The Cardinal's Whores by Adrienne Blake

I’m intrigued by the latest book from Adrienne Blake and Blushing Books. The Cardinal’s Whores is set in Tudor England, in the time of Henry the Eight and promises to be a rollicking good romp.

First he loved her - then he betrayed her.

Blurb:

Blackmail, betrayal, and bedroom lust are standard fare in the court of Henry the Eighth. Joan Larke has heard all her young life that this is so, but she is completely unprepared to be dragged into the midst of it. Dragged she is, though, when the beautiful girl falls into the hands of the powerful and power hungry Thomas Wolsey, cardinal, confidant, and finally lord chamberlain to the king.

Wolsey knows how many secrets are passed in the bedchamber, and shamelessly enlists any woman who comes within his influence as his spy. He turns her, under duress, into a whore who brings him information from her pillow talk with the movers and shakers of the early 16th century. But he needs love, too, and he keeps Joan to himself—for a time.

When Joan finds herself no longer wanted and in peril of spending the rest of her life in a nunnery, she turns to Lady Anne Boleyn, who is rapidly supplanting Queen Catherine in Henry’s affections. But treachery is a two-edged sword, and the betrayer often becomes the betrayed in the shadowy world of Tudor court intrigue.

Although Joan has secrets of her own she can trade, in the end, she can do nothing but watch and tremble as the cardinal and the would-be queen battle behind the scenes for the love of their king, and to keep from winding up under the axe, as so many did in those dark days.

Please note: spankings and other sexual activities represented in The Cardinal’s Whores are fantasies and intended for adults only. Strong stuff but worth it. If this offends you, please do not read this book.

Buy link: Amazon  

Excerpt:

"Love. How easily you speak the word. Yet you hardly know me." 

 "I know what I must. Mistress Larke, when we talk of good opinion, do you think so lowly that I would choose to lie with any woman? I, Thomas Wolsey, who have sworn myself to chastity? Believe me, madam, it has not been without careful consideration that I offer myself thus to you. My dignity demands that I consider pairing myself with a woman of the gentle classes. To mate with any other would be untenable."

She sneered. "And you talk of love."

"Love will come. Mine is a constant nature. Give yourself to me and I will prove this to you."

Joan took a sip of wine, though mainly because she needed to hide her eyes from his penetrating gaze. She must think. Her brother was the ambitious one. Not she. And what is all this fine talk to me? And yet I could never be happy in a nondescript, provincial marriage. I would long for something finer, something deeper. Perhaps her brother was not the only ambitious one after all. She looked boldly at the almoner who watched her intently. Could she love him? "And what if you tire of me? What then? Am I to be cast aside with who knows however many bastard children by you, clinging to my skirts? What then?"

Wolsey reflected. "I will not cast you aside. But to ease your mind I will set aside enough wealth that you need never concern yourself on that score." He looked hopeful. Her questions must have encouraged him.

“I may yet say no."

"But I trust that you shall not."

More about Adrienne Blake:

Adrienne Blake lives in the North East, in a rural area surrounded by cows and determined rabbits.  She has two cats, both masters of the contemptuous stare, who she idolizes. When she’s not penning for monies she’s either baking something, or driving very long distances for the hell of it. This renders a unique opportunity to ponder her plots and characters; she prides herself on writing the unexpected, and is always cooking up new ways to pleasure her readers. Her favorite genre is twisted history - and applies varying degrees of heat to keep you titillated from beginning to end.

Connect with Adrienne Blake:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAdrienneBlake

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorABlake

E-mail: authoradrienneblake@gmail.com

Website AuthorAdrienneBlake.com coming soon!

The Pirate's Captive by Maisy Archer

Maisy Archer is on my blog today and I couldn’t be more excited! This unabashed book nerd has been in love with romance since reading her first Julie Garwood novel at the tender age of 12. After a decade as a technical writer, she finally made the leap into writing fiction several years ago and has never looked back. Like her other great loves – coffee, caramel, beach vacations, yoga pants, and her amazing family – her love of words has only continued to grow... in a manner inversely proportional to her love of exercise, house cleaning, and large social gatherings. She loves to hear from fellow romance lovers, and is always on the hunt for her next great read.

Today we are looking at Maisy new release The Pirate’s Captive from Stormy Night Publications.

Genre: romance / BDSM / erotica

BLURB:

When a notorious pirate demands a ransom from her family in return for lifting his blockade of the local port, twenty-one-year-old Evelyn Hollywell takes matters into her own hands. Her plan to thwart the lawless rogue quickly goes awry, however, when she is carried off from her home and held as a captive aboard his ship.

Evelyn quickly discovers that while the handsome buccaneer has no intention of doing her any harm, he will not tolerate disobedience, and when she attempts an escape she ends up over his knee for a painful, embarrassing spanking in front of his entire crew. Though the stern punishment infuriates Evelyn, she cannot help wondering what it would be like to be mastered much more thoroughly, and soon enough she is blushing crimson and quivering with desire as he teaches her exactly what it means for a beautiful lady to surrender her body to a dominant man.

Despite her growing attraction to her captor, however, his plans for her remain a mystery. She is to be delivered to a man in Boston, but she knows neither who he is nor what he wants with her. All she can be sure of is that with each passing day she feels less like a prisoner and more like a priceless treasure. But will old enemies or the dangers of the high seas tear her from her lover’s arms?

Publisher’s note: The Pirate’s Captive includes sexual scenes and spankings – tough stuff but worth it. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.

Excerpt:

“…Yet you chose to be reckless. You chose to disobey. And you chose to put yourself completely under my power. So now you will find yourself over my knee.”

I trembled.

Then a moment later, his smile dissolved while the fire in his eyes burned hotter. “Come to me, Evelyn.”

I stepped forward until I was standing between his knees.

He reached out one large hand and lifted the tail of my braid, which had fallen down from the coil I’d constructed that morning. I could only imagine how disheveled I appeared, but Marcus didn’t seem to mind. He carefully carded his fingers through the fine brown mass, working through the tangles, brushing down over my nape, and then across my back, until it rippled in waves around me.

“Beauty,” he murmured.

His hot breath hit the bare skin of my chest and made my nipples pebble beneath the ragged edges of the chemise. I had never felt so tense, so expectant.

Every touch felt like a tongue of fire, branding me, making me want.

Just when I thought I couldn’t take it any longer - when surely my chest would explode from the aching need, he stopped. He rested one hand at my waist, while the other rose to wrap around the base of my neck. My eyes blinked open.

“Lay yourself across my knee, beauty.” His tone was as stern and controlled as ever, but I sensed a new tension in his voice and it told me that he was not unaffected.

He wanted, too.

My choice, again. He didn’t want to force me. I held his stare, my breath coming in sharp pants and then… I bent over, allowing his hand at my neck to guide me so that my upper body rested on the bed by his hip, propped slightly on my forearms. I heard his breath leave him in a whoosh, at the same time the muscles in his legs and torso grew impossibly tighter.

He gathered all of my hair into his hand, and then twisted, twining it around his wrist and gripping it in his fist, pinning me in place.

My breath caught.

With his free hand, he grabbed a handful of my skirts and pulled them up, and then he ran his hand up my stockinged calf. He paused when he reached edge of the stocking, his fingers trailing back and forth along the bare skin at the back of my knee. I hadn’t imagined something so simple could be so devastating, but it was.

And then his hand slid up.

I sucked in a shuddering breath as his hand trailed higher, up my thigh, taking my chemise with it.

Dear God. He meant me to be… bare?

It was too late for protests, for objections, for any return of reason or common sense. I could hear Aunt Beatrice’s voice in my head calling me wanton and wicked, but I didn’t care. I wanted him to touch me. I wanted him to want to.

And he didn’t disappoint. Up and up and up, while my heart banged against my rib cage, and I knotted my fingers in the sheets, until I could feel the touch of cool air against my backside, and I knew that he could see all of me.

Buy link:

Amazon

Connect with Maisy Archer on social media:

Facebook

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Maisy's Amazon Author Page

Jane and Maisy's Blog

Spanking the Heiress by Louise Taylor

Today I’m thrilled to have Louise Taylor on my blog. Louise writes crackling historical romances and has seven (and counting!) erotic novels out there, all published by the lovely people at Blushing Books. Today we are looking at Spanking the Heiress.

All Louise’s books have elements of power exchange, spanking and BDSM but none of her heroines are weak-willed or easily dominated - they make their men work for their love! Louise lives on the beautiful Welsh coast, and loves walking the cliff tops and visiting Wales’ wonderful historical ruins. She gets her best ideas when in the great outdoors and you can usually find her chasing after the piece of paper she’s just scribbled her notes on!

She lives in a late Victorian house with wonderfully high ceilings and no central heating - thank goodness for her fabulous fireplace! She owned by Alfred The Great, an enormous tomcat with very decided ideas about who gets to sit on the right side of the sofa and how long she is allowed to stay in bed in the morning.

If you want to know more about the lovely Louise, please read on for the author interview.

Louise also writes an excellent blog - https://louisetaylorlove.com. There are more ways to connect with Louise at the end of this blog post.

And now - Spanking the Heiress

Anthony Carstairs, Earl of Beaumont, has seven sisters and very little money to provide for their dowries, dresses, and dreams of good society marriages. An unexpected inheritance from a distant relative is an absolute godsend for the cash-strapped earl. The estate he will inherit, however, is located in far-off Cornwall. There is a rather rundown manor house, as well as an uninhabitable castle overlooking the sea, along with some good farmland, so the earl’s first thought is to sell the place for much needed funds.

For Jennifer Polperran, current occupant of the house and lands in question, the earl’s inheritance means that she has lost her home. Her adopted father had little else to leave her, so she must either marry a much-loathed neighbor, Sir Alec Salcombe, or live in extremely reduced circumstances.

But for all her life, Jennifer’s father had told her of an ancient legend, of a fortune in gold and jewels stolen by two star-crossed lovers and hidden away somewhere on the estate just before their tragic and untimely deaths. Many had sought the treasure over the centuries, but Jennifer might just have found the key to its location, if only she could get the new owner’s consent, and perhaps even cooperation in finding it.

Convincing the Earl of Beaumont to give her leave to stay and search proves less difficult than she imagined. But their way is fraught with disappointment and peril, not the least of which is caused by the ruthless and rapacious Sir Alec. But romance quickly blossoms between the earl and the penniless Jennifer, and together they persevere in the hunt that is their best hope for a bright, golden future together.

Author Interview

Q) How did you dream up the dynamics of your characters?

This is something that I agonise over, actually! I write historical romances, set in the Victorian era, which covers the majority of the nineteenth century. I strive for historical accuracy, but I am aware that women of that period were not encouraged to be independent and use their intelligence. I don’t know about my readers, but I’m not keen to read about women being limited in that way. Too many real women in 2016 suffer from those same strictures for me to be comfortable creating fictional heroines who placidly accept it. I need a heroine to be someone I can respect, and I respect women who try to use whatever abilities they have in order to achieve something in life.

Of course, this is tricky when you’re writing spanking romances! They’re all about power exchange, which I insist on being consensual. So, my heroine has to be independent and take-charge, but completely willing to be dominated by a hero who is alpha-male enough to be in control, but self-aware enough to know that submission is sweeter when it is given, not taken.

You may understand why I spend a lot of time banging my head against my desk…

In Spanking The Heiress, my third novel, my heroine Jennifer is in a bad position as her father has died, leaving her homeless. The Earl of Beaumont, the man who has inherited her home, needs to sell it in order to provide enough money to shore up a failing estate. He is uncomfortable with the idea of throwing her out of her home, but he can’t help but notice how attractive she is. They have an instant attraction, but his position of power over her is strange for both of them.

Q) Is this book part of a series?  If so, can you tell us about it?

 It’s the third in a loose series – the heroes of the three books know each other socially and pop up here and there, but each book can be read as a standalone novel. Of course, I encourage everyone to read all three – Spanking The Governess, Spanking Miss Sophia and Spanking The Heiress!

 Q) Can you give a fun or interesting fact about your book?

It is set in Cornwall, a county of England that my ancestors lived in before moving to Wales during the Industrial Revolution. They had worked in the tin mines until they closed, and then they switched to coal mining and working on the railways. The Cornish language is very close to Welsh, and in researching certain phrases I discovered just how much Cornish I could understand!

Q) What gave you the inspiration for your book?

 Oh, every book I’ve ever read that included secret passages and buried treasure? When I was younger and watched the Indiana Jones films, I never wanted to be his girlfriend, no matter how pretty she was. I wanted to be Indy! I very much doubt I’ll ever find a secret passage in real life, but I can live vicariously through my characters…

Q) Do you have any habits that get you in the writing frame of mind?

 Not so much, although I have discovered that I have to have warm feet. Nothing takes me out of the writing mood faster than cold feet!

Q) Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

 I plan extensively – A3 paper sheets taped together with sprawling notes over them, post-it notes attached, pictures printed from the internet – and then they develop from that organically. They are mostly fleshed out before I start though. I can’t imagine writing without a detailed plan.

Q) How much real life do you put into or influences your books?

 Very little, as my books are all historicals. I’m no Society lady, sadly! I do a lot of research though, to try and make them as realistic as I can.

 Q) What are your upcoming projects?

On August 2nd I will have the first volume of my third Ruttingdon Series novel on release – Having Faith. The second volume, called Keeping Faith, will be released a month later, on September 3rd! It was so large that it had to be split into two!

Never trust the wrong man, especially with your heart. But how does one know ahead of time he is the wrong man?

In the case of innocent vicar’s daughter Faith Halstead, governess to a middle class family with a marriageable son, one only finds out he is a cad after it is too late. Now she is alone in the world, a fallen woman, facing a bleak and uncertain future.

While leaving London in disgrace, a chance encounter on the train lands Faith in front of the darkly dominant Duke of Buckingham. He is in search of a woman to serve as his slave at an upcoming Ruttingdon Club house party, and the shy, modest young woman has unaccountably captured his attention.

Desperate for any excuse not to return home to her harshly judgmental father, Faith rashly promises to serve as the duke’s absolute slave for a week, alone with him at secluded Ruttingdon Hall.

Will his dark and brutal desires and the oftentimes sweet pain he inflicts upon her ripe body drive her away, or will the awakening desires in her heart seduce her into staying longer with him - perhaps forever?

Connect with Louise Taylor on social media:

Her website:

www.louisetaylorlove.com

Join her on social media here:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/louisetaylorlove

Twitter - @LTaylorLove

Tumblr – louisetlove

Instagram – ltaylorlove

Don’t miss these exciting titles by Louise Taylor and Blushing Books!

The Victorian Vices Series

Spanking The Governess

Spanking Miss Sophia

Spanking The Heiress

The Ruttingdon Club Series

The Incorrigible Annabelle Spencer

Annabelle’s Awakening

Having Faith (August 2016)

Keeping Faith (September 2016)

Anthologies

Halloween Treats

Twelve Days of Christmas