Rating: 
Summary: Huge Hunter fan - Absorbing but not as good as her others
Review: Madeline Hunter is one of my must-read authors. I read every novel she writes. I have given all of her novels five star ratings. I really wanted The Seducer to be a five star rating as well, but compared to her other novels it just doesn't fall into that excellent category. However, it is still an entertaining read.Daniel St. John is a self-made man with riches, agendas, and revenge on his mind. He has been guardian to a young girl, Diane, for years and visits her once a year, if at all possible, in the private, secluded French girl's school where he has placed her for care. Diane knows barely anything about her guardian who she refers to as the Devil Man. In the opening pages of the book, Daniel has been called to the school because Diane has badly misbehaved. In the process of his visit, he realizes Diane is not a young woman any more and further discovers that the management of the school is corrupt and removes her immediately. He brings Diane to his Paris home where she will live temporarily until he can take her to London where she wants to obtain a position as a governess. However, Daniel has no intention of letting Diane find such a position. He has other plans for her and lures her into the comfort of fine living with expensive clothes, servants, social engagements, and most importantly, the companionship of his invalid sister. Diane is suspicious of her guardian's intentions and is determined she will not fall into his unknown plans for her. She clings to the hope that he will eventually take her to London, as promised, so that she may become independent and begin the ever-important search for her missing family. She was very young when she was separated from her family and since her guardian seems to be unwilling to tell her about her past, she must uncover it herself. Daniel's invalid sister puts a different spin on the story and certainly adds to the depth of the overall book. As usual, Hunter has put together an intriguing cast of characters. Although The Seducer has a mystery/suspense element continually running in the background, the primary emphasis is, thankfully, on the romance. The Seducer is a good, spicy read with likable leads and a somewhat unusual plot. The hero is human and although set for revenge, is not consumed by it. As he finds himself increasingly drawn to Diane, he begins to discover he has the ability to care deeply for a woman. Diane gradually becomes stronger as the book progresses and in no way seems a recent product of a secluded girl's school. Although many of the plot lines are familiar to romance writing, Hunter still manages to make those situations highly interesting. The sensual scenes rate a solid 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). This is the first of Hunter's new series, all of which are scheduled for release in 2003. What a wonderful thing for a publisher to do for their fans! The Saint is the second in this series and is currently set for release in 11/03 followed by The Charmer in the beginning of 12/03 with The Sinner scheduled for the end of 2003. I will be buying each of these books as they become available and know there will be some great reading as a result.
Rating: 
Summary: In a word: Boring!!!
Review: Not since Victoria Alexander have I been so heartily bored by a romance novel. The characters are lackluster, the history is questionable, and the writing is prosaic at best. I won't be buying anything else by this writer. It was a huge about of work to just get through it.
Rating:
Summary: Darkly Sensual Page Turner 4-1/2*
Review: Setting - France and England, 1818 --- In this new series from Madeline Hunter, she has moved from the medieval age over to the Regency era in the period following the defeat of Napolean. Our heroine is the orphaned young girl, Diane Albret. She has been brought to the headmistress' office to be judged and punished for a school infraction. Brought to the school to witness this crime was, Daniel St. John, her mysterious guardian - a man who paid her tuition and made yearly visits to ask after her comfort - a man whose eyes were so dark and unfathomable that the child Diane had nicknamed `The Devil Man. As Daniel questioned her he realized that time had passed quickly when he wasn't looking and she was no longer a child, it was definitely time she left school. For Diane, looking into his dark unfathomable eyes, the name Devil Man still had credence as he took her from the school, the only home she'd known for the last ten years. An innocent, warning from the headmistress rang in her head - that a men such as he would only be after one thing. Therefore, Diane was amazed when he brought her to the home in Paris he shared with his sister Jeanette. She couldn't fathom what he wanted from her but as he showered her with gowns and trips to the opera, her feelings of discomfort were rising to the surface - not realizing that the discomfort was really from an intense physical attraction to him and not just for his kindness to her. Daniel St. John, was a notorious seducer yet while he was attracted to the beautiful young orphan, he fought his attraction knowing that he couldn't let himself get involved with Diane for she would be playing an important part in his plan of a revenge that he'd long awaited for. Daniel, traumatized as a young boy as he witnessed his mother's demise on the guillotine and his fathers complete breakdown had lived only for this revenge - fifteen years of waiting. Revenge upon the man who had stolen his sister's innocence, would be sweet, and Diane was just the bait to trap him. Unfortunately, human nature and the laws of attraction would plunge these two `orphans' both into danger and each other's arms as Daniel would learn that revenge at the cost of losing Diana, would not be sweet at all. Madeline Hunter's newest offering has begun this series with a non-stop page-turning, darkly sensual and moody debut. Daniel is a very dark and moody hero, with more secrets than you can shake a stick at and Hunter keeps the suspense close to her chest as the reader is compelled to discover what those secrets are. The palatable sensuality is kept at an all time high as the two lead characters stir an ever-tangling web of seduction that leaves no passion unstirred...or heart untouched. With a wonderful cast of secondary characters promised to have their stories told in future novels, this new series written by the very talented Madeline Hunter is one in which I can't wait to follow up on! --- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicalromancewriters.com ---
Rating:
Summary: Darkly Sensual Page Turner 4-1/2*
Review: Setting - France and England, 1818 --- In this new series from Madeline Hunter, she has moved from the medieval age over to the Regency era in the period following the defeat of Napolean. Our heroine is the orphaned young girl, Diane Albret. She has been brought to the headmistress' office to be judged and punished for a school infraction. Brought to the school to witness this crime was, Daniel St. John, her mysterious guardian - a man who paid her tuition and made yearly visits to ask after her comfort - a man whose eyes were so dark and unfathomable that the child Diane had nicknamed 'The Devil Man. As Daniel questioned her he realized that time had passed quickly when he wasn't looking and she was no longer a child, it was definitely time she left school. For Diane, looking into his dark unfathomable eyes, the name Devil Man still had credence as he took her from the school, the only home she'd known for the last ten years. An innocent, warning from the headmistress rang in her head - that a men such as he would only be after one thing. Therefore, Diane was amazed when he brought her to the home in Paris he shared with his sister Jeanette. She couldn't fathom what he wanted from her but as he showered her with gowns and trips to the opera, her feelings of discomfort were rising to the surface - not realizing that the discomfort was really from an intense physical attraction to him and not just for his kindness to her. Daniel St. John, was a notorious seducer yet while he was attracted to the beautiful young orphan, he fought his attraction knowing that he couldn't let himself get involved with Diane for she would be playing an important part in his plan of a revenge that he'd long awaited for. Daniel, traumatized as a young boy as he witnessed his mother's demise on the guillotine and his fathers complete breakdown had lived only for this revenge - fifteen years of waiting. Revenge upon the man who had stolen his sister's innocence, would be sweet, and Diane was just the bait to trap him. Unfortunately, human nature and the laws of attraction would plunge these two 'orphans' both into danger and each other's arms as Daniel would learn that revenge at the cost of losing Diana, would not be sweet at all. Madeline Hunter's newest offering has begun this series with a non-stop page-turning, darkly sensual and moody debut. Daniel is a very dark and moody hero, with more secrets than you can shake a stick at and Hunter keeps the suspense close to her chest as the reader is compelled to discover what those secrets are. The palatable sensuality is kept at an all time high as the two lead characters stir an ever-tangling web of seduction that leaves no passion unstirred...or heart untouched. With a wonderful cast of secondary characters promised to have their stories told in future novels, this new series written by the very talented Madeline Hunter is one in which I can't wait to follow up on! --- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicalromancewriters.com ---
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: The book seems to want to be part of the trend towards erotic Regency period romances lately that sacrifice character for long bouts of sex. I find books of this sort to be very tedious, and so I had a lot of trouble getting through it and was relieved to finally finish it. This book has none of the richness of character or period that I'd come to expect from Madeline Hunter. The hero is a rake who wants revenge, and the heroine is a fiesty tool he's going to use to get it. She's young and stupid and selfish. That about sums up the characterization. The plot is a standard revenge plot. The hero lives for revenge; he plans on using the heroine to get revenge; he's drawn to her innocence; she's drawn to his pain and sexiness and sees there's a good person inside; he doesn't tell her of his plans and she meets and trusts the villain despite overwhelming evidence against the man; the hero warns her to stay away from the villain and she does not in order to show her independence thus getting herself into trouble that the hero has to rescue her from; the hero shows his love by abandoning his revenge plot; she then trusts the hero and the villain gets to her again by trickery thus forcing the hero to meet the villain again. I've read it hundreds of times. The only thing surprising and pleasing about this book was a minor secondary romance concerning the hero's sister and her footman. I wish the book would have focused on them.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Mysterious Regency Read
Review: THE SEDUCER is a novel filled with secrets: secrets Madeline Hunter slowly reveals
throughout her story, and secrets that will keep readers wanting to learn who, what,
where, and why. To begin the little mystery, we are introduced to Diane Albret. She was brought to a school for young ladies, a school that harbored cruelty at times. Tuition and funds were
paid by Daniel St. John, who made yearly visits but never became personally involved. Many years earlier he had forbidden the cruel whippings and left orders that she was not to be whipped again. Daniel has not paid attention to the years that passed until he is
requested to appear at the school where Diane is still treated as a child. The lonely
girl has no place to go, so in order to stay in school, she's pretended to be sixteen for the
past four years. But she is in trouble now! She's been accused of stealing an erotic book, which she has, for reasons of her own, and she's due for a whipping. Since Daniel has forbidden this form of punishment, the head mistress wants him present so Diane knows he agrees with the whipping. However, when Diane's bottom is bared, Daniel realizes she is not a sixteen year old and he coerces her into admitting she is actually
twenty and is making plans to leave to become a governess. She wants to go
to England and try to find someone who is 'family'. She knows nothing about her
past, as any memories she had faded with the years. Here readers know something
is in Daniel's past that connects him to Diane and he doesn't want her digging to find
family connections. The next clue in this mysterious story appears when we meet his invalid sister Jeanette, a
beautiful woman who rarely leaves her rooms. She is to take Diane under her wing and
teach her to be a lady. Through dialog between Jeanette and Daniel we learn a little more,
but along with the facts we find more secrets. Why is Jeanette an invalid? Why is she so
bitter? and Why does she fear leaving the house? One thing Jeanette still has and uses is
her mind and her eyes, and the sparks that her brother sends to the innocent young woman
he's asked her to care for aren't missed. Gustave Dupre' and his new secretary Adrian Burchard enter the story and bring even more mystery to the plot. Readers quickly learn Gustave isn't a true friend, but how does
he fit into the plot? Further characters are introduced to enhance the tale and keep readers wanting to solve the mystery and watch the attraction between Diane and Daniel grow.
How long is this renowned seducer going to be able to stay away from Diane as she
blossoms into a beautiful woman? It's a delight to watch her mature and watch Daniel's
reactions towards her. Madeline Hunter introduces the first story of three dark, brooding men women love to
fall in love with. Following THE SEDUCER will be THE SAINT (featuring Vergil Duclaire) and THE CHARMER (Adrian Burchard's story). Both Vergil and Adrian
are part of the plot in THE SEDUCER, a title filled with action, mystery, and sensuality. I recommend you look for it early to be sure to get a personal copy that will give you
hours of an exciting reading experience. Carol Carter, Reviewer as posted on Romance Reviews Today
Rating:
Summary: Not up to Hunter standards
Review: This book was so boring that I had to force myself to read it only because it was a Madeline Hunter and I kept hoping things would get better. It didn't. I gave up and never finished the last few pages. The writing is simplistic and dull, characters are not likeable or sympathetic, and the plot is forced. I hope the rest of this trilogy is more up to her standards.
Rating: 
Summary: The Seducer
Review: This is my first Madeline Hunter book and I enjoyed it very much. The characters believable and the plot had enough twist and turns to keep it interesting. One of the important things to me that alot of books seem to have now is that it was not so full of filler words, meaning the characters playing out the scene and then they think about it or are restating it over and over again throught the book. Or they have all these elaborate descriptions of the clothes they wear or describing every piece of funiture in the room. So you have to speed read over the boring parts that you already know. Anyway I like it very much and look forward to reading more of her books.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read, though not spectacular
Review: This is the first Madeline Hunter book I have read. I understand that she has quite the following for her medieval series. The plot is typical and holds no real surprises, but the pacing is good and the writing, although sub-par to my favorites (Quinn and Laurens) is not bad. Hunter's sensuality is subdued, so those who don't like explicit love scenes won't be put off.The damsel in distress has a mysterious past, as does our hero. My complaints with this work surround these mysteries. Hunter withholds important parts of the story until the very end of the book. I know that other authors I've read did this with better effect. With The Seducer, I just got more and more frustrated as the story wore on. Hunter could have thrown the reader a bone every now and again without ruining the "surprise" ending (which really wasn't a surprise at all).At least Diane and Daniel are likeable as the main couple. I did wish she has chosen names that didn't sound so much alike, but that's a minor thing. This book is part of a series, and she does introduce the future heros, but I only found one intriguing enough to want to know his story. This isn't surprising, as these men are not introduced as true friends of our hero and have little time devoted to them in the novel.I will probably continue to read this series to bridge the gap between releases from my favorite authors. Hunter is a good writer and her story (aside from the maddening lack of details on the mystery) is good.
Rating:
Summary: Five stars plus!!
Review: This was my second reading of this torid page turner! Like the title Daniel St. John totally seduced me! He is one of those dark mysterious but oh so charismatic heroes. He has a past that has cast him in a role that makes him seem like the Devil himself. For years he has done his duty by yearly visits to the orphaned Diane Albret but when he must take her with him finally in her 20th year he is immediately drawn to this lovely lady like no other. Their paths are so intertwined in mysterious unforgiving ways that Diane has no clue about. Daniel is for the first time in his 31 years faced with a feeling other than hate and revenge. The passion he feels for Diane will not be denigned and she finds herself loving this man even though he might be the very man that caused her orphaned existence. This is such and intense love story and truly one of Madeline Hunter's finest!
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