Review: Satisfying
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 13, 2013
It's Jane Austen's Persuasion...but with a little something extra.If you've ever read a classic novel with a romantic theme and used your imagination to spice things up amongst the characters within (and you know who you are, you that drooled over Colin Firth in a wet shirt emerging from the lake), you'll relate to the concept of Crimson Romance's Wild and Wanton line of classics that embrace the original author's manuscript, while embellishing it with bits of temptation and titillation that defy the scruples of dedicated classical literature purists everywhere. And, with regards to Frederick Wentworth and Anne Elliott's story, Micah Persell has near perfectly captured Austen's voice and explored some of the subtle nuances of Persuasion that Austen hinted at but never ventured to pursue, such as Mrs. Clay's designs on Sir Walter Elliott.Dedicated fans of Austen know that a young Frederick and Anne fell in love and that Anne was persuaded by a well-meaning family friend to end the relationship; an event that stifled Anne's youth and beauty and left her filled with regret. Micah Persell deftly adds a tasteful bit of zing to the back-story of the young Anne and Frederick's relationship and does so without ever venturing into torrid purple prose or the pitfalls of our more modern English.Fast-forwarding the eight years deemed by Austen for a mature Frederick and Anne to cross paths again, there was certainly some leeway to explore other amorous activities among the couples paired in Austen's original storyline but, aside from Mrs. Clay and Sir Walter's activities, Micah Persell maintained the simmering, pent-up sexual focus on Frederick and Anne and merely made matter-of fact but surprising references to Anne's uppity sister Elizabeth's experimentations with the opposite sex.I would expect very few Austen purists would read this version of Persuasion simply due to the wild and wanton reference, but those that enjoy Austen fan fiction and retellings may find it a pleasurable read if they have no objection to the added scenes of a sexual nature. I found those scenes to be rather tame overall; yet, with regards to quiet, timid Anne and the stalwartly enigmatic Frederick, some actions seemed slightly out of character for the both of them, as some scenes occurred in public venues where the two could easily be discovered while engaged in heavy petting. My other observation is that dedicated readers of historical erotica will find these scenes too tame to meet their requirements.As for me, a fan of Austen retellings, I appreciated how seamlessly the additional text was worked into the classic storyline and, with Persuasion being my favorite of Austen's works and to be re-read and enjoyed every few years, I was open-minded enough to find the reading experience a mostly satisfying one.Reviewed by Angie Just Read...for TheRomanceReviews.com