Benedict Books

The life of Dirk Benedict, the benefits of a macrobiotic diet, taking control of your own health instead of using pills, that's what this book is about. I loved the book, but if you're an A-Team or Battlestar Galactica fan, I'm not so certain you'd want to hear much about Benedict's advocation of a vegetarian diet & how he believes he beat cancer through it.

I am a practicing medical doctor, so hear me out on my opinion on his views on diet & cancer. I very much support much of what Benedict says--perhaps about 80-90% of it. He mentions going vegetarian, incorporating a macrobiotic diet & excercise saved his life in more ways than 1. Take into consideration that Benedict wrote this in a day & age when cutting down harmful fats, excercising & eating "whole" foods were seen as a harmful fad. It is understandable why he writes his opinions in a tone that is somewhat preaching & angry. Its actually quite revolutionary that he had these views in the 70s, since this seemed to only catch on in the 90s.

I also strongly support that people in general need to take control of their health through diet & excercise & not really on the doctor for wellness. Its unfortunate, but the pharmaceutical industry & managed care have created something I nickname "fast food medicine". They only want us to see patients for about 15 minutes, give them a pill & see the next one. They don't want us sitting with our patients & educating them about health. No, they will not outright claim this but all the financial incentives push us in this direction. In several places, I can only get paid for a 15 minute check. If I don't prescribe a med, I might not get reimbursed. Doctors are pushed to treat sickness, but not promote wellness. Those that promote wellness often are doing it at a loss of pay because they care.

Some of the approaches that Benedict did to treat his cancer without medication or surgery have now been validated by modern science to have a positive effect. Several meats today for example as a result of factory farming have several unwanted chemicals. E.g. cows are fed feed with tetracycline, which stays in the meat & ends up in our own system. Hormones in animal meats can possibly affect the prostate. Some nutrients in vegetarian products have now been identified to be healthy for the prostate that were not known in the 70s to have this effect. Reducing calories has been found to help treat cancer because it starves cancer cells. So, Benedict's approach to treating his own cancer which was seen as ludicrous back in the 70s-80s, now doesn't sound impossible with this knowledge that wasn't known then by western medicine.

However as a doctor, I really need to point out 3 parts of the book that I question & cannot advocate. I am not saying they're not true (I don't know), just saying that I could never reccomend them to a patient. I could never tell a patient with protstate cancer to simply & only use diet. Benedict also believes that someone who was a something of a spiritual health guru accurately diagnosed his cancer by simply seeing a polaroid photo of him, and this person had a skill at detecting illness because of the properties of a polaroid photo. Keeping the most open mind possible (and this is a stretch), perhaps this person did have these metaphysical powers. Maybe its miracle on the order of Lourdes, but if science accepted miracles simply on the word of another, we'd be accepting 100 mistakes for every real benefit. Besides, if this really worked, why didn't this person allow himself to be researched? I do need to add that Benedict did go to traditional western doctors who then reconfirmed that he did indeed have prostate cancer (another reviewer claims Benedict did not do this, I double checked, he did). Finally, the last point is yes, I agree that several doctors have a closed minded approach to eastern medicine, but there are several today that are more open minded & know perhaps even more than he does on this matter. Andrew Wiel, M.D. for example has used a scientific approach to study eastern medicine & has found much of it to work.
All in all did I enjoy the book? Yes, very much so. Just wanted to point out the above. Outside those portions, I very much loved this book & hope you will try it out.

A very exiting to read book, a true adventure, life or death, with a happy end. I read it in one sitting.

This book's story matches my personal experiences, even though my health problems were not the same, they were equally critical. Sometimes, and in this case too, health problems that would lead to a soon death can be eliminated by understanding how your body works, giving your body the food it needs and COMPLETELY, I mean TOTALLY, avoid junk food. What is equally important, and it shines through between the lines, is a relaxed mind set.

A few related books:

Macrobiotic Diet

Cooking the Whole Foods Way: Your Complete, Everyday Guide to Healthy, Delicious Eating with 500 VeganRecipes, Menus, Techniques, Meal Planning, Buying Tips, Wit, and Wisdom

Christina Cooks: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Whole Foods But Were Afraid to Ask

Glow

Yes, Dirk Benedict is apparently a great guy, and a healthy guy (putting his cigar-tobacco addiction in parentheses)...I especially like his comment to a drunken sassbacker when he appeared on a British TV reality show (not in this book, but in DB's Wikipedia article).

In this, his auto-bio, Dirk Benedict (Dirk--"Small dagger" and I wouldn't get too loud about that; Benedict from the Latin meaning "well-spoken"; his birth name is Niewoehner) claims he cured himself of prostate cancer. What fun!

Until we find out:
A) Dirk NEVER WAS DIAGNOSED BY A MEDICAL DOCTOR with cancer. He tells all...how he was diagnosed from a Polaroid negative shot of his whole body, by an Italian psychic...since Dirk refused further medical workup beyond a digital rectal examination.

B) Prostate cancer is ALMOST NEVER developed by men under age 30.

Yes, the guy's funny; the guy's bold; the guy's a success in his own rugged individualist way...and the guy just MIGHT be completely mistaken and therefore be misleading you and you and you Mr. American Public, and me. I'm a guy who did develop prostate cancer, age 55, tried nutritional therapy for a year while the PSA went up and up...and when I left the low-risk range, opted for robotically assisted laparoscopic total prostatectomy. My surgeon told me "The cancer was out to the margins of the sample." In other words, a little more, and it would have been metastatic.

If you like your stories short and sweet, you can Google on metastatic prostate cancer and learn this(from the WebMD site): "Currently, no treatments can cure advanced prostate cancer."

If you want to believe macrobiotics cures all cancer, please explain what happened with Michio Kushi, who developed cancer and opted for surgery, his wife Aveline, who died of cancer, and their daughter, Lily, who died of cancer?

Dirk Benedict rolls a good story, but he might be blowing smoke.
You can put that seegar in your mouth and chomp it.

If you are looking for an auto-biography of Dirk Benedict's life so far, read this. It is well written, entertaining, and has a small amount of useful information about his diet and philosophy of life. It does not, however, provide any practical information to help others through a similar crisis (and he pretty much insists that you are on your own). You will get constant reminders that Dirk was from Montana, has a great disdain for "ordinary" people who watch TV and go to doctors, and you'll get a list of the names of all the women he apparently dated (p 143). And much more irrelevant but harmless information.

Dirk's ego-centric nature is evident throughout this book, which means you won't get an enlightened view of his illness and recovery, but at least you'll get a good story.

This is a book by Dirk Benedict aka Face aka Starbuck and so on. I couldn't find the book on Epinions, so I'm writing this as an opinion in general. If someone happens to know if this book is on Epinions, let me know, so I can move this. Please, don't rate it badly if you think it's placed wrong. I didn't mean it.:--(

I thought I was the only person on the planet that beat myself up for every little thing I did wrong, but Dirk has my act beat by a mile. I'm sure if you were to talk to him he would confess sins he was thinking about committing.

You have to wade through about three or four introductions to get to the heart of the book, but I can say it is well written. I can't say that I agree with all he says, but then that's me. If macrobiotics works for him then more power to him. Not everyone can follow the same diet program. It has to be made for the individual, at least that's what I believe.

One issue I didn't agree with is when he said that Gloria Swanson refused a hysterectomy and got along just fine. I don't think this can be said for all women. You just can't refuse a hysterectomy and things come out Ok. I am a shining example of that. I was told in 1999 that I needed a hysterectomy and I thought it was my body and I could do as I please. Well, in early 2003 I collapsed from severe anemia. My hematocrit was 25%, normal is 37-47 percent for a woman, 32-57 percent for a man. My hemoglobin was 7.2 and normal for a woman is over 12. I had to have two pints of whole blood. Needless to say that if I didn't get surgery I would have died. This was all because I refused to get the surgery I needed. And I want to add to that, I was BORN a vegetarian. I didn't have to have it taught to me and I've always been a health nut. I do, however, agree with him that doctors don't know everything. In this modern day and age you practically have to be medically educated before showing up for an appointment. I always research anything I'm diagnosed with to death before making any kind of decision.

Dirk takes you through the first twenty six years of his life and then spends the rest of the book repenting for them. He lives faithfully by the cause and affect theory which I have to say I do, too. I have always believed that what goes around comes around. Don't wish something bad on someone or you will get it, too. He keeps quoting this saying of "The back is as big as the front" which seems to mean for whatever you do that is wrong the punishment will be as bad. The trouble is, I think Dirk has over estimated what he has done wrong. When I read the book I got this vision of that albino (Silas) from The Devinci Code whipping his own back until it bled. If Dirk did this there would be no flesh left.

The book is interesting when he is telling about his life or the way he eats, but when it gets to the parts where he repents about it all hunker down.

Dirk has been hurt a lot in his life and he seems like he is scared sh*tless to try a relationship again. I really can't say I blame him. If you read the book, you'll know why. If I had been hurt that much, I'd give up relationships, too.

I recommend that anyone read this book. It is not graphic in any way. There is no bad language. He explains things very well. I just think he should forgive himself and forget. I have learned through reading this book that Dirk must be a very sensitive, loving person. He would be the kind of friend you'd want around in a pinch. But, Dirk, please, get down off the cross. You love carpentry. Make some bird houses out of the wood.

The most important things in Dirk's life are his boys, Montana, and the way he eats and judging by this book, he takes care of all of them quite well. Don't be afraid to buy it. You aren't wasting your money if you do. I thought the quirky title would be a reflection of the book and I was wrong. So, buy and read away.:-)

In 1992, my doctor told me that I would have to endure another 'set' of Silver Nitrate treatments for my bladder problem. (It was not cancer.) The first 'set' of six treatments and the second 'set' of eight treatments had not worked. My bladder condition was getting worse. These treatments were very painful, so I refused to have any more done. My stepmother suggested I go to a health food store to see if they had any ideas on what I could do naturally to cure my bladder problems. They suggested I read The Grape Cure. After reading it, I sent it to my stepmother. She advised that I carefully wash the grapes and not stay on the diet for too long, but since I did not have diabetes there shouldn't be anything in grapes that would harm me for a short period even though they are high in sugar. I followed the instructions in the book, peeling the grapes in the beginning and never eating over a certain amount. For nearly 3 months, I ate nothing but grapes. I have never had trouble with my bladder since. I felt great and even lost 40 pounds. Although I know this book isn't for everyone, I do know that it worked for me. Eating nothing but grapes for so long may not be a good idea for everyone, but it did cure me. I wonder if the doctor that so vehemently criticized this book has actually tried it.

This book/diet DEFINITELY has merit. I say this from personal experience. I know, I know...you are just some allopathic "doctor" who loves to collect money for prescribing drugs. The m and the d behind your name doesn't mean you always know what you are talking about. The word "doctor" USED to mean "teacher". Boy, have things changed. Did this book take away some of your insurance money? Did it actually keep some of your patients from coming to see you? That's a shame, huh? Oh, darn...that Mercedes payment is just going to have to come from sending someone to collections for not paying their co-pay.

-Actual- science is a rarity. What is promoted as science in society is often deception: Research is conducted by supposed scientific groups that are actually owned by the product's manufacturer. Government organisations named to sound like protection offices,(Department of Agriculture), are actually in place to promote business. Results are simply not released when the results don't go the 'right' way, so what the public sees as proof may be the one time out of ten that insures the "scientist's" job security. Conclusions are often drawn that contradict the obviously real conclusions, with the understanding that most of us won't wade through the technical jargon. My point is that "anecdotal evidence" , so maligned by the supposed scientists, is a whole different matter when it's YOUR anecdote. I'm witnesss to benign skin tumors dissolving,(for lack of a better word), on diets similar to the Grape Cure. Yes, going too long would be a mistake, but a couple of weeks on fruits only, during the warmer months, is certainly less harmful than ANY alternative offered by the 'proven' methods of the medical community. If you want be a 'Quackwatcher', the first thing you need to 'watch' is the 'Quackwatchers' themselves, where hidden motives abound.

I believe Grapes is another one of God's great healing foods. I read the book many years ago and have always thought about what I read. Now once again the book is making a come back. Drugs don't heal, only alleviate symptoms. I know you need drugs in emergencies, but then study what's natural and try to heal your body that way. I believe grapes can clean out the toxins inside the body, but you must do a wholistic program for the grapes to be effective.
I say don't close your ears to the benefits of Grape Juice and just start incorporating it in your diet.

Good book! Would share with any and everyone even today. Alternate aid is the way to go.

This tale of star crossed lovers is entertaining mainly because the heroine seemed fresh and the hero was charming, rakish and honorable.

Viscount Anthony Kennington spies a gypsy girl on his property being attacked by two men. He comes to her rescue and when she is knocked unconscious takes her to his family's country estate to recover. His family is in residence so he must hide her in his chambers as his sister's debut is in just a few days and he would like to avoid scandal. His twin sister is the only family member who knows she is in the manor.

Sabrina wakes and wants to leave the house immediately since gypsies know that aristocrats have little use for them. She is suspicious of Anthony when he tries to convince her he just wants her to recover from her injuries. Unfortunately Sabrina and he are discovered causing a scandal and Anthony takes her back to her family's caravan.

Sabrina is relieved to be back with her family but also deeply concerned. She worries that the men who attacked her will still be looking for her because of the locket she found as a child. She heard them say that they wanted it from her and would even would kill her for it.

Anthony cannot forget Sabrina and when he discovers that the locket she wears matches others worn by women working for a very powerful man, he knows he must warn her. From there, the couple find themselves in all kinds of trouble with her family, his family, and deadly political intrigue. Anthony wants to be honorable but he also knows Sabrina is not of his world. Somehow they must find their way to both safety and happiness.

I liked the plot of this novel; it was more than a gypsy romance. There was plenty of very good dialogue and heroine Sabrina was practical and romantic too. Anthony was likeable but really not as charismatic as Sabrina. This is a very good debut novel.

Usually i can get really into books and have no problem finishing them in a day or two. i couldn't seem to get into A Forbidden love which is about two star-crossed lovers of different social standings, one's a viscount, the other a gypsy. I hated everything about the book, the well-used plot, the bland characters and the only thing that saved the book from being a disaster was the ending which was a big surprise and not all predictable. If your looking for an easy read with not much substance, read this book, if you like a book with a bit more excitement, skip this.

This was a really dual book. I didn't enjoy the hero or heroine. The plot wasn't that engaging. After reading the little blurb it sounded like it would be really interesting. The author, to me, just couldn't do anything with it I couldn't get into it. I really tried to like it but I just couldn't.

I had a hard time getting through this book, not because it was poorly written but simply because the story seemed to lag. The characters were not as fully developed as they could have been, and the heroine was too headstrong for her own good. I hate it when a heroine foolishly puts herself in danger. However if you are looking for a frivolous easy read to fill your romance quota then this book is the match for you.

A Forbidden Love is about starcrossed lovers, but there is so much more to it than that. I don't like to give away plots, but this story is so full of action and emotion and you don't know about the HEA until almost the end. The HEA is bittersweet because of things that have happened to both the hero and heroine that sadden them, but you feel that they will help each other get through the hard times. I really enjoyed this book and found it "flavored" differently than most romances, but it worked so well for me. Do go out and buy this book. It is packed with emotion and is such a good story.

Fr. Groeschel is one of the most qualified people to write this book, because he has been deeply involved in the evaluation and treatment of troubled priests. Hib background as a psychologist gives him an insignt few church writers can match. As a result, this is an outstanding analysis of the problem, its cause, and its remedy. He describes the "progressive" movement and how it infected the Catholic Church as well as other institutions. The effects of mistaking permissiveness for tolerance permeated the seminaries and allowed the ordination of unsuitable candidates for the priesthood. Interestingly, this trend has been reversed and the newly ordained tend to be quite orthodox--this is a clear indication that Fr. Groeschel was correct in his analysis of the scandal's roots. The uninformed simply blame the Bishops for the scandals uncovered in recent years. But anyone who wants to go deeper should definitely read From Scandal to Hope. And anyone who cares about true reform will be bolstered by reading how the Church is being made stronger by overcoming this systemic problem.

Father Benedict Groeshel is such a calm and graceful writer. The message of this book is pretty simple and straightforward. Don't freak out. Yes, the scandals have been heartbreaking and yes these last couple of years have been one shock after another but don't let it kill your faith or your reasoning ability. The church has, Father Groeschel points out, suffered scandals before and came back stronger from them. Stupid, evil, filthy things have happened and stupid, callow people stood by and did nothing but there is hope.

The book is very honest, and calls for reform as loudly and as clearly as can be. And the reform it calls for isn't just for the clergy, the book has some stern words for the laity as well.

From Scandal to Hope is relief to the grieving and confused and a rebuke to those who are frankly enjoying the scandal for their own reasons. It's a tiny book but packs a wallop.

By far one of Fr. Groeschel's works. This brief text finally gives us a well documented explanation of many epedemics inside our Church, especially the child abuse scandal. Disputing the media frenzy of anti-Catholic bias, Groeschel goes a step further and offers suggestions for laypeople, priests, abusers and bishops concerning the disaster. Groeschel lays out a groundwork of how we American Catholics have become lazy, secularized and victims of a growing "God-less" society. More importantly, he painfully points out examples of failures and offers ideas and encouragement of how we can and must REFORM. This prolific writer, theologian and psychologist has the courage to say that we must return to the anchor of orthodoxy to steer our mother Church (the body of Christ) back on course.

Fr. Groeschel, is a trained psychologist as well as being a Catholic priest. Anyone, who has seen Fr. Groeschel, on EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network). www.ewtn.com Would know that he is a very good man as well as a good priest. In no way does he say that what has been done to this people is or was ok! He does take a hard look at how we got to where we are now. People want reform! What reform is they do not know. What they really want is an updating of the Catholic Church, woman who can become priest. Birth-control, sex with out consequences, marriage for priest. Have you asked yourself why you may want these things? I think not, because if you read about what the Church teaching on these things are they would make sense to why things are done the way they are! It is because of this updating that we are in the mess we are in! Read the CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH it might help you understand what the church believes and teaches. I feel sorry for the victims, I am angry with the priests who have done this to our church. But I also love my church and many of the men and woman who have answered Gods call. Hope and Love and prayer these are the thing that will see us through this time, it will also be what heals those that are hurting.
John

B. Groeschel's attempt to analyze and propose solutions to the clergy sexual abuse disaster falls far short in both content and presentation. It's poorly written and ill-informed, insulting both the reader's intelligence and the gravity of the situation with pat, predictable "answers." As in the case of most of Groeschel's books, there is a smattering of humor, but here it is entirely out of place. Of course, he blames the usual suspects and even throws in a few more (such as the trend of people dressing "down" for Mass. Come on)! What Groeschel ultimately wants, it seems, (though his confused style makes it hard to discern) is a "ghetto" Church (and at one point he actually defends this desire). But really, he's not worth arguing with in this book, given its slapdash and erratic meanderings. It's simply NOT worth reading. Try George Weigel's "The Courage to be Catholic" or, better, Donald Cozzens' "Sacred Silence."

Pretty hot stuff if you like that kind of thing. Kind of a psuedo rape theme throughout the book.

Rescued from the horrors of a Victorian slum, Maggie Carter is happy with her new position as a maid-until she is seduced by the son of the house, abused (raped) by the father and sold into a house of shame. Will she survive-or be defeated by the violence and depravity of her new existance?
________
I can't remember exactly why I didn't like this book but I can say that from what I remember, it was terrible. Sex was nothing special. Don't waste your money.

Maggie, a very young sixteen year old living in the most squalid slums of Vitorian England is whisked away by her alcoholic mother to protect her from her brutal sadistic stepfather. Maggie, like her mother before her is brought to work as a maid's assitant in a wealthy home until she is first willingly seduced by the son of the owner and then raped by the wealthy owner.

The problem of course that Maggie had was that even though she never seemd to give in to the continuous rapes by different disgusting men around her, once the rape began she felt betrayed by her own body that responded favourably to the male 'attentions'.

This book may not suit all readers tastes in that, with the exception of the handsome young son, Jermey, all the other men in the book were utterly loathsome, ugly, fat and disgusting trolls. That Maggie had to suffer thru the seduction and rapes by these beasts while she just tried to keep herself alive, in a world where no one would help her, made the book chilling to read.

'Sinful Seductions' is an excellent book exquisitely written by an author that certainly did a considerable amoount of historical work to make it ring true to life.

I can only give it three stars. I is not erotica. Just a bunch of rapes. The ending is surprising though. And after all it is Victorian so the sex is not modern. Probably close to the truth in those times. Especially since young poor women did not have much choice or much life.

This story had so much potential, but gradually gets out of control towards the middle. Maggie, a sixteen year old living in extreme poverty during the Victorian era, lives with her alcoholic mother and disgusting, abusive stepfather in one of London's infamous slums. When her stepfather tries to rape her, her *mam* decides to get Maggie out of the slums and away from the dangerous attentions of her step dad and takes her to a former work mate, head housekeeper, Mrs. Hardcastle. After securing Maggie a job as a scullery maid with the wealthy McAlister's household everything goes fine - until Maggie grows into a healthy beautiful eighteen year old (now, head kitchen maid) and starts gaining his lordship's (Lord Edward, who btw is equally disgusting as her step dad) undivided and unwanted attentions. However, the innocent virginal Maggie only has eyes for the McAlister's grown son, the handsome young Master Jeremy, and resists Lord Edward's bold sexual advances. A romance between Master Jeremy and Maggie begins, but with the class divide of the times, the romance doesn't have much hope of a future. The sadistic Lord Edward makes his move after discovering Maggie's couplings with his son Jeremy, and she's at his mercy. There are lots of twists and turns from this point on, but none that I partially enjoyed, including another meeting with her creepy step dad. From here on it seems there is just one graphic scene of rape and degradation after another, which wouldn't be so bad if all the men weren't so grotesque and unlikable. Couldn't there have been at least one hunk in the crowd other than Jeremy? And one of the most unbelievable parts is that Maggie can't help but get off on it....yuck. I stopped relating to Maggie at this point.

To be fair, even though Sinful Seductions wasn't exactly my cup a tea, I still think author Kate Benedict is an excellent writer. For example, through Ms. Benedict prose I felt I was experiencing the extreme poverty Maggie lived in and the total hopelessness of her situation. I had lots of sympathy for Maggie throughout much of the book even after the shocking developments in the story. The love between her and her mother and the romance between her and Jeremy were believable and the best parts of the whole book. The sexual scenes with Jeremy were HOT and romantic and I wish there had been more. Another thing I loved about the book was the colorful English cockney dialect just jumps off the pages at you.

It started off like an erotic version of Master Piece Theater "Upstairs Downstairs" - down to the cook, who was definitely a Mrs. Bridges character if there ever was one in print. Only half the story takes place in the McAlister's household though, and then the story moves onto darker places and the reader encounters even more disagreeable characters. That is why regrettably I can only give Sinful Seduction 3 stars (which ain't bad), instead of the 5 stars it probably would have gotten from me if it had been more of an erotic tale instead of turning into an un-sexy sadistic one.

Poor Henrietta, (aka Henry) she is so in love with Sebastian the Viscount of Ravenscroft. She has loved him since she was twelve and now she is twenty and he still thinks of her as a child. Well, she will just show him but who can she turn to for assistance in getting her man? How about a courtesan?

This charming novel is a delight. Henry gets all kinds of lessons on being a siren and plans to seduce Sebastian with her new wiles. It almost works too.

Sebastian is mesmerized by the new Henry. He is a resolute rake though. There are glimpses of his self hatred when he is with the innocent Henry. He is so complex.

About half way through this plot line shifts radically. Suddenly, Sebastian is the pursuer and Henry is the prey. I really liked this twist because it offered both leads the chance for transformation. Henry needed to get beyond her hero worship and Sebastian needed to recognize Henry's worth and his own ability to chart a new course.

There are plenty of sweet moments here. Henry is very endearing because never does anything by half measures. Sebastian is both confident and vulnerable. His metamorphosis is simply due to his feelings toward the heroine and it left this reader charmed.

Too Scandalous to Wed by Alexandra Benedict was a marvelous read. Henrietta (Henry) has loved Sebastian for the past 8 years. He has treated her as child so she decides to ask help from a renowned courtesan. You will love the changes in Henrietta and how that affects Sebastian. Sebastian is the true form of rogue which makes from great twists in the plot. Enjoy!

If you enjoy this genre check out Spirited Away by Cindy Miles, Tempted at Every Turn by Robyn Dehart, Secret Fantasy by Cheryl Holt and Too Dangerous to Desire by Alexandra Benedict coming out July 2008

For eight long years Henrietta Ashby has been trying everything to get the attention of Sebastian Ravenswood in the hopes that he would fall madly in love with her. In those years nothing has made him treat her any different than he would a sister, which frustrates her greatly. In a last ditch attempt to seduce and make Sebastian her own, "Henry" visits the well known Courtesan Madam Jacqueline to learn the art of seduction and hopefully catch her man.

Sebastian Ravenswood has sworn to never marry and even though he knows about "Henry's" infatuation with him he wonders what it is he has to do to get this girl to move on. When he decides to leave town and not return until Christmas he is hoping that this time she has found a husband and settled into a life of domestic bliss upon his return. Instead "Henry" greets him and he cannot believe the subtle transformation in her. As "Henry" has planned one activity after another he slowly finds himself becoming attracted to her. In a moment of passion he suddenly realizes that she's been trying to seduce him. Outraged and embarrassed he flees the Ashby home to London. With "Henry" right behind him determined to make things right she discovers a shocking secret about Sebastian that changes her feelings and attitude towards him. Disgusted, she flees London and him, but the damage has been done and now both are caught in a scandal that could ruin them both.

Too Scandalous To Wed is a fast paced novel full humour and sensual steam as the two characters battle their emotions and each other. Henrietta was dubbed "Henry" by her father, resulting in a couple of humorous moments as he is talking about her. When Henry found out Sebastian was not the man she always thought he was going to be you could feel the pain she was going through, her dreams had just been shattered and she never felt more alone. The bond between Sebastian and "Henry" is very strong and once Sebastian realized his true feelings for her nothing was going to stop him and the sudden direction he was taking with his life. Meanwhile her family had quite a few things to say about this couple that led to many interesting moments in the novel, propelling me to speed up my reading to see how the author was going to bring the book to a conclusion.

This is my first novel by Alexandra Benedict and I thoroughly enjoyed it, the pace, the characters and the story are quite appealing to me as a reader. One character, Mirabelle, really caught my attention making me wonder if her story is about to be told or if it has already. For the little amount of time she was in the novel I found her fascinating and I am anxious to read more about her. Too Scandalous To Wed will delight readers as Alexandra takes you on a journey with her characters and their destiny towards everlasting love.

From the very moment 12 year old Henrietta "Henry" Ashby tumbled down the stairs and was picked up by her new brother-in-law Sebastian, Viscount Ravenswood, she was in love and right then and there he became her very own hero. Eight years later Henry is still in love and determined to prove to Sebastian that he loves her too, but so far, all her simpering and bids for his attention have been ignored by the object of her affection.

Sebastian, hid a terrible secret, and knowing he wasn't husband material vowed never to marry. So far, Henry the reckless imp had not been much of a temptation and Sebastian decided he should go abroad for a while to give Henry time to be courted and engaged by someone more deserving than himself.

This did not sit well with Henry, who boldy approached an infamous courtesan, Madame Jacqueline, requesting lessons on how to seduce the object of her desire so that she would be prepared when he finally returned for the Christmas holidays. Ready and waiting Henry was well on her way of bringing Sebastian to his knees, but with all the best laid plans, matters would get out of hand and as has been said before ..."let the games begin".

*** So far Ms. Benedict has impressed me with her wonderfully, warm, witty and charming tales of romance in this most recent book which followed the very delightful TOO GREAT A TEMPTATION. This newer author has impressed me with her vibrant and vivid character building. Not only does she give insight in the character's motivations as to the how and why of their daily interactions, but invites the reader to get emotionally involved. In this pleasing read she also introduces characters from the former book while creating delightfully new and vivid personalities to embrace.

Henrietta was the fifth daughter of the Baron Ashby who so wanted a son he named her Henry (her mother made it Henrietta). The delightful baron even treated her like a son to the point of outrageously spoiling her so much so, that many of her blunders in society situations were overlooked by her dearly beloved papa. When Henry, learned of Sebastian's leaving for the continent for such a long period, she thought nothing of taking such drastic steps in order to learn how to seduce a man; and if those lessons could only be learned at the knee of the most famous courtesan of all time - so be it! Now the story could have been pretty much wrapped up there, but the author threw in a twist, turning the tables completely, and that for me was the wonderful part of the plot which I will not reveal! Suffice it to say, I felt every bit of the pain Henry experienced when she discovered the true reason behind the saying, "...once a rogue, always a rogue...".

Adding to the romance and adventure as Sebastian tries to regain the affections of Henry, the author introduces a despicable and vile enemy who, having been exposed as a coward by Ravenswood, would make a desperate attempt to redeem himself to his cohorts and destroy Ravenswood. His nefarious plan called for causing as much pain and embarrassment to both Sebastian and Henry as he possibly could.

Once again, I must remark on the well written and well developed storyline that aided this reviewer in devouring Ms. Benedict's latest novel in one highly enjoyable sitting. Ms. Benedict is certainly hitting her stride with the latest entry to a most remarkable series!

Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization for www.kwipsandkritiques.com

There's no question that the author has a good instinct for characterization. The problems with this book lie more in likeability and occasionally excessive leaps of disbelief. It's hard to explain why the book was so disappointing to me without including a lot of spoilers. The basic concept is that Henry believes if she can attract Seb sexually she'll reveal his hidden love and Seb belives that his passion for kink (which he doesn't really like, it turns out) renders him unsuitable for marriage. So Henry (Her father thinks she's a boy, is in love with his pool cue, and faints a lot. It's troubling.) sets about attracting his sexual attention with the help of a sex book and a retired courtesan. And it works, until it doesn't. But this isn't about Henry learning to cast aside her youthful fantasies or Seb showing her that sex does not a relationship make, it fails on the emotional level. It comes down to a lot of finger strokes and Big Ideas. For me, Henry being unable to realize she's in a brothel despite naked people, sex, naughty pictures and her previous experience with most of the above just made me question her intellect. There really wasn't a character with any common sense in the entire book except for Seb's brother Peter, and he was running mostly on hope and fumes. I could see where the author wanted to take me, but we didn't get there.