the mansion, shattering everything she thought to be true.
Provocative, intoxicating and erotic, Seductive Shadows, is the unforgettable tale of a young woman’s discovery as she learns to forgive, to love and be loved, and to find redemption amidst a memorable journey that will captivate your mind and stimulate your soul.
This book is for mature audiences 17+. It contains explicit language and sexual content.
Review by Mari Brown
Rating - 4.5 Stars
Cover - 4 Stars
Steam - 4 Stars
Ending - ?
Charlie is the dark, tragic heroine that learns too early in life that things are not easy. Her mother is an alcoholic and brings home a different man every night. This gives Charlie an early education in sex that she finds intriguing and fulfilling to her life. Just when Charlie seems to be on her way out of a miserable life tragedy strikes. Charlie is now stuck in her misery finds relief through her art.
One night a mysterious woman appears and offers her an opportunity. Charlie in her own twisted way sees it as a way out of her misery. She begins working at the mansion, finding it fulfills a need she has deep within. Through this job she is confronted with secrets from her past that turn her world upside down yet again. These secrets threaten everything Charlie has begun to build.
During a summer art class Charlie is partnered with Cameron. They get to know each other and Charlie begins finding hope in life. A hope she wasn't even sure existed before. Budding new friendships and an exhibit of her artwork her helps make this new hope grow. This book is Charlie' road to self discovery and her journey to learning how to pull herself out of the misery that had plagued her for years.
This was a well written story. You will find yourself enthralled in each step of her journey, cheering her on. I connected with Charlie almost from the start. As her story unfolds you feel the emotions she feels. I connected and almost became her as I read. I struggled when she struggled. I had hope when she had hope. Cameron's story line is a mystery but you can sense the darkness the hovers over him. The darkness does not stop him from finding a way to reach Charlie like no other. His ability to read her and understand her needs and wants makes him a character you can't help but fall in love with in spite of it all.
The only con to this story is the ending it felt like a cliffhanger. I was left with unanswered questions about Charlie's future but I hope that means there is room for a book two. I want to see her continue to fight for her freedom from the darkness plus keep that hope she so desperately needs and deserves.
About the Author
A New Englander at heart, Marni Mann is now a Floridian inspired by the sandy beaches and hot pink sunsets of Sarasota. She taps mainstream appeal and shakes worldwide taboos, taking her readers on a dark and breathtaking journey. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop, she’s scouring for chocolate, traveling, reading, or walking her four-legged children. Visit her at www.marnismann.com.
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