Still, when those present-day chapters came in and interrupted the main story, I was tempted to skip them – and found I couldn’t! I didn’t want to miss anything important, and as Kelly’s story went on, some bits of mystery caught my interest as well. The combination of past and present, however, made the story drag a bit.
What also makes The Seduction of the Crimson Rose unlike other novels in the genre is the language. Willig has an immense vocabulary and uses it well in this novel. Most genre fiction is written more simply, whereas Willig’s is eloquently and sophisticatedly penned, which adds a more intellectual element to the book.
If sexual tension is your thing, then this book would be great for you. All of the romantic play that is presented is in stolen kisses, near misses, innuendo and the like. This, too, is a nice change from the seduce-and-conquer types of novels so often seen in the genre. Willig relies on subtlety to make her point, and does it beautifully at that.
Overall, I liked The Seduction of the Crimson Rose. I was a little lost because I hadn’t read the other books in the series and was dissatisfied with the pace of the book. Still, I may go back and pick up the preceding books to get the backstory on some of the characters.
Article comments