SEDUCE (A Prequel to Beautiful Rose #0.5) by MISSY JOHNSON

Reviewed by Jenny & Gitte

Jenny:  Wow. I’m sat here trying to formulate words to tell you how I felt about this book and I just don’t know where to start.  It certainly gripped me and took me on a ride and a half that’s for sure.

To be honest, when I started reading this my first thought was felt quite similar to Tangled.  It started out quite witty and Jack’s inner monologue was a bit reminiscent of Drew, but then..…..well, that’s where any similarity ended.

Seduce is told from 25 year old Jack’s POV and wasn’t he just the womanising, egotistical bastard Gitte? But I’m also guessing that like me, you kind of loved this self-centred jerk.

“Even if they hated me, it wouldn’t stop them wanting me.”

Oh sigh…why do we always fall for these arrogant fictional bastards?  Jack held little or no regard for anyone other than himself. He has his work, his mates, gets drunk on a regular basis, and beds anything on two legs, goes to sleep and wakes up and does it all over again.

“There was a reason I was so popular with the ladies, and it had plenty to do with what I packed below the belt.”

The only thing Jack seems to care about as much Jack is his cat Mr Jefferies – I loved this relationship – if that’s what you call it by the way.  Seeing Jack with Mr Jefferies is when you got to see the heart of Jack, though it really is buried deep under years of cynicism and emotional issues due to the abandonment he still feels after his mother left him when he was nine.

“No matter how bad things are for you, how can you justify leaving your children in an environment you can’t handle yourself.”

I’m still quite gobsmacked over this book.  It certainly took us through the paces, wasn’t anything like I expected and I’m still trying to get my head together.  What about you Gitte?  Have you processed your thoughts yet?

Gitte: Hell no I haven’t Jenny. I can’t stop thinking about it. And you are spot on. It was not what I expected. To be honest I think Jack says it best himself:

“Really, I’m not as bad as my reputation makes me out to be. In fact, I’d go as far as to describe myself as a decent guy. I just have no interest in a relationship that extends beyond a quick fuck when it suits me. I really don’t see how it’s my fault or a problem….” – Jack

Yes he’s a man slut, actually he’s quite the stereotypical fictional bad boy of the hour. However, you can’t blame the poor bloke. His childhood sucked leaving him with deep emotional scars and he’s never had that stable female role model in his life to soften him as his Mum left the home at such an early age.

“How could I blame her for leaving? The answer was I didn’t, I only blamed her for not taking us with her.” – Jack

Saying that though, if he’d had a Dad that cared, was a decent human being and had taught him mutual respect that in itself would have been enough. So yeah, I actually really liked Jack despite his whorish ways hahaha. Oh and yeah Jenny, I LOVED his relationship with Mr Jefferies, those moments showed his vulnerability and his heart. No doubt!

Jenny:  I had no idea what to expect going into Seduce.  The synopsis intrigued me but the twists and turns that ensued, the reveals through the book..well, they literally blew my mind and I had quite a few WTF! moments.

Jack is completely and undeniably emotionally shut down.  He pretty much goes through the motions day in day out and until he meets Belle, he thought his life would go on that way.

“People who were satisfied with their lives depressed me.”

In Belle, Jack found a woman who accepts him.  Who understands his quirks, his sense of humour…well, she just gets Jack.  And for Jack everything about Belle resonates with him.  His feelings towards this woman are unexpected and foreign and throw Jack for a loop that’s for sure. She tests him in every way.

I adored Belle. She was caring, direct and passionate and she was more than a match for Jack.

“She was treating me the way I treated everyone else, and I didn’t like that.”

But Jack is an expert at messing up. It’s what he does best and you end up anticipating throughout the story, the moment Jack will to do just that.

“Was I that fucked up that I’d sabotage the best think in my life?”

I’m so mindful not reveal anything about this story so as not to ruin other readers’ enjoyment of Seduce because you really do need to experience this book blind.

All I will say is READ THIS BOOK BEFORE SOMEONE RUINS IT.  There. That’s it.  So go forth and smile at the humour,  gasp at the shocks and surprises,  experience the passion, intensity, emotion and steam factor of Seduce, but please do it all before you hear about it from someone else.

There were a couple of timeline and continuity issues throughout the book but these did not hamper my overall feelings in regard to Seduce.  Gah, I am still trying to sort my head out on this one. I really liked it, it tore me to pieces and I’m still picking my heart – and my mouth – up off the floor.

Gitte, do you agree about others not spoiling this book for readers?

Gitte: Absolutely Jenny, I wish with everything I have that readers get to experience this story without it having been spoilt! The WTF moments….well they grab you by the throat and come out of nowhere.

As you said Jenny, Jack doesn’t believe in love for the reasons of never have experienced true parental love, to love and ultimately be hurt in return as a child leaves deep scars and feelings of abandonment. The love that shapes us and teaches us what it feels like to receive it and how to give it is so very important.

“Love fucks you up, which is why I didn’t do relationships. Relationships lead to love and being in love opens you up to the possibility of getting hurt. Love rips your chest open and puts your heart out there to be broken….” – Jack

Then Belle happens….and the emotional journey of Jack begins; and what a journey it is. It’s filled with humour, passion, self-discovery, hope and raw emotion! A must read for sure!!

“Was this karma trying to give me a taste of my own medicine?”

Jenny: 4 Stars
Gitte: 4 Stars

Check out and purchase Seduce here

Seduce (Beautiful Rose)

UK Link to purchase Seduced Here