Title: Ticket to Temptation

Author: Lilith Darville

Genre: Erotic drama / Fantasy

 

Ticket to Temptation, by Lilith Darville, is a novel in the erotic romantic suspense genre. The book includes both sexual content and mystical elements. The main characters are looking for love for the second time. They have both been burned by past loves, either emotionally tormented or neglected, and are looking to reignite their inner flames. There are two primary characters—Logan Archer and Daniel Masterson. In many ways, there is a third character in the setting of Blackstone Manor.

Logan is not the traditional twenty-or thirty-something femme-erotic female character. Instead, she’s married and almost forty. She is suffering under the depredations of her husband, Greg Dick, and longs for release (both emotionally and sexually). Logan is a successful author, but she cannot access her own money. She’s tormented and abused and is generally a sad character, although some readers may find her relatable.

Daniel is the junior partner at Logan’s husband’s law firm—Dick & Masterson. As noted, Greg Dick is a less than desirable man: controlling, suspicious, dominating, and stifling. His name certainly seems to match his personality, but it also seems a bit contrived. Knowing Dick, Daniel gives Logan a little advice at the law office—to get herself a good lawyer, and during that conversation, he becomes instantly infatuated.

Daniel himself is recovering from a failed relationship, and he’s looking to separate himself from his controlling mother. The writing surrounding Daniel seemed strange at times. While Logan is set up as a woman in need of rescuing, Daniel is presented as the potential rescuer. The reader might expect the perfect balance of strong and gentle from his character. However, Darville has written him in a way that reads as a little too feminine. For example, Daniel is a high-powered lawyer in his thirties. However, he seems to use the word “cute” a little too often to seem realistic within the general context of the book.

After the initial encounter at the law firm, the book is largely set in Blackstone Manor, which was owned by Anais Blackstone. She was an orphan in the early 1900s and part of a religious colony. The house was originally designed with the intent to provide a sanctuary for spiritual enlightenment and immortality. Blackstone was actually a distant relative of Daniel’s. She left him fifty million dollars and the manor.

Everything about the manor is described in sexual terms, which seems potentially counter to the manor’s intent as a religious colony. The spring water on the property also has magical properties. Generally, there is mystical, spiritual, and even occultist material at the manor. The manor is set up as a character with its own backstory and somewhat inner life. It also plays a role in the book, driving along the plot. In fact, it seems to be presented as though the manor does so purposely. The reader will either enjoy these elements with suspended belief or find them incredulous.

After Daniel inherits the manor, Logan is the first to visit it. She’s out for a drive, just to clear her head and get away. She sees a sign, and feels compelled to follow its directions to the manor. Upon arriving, she soon meets the caretaker and sits down for some psychedelic tea. This is the beginning of her magical trip toward healing, alongside her newfound interest, Daniel.

Given its content, Ticket to Temptation is for mature, adult audiences. There are graphic depictions of sex (not all of it enthusiastically consensual), sexual behavior, and BDSM. Those who enjoyed the Fifty Shades of Grey series may be interested in this book as well. Given the paranormal, spiritual, magical, and hallucinogenic content, readers should be prepared for such themes.

Ticket to Temptation is an erotic novel with paranormal elements that move the plot along. The novel contains multi-faceted characters in the complex setting of Blackstone Manor. This book was written for the reader who wants to suspend belief, cash in their ticket to temptation, and just enjoy.

 

 

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