Guest Review: Treacherous Temptations – Victoria Vane

A reluctant heiress resigned to her fate… Mary Elizabeth Edwardes has one of the largest fortunes in England, but has no desire to leave her quiet country existence… and even less to acquire a husband she cannot choose for herself.

A dissolute nobleman bent on retribution… Trapped in a duplicitous existence since scandal destroyed his fortune and family name, Lord Hadley Blanchard has spent the better part of a decade posing as a disaffected exile while spying and seducing in the service of the English Crown.

A dangerous game of seduction, and intrigue… When summoned from abroad by a former lover, Lord Hadley perceives an opportunity for vengeance at last. By employing the full measure of his seductive charm, he woos the ward of the man who destroyed his life, little knowing that winning Mary’s fortune will mean risking his own treacherous heart.

Series:
Release Date:  January 21, 2013
Publisher:  Entangled Publishing
Source:  Provided by Publisher
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Reviewer’s Thoughts:

Victoria Vane has penned a very unique and interesting historical erotic romance novel.   She adeptly combines elements of incest, BDSM, gay/lesbian sex, and vanilla sex to produce a scintillating read.  I was a little timid about reading this novel, but I just couldn’t resist the urge to see how the author was going to turn an affair between a stepmother and stepson into a romance.  Once I began reading the novel I became hooked and I could not go to sleep without finding out how it ended which is why I am up at 2:00 am writing this review.  I wanted to write while it was still fresh on my mind.

Hadley, our hero, leaves London in shame and disgrace after his father commits suicide after finding his son in bed next to his wife.  He remains abroad serving as a spy, receiving monetary gifts from his stepmother/lover, and indulging himself in sex and strong drink to dull the hurt and emptiness he feels.  Fortuitously the stepmother learns through another man with whom she is having an affair that a common girl has a vast amount of wealth and needs a husband.  Immediately she realizes this is just the thing to get Hadley back into her bed and a way to recoup their financial losses.

Hadley arrives fully intent on ravishing Molly, the heroine, but finds that her innocence, purity, and goodness will not allow him to defile her as he has planned.  Instead he marries her and spirits her off to protect her from those that would harm her.  The author tastefully handles all elements of gay/lesbian romance with no actual gay/lesbian scenes but there rather hints of it throughout the book in keeping with much of what was happening at that period of history.  Hadley’s sexual relations with his stepmother were handled just as sensitively.  I didn’t feel grossed out or put upon while reading this.  I definitely felt sympathetic toward Hadley because of the many things he suffered after succumbing to seduction by his stepmother.  He had a number of redeemable moments in the book, and I found myself wanting to cry for all that he went through.  I wanted Molly to be able to get over his past and move on to accept and love him.  This book sucked me in, and I refused to put my kindle down until Hadley and Molly found their hopefully happy ending.

The storyline was very original, and I was even more intrigued and appreciative that the author took the time to share actual history that was the genesis of this fictional story.  I could easily see that Victoria Vane took her interest in history and married it to her passion for writing romance.  She painstakingly lays out the historical elements and events that were blended or modified to form the foundation for the novel.  This gave a sense of authenticity to the novel.  Don’t miss this story Hadley and Molly’s love story for it is one that you will never forget.  This one puts Victoria Vane at the top of my favorite authors list.