The Seduction of Elliot McBride by Jennifer Ashley (Highland Pleasures #5)
December 31, 2012
Historical Romance
Berkley
Reviewed by Mandi
I’m a huge fan of this series but unfortunately not a huge fan of this book. It doesn’t live up to the previous books in this series at all. Elliot McBride is a broken man. Having been imprisoned in India, and I guess imprisoned is a mild word for what he went through, he was tortured and stuck in a dark hole for a long time. He was missing for ten months and feared dead by his family (for those that read this series, he is Ainsely’s brother). But Elliot did survive and made it back to England. He now fights night terrors and even waking terrors where he falls into darkness and fights his way back to sanity.
Growing up he was good friends with Juliana St. John. They both had a crush on each other, but life took them down different roads. Juliana was engaged to a man for a very long time. But on her wedding day she discovers he eloped with his piano teacher days before. Crushed, Juliana tries to find some solitude in a small church, and plops down right on top of Elliot. She hasn’t seen him for a long time, and she ends up telling him everything that just happened. Then she has a crazy idea – why don’t they get married? He is immediately intrigued by this idea, and they go through with it. They are soon on their way to the Scottish Highlands where Elliot has purchased a grand estate from his uncle. Much to Juliana’s dismay, this grand estate needs a lot of work. Elliot has brought his servants from India with him (they are more like family to him) and together they start the renovations. As time goes by, Elliot realizes a man from his past who he thought was dead, is stalking him and causing his family danger.
The idea of a tortured hero from Jennifer Ashley excites me. I love how she writes and Elliot is definitely tortured. He struggles with staying in the present, and dark places. He needs trust and people he knows around him. He holds onto Juliana for dear life at times. I liked that about him. My problem with this romance though is that it all seems so easy between them. There is no tension. No build-up of anything. Juliana falls into being his wife immediately and it felt flat. There are sexy bedroom scenes between them but I missed the passion. Or the road that leads to that passion.
I also wasn’t a fan of the man who may or may not be dead in India who Elliot may or may not have killed who may or may not now be stalking him. And the neighbors who threaten. It just didn’t’ hold my interest. Maybe I missed the Mackenzies, since we are way out in the country and really only have Elliot’s Indian servants for a supporting cast.
This one fell flat and honestly I was a little bored. But at the end it’s mentioned the next book is,The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie. Oh yes. Bring it.
Rating: C
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