TEST
Have you ever read a book that was so over the top crazy and convoluted that you were left wondering if it was supposed to be a joke and for some reason you just didn’t get it? I read The Seduction of Phaeton Black days ago and I’m still undecided. Surely it’s intended to be tongue-in-cheek, right?
The gist is this: Phaeton Black, the young, brilliant, hugely endowed Scotland Yard inspector was fired from his job for suggesting that the Jack the Ripper murders were the result of some type of paranormal activity. Now he lives in the cellar of a brothel, getting high and making use of the upstairs employees. But a new series of murders, apparently the work of a female vampire, has Phaeton once again investigating the supernatural.
America Jones is doing her own investigations into the murder of her father and the theft of his ships by pirates. She’s running for her life from said pirates when, in desperation, she tries to coerce a stranger into helping her hide. The stranger, Phaeton, decides to hide in plain view, screwing America against an alley wall like a common doxy as camouflage when the pirates show up. When all is clear he takes her hostage, screws her again, and they ally. Mayhem ensues.
The first and most important problem I had with this book is that the first two “love scenes” are rape, pure and simple. America just wants help, not penetration, and she’s very unwilling to have sex with Phaeton in the alley. But he’s such a fabulous cocksman that America becomes aroused. Yuck. The second time, she’s tied up and, again, unwilling. On top of this is the scenario where a young prostitute is being coerced by her madam and another whore into allowing Phaeton to break her in. Phaeton has no qualms about her fear of his “beastly tosser.” Again, Yuck.
Strangely, the beginning of the book has a lot of purple prose, but it peters out somewhere in the middle of the book. (Peters…hee) Maybe this coincides with the adoption of a nickname, “The Duke,” for Phaeton’s penis. For America’s physiology and the act itself lots of different terminology is used because Phaeton thinks about sex constantly and the characters discuss it ad nauseum. It never bodes well when the heroine makes the hero apologize “for only then will you be allowed to touch my cunny.”
Once you get past the rape scene and the language issue, the result of Phaeton’s investigation is just insane. The book is so twisted with America’s business issues with the pirates and Phaeton’s clairvoyance, his pet gargoyle, and various succubi, phantasms, demons, ghosts, vampires, and Egyptian gods, that the reader is left reeling. Things are finally explained in the denoument, but even that is about sex once again.
I didn’t completely hate this book but reading it was a bit of a chore, and I still can’t decide whether it’s juvenile or genius.
Grade: C
Book Type: Paranormal Historical
Sensuality: Hot
Review Date: 02/07/12
Publication Date: 2012/04
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.