Blog Tour/Review/Giveaway - Seductive Shadows by Marni Mann

 

“Victoria”

June 18 – June 24

Excerpt

The guard left, leaving Victoria and I alone. Her ass was just as sexy as the Recruiter’s, but her stance was even more self-assured. She was obviously the one in charge around here. I could feel the power radiate off her body; I wanted it.

Victoria’s gaze made me self-conscious so I turned away. I took a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk and looked at the TV screens instead. Once I realized what they showed, I couldn’t drag my eyes away. Almost every monitor revealed a couple who were engaged in some form of sex. There wasn’t any sound, but it didn’t matter; this sex was nothing like what I had witnessed between Lilly and her drunken men. These people weren’t sweating and grunting.

They were beautiful.

Dampness formed between my legs.

“Do you like what you see?” Victoria asked. Her red satin corset was rimmed in lace and beads, and lace boy shorts hugged her body. A matching mask hid all but her eyes. Fishnet stockings crept up her thighs, held by a garter belt. I craved to learn her appeal.

I nodded. “Very much so.” It wasn’t something I could hide.

Her black sparkly lids disappeared as we made eye contact again. “I thought you would.”

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GIVEAWAY

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About Seductive Shadows

Charlie is a passionate, sensually-inspired art student, desperately seeking an escape from the abusive past that haunts her and a tragic accident that emptied her heart. Scarred and unable to love, her yearning for physical pleasure leads her into a tantalizing, dangerous world of power and seduction. The anonymity of the deal offers security; the money brings financial freedom and the madam is the mother figure she longs for.But the thrill of the mansion and its arousing dominance quickly fades when she meets renowned-yet-mysterious Cameron Hardy, whose intense baby blue eyes send a nervous flutter through her core. Cameron is sexy, and not in a subtle way. He stimulates Charlie's art, her intellect andher desires. Just as he begins to break through her emotional boundaries, she discovers a devastating connection between her past and her scandalous work at the mansion, shattering everything she thought to be true.Provocative, intoxicating and erotic, Seductive Shadows is the unforgettable tale of a young woman's self-discovery as she learns to forgive, to love and be loved, and to find redemption amidst a remarkable journey that will captivate your mind and stimulate your soul.This book is for mature audiences. It contains explicit language and sexual content.

About Marni Mann

A New Englander at heart, Marni Mann is now a Floridian inspired by the sandy beaches and hot pink sunsets of Sarasota. She taps mainstream appeal and shakes worldwide taboos, taking her readers on a dark and breathtaking journey. When she's not nose deep in her laptop, she's scouring for chocolate, traveling, reading, or walking her four-legged children. Visit her at www.marnismann.com.

Review

Review by Wennie Conedy

5 out of 5 stars

Has there been a time in your life where you tried to balance light and darkness in your life? For Charlie, her life is dominated by darkness and no light. Seductive Sadness is an erotic work of fiction, with sexually explicit scenes and language and is for mature audiences.

Charlie is a young woman who seeks escape from an abusive past and a traumatic event that empties her soul. She seeks solace from men, and is lured into a dark world of anonymity, seduction and power. She feels that she has found her home, her haven and her security until she learns that her anonymous world clashes with her past and threatens her very existence.

From the first few pages, I was drawn into Charlie’s story. Marni Mann took me on a journey where at times, the darkness felt overwhelming and where sadness and grief manifested itself through sexually deviant scenes. She skillfully lets the reader understand the pain that Charlie feels, by adeptly peeling the layers of the story, strong characters and dialogue. I am thankful that she didn’t spoon feed me with too much information and character motivation but allowed me to go deeper and go through my own journey of discovery and understanding. She let me see why Charlie felt so lost, so alone through the adroit use of flashbacks; flashbacks that not only told me what had happened to make Charlie feel this way, but also allowed me to experience her embarrassment and her need to belong. She longed for love, but looked for it in very wrong and dangerous places.

“Love and attention, from a man or woman, was what I wanted. I was starving; they temporarily fulfilled me. They coddled me. Appreciated me. Needed me emotionally.”

Charlie is damaged, very much so. But she is also strong and very self-aware. She searches for her safe haven where she can belong, and also searches to give and receive forgiveness. And a most unlikely person helps her realize why she needs to forgive.

“You need to forgive yourself. You need to cry. You need to let go … There will come a day when you will understand that forgiveness is about you and no one else.”

There were several scenes towards the end of the story where I found myself crying – crying for Charlie as she faces the ultimate sacrifice – just when she finds the happiness she is looking for, she needs to let it all go. My heart was breaking for her.

Marni Mann created a character that is flawed yet desired; strong yet needs others to lean on; talented yet scared. I felt for her. I wanted her to succeed and I needed to know that the choices and decisions she would make would lead her to a better life.

This is a book that will draw you in, make you cry, make you angry, make you sad but will have you rooting for Charlie. And as you join Charlie in her journey, remember …

“It’s always darkest before the dawn.”