Review: A quick, enjoyable read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 14, 2014
I have to be honest—this probably wouldn’t have been something I picked out on my own if it hadn’t been recommended to me, but I’m always open to try new things and in this case, I’m glad I did. The Shaman’s Temptation is an engaging, quick read with a solid mix of romance and mysticism. Madeleine, the female lead, is a young white woman who finds herself entangled with a hot Native American man, Tak. They meet as the result of her job, which lands her smack in the middle of a Native American reservation in Arizona. Imagine Madeleine’s surprise when the man she’s dreamt about is suddenly standing right in front of her. (Never mind that he’s visited her as a coyote too…)The chemistry and attraction are instantaneous, but it’s not accompanied by the dreaded ‘insta-love’, which I was grateful for. They do, however, waste little time before getting physical. Now, I don’t read much erotic literature, but a pet peeve of mine is sex scenes that are over-described and read like clinical manuals…thankfully this story was far from that. Ms. Moore is adept at turning up the heat, and her love scenes are well-crafted, with just the right balance of description and emotion.I did find myself frustrated with the characters at times. Tak had vowed celibacy for the benefit of his tribe, yet he fell off the wagon (in a major way) with Madeleine…only to say nope, sorry I can’t do this after all…then cave in to his desires again. He’d already appeared to her before they met ‘for real’, and knew he was attracted to her, so I was like DUDE, have a little self-control or drop the hot/cold act. Thus began the mental tug of war for Tak that left Madeleine hurt and confused and me as a reader yelling at them through my Kindle. All that being said, the fact that I railed against some of the choices the characters made and questioned their decisions means that I was fully invested in the story, which is a very good thing.This novella comes to a satisfying close that makes you appreciate any hardships the characters have experienced along the way. Erin Moore is a fine storyteller and I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a quick, hot read.