Review: This Capricorn wasn't a fan
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 02 26, 2012
Signs of Passion is about the characteristics of each of the signs, particularly as they relate to romance and sex, under the Venus (female) and Mars (male) placements.  The Introduction of the book acquaints the reader with the narrator, who I think is female?  While wandering around her deceased Grandee's house experiences the feeling that her Grandee has specifically chosen her to carry on some special work.  Immersing herself in this sense, the narrator finds herself in Grandee's herbal woodshed and sees twenty-four amphoras (containers), one for each of the signs under the planet Venus or Mars.When the narrator consumes or smells the contents of each amphora, she then morphs (though in some cases she does not morph or morph immediately) with a person who characterizes that sign and planet.  Each of the twenty-four chapters is dedicated to a person of a sign/planet combination during a unique period of history.  Each character is usually undergoing some transitive period of their life (invasion by Vikings, being sold to satisfy a husband's debt, attacked by Native Americans, trying to put together a successful art show, etc.) that involves romance.  The only exception is the Scorpio in Mars chapter, which was more or less a precautionary tale about getting involved with Scorpios.  At the end of the chapter, the authors provide a brief discussion of that particular sign/planet combination and how a person with that particular combination will approach relationships and sex.I found that the individual stories of each of the sign/planet combinations were the strongest part of the book.  The authors really seem to have an enthusiasm for different personality types and periods of history and they did a great job capturing the mood of the time period and character depicted in each chapter.The aspect of the book that I found frustrating and which negatively affected my ability to enjoy the book was the actual narration.  Because there was not really much of a thread from one chapter to the next, the narration alternated between confusing and/or repetitive.  The authors do say that the book can be read in any order, but I think perhaps then Introduction should have had more information, because there were either a lot of details excluded in the narration or sometimes information came later that should have come earlier (amphora warnings and the Control Center are two details, for instance, that are introduced later as if the reader knew about them all the time).  My guess is it depends on how much you decide to focus on the narrator's experience versus the characters that will determine whether you find the narration similarly frustrating.Lastly, I found the writing style to be a little confusing - the best way I can characterize it is as stream of consciousness.  The style worked better in the actual stories than the narrative, which would have benefited from a stronger and more linear framework.  I don't think the book, as the authors claim, will position you to "knowing what you need in a relationship and how various personalities will or will not work for you" in part because the scenarios they present, while fun, are mostly extremes and involve situations that are not too relevant to modern relationships (been captured by Viking lately?).  Overall, I found the stories in Signs of Passion to be entertaining, but the book was not that informational.  I can't say I really recommend it.