The woman won’t budge because Ernest’s father is blackmailing her. Lavinia Vance has gone so far as to spread rumors about her daughter, scaring off what few suitors she had to begin with. When Merry turns down Ernest, again, Lavinia pulls out the big guns.

Merry is shocked by her mother’s threats; so shocked in fact that she feels she has no choice. She’ll just have to ruin herself - certainly then her mother will listen to reason. Telling her mother that she needs time to think, she supposedly packs her bags to visit a friend in Wales. What Merry really does is show up on Nicholas Craven’s doorstep.

Nic is renowned artist on the London scene, and a notorious rake. By accident he runs into Merry late one evening, and is immediately struck by her unconventional beauty. Not knowing who she is, he offers her a job as a model - a nude model. She had politely turned him down, so imagine his surprise when she arrives on his doorstep.

The two immediately get down to business - in more ways then one. While Merry tries to guard her heart, she can’t help but fall all under Nic’s spell. The man has charm to spare, and he’s intrigued with Merry. So begins an affair that nearly sets the pages ablaze - but can their passion survive Merry’s deception and Nic’s emotional baggage?

Merry immediately scores points for being creative. Unlike most Victorian heroines who decide to ruin themselves, she doesn’t go about it by seducing someone with the nickname of Lord Sin. Posing nude seems like a relatively safe option; she can keep her virginity intact if she so chooses, but still create a sizable scandal. Thing is, once she’s sharing quarters with Nic, she wants to share a whole lot more.

Nic’s character is a bit more vague, but still intriguing. His past haunts him, closing himself off to almost all emotion. While Merry views herself as plain, Nic is struck by how fantastic her image would translate to the canvas. As they spend more time together, he is drawn to more than her beauty - but to her goodness as well.

The secondary characters are all interesting. Lavinia may be one of the villains in the story, but she’s hardly one-dimensional. I felt sorry for her more often than not. Merry’s brothers are a likeable lot, as is their father. Nic’s friends definitely add their own heat to the story - particularly the outrageous couple of Evangeline and Sebastian. The crew is rounded out by Nic’s eccentric band of servants.

As for the sex? While it takes a good 100 pages for the couple to succumb, once they do, it’s hot, hot, hot. Holly successfully avoids some of the kinkier pitfalls in the romance-erotica sub-genre by staying pretty conventional. No one is hanging from a chandelier, beaten, or taken against his or her will. Still, it’s not for the faint at heart - it’s still a book capable of giving my father a heart attack.

Steamy sex, interesting characters, and a story that offers a couple of twists make Beyond Seduction a page turning read. Curious readers who have been meaning to try romance-erotica should seriously consider Emma Holly. The author has a way of writing the hot stuff without sacrificing heartfelt emotion or plot in the process. And with Jove’s friendly price tag, she is sure to pick up some new fans among curious newcomers - this reviewer included.

--Wendy Crutcher