Title: Sin & Seduction
Series: N/A
Author: Allison Cassatta
Genre: Contemporary/BDSM
Length: Novel
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (August 10th, 2012)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.5Hearts
Blurb: Dorian Grant is king of the New Orleans underworld, but he isn’t mafia and doesn’t appreciate the assumption. He’s simply a crude businessman anyone in his right mind would think twice about screwing over. Life in the Big Easy is all about sin, and violent, short-tempered Dorian has committed them all.
But not all New Orleans sins leave a bad taste in the mouth, as Dorian discovers the night a man stage-named Sweet Heat dances into his life at a club called Sin and Seduction. Dorian was expecting a hot lay. He damn sure wasn’t looking for a relationship, and certainly not with someone like Jansen, who turns Dorian’s grimly organized world upside down.
Now Dorian finds himself pressuring Jansen to quit his job because he can’t stand the thought of other men touching what’s his. Of course, Jansen wants a little quid pro quo—after all, Dorian’s job is dangerous. Jansen just doesn’t realize how dangerous until it’s too late. (via Goodreads)
Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3131
Reviewer: Adrienne
Review: Sin & Seduction was a bit hard to read in parts, as there is a fair amount of violence and a fairly graphic scene featuring somewhat dubious consent. Dorian is not a likeable character at all, and Jansen alternates between seeming like an abuse victim and appearing to be a gold-digger. Though there are explanations for their behaviors, it doesn’t really make either any more palatable. In fact, their personalities are so extreme; it is difficult to relate to either character. The repetitive on-off nature of their relationship and the severity of Dorian’s mood-swings are such that between the two, it is hard to keep up with the story.
In between the ups-and-downs of Dorian and Jansen’s affair is the threat of violence from Dorian’s peers, and Dorian’s efforts to maintain his position in the underworld while keeping the brutality from touching Jansen. Despite his attempts, the bloodshed enters their lives, and the effect that has on their already strained relationship becomes as much a focus as their personalities.
If one can get past the violence, and doesn’t hold out for the characters to have startling, life-changing revelations, this is an interesting read.