The Russian Seduction

by Nikki Navarre

[Cocktails and Books]

Oh my! Nikki Navarre has provided us with political / romantic suspense story that kept me on the edge of my seat. For political junkies, it was the perfect mix of intrigue, political tension and romance to hook you.

Alexis Castel has worked hard to earn the post of Counselor at the US Embassy in Moscow, despite who her father was and the fact that she reports directly to her ex-husband. With tensions rising between Russia and Ukraine, it's Alexis' job to make contact with her Russian counterpart, ex-sub captain Victor Kostenko, and try to find a way for Russia to back down before the President's visit in a few weeks. She didn't count on the sparks flying when she mets Victor or to become embroiled in a Russian cover-up about what exactly happened when one of their ballistic missile subs went down two years before.

I love a good political thriller and The Russian Seduction is a really, really good one. Told for Alexis' point of view (in the third person) we find a woman torn between the expectation of her father, her ex-husband and what she really wants. While she excels at her job, she's finding herself restless. When she mets Victor, he (unknowingly because she hides it behind political bravado) unleashes the adventurer in Alexis. She fights herself, for three quarters of the book, because despite wanting to be a woman in control of her life she finds herself hopelessly attracted to Victor and willing to let him take charge (a place she never wanted to be in again). Alexis has to look deeply at herself and her desires to discover that a little adventure with a former Russian sub captain is exactly what she needs.

I look forward to reading more from Nikki Navarre.