Release Day Review: "Summit of Seduction" by Elena Aitken

Synopsis:

With a sick mother, the bills piling up and her best friend leaving town in the middle of it all, the last thing Cynthia Giles needs in her life is a man. Especially one like Seth McBride. Sure, he's sexy as hell and the memory of what his strong hands felt like on her body keep her up at night, but that's exactly why she needs to keep her distance. It was one time...okay twice...but it can't happen again because Seth represents everything she doesn't need.

She isn't his type. Not even close. Seth likes his women blond, wild and without any expectations for a relationship. But there's something about the smoldering redhead that Seth can't stay away from. Neither of them meant for anything to happen between them, but it did and ever since, Seth can't get her out of his head. And he's almost positive Cynthia feels the connection, too.

He might even be able to convince her to admit she feels the same way. But when Cynthia discovers a truth that will rock both of their worlds, all bets are off while they try to navigate their new future. 

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Review:

Summit of Seduction is an emotional look into the lives of Cynthia and Seth.  I'm not sure what I expected when I read the description, but what I got was so much more.  The author hooks you immediately when you find yourself riding along with Cynthia and Seth to check out a new litter of puppies - reading that, you'd think you're going to have a light-hearted, sweet romance with not a lot of strife or stress.  But instead, the author weaves so many complications into the storyline, before you know it you are caught up in some pretty stressful and emotional situations, and you find yourself feeling them right along with Cynthia and Seth.

I love Seth. It is just that simple. I will tell you now that I haven't read the previous book in the Stone Summit series, so certain aspects of Seth's personality may have been introduced in that book. But, I have trouble seeing him as the player that the book description, and every character in the book, portrays him.  It is clear as soon as we met Seth that he is angling to form a deeper relationship with Cynthia, and as their lives are turned upside down, Seth does everything right. The author has created a hero that knows his feelings and is confident enough in his feelings to do what he needs to do to win the girl. One of my favorite quotes by Seth is, "... isn't the reason I'm trying to convince you I'm a good guy with actual feelings for you.  You are the reason.  I've never met anyone worth setling down for.  Until you.  You are every reason, Cynthia.  Just you." Makes me want to swoon and find a Seth of my own. Seth is incredibly supportive of Cynthia throughout all of her issues in this story, and doesn't allow her to push him away when a weaker man would walk away when the woman he loves tries again and again to walk away, or push him away. Seth is a hero that every reader would like to have as her own!

The author uses an engaging writing style to keep the reader engaged and I especially love one part of the story where the author uses "positives" to be negative. Cynthia is reading about the potential "positive" results of a situation, and surmises that its only positive if you are assuming the person in the situation sees a positive result as a positive situation - which she does not. She talks about "positives that aren't positive at all..."  I can't say more without providing spoilers but the author really does a wonderful job of conveying the angst that Cynthia was feeling throughout the story.

This is a difficult book to provide specifics in a review about without providing spoilers, but sufficed to say, this is an emotionally compelling story about two people who feel they aren't suited for each other, when the reality is they may not be suited for anyone else. Elena Aitken provides us a fantastic new visit into the lives of the residents of Cedar Springs and gives us a check-in on several of our favorite residents from previous books and an inkling of what may be to come in future visits to Cedar Springs.

Disclosure: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Links:
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Kobo - iBooks

About the Author:

I’ve been writing in one form or another since elementary school but although I always knew I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, instead I earned university degrees in Marketing and Psychology and writing got put on the back burner. After my twins were born I was buried in diaper changes, middle of the night feedings and mountains of laundry—obviously it was the logical time to start writing again. I guess it took me while to grow up. 

I turned to non-fiction and became a regular contributor to local parenting magazines, published in four Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, and a compilation by Seal Press. It wasn’t until 2005 that I tried my hand at writing fiction and wrote my first novel. It’s buried on my hard drive where it should be, and ever since I just keep writing more.

Like a lot of my readers, I’m a busy mom. It often feels like life is pulling us in a million different directions, which is why I love to write romance!

There’s nothing better than knowing you have an escape waiting for you at the end of a long day in the form of a good book.

I’m lucky enough to live in the shadow of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in the foothills of Alberta, where I can write the stories I love. Whenever I get the chance, I escape into those amazing mountains and I can usually be found sitting with my feet in the lake, working on my next book. As well as contemporary romance novels, I also like to write women’s fiction and my collection of stand alone novels are all part of the Escape Collection. I’m always trying something new, so stay tuned to see what’s next!

Website: http://elenaaitken.com/