Seduction by M.J. Rose

Seduction by M.J. Rose is a haunting tale that will take you from modern times to past lives that existed centuries ago; it is a suspenseful ghost story with a bit of history that is sure to captivate Rose’s fans as it did me.  This novel comes after The Book of Lost Fragrances which I have also read and enjoyed (my review) but Seduction stands on its own.  The benefit of reading the first one is getting some of the background on the main character Jac L’Etoile but Seduction delves even further into her life.  I loved this novel and could not put it down – the setting, the mythology, the past lives – all of it drew me in and held me there until the very last page!

Our story opens in 1855 in Jersey on the Channel Islands where we meet the famous author Victor Hugo.  Ten years earlier Victor had lost his beloved daughter in a drowning accident.  He has not gotten over it, nor has he moved on and when he learns of seances as a means to contact a dead individual he jumps at the chance that he may once again speak to his daughter.  What starts as a game really – a pastime to enjoy with friends turns into hundreds of seances in which he claims to have spoken to Plato, Galileo, Shakespeare, Dante, Jesus, and even the devil.  This is actually the true aspect to the story.  The mythical comes into play when Hugo’s interactions with the spirit world take a disturbing and deadly turn.

In present time we meet Jac L’Etoile who is trying to regain her life again after suffering a loss.  Being a mythologist and loving her work leaves her no choice but to travel to Jersey when an old friend Theo contacts her for help in uncovering some of the islands intriguing and mysterious Celtic history.  When she arrives she finds that what Theo really needs and wants is help in finding Victor Hugo’s lost journals which he discovered in his grandfather’s things when he passed away.  For Jac being on the Isle of Jersey is amazing in that the history of this land is teeming with old castles and monuments.  Even more fascinating are the hundreds of caves on the island; caves that depict stories and hold secrets galore.  However what Theo and Jac can’t know is the danger that they will be putting themselves in by trying to uncover the past lives of those who had gone before them and just how much those lives are intertwined with their own.

Seduction is a fascinating novel.  I loved the references to mythology, past lives, and reincarnation.  This kind of stuff has always been interesting to me except for the seances – they give me the creeps big time and I would never in my lifetime participate in one.  I have to say that this novel was creepy suspenseful.  I could literally feel my skin crawl at times in a good way – you know when you’re watching something scary and wondering what’s next.  In short, I loved it and it’s one of my favorites from her.  I do have a few others of hers to read yet but what I’m really hoping for is another novel featuring Jac because she is really a fantastic character.

Seduction by M.J. Rose is on tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours so be sure to pop in and check out the other tour stops.  You can learn more about M.J. Rose on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.  You can purchase your own copy of Seduction at Amazon and Amazon Canada.

Source:  Review copy provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and the Publisher via Edelweiss.  No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

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