I've always been fascinated by musicians - true musicians, who live and breath musical notes. My brother is the type to always have some kind of music running through his body - his hands always moving in some strange, unconscious rhythm.

The book encompasses everything I find fascinating about musicians and wraps them in a beautiful melody of angst, pain, betrayal, acceptance and love. ( )

My mother always taught me that if I can't say something nice, I shouldn't say anything at all. So, I'd like to take this moment to encourage her, if she's reading this, to head over to Facebook or somewhere else more pleasant where I will be nice and kind and promise to listen to her.

I wanted to say nice things about this book. I wanted to praise it, to talk about its pretty cover and I wanted to read a fascinating book that revolves around two musicians. What I got was a two-dimensional love story centering around one composer and .. a completely unrealistic character.

I think a large portion of the problem is that, as a music student in the past and a pianist for 25+ years, I just knew too much about the musical part of this book. I knew that it would be fairly improbable for a woman to, after one years worth of learning, possess the physical virtuoso skills that the violin requires. Now - sure, there might be a rare exception (and the author bases that exception on Mozart's talent.. however even Mozart spent years learning to play the piano due to the physical impairments of his size as he was growing). When I read a book.. I want it to be believable, even if it's fantasy or sci-fi, I want to BELIEVE that these things can happen. This.. was a deal-breaker for me.

As for the characters of Mathilda and Arie.. they fell flat. Arie was a bit of a pansy and Mathilde seemed to have a whole lot of bark but no bite when it came to doing what she felt was right. Everything seemed so wishy-washy I had a really hard time wanting to see their love flourish.

I hate to be fully negative, so I will say this - the romantic scenes are beautifully written and, if you are into romance, this will probably be a book that will you have swooning and crying out for more. Just.. don't read too much into the musical aspect of it and you will have a very good time. ( )

SONG OF SEDUCTION by Carrie Lofty is an Historical Romance set in 1804 Austria. It is written with depth and detail. It has lust, romance, redemption, guilt,passion in music, scandal and sensuality. The hero, Arie De Voss is handsome, a composer,he is condescending, shy with crowds but the instant he meets our heroine Mathilda things start to spark between them. Our heroine Mathilda Heidel, is a doctor's widow, loves music but puts it aside to seek a quiet life and escape the scandal her own parents caused. She is a gifted musician and Arie De Voss is her idol and has been for years.
Things get heated up, they learn things together, and find true love. They must also deal with their guilt of the past, lust and finally the truth will surface. This is a story of the truth will set you free. I would recommend this book especially if you enjoy music, the challenges of being a composer and all it involves and most of all romance, sensuality and love at it's finest. This book was received for review from Net Galley and details can be found at My Book Addiction and More and Carina Press. ( )