SEDUCTION OF MY PROPER WIFE by Kristabel Reed

Kristabel will award one commenter at every stop an e-Book copy of any backlist title, and one randomly drawn commenter on the tour will receive a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card plus a copy of any e-Book backlisted title. You can follow the tour HERE.

Philip Thornton adored his new bride but found she was frigid in their marriage bed.

Lillian did not know how to ease her fear of the bed until she was freed from her past.

Aria was paid to educate and entice, but what she found was more than she ever dreamed possible.

The Parisian Exposition of 1889...the world is changing and the three of them are caught in its whirl. Philip and Lillian went to Paris to save their marriage and to help Lillian overcome her fears. Aria danced and seduced Lillian, but before Lillian left, Aria found herself seduced, in turn, by the beautiful Englishwoman.

When Philip and Lillian break all the rules and escort Aria around Paris for a week, will it be the beginning of their future? Or will this seductive interlude be nothing more than a dream?

I want to thank Kristabel for taking the time to be a guest on my blog today :0)

Hello and thanks for hosting me today! And for the record, yes, this is far more than a kissing book!

Seduction of my Proper Wife is a ménage set in 1889 Paris.

And it all started when I wanted to write a story set differently—different time, different place, an unusual historical if you will. My previous ménage series was set during the Regency era, but I’m a firm believer in the lack of the death of the Regency, but with a twist. And what better twist than to set a ménage romance during that most beloved historical era?

But I like the unusual, too, and had read Eric Larson’s Devil in the White City about the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair (also known as the Colombian Exposition). On a research trip to Washington, I spent a lovely day in the Library of Congress. To do actual research there, you have to apply in advance and not bring any food or drink along.

This last was easy enough in the beginning of the day, but about 3 hours in, I was starving and thirsty! But I had all these books around me, all these wonderful first editions on things like Paris during the late 18th century and a beautiful picture book (in French!) about the 1889 Parisian World’s Fair (also known as The Exposition Universelle 1889, or Paris Exposition of 1889).

At first I hadn’t meant to make this idea I had a series, but the fair was open for 6 months, so I figured why not have 6 books, each set during one month of the fair? The only connection is the fair itself, there’s no real connection between the threesome except, at best, a passing mention.

Sometimes you can find the oddest, most eclectic things online, and sometimes nothing at all. This time, there was a YouTube video for that, and those videos really got me into the spirit of the fair. Here are a couple from Youtube:

Exposition Universelle 1889: Rue du Caire & les Almees (This film was created in 2003 for the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington DC, for an exhibit about the women impressionist, Berthe Morisot, whose work was shown at the Fair.)

China House in 1889 Paris Exposition (A 3d animation with the China House (without textures for the moment) of the 1889 Paris expo.)

Construction de la tour eiffel (Eiffel Tower Construction--beautiful!)

Victorian Web

Victorian Period - A Time of Change

Victorian Era


Excerpt

Lillian stood before the closed bedroom door and stared at the fine finish. She barely noticed the intricate woodwork or how the fading sun shone through the open windows. Never in her life had she expected such a turn. When she’d married Philip she hadn’t thought about the marriage bed.

She also hadn’t known about her reaction every time Philip touched her, but she hadn’t given it any thought, not until that first night. They had been friends, and she’d shared everything with him. The closeness they’d developed during his courtship had opened up her world just as her world grew smaller.

It was during this time she’d begun to think she’d never leave her house.

Looking to the hook on the far wall, she saw the wet chemise drying there. Until Philip, she hadn’t realized how…frigid she truly was. People, she was now given to understand, did not bathe fully covered.

But that’s how Miss Gwendolyn had raised her after he mother’s death. As her father had left her entire education up to Miss Gwendolyn, Lillian had listened to every word the governess had said.

And bathing in her chemise had been for modesty sake’s; a lady simply did not reveal her flesh no matter what the circumstance.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Kristabel Reed lives on the East Coast and loves to explore the steamier side of historical romance. "There are so many sexy situations that didn't just pop up in the 21st century and my goal is to burst the myth of the prim and proper debutante."

She loves romances but historical ménages particularly which add an element of danger and discovery not seen in contemporaries. Historically speaking, unusual romantic connections put lives on the line-people were ostracized and some even put to the death.

She loves reading, watching old movies, and anything Cary Grant. And is always interested in talking about erotic romance, so drop her a line: kristabelreed@yahoo.com; or Tweet her @kristabelreed; find her blog: kristabelreed.blogspot.com