"An exciting Victorian romance"

In 1842 Kent, Dominick Carlisle makes love to the seductress wearing the domino, but is shocked to realize she had been a virgin. After she leaves, he finds the handkerchief she left behind containing the monogram A.S. Dominick thinks he made love to Annabelle Sutherland, but in actuality it was her sister Parris. Dominick becomes engaged to Annabelle only to catch her in bed with his brother. Dominick makes her call off the engagement.

After being away as a soldier for the next eight years, Dominick comes home. When he sees Parris, he realizes the mistake of almost marrying the wrong woman, as he wants her by his side. He is also determined to unmask Lady Scruples, a female avenger wrecking havoc on the libidinous male populace. He concludes Scruples is Parris, which adds fervor to his need to seduce Parris into marrying him. He now knows which sister he always has loved, but to persuade her that he desires her, not her sibling, will take all his skills.

THE ART OF SEDUCTION is an exciting Victorian romance that stars two wonderfully intelligent lead charcaters. Dominick and Parris are the strength of the novel yet their acumen is also the flaw as the problems between them seem too trivial for such astute individuals. The absorbing story line contains clever exchanges between the protagonists that will amuse sub-genre readers, who will appreciate Melanie George.

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 17, 2002

Summary

Parris Sutherland cares little for the gossip swirling about her after she is left at the altar. She is far too busy with a new project: masquerading as "Lady Scruples" and exacting justice on philandering men. If only she could resist the desire aroused by her childhood protector, Dominick Carlisle, recently returned home after eight years. As the new Duke of Wakefield, Dominick has no interest in the aristocratic duties foisted upon him. He'd rather unmask Lady Scruples - especially if it distracts him from his long-suppressed feelings for Parris and the dreams that have haunted him since a sultry night with a mysterious girl so long ago. But when Dominick discovers that all the women on his mind are one and the same - Parris - he vows to teach her a lesson by seducing her all the way to the altar.