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I was keen to sink my teeth into this novel, 'Seduction by Design', Gladys Hobson's second in her 'Designed For Love' series, because she had me hooked with her first, 'Desire'.
These are no ordinary romance novels. They are written by a mature age author, whose abundance of wisdom invests the chapters with a fragrance rare. A young person simply could not achieve this, and the gems of insight Ms Hobson scatters throughout her story delighted me.
As for the characters, my dislike of the arch bastard Robert Watson magnified in this instalment, while my love for the beautiful June Rogers nee Armstrong was tempered – Ms Hobson portrays just what a flawed woman she is despite her enormous and rare talent for couture design; and to make matters more arresting for me, I am tarred with many of the same brushstrokes as June, if I want to be honest.
Thus I was not only entertained by this engrossing tale, I was a tad convicted.
It is the early seventies, the setting having jumped a couple of decades from that of 'Desire', and my word how well Ms Hobson has integrated the plot from that instalment!
The thermostat regarding eroticism has been turned up a few notches in 'Seduction…', and that's saying something, and yet, as with her first, there is nothing dirty or obscene in her explicit portrayals, and I tip my hat to her for this achievement: sexually charged encounters aplenty, without impurity – trashy romance writers take notice!
Something rare for me: I was actually mesmerised in places as I consumed this believable story involving an assortment of characters that would exist in any big town and city. And as in my previous review, let me reiterate that, as a writer, I continued to be informed and educated regarding effective technique to convey and captivate.
Well done Ms Hobson, and when is the final novel, 'Checkmate', going to be finished for me to learn what happens to these characters, who have become such a part of my imagination?
Payton L. Inkletter (writer, thinker, humorist)
+paytontedwithlove+
5 comments:
Praise indeed. What can I say but thank you for putting so much effort into reviewing this book.
A perceptive review. I'm a fan of Mistress Hobson's pen too, and may her sales soar.
Gladys is a great writer and I’ve followed her for ages with the following books:
Northern Lights: Poems and Stories from the North of England, The Primrose Path,
When Angels Lie, Awakening Love and Red Boxes: (When Phones Were Immobile and Lived in Red Boxes).
Must read these two you have mentioned here.
Keep them coming Gladys.
Silky
Gladys: Thank YOU for putting so much effort into the Designed for Love trilogy.
Geoff: Yes, may Gladys' sales soar, as well as her inspiration to write some more novels.
Silky: Yes, Gladys is a great writer, and she must keep them coming.
(And this all illustrates the stark reality that quality is no guarantee of discovery by the world; so much wonderful writing is suffocated and crowded out by the successes of luck, celebrity, scandal, who-you-know, greed, …)
Good heavens, I have just found these comments. Gentlemen — for that is what you ALL are (including a koala) what can I say but thank you, most sincerely.
Golly, you have brought tears to my eyes!
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