To live in the moment of desire is to be yourself in the most pure and painful way possible, because beneath every touch is the knowledge of how fleeting the pleasure is. How elusive the passion. How impossible it is to contain it for long.
(from Seduction)
Seduction is the latest novel in M.J. Rose’s series about reincarnation, revisiting the main character from The Book of Lost Fragrances (which I loved). As with all the other books in the series, it can be read on its own. Rose weaves together the past and the present in this haunting, atmospheric tale. She brings back mythologist Jac L’Etoile, who is still coming to terms with the hallucinations she’s had since childhood, refusing to believe they could be glimpses of her past lives, and mourning the end of a love affair when she is contacted by Theo Gaspard about checking out what could be Celtic ruins on the Isle of Jersey.
Jac hasn’t seen Theo since they were teenagers receiving therapy at a clinic in Switzerland, but she remembers the intense bond they shared, how they understood each other in a way that no one ever had. Malachai Samuels of the Phoenix Foundation, Jac’s therapist and friend who has devoted his entire life to the study of reincarnation and the search for elusive memory tools, warns her against going, but she’s not going to pass up a chance to explore the ruins and find proof of the existence of the Druids. However, Theo also wants Jac’s help in finding a journal written by novelist Victor Hugo in 1855 that supposedly is hidden in one of the island’s many caves and details his conversations with the Shadow of the Sepulcher.
The novel shifts back and forth between Jac’s adventures in the caves and ruins of Jersey and the scent triggers that bring her back in time and Victor Hugo’s first-person account of the numerous séances in which he participated in the hopes of communicating with his beloved daughter who drowned 10 years before. Hugo’s story involves a perfumer with ties to the Gaspard family and a spirit that tempts him with the impossible.
Seduction is a captivating, fast-paced novel that is sensual and mysterious, beautiful and tragic, with luscious descriptions of the scents of ancient woods and the sea. I was surprised by the complexity of the plot, fascinated by the tortured characters, enamored of the scenery, and even chilled by the evil that Hugo must battle. Readers don’t have to believe in reincarnation to buy into the plot, nor do they have to worry about romance overshadowing a story about haunted souls struggling to find peace in their lives. Rose is a gifted storyteller who perfectly blends the fact and the fiction to create an unputdownable novel that had me wanting to drop everything to travel to Jersey and see it for myself.
Disclosure: I received Seduction from Atria for review.
© 2013 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
I was not in awe of her previous book so nah, not for me
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I’m sorry. I really loved these last two books about Jac.
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I’m not sure about the reincarnation aspect of the book but I have a feeling my mom would love this whole series.
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I wasn’t sure about it either when I first started the series, but Rose makes it work, regardless of whether or not you believe in it.
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Wonderful review, Anna! I am sure I’d also enjoy Rose’s work, and will definitely keep it in mind for the future. She does seem to be a supremely talented writer.
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Thanks, Suko! I hope you give at least the last two books a try.
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Really nice review — her books are surprisingly rich, I find — I’m always a bit ‘eh’ on them after the fact but while reading, I can’t stop!
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I agree they are rich and hard to put down. Sorry they are just okay for you afterward, though.
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Tweeted.
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Thank you!
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Anna, I’m so glad you mentioned that it can be read on it’s own. I usually try to read books in order because I hate feeling like I’ve missed out on something. Great review!
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All of the books in this series can be read on their own, I think. That’s good to know for those who don’t want to start a new series but are interested in one or two of the books.
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I really loved these last two books. I hope there is more with Jac
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Me, too!
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So glad to see you liked this one! I just couldn’t get into it but you know, different strokes …
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So true!
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Sounds like I need to bump this one up on my Kindle!!!
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Yes! I hope you enjoy it.
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[…] Linda @ Soli Deo Gloria (Hidden Art of Homemaking, chapter 3)56. Susanne (False Pretenses)57. Anna @ Diary of an Eccentric (Seduction)58. Anna @ Diary of an Eccentric (Legacy of […]
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[…] concludes) her tale about Jac L’Etoile, which began in The Book of Lost Fragrances and Seduction. All of the novels can be read on their own, which is unusual for a series with six installments, […]
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