"Kidnapped and sold at auction in a London brothel, Lady Katarina Fitzwilliam squelches an undeniable attraction to the masked stranger who purchased her, pits her wits against him, and escapes him and the scandal that would ruin her life."
Pages: 253 pages
Publisher: Lyrical Press on July 2012
Form: E-book (from tour for an honest review)
Genre: Historical Romance
Amazon: Buy / $9.19 (Kindle)
( EU price, click to see yours )Lyrical Press: Buy / $3.00 (E-book)
All Romance E-books: Buy / $5.99 (E-book)
"He has the woman of his dreams, but what price will he have to pay to win her heart?
Kidnapped and sold at auction in a London brothel, Lady Katarina Fitzwilliam squelches an undeniable attraction to the masked stranger who purchased her, pits her wits against him, and escapes him and the scandal that would ruin her life.
Unable to resist temptation in a London brothel, Duncan Ferrers, Marquess of Dalbury, purchases a fiery beauty. She claims she's a lady, but how can she be?
No lady of his acquaintance in polite society is anything like her. Then he discovers she is who she says, and that this latest romp has compromised her reputation. He knows how that is. One more scandal and he'll be cast out of London society, but he needs a wife who'll provide an heir to carry on his illustrious family's name. He seeks out Katarina, intending only to scotch the scandal, but instead finds his heart ensnared. He's betting their future he'll capture her heart, but does he have what it
takes to win the wager?" ~From Goodreads
The story started with a blast of action with Kat being kidnapped and taken to a brothel to be sold to a highest bidder in a fantasy action. Kat's encounter with her masked buyer causes her to hate him, awake to him even though she's never seen his face. With her escape she gains her freedom back but scandal is snapping at her heels which colors all her decision making - making for one interesting historical romance!
I enjoyed reading Katarina's character, she's sweet, stubborn and headstrong but not in the annoying over the board style but in the endearing way. Duncan is one hot Marquess desperate to seduce Kat and finish what they started, but in his search for her deepens his feelings for her and watching him change his rake ways sure is yummy reading!
I loved the romance being a fight for upper hand while having it's sweet and endearing moments as well as the arrogant lust filled moments when our Marquess can't keep his emotions to himself as dictated by his honor. The romance was wonderful, Only Scandal Will Do is a great addition to historical romance genre! Highly recommended!
Don't miss Ms. Jaxon's Guest Blog Seduce Me, below!
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Seduce Me
by Jenna Jaxon
My first thought is that seduction in general appeals to the rebel in all of us. We know who the bad boys and girls are from their reputations. We ought to stay away, we really should. But we can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be pursued and to succumb to the charms of our seducer. Because, deep down, we want to rebel and be bad. It’s exciting to have caught the attention of someone with a reputation and we want to experience that thrill ride just once.
Oscar Wild’s quip, “I can resist anything except temptation,” comes readily to mind.
What makes seduction even more appealing in an historical setting is that the stakes are higher. Today’s society is much more morally lax than even one hundred years ago. We are interested in who’s hooked up, but we rarely think badly of them when we find out.
Go back to the 18th and 19th centuries, and you find there were dire consequences for such misbehavior. Women’s reputations could be ruined simply by being seen talking alone with a known rake. And reputation was everything during those periods. If a woman lost her reputation, it had an impact not just on her, but on her family as well. Remember Pride and Prejudice? Lydia’s misconduct threatens the futures of all her sisters.
So the trope of the ‘bad boy” trying to charm a virtuous woman into his bed in an historical romance has more tension, more urgency to it because the magnitude of the possible loss for the woman is extraordinary. And as most readers identify with the heroine, there is then more for them to lose, vicariously, as well.
In my novel, Only Scandal Will Do, my hero is quite an accomplished womanizer and seducer. He’s able to skillfully manipulate the distraught heroine into believing he’s a caring protector who will try and save her from the dire circumstances that threaten her reputation. Charm, charisma, and magnetism are several traits that these seductive characters possess. They have a silver tongue, great intelligence and wit and use it unashamedly to their advantage. And as much as we fear for the heroine’s virtue, we do love to see these men operate.
Perhaps my favorite “smooth operator” in an historical ( other than my own wonderful rake ), is Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons. Played to perfection in the movie by John Malkovich, he is the epitome of the heartless, but supremely skilful seducer.
Seduction throughout history has been a game of cat and mouse, the mouse most often getting the worst end of the deal. But we, as readers, love the chase, love the thrill of the hunt when the stakes are high. With the result that historical romance and seduction are intimate bedfellows. But that’s the point, then, isn’t it?
