"Seduction" by M.J. Rose

Seduction by M.J. Rose is a novel about reincarnation, love, and mythology, wrapped in a blanket of historical fiction. Built upon the real-life experiences of Victor Hugo and his experience with seances and speaking with spirits, the novel switches between the modern-day story of Jac as she travels to uncover Druid mysteries and Hugo's letters to Francine, one of his mistress's servants. Jac is attempting to immerse herself in finding answers to Druid myths in order to overcome the grief she feels at having lost her lover and miscarried their child. She is invited to the Isle of Jersey by Theo, a long-lost boyfriend from her days at Blixer Rath, a clinic to treat mental illness and troubled youth. Together, they attempt to piece together Hugo's references to his encounters with spirits, to include Lucifer, and their connection to the Druid ruins found on the Isle. In the end, both storylines are connected through the concept of reincarnation, and all parties are left satisfied with the answers this connection provides.


Rose does a magnificent job of building all of the characters and the setting. I normally don't enjoy stories that jumps from one era to another. Rose, however, makes it seem natural and easy. I felt that the addition of the 'third' storyline, that of the Druid priest, was introduced rather haphazardly and not as developed as the other two. This turned out to be even more disappointing later on, when the connection of the priest became such a focal point and the impetus of two of the characters' histories and personal relations. Jac's own revelation of her past lives was extremely rushed. I would have preferred to see that developed more. At the end, Hugo's own storyline seemed excessive, and the book would have worked just as well, if not better, without it altogether. His seduction by Lucifer himself and the promises of bringing his daughter back from the dead would have made a good book on its own without the addition of the Druid's or Jac's backstory.


The book kept me in suspense, hoping to find out the connections and if Jac herself were a reincarnation of someone. Certain scenes, such as the one where the Shadow of the Sepulcher (Lucifer) entices Hugo in am almost sensual way, were evocative in a way I haven't experienced in a book in quite some time. Overall, this is a solid recommendation to read this book.