JenniferB’s Guest Review of Beyond Seduction (A Bastion Club novel) by Stephanie Laurens
published 28 Aug 07 by Avon

     A little bit wild and undeniably brave, the gentlemen of the Bastion Club have pursued adventures far and wide. But their exploits at home could prove to be the riskiest of all as they hunt an elusive target: the perfect bride.

     In a moment of recklessness, Gervase Tregarth, 6th Earl of Crowhurst, swears he’ll marry the next eligible lady to cross his path. Cloistered at his ancestral castle in Cornwall, with nary a suitable woman for miles, he never expects he’ll have to fulfill his pledge, at least not until the London Season begins. But then he meets his neighbor, the very appealing Madeline Gascoigne.

     Years of secret service to the Crown have taught Gervase the value of always having a loophole – there will be no wedding if he and Madeline are not compatible in every way. So he sets out to prove that they would make a most dreadful match… by luring her into his arms and, ultimately, his bed. From their very first kiss, Gervase discovers that the headstrong and independent Madeline is no meek country miss… and that the fire between them will burn long beyond that first seduction.

Note: This blurb, pulled from Laurens’ website, did not match the one on the back of my ARC. This one is much, much better.

Laurens is an almost always win for me – particularly with her Bastion Club series. Despite the ridiculously similar characterizations from book to book, I easily fall for the romantic couple – charmed by traits I’ve come to expect in both.

The hero. Unfortunately, Beyond Seduction’s Gervase seemed ill cast in the role. Laurens molded him exactly as I expected, but something was off. Just slightly. His dogged pursuit – undoing if you will – of the heroine was there and entertaining and seductive. His physical presence, dry wit, barely leashed control – all in attendance. His intentions however, were too off/on for me and too clinical. I’m thinking that it was his clinical approach – his uninspired measuring of the heroine’s candidacy as bride – that caused me to miss the moment he decided she would be his. There was no depth here and that felt like a critical misstep for Laurens.

The heroine. Madeline was a closer fit to Laurens’ mold, but she missed a few crucial lines of dialogue as well. Like Gervase, that omission was tied to her motivation. Her “weakness”  for Gervase’s advances rested on a curious streak she could not control. Her curiosity didn’t translate into mad temptation here. She could have been trying out a new recipe for all the passion and need she admitted. Consequently, her self-analysis and subsequent caving lacked impact.

I will interject that however uninspiring their ultimate capitulation was, the build-up to that vague moment was delightful. Very, very sexy. What with Gervase’s bold assertion that he expected her to warm his bed and Madeline’s flabbergasted, “What?!” It was provocative and entertaining.

The story. Ok, really feeling critical now – but I have to say that the story was equally unfulfilling. To start, it was too long. Instead of using the anticipated nefarious goings-on as a backdrop for the heroine’s seduction, Laurens essentially split the book into two parts. In the first, Gervase and Madeline are logically paired to organize and host an annual festival. Between festival committee meetings, Gervase and Madeline are occupied – only mildly – by Madeline’s treasure-hunting little brothers. The rest of the time they spend getting to know one another.

By the time we reach the second leg of the story, the seduction is complete and Madeline is holding out for the rest (marriage) until she determines whether Gervase truly loves her. In this segment, the nefarious goings on finally collide with Madeline’s brothers, other Bastien Club members are called in and the villain’s identity is revealed. Then they set about catching him. After which, Madeline comes to her senses and she and Gervase are married.

All of this took too long and I admit to skimming the book’s last hundred pages or so.

In fairness to Ms. Laurens, I’m not sure if Beyond Seduction would have appealed more to me had I been in a different mood. I was, at the very least, restless and preoccupied. I was looking for something to grab me and keep me in place until the last page. Perhaps that is not the best time to choose a comfortable but predictable read.

Grade: C

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