Book review for Southern Seduction by Thea Devine (1991/Paperback)

​© T.B. Cooper

Southern Seduction by Thea Devine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This review is for Southern Seduction by Thea Devine (1991/Paperback) and is written on behalf of my mom, per her request.

After approximately three weeks of reading a little here/a little there, and me listening to her retell me the story as it was progressing (something we do with each book she reads), I can understand why she gave it only three stars. She originally liked it, and then wanted to like it, and really hoped she'd like it in the end... but too much was left unresolved, that she ended up insisting that we write this review. Without giving away any spoilers, here's why:

Plot: Something good about the plot, was that the twists presented, were believable and approached with what seemed would be clever solutions. The premise of a young woman being married to an abusive and older man, the owner of a successful plantation full of slaves in Georgia, 1859, although frequently used, is still a reliable starting point for the events that followed. However (and herein is the cause behind the three stars), the plot was full of holes, that you don't find out are holes, until the end of the story. Which, wasn't an ending at all, since it ends in the middle of a story conflict, with no resolution to the immediate “problem.” More on that later...

Characters: Here's where the book shines, and earns its stars. If the plot was lacking, and disappointing, the characters, on the other hand, were pleasurable, and this books redeeming grace. With their own individual faults and imperfections, combined with intelligence and charm, the characters were developed well, keeping the reader at least engaged enough to want to know what would happen next. The M.C. Cassandra is smart & business savvy, but definitely not perfect. She lies, not to cause trouble, but to save her plantation (inherited after her husband's death) and the slaves, who adore the young widow's kindness.
Sometimes her lies create bigger problems, and sometimes those lies are uncannily matched to the truth she has yet to discover. Trane, her love interest, is the typical all-around perfect beau. He is good-hearted, handsome, a strong male lead, well-liked by all, and filled with mystery, that is not uncovered until almost the very end.

The Writing: The story was written in third person POV, which my mother enjoys most. That was a good point. My mom can usually get through a book in about a week to two weeks, and that's reading about an hour almost each day. She has many other activities that keep her busy, reading is just a nighttime/before bed thing. This book took far longer for her to get through. She has repeatedly noted to me in her “recitals” that it was hard to read and did not flow well. Now, in all fairness, I will say my mom is an ESL reader (English Second Language), but she's been here and speaking English since the late 60's, so I'm pretty sure she is more than competent. With that being said, I will point out that she pointed out that some words were missing, misspelled, and extras were thrown in, in a few places. This she isn't complaining about, neither am I, spelling etc., is just an editing issue that can be overlooked if the story is good.

In Case You Wanted to Know: Yes, there is a lot of sex, but it is not overly graphic. Instead, “substitute” words are used to describe the activities. There is mild violence in the form of someone trying to kill them, from afar, and some property damage. Trane does get shot, but it is not a mortal wound. In this way, the violence is mild, with no descriptions of bloodshed, gore, etc. There is is no foul language.

Overall: Yes, this is an older book (1991), but as we were debating to write a review or not, I did a search to see what others have said, and found only two reviews, one on goodreads.com, and another (separate) review on amazon.com, neither did we find helpful. Not every book my mom reads elicits a reaction strong enough, where she feels a need to comment. I think because she was hoping it would be so much better, is why she finally decided to do a review.

Her biggest problems with this book revolved around the plot. Too many questions went unresolved, leaving the reader to assume what might have happened, or who did what & why...Who was trying to kill them? Who was destroying their property? You never find out the answers, which of course leads you to wonder: why was it mentioned, in the first place? And the biggest question/problem with the whole book, that ultimately ruined it...How does it even end? The “ending” is in the middle of a conflict, and there isn't even an epilogue that follows to explain WTH just happened? However, realistically, an epilogue would not have covered it all, anyway. The ending ended with too many loose threads to require a 2nd book, which, unfortunately (as far as I can tell) never came about.

I do know Ms. Devine has been writing for a wonderfully long time, and even worked with my all time favorite, the late Bertrice Small, and she still continues to delight readers. I look forward to reading her newer material to see what a long and successful career can do to a writer's style. Even my mom acknowledges that this book, written and published over 25 years ago, should not be held as a prime example of an actively still publishing author.

*This review format was copied and used by permission, from awesome amazon.com user DeeArr1

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