Shannon C.’s review of Ceremony of Seduction (Seduction series, Book 1) by Cassie Ryan
Erotic fantasy romance released by Aphrodisia 1 Aug 07

Wow! What a pleasant surprise this book was! I’d been expecting yet another cheesy erotic romance with a lame plot that would lead to much sexoring. I hadn’t been expecting a compelling story full of warmth and emotion, with characters I quickly connected with, and told in such a captivating way. Yet, that’s exactly what I got, and I now have a new author to look out for. I really appreciated the tip from Karen Scott about this book.

Alyssa has always felt she didn’t fit in. Her parents and friends are all thin, blonde and perfect. She is curvy, dark-haired and doesn’t think she’s very smart. Her only solace comes every evening when an erotic stranger enters her dreams and brings her pleasure she can’t imagine. Only when she meets the stranger, a man called Stone, in the flesh, is her birthright as the first princess of Klatch revealed, and she’s set on a quest to heal a dying planet. Along the way, she discovers family, friendship and love, and there’s lots of scorching sex.

There’s a strong girl power theme running through this novel that I found extremely refreshing. I loved that this was Alyssa’s story, and was all about her struggles to come to a place of self-acceptance. She always has Stone’s love, she just has to become comfortable enough in her own skin that she can return it as an equal.

Stone is a great hero, too. There’s not really a strong conflict between them, but there’s enough going on that I never felt bored. I loved that he wanted her from the beginning and was patient with her without being scarily alpha and possessive. I also thought that the two of them had amazing chemistry together. None of the sex scenes felt gratuitous, and they all fed the plot.

The other characters were interesting, too. The author indulges in a bit of sequel-baiting, but I forgave her because she’s definitely got a plan for her series beyond, “And now we should tell Cousin Bob’s story and give him a HEA.” The men who will be heroes in the next books were important to the plot and not just put there to provide extra eye candy.

I also liked that this is one of the few erotic romances I’ve read where there was F/F interaction which was handled in a way that didn’t feel exploitive and belittling. The scenes between Alyssa and Sasha, her maid/companion, were full of chemistry of their own, and I never got the feeling that Sasha was just a substitute for Stone when he couldn’t be there. Sasha gets a nice romance at the end, too, which I appreciated.

The other thing I should mention is something that sold me on this book. Stone explains to Alyssa early on that she was kidnapped from her family home by another tribe of people known as the Cunts. Cunts are apparently all skinny and blonde and shallow, and they even have their own queen. When I read all of that, I laughed. That bit seems like pure total cheesy wish-fulfillment, but it also feels deliberate, and every time I saw mention of the cunts, I had to giggle.

My only real quibble with this book is that Alyssa was treated so horribly by her best friend, who turns out to be a cunt. I never really bought that Alyssa couldn’t just bitchslap her so-called friend and tell her to take a hike. She put up with a lot of abuse in the beginning that seemed a bit out of character.

But I’m so glad that I’ve finally run across such a fun, empowering erotic romance. I definitely recommend it, and am now out to look for anything else Ms. Ryan has published.

Grade: A-

Summary:
When Dreams Of Desire…
Twenty-three-year-old Alyssa Moss has lived her whole life in the shadow of her beautiful family. Voluptuous where they are lean, brunette where they are blonde, Alyssa is convinced she is an ugly duckling who will never become a swan. The only thing that sustains her is a recurring dream in which a seductive stranger named Stone worships and pleasures every inch of her. But maddeningly, Stone always disappears just as Alyssa is on the edge of dizzying ecstasy—with a puzzling promise that one day he will find her. That day has come….

Become Reality…
For years, Stone has searched for the kidnapped first princess of his people—an other-worldly clan whose life-force is sexual energy. Alyssa is that princess, stolen by a rival faction and banished to live on Earth. But now Stone has found her and will return her to her rightful home, one in which she will own the curvaceous body she was born with—and the passionate desire that throbs within it as she learns an endless variety of delicious pleasures and discovers the infinite power she feels when all her cravings are satisfied…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series: