Relentless Seduction
by Jillian BurnsPublished by Harlequin on March 1, 2013
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eBook
Source: Kobo Plus
Audience: 18+/Adult
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Mills & Boon Blaze series promises scorching hot reads...When her best friend disappears during Mardi Gras, microbiologist Claire Brooks is determined to find her. Her only lead is a bar called Once Bitten — a haven for the vampire-obsessed. And while Claire generally prefers science nerds, something about the bar’s tall, dark, and delish bartender makes her mouth water…
Bar owner Rafe Moreau is pretty sure that there’s more to Claire than uptightness and frumpy clothes. And as they delve further into the dark, seedy underworld Claire and Rafe discover a sizzling hunger that won’t be satisfied…
I was in the mood for a steamy Contemporary Romance and thought Relentless Seduction by Jillian Burns would be the perfect fit, especially since it’s been on my TBR since 2012. I borrowed it via Kobo Plus, and it didn’t take long to read, but unfortunately, it just didn’t vibe with me. The premise was interesting, but the characters fell flat, especially when it came to believing they would end up together.
At first, I thought this book was a paranormal romance because the story is set in New Orleans, the MMC’s bar is called Once Bitten, and there was mention of vampires, but not the kind I expected. These are people obsessed with vampires, who think they are vampires, but really aren’t. This comes up because the FMC, Claire Brooks, is looking for her missing friend, whose last known location was Once Bitten. When Claire goes to the bar to find her friend, she crosses paths with the MMC, Rafe Moreau. Rafe knows Claire doesn’t fit in at his bar and that she’s causing trouble by looking for her friend. In the end, he helps her look for her friend, even though he complains the whole time.
While Claire and Rafe are together, Rafe wants her to give up looking for her friend, but she doesn’t, and she ends up putting herself and him at risk. These two were complete opposites, which made their relationship unbearable, especially with how Rafe talked about her. She wasn’t the typical girl he went for, so why did he? That was the question I asked the whole time I read the book. I was more interested in finding Claire’s friend than in Claire and Rafe as a couple, even though once she’s found, I didn’t like her at all.
I usually love the Opposites Attract trope, but it just didn’t work for me this time. I’m giving this book 2.5 stars, but that doesn’t mean other readers won’t enjoy it.
Would I recommend the book? I’ll still recommend it for readers who have read Jillian Burns before or are looking for something fast-paced with an Opposites Attract storyline. It’s available on Kobo Plus as of February 2026.
What to Expect:
✔️Opposites Attract
✔️Grumpy/Sunshine
✔️Protector Hero
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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