A Touch of Sin

Rating:
Summary: Not her best, but still good
Review: "A Touch of Sin" had all of the trademarks of a Susan Johnson novel - the smart, independent heroine, the rich, handsome and well-endowed hero, and plenty of hot sex and adventure. Somehow though, it just didn't add up to one of her best novels. For anyone who's read any of Ms. Johnson's other books, this one pales by comparison. It was a bit contrived. I got the feeling that it was written following a successful formula or something - add a sexual fantasy scene here, insert villain at this point, etc. Some of her other books (e.g., "Sinful", "Taboo") were "gourmet meal" entertainment. This one was less sustaining by comparison.

Rating:
Summary: New to Susan Johnson...
Review: As a newcomer to Susan Johnson's work, I was delighted to discover her less-than-usual approach to the romance genre. In A Touch of Sin, the heroine is no virgin - sexy and beautiful, Trixi is a willing participant in the book's steamy scenes of sex and love. The hero, Pasha, is one of the best male characters I've ever encountered. He's handsome, sensual, charming and physically appealing. What a combination! I also enjoyed the historical setting and the fact that Johnson included pages of footnotes to give credibility and background to her love story. Overall, a great read - I'm now searching for all the Susan Johnson I can find!

Rating:
Summary: Steamy read but go easy on the story
Review: Honestly, the circumstances of how Pasha and Trixi met each other made me cringed and braced myself for a trashy bimbo story. In fact, those steamy scenes are what one look forward to read about in her books. In that aspect, the book did not disappoint.

Trixi was quick to succumb to the charm of Pasha and lust of her own, so quick that all claims of her naivety sounded quite hypocritical. Then followed by the sex scenes in the coach on the way from Paris to Calais. There was something naughty and wanton about. Sex is very much on the mind of both characters, until Pasha felt compelled to go off and fight a war in Greece.

Really, I found it not very convincing for Pasha to fight a war just to help his friends. He was not a soldier like his dad and he was supposed to be the manager of their family wealth and enterprises. That conveniently set the scene for Trixi to be pursued by her enemy and travelled all the way to Greece to see Pasha, Of course, that set the scene for her to be captured, sexually toyed by her captor and then rescued by Pasha. This erotic scene at the Turk's tent mirrored that of 'Love Storm', though disappointingly brief and tame in comparison.

Overall, the sex scenes were exciting enough but not refreshingly imaginative. The story had a flimsy plot and the characters lack depth. So be clear of what you want out of the book to avoid disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: Steamy read but go easy on the story
Review: Honestly, the circumstances of how Pasha and Trixi met each other made me cringed and braced myself for a trashy bimbo story. In fact, those steamy scenes are what one look forward to read about in her books. In that aspect, the book did not disappoint.

Trixi was quick to succumb to the charm of Pasha and lust of her own, so quick that all claims of her naivety sounded quite hypocritical. Then followed by the sex scenes in the coach on the way from Paris to Calais. There was something naughty and wanton about. Sex is very much on the mind of both characters, until Pasha felt compelled to go off and fight a war in Greece.

Really, I found it not very convincing for Pasha to fight a war just to help his friends. He was not a soldier like his dad and he was supposed to be the manager of their family wealth and enterprises. That conveniently set the scene for Trixi to be pursued by her enemy and travelled all the way to Greece to see Pasha, Of course, that set the scene for her to be captured, sexually toyed by her captor and then rescued by Pasha. This erotic scene at the Turk's tent mirrored that of 'Love Storm', though disappointingly brief and tame in comparison.

Overall, the sex scenes were exciting enough but not refreshingly imaginative. The story had a flimsy plot and the characters lack depth. So be clear of what you want out of the book to avoid disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: A MAJOR disappointment
Review: I am a Susan Johnson fan, or I USED to be a major fan. To me, what makes her books a good read : her wonderful way of weaving the language - it's like reading a marvellously written poetry, the language is sooo elegant, so quaint - in brief, BEAUTIFUL.

But this book is a MAJOR disappointment! I even checked the name on the cover several times, to check whether this is REALLY Susan Johnson. I hate the heroine. Trixie (the name itself is an embarrassment in such sophiticated surroundings in the book) is soo...FRAIL of willpower, succumbs so easily to temptation. I prefer the strong, intelligent and independent character of Flora Bonham in Pure Sin. And the hero in this book is a total turnoff too. Oh yeah, he's very good-looking, but he has no depth in character. He has an air of aimlessness, irresponsibility. I prefer Adam Serre of Pure SIn - now THAT is a MAN. Or Kit Braddock in Brazen. Those are good strong men, with brains to match. The hero in this book seems to be an 'airhead'. I guess he is the perfect match for this Trixie character, who, to me, is a bimbo. The storyline is flat, the erotic scenes make up most of the pages of the book, which is disgusting after a while, and I find myself losing interest after the first few pages. What a waste of money.

I do not recommend this book to others. If you like to read Johnson's books, I'd suggest Pure Sin, Brazen and even Wicked. You'll find Susan Johnson in her element there, but not in this book.

I would rate this book with "no Star" if that is possible.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely not Susan Johnson's best
Review: I have been a Susan Johnson fan for several years. Her stories of the Lakota Indian family (I forgot the name, but Blaze is the mother) were wonderful. Her stories are always hot and sexy with real relationships between passionate people who are not afraid to express their love for each other. While this book had her trademarks, it seemed very contrived with her trying too hard to put the hero and heroine into situations that you knew were made up just to be made up.

I love her still, however, and hope she recaptures the spirit of Blaze's family in her future books.

I hate to critique, however, because if I could write I'd be doing it.

Rating:
Summary: Way too much Sex Clouds the Intricate Plot...
Review: This is the second book I have read by Ms. Johnson(first being 'Love Storm' 2 yrs ago)and I should've known. Nothing has changed. Not that I am knocking her for writing it, writing is a difficult process and I commend her for it, but this wasn't, shall we say, my 'cup of tea'.
The hero, Pasha Duras was too callous and sex starved to be believable as a 'romance hero' and Trixi was too dimwitted to be a true 'romance heroine'. The two had sex nonstop throughout the book and it got tiring. It was more like a porno with an elaborate plot. The history is great and very interesting, and I wish Ms. Johnson would try and write more romance into her stories and bring the characters more to life. All the sex, and I mean sex, cause there is pages and pages of just explicit sex here, just seems to cloud the plot. I found the plot interesting, but everytime I was just getting into it more, the sex came back, full force, lol. Don't get me wrong here, I read Beatrice Small and other 'frank' writers, but this was just tedious.

~Beatrix Grosvenor, or Trixi as she is known, was caught in a bad postion when she was found locked in a Parisian apartment, nude and horrified while her captor lay dead with an ax through his skull. All the months of being held prisoner by the man was enough to drive her crazy, but when the man was murdered right in front of her, Trixi felt like she had lost her mind!

Pasha Duras was also stunned to find the very man he wanted to strangle already dead and a nude woman standing on the bed in shock. Did she kill him? No, she couldn't have, she wasn't covered in blood and the weapon was missing. There was something about her that made him want to shelter and protect her. Soon the notorious rake of Paris found himself accompanying her home to Kent, England and falling in love. But love would come with a price...Trixi was being hunted by someone intent on killing her and her son. Pasha would have to open his heart and mind in order to save her. A hard feat for a rake of his repute...

I heartily wish it were a better tale, but the sex got in the way for me and ruined the intricate plot Ms. Johnson wove so well...a shame...

Tracy Talley~@

Rating:
Summary: YUCK!
Review: This was my first book i ever read that Susan Johnson had every wrote. And it will probably be my last! I literally only got to about 30, 40 pages before i stopped! I felt like Beatrix was acting the like a whore. I skimmed through the rest of the book, and was disgusted. Jumping in bed with other men and her continous love making with Pashsa even though she didn't love him then. If you read it, you would understand what i mean. It's a disgusting and not even a romance story. It's more of an erotic story with a big plot. I recommend Catherine Coulter! She's a magnificent romance writer!