Seduction By The Book is the first in a three part series linked by a gypsy who gives each of three man a gift that changes his life. The gypsy woman, Passionata Chagari (a very silly name), doesn’t figure too prominently in the story and I’m not quite sure what the deal is – maybe we’ll find out in the last book.

When Nicholas Scoville receives a copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales from a mysterious woman who claims to know him, he doesn’t think too much about it since he is wallowing in self-torture. His wife Christine drowned in a sailing accident two years earlier – at which time he also injured his leg – and Nicholas blames himself and suffers guilt from page one. He lives in near seclusion on the family island home where Christine had set up a dolphin research facility. The island has a large compound housing Nicholas, several research scientists, and Annie Riley, Nicholas’s physical therapist.

Annie is from a large Irish family in South Boston. She loves them dearly, but wants to get away from their sometimes suffocating presence, so she has taken this long term rehab project with Nicholas. She’s a cheerful, freckled redhead who is the total opposite of the dark and broody Nicholas.

As the book begins, there is the threat of a hurricane but Nicholas assures Annie the house is strong. And it is, but her section of the house loses part of the roof and she has to move in with Nicholas. Since in proper romance form hurricane=sexual passion (and Nicholas hasn’t had sex in years) they do the deed. Multiple times. Annie worries a bit about pregnancy, but Nicholas assures her he can’t have children. He and Christine were never able to conceive.

Does Annie become pregnant? You know, I’d be really surprised if she didn’t (particularly since the back cover blurb mentions the baby). But she does and Nicholas does the honorable thing and proposes marriage. Annie accepts, but the two of them, who didn’t have a lot of trouble comminicating up till now suddenly become very taciturn.

Seduction By the Book wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t all that good. There were a few silly purple patches (at one point Annie’s nipple actually turn purple) but the love scenes were nicely hot and sensuous. Annie herself is a sweet, cheery young woman with an infectious laugh. Nicholas is properly dark and brooding. There’s nothing new here at all.

The gypsy element in this book could very easily have been left out. She gives Nicholas the book in the beginning and then checks in on her crystal ball a time or two, waves her wand and causes the characters to do something that nudges them in a different direction, but that’s about it. I thought she was more distracting than not.

If you want a quick, competent, read Seduction By the Book will fill your needs. But if you want something meatier, you will have to look elsewhere. I used to enjoy the Silhouette Desire line very much, and still count several older titles as some of my favorite comfort reads. But lately, the line has been getting stale and this book doesn’t change things.