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Star Crossed Seduction (The Lords of The Seventh House #2)

by Jenny Brown (Goodreads Author)

3.4 of 5 stars 3.40 · rating details · 43 ratings · 15 reviews

A beautiful thief has stolen the heartof the one man in London whosesecrets are as dangerous as her own . . .

Shrewd and wily, pickpocket Temperance Smithneeds no man's favor to survive on London'sunforgiving streets--even when she's caught red-handedby an officer of the hated dragoons.

On leave from India to find a proper bridein London, Captain Miles Trevelyan is easy prey...more

Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Published August 30th 2011 by Avon

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Aug 03, 2011 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance-european

For ten years Captain Miles Trevelyan has been stationed in India as an officer of the King's Dragoons. At twenty-five with his first taste of England since he was fifteen, his mother is anxious to see her son wed before he returns to India. Trev knows he must marry soon and have children, but for him it is all duty and responsibility. Love doesn't enter into it. But Trev's leave is cut short when he is directed by his superiors to retrieve the valuable Jewel of Vadha, stolen originally from an...more For ten years Captain Miles Trevelyan has been stationed in India as an officer of the King's Dragoons. At twenty-five with his first taste of England since he was fifteen, his mother is anxious to see her son wed before he returns to India. Trev knows he must marry soon and have children, but for him it is all duty and responsibility. Love doesn't enter into it. But Trev's leave is cut short when he is directed by his superiors to retrieve the valuable Jewel of Vadha, stolen originally from an Indian prince and now in the possession of a British citizen. The British government would like to see it returned to the present Nawab of Bundilore to prevent any chance of war.

Leaving home at the age of fifteen, Temperance Smith has been on the streets of London as a pickpocket for three years. After lifting some coins from Trev's pocket one evening and then set upon by a crowd wanting justice, Trev intervenes. Tem makes her escape from Trev as well, but not before both of them sense an awakening and an attraction that is more than just physical.

Set in London of 1820 there is a lot to this novel. The plot has depth imbued with rich historical detail. Both Trev and Tem are very well-drawn and likable. Their motivations are realisitc as is the dialogue. Despite a number of misunderstandings between them, these were never contrived and annoying.

Although I had some initial wariness due to the title of the series, I'm glad I took the chance to read this. This is so much more than the series title suggests. (I thought - incorrectly - that the story was going to be silly and trivial). Though I have no belief in astrology, this did not deter my enjoyment. The whole astrological aspect added something different to the usual historical romance. For those who do believe in its veracity, I think it would make this series even more enjoyable.

Star Crossed Seduction was a delight. I really enjoyed this and was very impressed with the plot, the writing and the historical details.

ARC courtesy of Harper Collins (Avon) via NetGalley(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 20, 2011 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads-first-reads, historical-romance

Star Crossed Seduction is the second book in the Astrology series and the main characters Temperance Smith and Captain Miles Trevelyan represent the sign, Scorpio. Growing up I was a huge fan of astrology and literally gobbled up any information I could get on my sign, Gemini. I loved reading the daily horoscopes and learning about what my sign said about my personality. When I found out that in the past year the 13th sign Ophiuchus had been added to the zodiac, bumping me from Gemini to Taurus,...more Star Crossed Seduction is the second book in the Astrology series and the main characters Temperance Smith and Captain Miles Trevelyan represent the sign, Scorpio. Growing up I was a huge fan of astrology and literally gobbled up any information I could get on my sign, Gemini. I loved reading the daily horoscopes and learning about what my sign said about my personality. When I found out that in the past year the 13th sign Ophiuchus had been added to the zodiac, bumping me from Gemini to Taurus, I must admit that I was a little heartbroken. How could I no longer be a Gemini? What does it all mean?! No, but seriously, astrology is fun and at times surprisingly accurate but not something to be taken too literally. What made this book so appealing was that it was a chance to dive back into something that I once really loved.

I haven’t exactly been thrilled with some of the books I’ve been reading recently and I’m sorry to say that Star Crossed Seduction was just another disappointment. Historical romance for me is a guilty pleasure. While it’s not my preferred genre, I like to read a “bodice ripper” from time to time. There are several authors who write historical romances that I know I can depend on because they almost always deliver a good read. I notice that when I venture outside this small circle I tend to end up unsatisfied. The worst is when a book starts out strong with a rich setting and interesting characters and then the drama sets in and the story just devolves into a jumbled mess of misunderstandings, evil plots and angst. If you’re a looking for a romantic tale where astrology plays a heavy hand in how these two strangers meet and fall in love, then this book will most likely pique your interest. However, if you’re at all bothered by stories that feature relationships built on mistrust and deception or plot devices designed to keep the couple apart, then I suggest you move along and find something a bit more tailored to your tastes.

*I won this book on Goodread's First Reads Giveaways*(less)

1 like · like · see review

Sep 02, 2011 Jess the Romanceaholic rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: astrology, historical-experienced-heroine, spy, military-or-special-ops, steam-level-steamy, 2011-read, affair-turned-to-love, angsty-read, politics, tortured-heroine, tortured-hero, temper-temper, part-of-a-series

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: September 1, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon
Author’s Website: http://jennybrown.net/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 2, Astrology series
Series Best Read In Order: Probably, but worked well as a standalone.
Steam Level: Steamy

Back in England after a long stint in India, Captain Mile Trevelyan must do his duty and find a proper bride and quickl...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 26, 2011 Rane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: regency-romance-napoleonic-era, first-reads-arcs-netgallery

Jenny Brown has a beautiful way of writing not overly complex stories but with two deeply layered characters that the story centers around. With Trev and Temperance still waters run very deep as both show their Scorpio natures, being two sides of the same coin and dancing a deadly dance of trust and love, they have to balance their natures and trust in each other.

Brown steps somewhat away from the traditional regency that was so present in her debut book. SCS shows a more sensual side early on...more Jenny Brown has a beautiful way of writing not overly complex stories but with two deeply layered characters that the story centers around. With Trev and Temperance still waters run very deep as both show their Scorpio natures, being two sides of the same coin and dancing a deadly dance of trust and love, they have to balance their natures and trust in each other.

Brown steps somewhat away from the traditional regency that was so present in her debut book. SCS shows a more sensual side early on between the two leads, this sets up a confrontation that travels between the two- a love game. The secret between the two really lead to a few misunderstandings that are cleared up but strain the trust between the two. Being so similar to each other, makes them understand each other very well, this lead of course to disagreements
but I found how they trust their gut about the other to lead them to the truth. Most if not all the time, you have an outside force that clears the air, when trouble starts to brew Trev and Temperance listen to their gut and heart. Even when doubt is lingers, they give the other the benefit of the doubt until everything plays out.

At first I didn’t care for the brash Temperance, she acted to much like a native child, when the blinders are removed, a love she carried proved false, another side of Temperance is shown, a young woman whose been hurt deeply and instead of getting hurt again or over and over again playing the victim, she’ll strike out first to prevent this. When Trev enters her life, she feels bare, someone able to see into her very soul, this scares her but also draws her to him.

Trev on the other hand has more practice in hiding his passion then Temperance does, a practice that spans through his whole life from being a child. Temperance brings out all the sides he’s being hiding which he doesn’t know if it’s a game or just her.

The road they travel isn’t easy because their so alike, but it’s very pleasing to see the growth of trust and love both needed and craved in their life finding in one another. The love aspect of the story was a tad dubious in my eyes, as they fell in love with one another very quickly, instead of being drawn out then with later parts of the story puts doubts in both their minds. In some parts I felt it wasn’t love, but a craving of love and need that both wanted in their lives both fit into. From this it’s most likely a truer love grew from this along with a deeper trust.

Their’s also a few clever twists in the story and of course astronomy with some true history that was nicely weaved into the story making that story all that much deeper as it portrays just that more depth in the characters and showcases Jenny Brown’s wonderful storytelling making this that more of an joy of a book to read.
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Oct 02, 2011 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my first book by Jenny Brown, so I had no expectations. I read the blurb on netGalley, and thought it intriguing. I've never read a romance story that incorporated the Astrology, so I went for it. Let me just state that after reading it, I'm putting her début book and the first in her Lords of the Seventh House series, `Lord Lightning' on my Wish List and as soon as I get it, it'll go on top of my TBR pile.

This story is so much more than just a romance. The blurb above is only the begin...more This is my first book by Jenny Brown, so I had no expectations. I read the blurb on netGalley, and thought it intriguing. I've never read a romance story that incorporated the Astrology, so I went for it. Let me just state that after reading it, I'm putting her début book and the first in her Lords of the Seventh House series, `Lord Lightning' on my Wish List and as soon as I get it, it'll go on top of my TBR pile.

This story is so much more than just a romance. The blurb above is only the beginning of this beautifully crafted and executed, heartwarming and heart wrenching love story. The author has taken the time and care in developing, dare I say giving birth, to two characters that literally jump off the pages with life.

I was impressed with its realistic portrayal of humanity of Trev and Tem. The emotions, doubts, second guessing and confusion of their feelings for each other were too real and heartfelt. This is one hundred percent character driven story that will grab you from that first paragraph where she introduces us to this young soldier that's not just lonely, but lost and in search of something that even he doesn't quite know what it is. As he meets and rescues Temperance Smith, his heart battles his mind over the fact that she gave him something no one ever did-the feeling of coming home.

The scene in the alley, when Tem runs away from him, and he's left all alone and humiliated is so raw that brought me to tears. I literally felt his pain and humiliation.

The scene after they're together for the first time is heartbreaking and very emotional. The depth and scope of these two characters made them very human and their road to each other became important to me. That, my Bookworms, is a rare talent in a writer and it's meant to be savored to the fullest! The combination of a fast pace, a believable and intriguing plot with twists and turns kept the story moving for me and at no pint did I ever find myself bored. As a matter a fact, I wished it was longer!

Ms. Brown welcome to my Keeper shelf. I have no doubt you'll be there for quite a while!

*ARC supplied by Harper Collins (Avon) via netGalley for an honest review.

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Sep 21, 2011 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-regency-romance, astrology, zodiac-sign

RATING:4.5)STAR CROSSED SEDUCTION by Jenny Brown is an exciting historical romance set in 1820 Regency England. It is Bk #2 in a "Lords of the Seventh House" series that began with Lord Lightening,but can be read as a stand alone.This is a story on Astrology and Zodiac signs. "Star Crossed Seduction" is based on the Scorpio sign. This is the story of Captain Miles Trevelyan and Temperance "Tem" Smith. Their struggles with secrets,the past,betrayal,passion,loyality,romance,sweet sensuality,romanc...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Crystal ♥ RBtWBC rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: request-netgalley

Jenny Brown puts a unique twist on romance with astrology in her latest historical romance release, Star Crossed Seduction.
This is the second book in a new Astrology series for Ms. Brown and it made a wonderfully stand alone. To be honest, I had no clue that it was a second in a series until I started to write this review. Lol Though I didn’t love this book I did like it quite a bit. The concept was intriguing, a historical romance based on astrology which was a skeptical thing back then. I ado...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Samina ~ Escapism~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, netgalley

Star – Crossed Seduction is the second book in the Astrology series by Jenny Brown. It has a unique concept of a romance novel based around astrology.I always have had a curious interest in astrology so I was keen to start reading this book. The previous book in this series has received good reviews too.

Captain Miles Trevelyan has just returned from his service from India when he meets pick- pocket Temperance Smith. He catches her red handed and thus our story begins. This story is based around...more Star – Crossed Seduction is the second book in the Astrology series by Jenny Brown. It has a unique concept of a romance novel based around astrology.I always have had a curious interest in astrology so I was keen to start reading this book. The previous book in this series has received good reviews too.

Captain Miles Trevelyan has just returned from his service from India when he meets pick- pocket Temperance Smith. He catches her red handed and thus our story begins. This story is based around Scorpios, who are well known for their lust and suspicious nature. I would have to give it to the author that she played with their inhereant natures , intertwining it well with the story. The astrology was subtle and not in your face which was a plus. It was quite unusual for me to read a historical where the characters are not from the aristocracy. Moreover the female was from the streets.

It started out well but halfway through, I lost interest. The characters just seemed to so suspicious of each other all the time and it hindered in the progression of the story. It just seemed that even after their happily ever after they would never be able to trust. Another point that bothered me was I knew well enough that Scorpios do sometimes like excessive sex, but it just did not come across as such. The sex scenes seemed a bit damp and prose-like (which might be appealing to some readers).

Moreover, the author put in a lot of references about Colonial India which was great but being an Indian myself I found few of them bothering me. For example, Trev kept saying that he was speaking Hindustani, which literally mean ‘Indian’. So basically he is calling the native language ‘Indian’. It was like calling The Chinese language Chinese and not Mandarin. I am not saying the author hasn’t done research because it is obvious she has but some of them stick out for me.So for the record I think they were speaking Hindi, which is the predominant language spoken in India.

I am not saying that this is not a good book. I usually rate them depending on how much I enjoyed reading them. This story was not to my tastes as I like to read a light romance. The setting and the story was slightly heavy for me. It may be what some reader like but personally I like romances with a bit of humour in them which it was lacking.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes historical romances and wants something different from the Regency setting.

ARC provided by NetGalley.
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Sep 09, 2011 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I won this book through the First Reads goodreads giveaways and quite enjoyed it!

Captain Miles Trevelyan (Trev) is currently on leave from India and because of his mother is in search of a bride. Temperance Smith picks his pocket as he's on his way to a brothel. A match made in heaven? Well not exactly, but a match made in the stars maybe.

This book has a twist to it as it uses astrology to push the story along. It's quite an unique concept to romance novels, or at least is to me.

I really like...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 25, 2011 Yani rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc

Full review at : http://www.thesecretlifeofanavidreade...

Star Crossed Seduction is a historical romance unlike anything I have yet to read. This is the second book in the new astrology historical romance series by Jenny Brown and while I think the whole concept is interesting, I felt a little confused. But let me start at the beginning…

I have always been interested in astrology. No, this does not mean the stars, that’s astronomy, I get confused with the two all the time. This story has many face...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: july-net-galley-month

This was a really good read. I loved all the secrets and mystery. This wasn't just a romance but a mystery. It was great to see Eliza and "Lord Lightning" again as well. Lord and Lady Hartwood are running a home for girls who live on the streets. Eliza wants to try and give them a second chance to better themselves. Temperance ends up in the home but has trouble with the reforming part, especially with Miles hot on her tail trying to convince her to become his mistress. Nothing is straightforwar...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Bridget rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won this as a first reads winner and I really liked this book. The romance was a little humorous and extremely steamy. I would definitely recommend this book. The plot was a bit dark times but I don't consider that a bad thing at all, it gave more life to the story and characters than had everything been completely happy all the way through with no kind of conflict. I won't spoil the book for anyone but I definitely would recommend it to others.

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Aug 07, 2011 Bayareabookaholic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interesting historical fiction. Set in London - on leave from India Captain Trevalyn catches a beautiful pickpocket who grabs his heart as well as his coin. The lovers are soon caught in a perilous web of intrigue as a coveted jewel of India goes missing.
Themes of trust are plumbed in this mystery.

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 25, 2011 Sharyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

I really liked this story of two Scorpios, full of distrust but learning how to love. I especially liked that Temperance and Trev had flaws and made mistakes. Many times, the hero and/or heroine is perfect and always does the right thing. The only thing that threw off the story for me was the whole intrigue section when Trev and Tem visit Sir Humphrey and what happens immediately afterwards. I thought that was a bit contrived and didn't flow with the rest of the book. But, once that section is o...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Peter Atwood rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful story, half romance half spy thriller. This book kept me turning the pages until the end and I found the characters to be interesting and engaging.

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May 12, 2013 Katrina marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-georgian

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Shelves: stars

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Shelves: wishlist

Dec 27, 2012 Tansieh rated it 3 of 5 stars

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