The plot should be so thoroughly engrossing that I only put the book aside out of necessity.ĥ. The story should at least be intriguing enough that I never, ever have to force myself to read on.Ĥ. The writing should be expressive enough to make me genuinely feel the characters and their emotions.ģ. It should either make my (A) stomach ache from laughing, (B) cheeks hurt from grinning, and/or (C) eyes fill with tears, since that's the closest I ever come to bawling.Ģ. Kate Reading creates wonderful voices for each character and her narration is, as always, nearly pitch perfect.A 5-star book, as perceived by yours truly, should meet the following requirements:ġ. The Duke, of course, is handsome and strong and smart and big and brave, but he's also bored and arrogant and entitled and can match wits well with the brilliant Marcelline. Marcelline is smart and resilient and driven and strong willed and she confounds the Duke constantly, punching holes in his stuffiness and his ducal angst. Marcelline and her sisters are commoners and thus she is 'ineligible' for the Duke, But this is not a Cinderella story. In addition, we meet some wonderful characters that add depth to the plot, especially Marcelline's sisters, Clara the betrothed, and Marcelline's daughter Lucy.

Meanwhile we learn about fashion and the trials of being in the trades and the fun and fanciful life of Dukes and their ducal privileges. However, their plan is a bit unusual in that, instead of pursuing Clara directly, Marcelline travels to France to meet the Duke and convince him to bring Clara to her shop to be 'dressed' by 'the best modiste in the world.' The subsequent adventures of Marcelline and Clevedon, and their growing attraction to one another sparkle with clever plot twists and the sharp dialogue that is a Chase trademark.

They discover the impending betrothal of Gervaise Angier, the seventh Duke of Clevedon to the woman he's been promised to since they were children (Clara.) Marcelline and her sisters recognize that they have an opportunity to 'hit the big time' among the ton if they can snare the custom of Clara, the soon-to-be-Duchess of Clevedon. Marcelline Noirot is a modiste who, with her two sisters, owns and operates a dressmakers' shop and they have grand ambitions and copious talent. I found the first half hour or so a bit confusing what with all the French names and places and the introduction of a lot of characters, but - hang in there - it grabbed me and ran fairly quickly.

'Silk is For Seduction' hits all those notes perfectly and it's wildly engaging and entertaining. LC delivers classic LC romance and it's a gem! Loretta Chase excels at clever plots, complex and interesting characters and sparkling dialogue set in historically accurate (or, as accurate as any period romance can be and still be 'romantic') locales and situations.

Silk Is for Seduction by Loretta Chase