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A review by la_xu
Dangerous Seduction by Zoe Archer
3.0
I would give the first 50% of the book 2 stars then the last 50% of the book 4 stars... Averaging to a 3 star read.
Some things I really liked about the novel was that both Alyce and Simon were such good characters. Alyce especially was such a strong woman who cared about her home, her community, and her work. She was passionate about standing up for those who couldn't want used her voice even if it got her in trouble. She was smart and adapted to new scenarios so well. At the same time she had a sense of innocence and wonder about her when she was traveling to all the new cities. In general, she was such a good character.
A minor character I also really liked was Sarah, Alyce's sister-in-law. She didn't show up very often in the novel but I liked her conversations with Alyce. Moreover, her discussions with Alyce at the very end of the novel really solidified her place as one of my favorite characters in the novel.
I also liked that the book was unique in that as a historical romance novel, it wasn't just about the regency or upper-class noblemen and women that I feel like the majority of historical romances are. It was cool that this was taking place during the industrial revolution and that our heroine was a working-class lady.
I really enjoyed the latter half of the novel when Alyce and Simon go off on their mission together. It was so much more exciting going to different towns/cities with them and the stakes felt so much higher as they got closer to the end of their mission.
However, overall I was a little frustrated at the pacing of the book especially in the 1st half (hence the 2 stars). Despite have such a strong social justice slant to the novel which I'm normally all about, I just was so bored when they were in the mining town. I understand that the author had to paint and image of the atrocities that were taking place and there needed to be time for Simon to gain the trust of Alyce and the miners, but it was just soooo boring. If there was some way to make mining sound exciting, that would have been great. If not that, I kind of thought the mini mission that Simon takes Alyce on to the managers' house was just... kind of a dumb one.
The other pacing factor that bothered me was their relationship. It was pretty much lust at first sight/interest at first sight, but then the two characters kept coming up with excuses to not be together, even at a physical level. This makes sense for like at least part of the book, but not the majority of it. I like a good slow burn, but not when it doesn't quite match up with the insta-love but not showing it until way later. I'd rather it be a slow burn all throughout with them falling for each other over the book then doing the deed, instead of being instantly into each other but denying it for 70% of the book.
Had the pacing been better, and the first half not been so boring, I would have given this book 4 stars.
Some things I really liked about the novel was that both Alyce and Simon were such good characters. Alyce especially was such a strong woman who cared about her home, her community, and her work. She was passionate about standing up for those who couldn't want used her voice even if it got her in trouble. She was smart and adapted to new scenarios so well. At the same time she had a sense of innocence and wonder about her when she was traveling to all the new cities. In general, she was such a good character.
A minor character I also really liked was Sarah, Alyce's sister-in-law. She didn't show up very often in the novel but I liked her conversations with Alyce. Moreover, her discussions with Alyce at the very end of the novel really solidified her place as one of my favorite characters in the novel.
I also liked that the book was unique in that as a historical romance novel, it wasn't just about the regency or upper-class noblemen and women that I feel like the majority of historical romances are. It was cool that this was taking place during the industrial revolution and that our heroine was a working-class lady.
I really enjoyed the latter half of the novel when Alyce and Simon go off on their mission together. It was so much more exciting going to different towns/cities with them and the stakes felt so much higher as they got closer to the end of their mission.
However, overall I was a little frustrated at the pacing of the book especially in the 1st half (hence the 2 stars). Despite have such a strong social justice slant to the novel which I'm normally all about, I just was so bored when they were in the mining town. I understand that the author had to paint and image of the atrocities that were taking place and there needed to be time for Simon to gain the trust of Alyce and the miners, but it was just soooo boring. If there was some way to make mining sound exciting, that would have been great. If not that, I kind of thought the mini mission that Simon takes Alyce on to the managers' house was just... kind of a dumb one.
The other pacing factor that bothered me was their relationship. It was pretty much lust at first sight/interest at first sight, but then the two characters kept coming up with excuses to not be together, even at a physical level. This makes sense for like at least part of the book, but not the majority of it. I like a good slow burn, but not when it doesn't quite match up with the insta-love but not showing it until way later. I'd rather it be a slow burn all throughout with them falling for each other over the book then doing the deed, instead of being instantly into each other but denying it for 70% of the book.
Had the pacing been better, and the first half not been so boring, I would have given this book 4 stars.