THE WILD ONE Book Winner!

We have a winner! The winner of Denise’s post is………….

Catie!!

Congrats Catie!

Please email me your address at mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces) so we can get the book out to you.

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ADDICTED by Charlotte Featherstone

Friends since childhood, Anais Darnby and Lindsay Markham have long harbored a secret passion for one another. When they finally confess their love, their future together seems assured, sealed with their searing embrace.

But when a debauched Lindsay is seduced by a scheming socialite, a devastated Anais seeks refuge in another man’s bed while Lindsay retreats to the exotic East. There, he is seduced again—this time by the alluring red smoke and sinister beauty of opium.

Back home, Lindsay’s addiction is fed by the vogue for all things Oriental—especially its sensual pleasures—in fashionable London society. In his lucid moments, Lindsay still lusts after Anais, who can neither allow him near nor forget his smoldering touch. Tortured by two obsessions—opium and Anais—Lindsay must ultimately decide which is the one he truly cannot live without.

The New Historical

A few years ago, right when I was trying to sell my erotic historical, everyone was saying the historical was ‘dead’. To a new author, who only wrote in that genre, that was a horrifying prospect. Then I got the call.

Since the sale of Addicted, I’ve seen more historicals being released, and many by debut authors, and that, really is music to the ears, because I LOVE historicals. But the new trend I see is what I like to call the ‘meaty’ historical. It’s those ones which are rich in plot, characterization and lots of really good, angsty, emotional conflict. They’re dark, sexy and kind of go back to the days of the bodice ripper~not the ripping itself, but the emotions portrayed in those early books.

Victoria Holt comes to mind when I think of this type of book! I remember stealing one of my mum’s Holt’s books and devouring it at the age of twelve. Since then, I’ve always gravitated towards the darker hero who is tortured in some way.

I love angst and emotion. I love tortured heroes and the historical setting seems to really do both justice and provides a seamless back drop for the plot and conflict.

Addicted, is one of those books. While being on the sensual side of erotic, it’s still definitely a romance, but the characters go through hell before they come out the other side. They have to work hard for their love, and their happily ever after. There’s secrets and betrayals, passion and plenty of sex, as well as opium dens. The hero is definitely tortured, and writing him was a lesson in patience, tears and strength, and while he is a Viscount, he could most definitely be the sort of man that someone knows or can identify with in this century!

That’s the interesting thing about history, you can explore so many facets of it, and I chose to explore the darker aspects of 1850’s Victorian England. I could have done anything, but there was something about the seedier side of Victorian life that I wanted to explore. And I what I learned is that while technology and medicine have changed, we as people, really haven’t. Sure, we dress different and drive cars, not phaetons, but at our core as humans, we still struggle with the same human frailties, emotions and dreams as our ancestors did.

To be honest, I just love historicals, the light ones with comedy of manners, the dark ones, the in-between ones. Doesn’t matter. I just love to get my hands on a good historical. What about you, what do you like in your historicals, and do you see any particular trends emerging in the historical market? Or better yet, is there something you want to find in a historical that you’re just not getting?

Comment and be entered to win a copy of Addicted.

Good luck and thanks to Fatin for having me here today!

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