The year was 2020 …
I’d just been signed on with a respected romance imprint. The first book I ever read from said publisher was one written by my good friend Estelle Pettersen, who took the gig just before I did.
We were both ‘newbies,’ you know? I’ll always have a soft spot for Estelle because of that. We were both trying to find our feet in a new world, and working together made us more confident. Estelle asked me to read her script before it was released.
Naturally, being the good ‘wing gal’ that I am, I did. This is how it opens …
Look, y’all, I ain’t gonna mince words here. There’s a certain dissonance when it comes to art. I adore horror films, but I am not in the least inclined to run out and kill someone. I like sexy stories, but they don’t make me toddle out and cheat on my better half. Honestly? That’s why I love Estelle. She’s never said ‘boo’ about my sadistic tales; she just takes them in stride. I don’t judge her any more than she does me. I don’t write tales that hit the top of the ‘erotic’ scale, and Estelle doesn’t drown the world in literary blood. I’m violent. She’s erotic. And, honestly? It’s all just ‘pretend,’ both the blood and the blowjobs.
If erotic stories have a ‘cause and effect’ impact on you – if ‘Lessons on Seductions’ will tempt you to do something immoral – then don’t read it. It’s funny, though. Estelle’s public bios paint her as a loving ‘family woman.’ I know her; she’s a devoted wife and mother. (And, yes. I have a policy of never saying anything about a fellow author that the author hasn’t already said to the reading public.)
‘Lessons on Seduction’ is a fantasy, nothing more. The author—like me—is detached from her fantasies. Much like my own brutally violent fiction, this tale is just an escape. We authors LOVE to write about things that we would never do in real life! I would never harm anyone—brutally or otherwise—and I’m reasonably certain that Estelle would never wreck her happy home with grossly inappropriate sexual behavior.
That having been said, ‘Lessons on Seduction’ a ROCKIN’ tale! The opening made be blush. Bad writing elicits no response from me whatsoever, blushing or otherwise, but that’s not ‘Lessons’ …
Sapphire, the leading lady, is a complete skunk. She has the morals of an alley cat. And that’s what makes her story SO much fun to read! Her tale is a deliciously naughty one. Remember, this is fantasy. Not real life. I found Sapphire to be a very engaging leading lady; in fact, I think it was her shameless amorality that made her such a standout from other romance heroines, including my own.
Julian, the leading man, is cut from the same cloth as Sapphire. It is no small task, molding a yahoo who generally thinks with his second head into someone truly likable. But Estelle does. Julian’s evolution of character is subtle; the shifts in his thinking are so gradual that you don’t notice them. Then, when you’ve finished reading, you look at who he is at the end of the book compared with who he was at the beginning. Only then does the contrast hit you.
The ending—the last few paragraphs—really sticks the landing. Skunks don’t run around behaving like skunks and then miraculously earn a ‘happily ever after.’ Not in real life, anyway, but this is a story. Sapphire and Julian’s happy ending reads beautifully. (And, no, that’s not a spoiler. Romance—erotic or otherwise—by definition always has a happy ending! If a love story doesn’t have a happy ending, then it’s just a love story and not a romance. See also Titanic, or maybe Romeo and Juliet.)
What I loved most about this tale is how Estelle artfully inserted profound thoughts even if they were woven throughout all the sexual hi jinks! That is truly indicative of great writing. Great writing doesn’t just tell you a story; it also makes you think. It challenges your ideas and your belief system.
‘Lessons on Seductions’ is a great book. Full stop. Yeah, read it with caution or maybe don’t read it at all if it will tempt you to do something wrong …
But, honestly? If you can handle it, it’s a damn good story. Five stars. I THOROUGHLY enjoyed it!
IF YOU DARE TO READ ‘LESSONS ON SEDUCTION,’ YOU CAN FIND IT HERE!!! https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Seduction-Estelle-Pettersen-ebook/dp/B08BKRPF63/ref=sr_1_1
Thank you so much, V. 🙂 Hehe yeah, the characters were quite entertaining to write for readers who prefer high heat erotic dark badboy romances (five flames). Very different from my milder, more realistic country romances (the Starling Sisters series).