Giveaway and Guest Post: "Treacherous Temptations"

 As part of the blog tour for Treacherous Temptations, I am happy to have the author stop by for a guest post, and a giveaway of the ebook!

"Treacherous Temptations"
by Victoria Vane
Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Release Date: Jan 21, 2013

Summary from goodreads.com:

A reluctant heiress resigned to her fate… Mary Elizabeth Edwardes has one of the largest fortune's 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.

Guest Post

Now, I'd like to welcome Victoria Vane to In the Hammock for a guest post!

Here's Victoria!

Guest Post by Victoria Vane 

In the Hammock's Question: "Can you tell us more about the virtue vs. vice plots in the 18th century novels that influenced Treacherous Temptations?"

The story of Treacherous Temptations is, in a sense my homage to the popular novels written in the 18th century, in which virtue vs. vice and the seduction of an innocent were popular themes. In Samuel Richardson's Pamela: or Virtue Rewarded (1740), the plot revolves around a pretty young housemaid who refuses to be seduced by her employer, even when he goes to great lengths to debauch her in his desire to make her his mistress. In this moral tale which became the greatest bestseller of its time, Pamela's consistent adherence to the path of virtue is eventually rewarded by winning his love and becoming his wife.

Richardson's follow up Clarissa (1746) is a much darker tale with a tragic ending. Clarissa Harlowe is a beautiful and virtuous young woman whose unscrupulous family desires to become part of the aristocracy—by any means at their disposal. When Clarissa's grandfather leaves her a substantial piece of property, Clarissa becomes the means by which they think to attain their ambitions. Clarissa's brother James negotiates her marriage to Roger Solmes who promises to help James achieve his social advancement, but whom Clarissa finds boorish and physically repellant.

In the meantime, Clarissa is also wooed by Robert Lovelace, heir to an earldom and unrepentant rake. When the family tries to force her marriage to Solmes, Clarissa elopes with Lovelace, whose true intentions toward Clarissa are revenge for a slight, and far from honorable. Clarissa becomes Lovelace's captive for many months and is held at a brothel, where Lovelace eventually drugs and rapes her in the belief that it will force her hand to wed him. By this time, however, he is actually in love with her, but Clarissa refuses to give him what he truly wants—  to possess her mind as well as her body. She eventually escapes and then dies shortly thereafter. Out of guilt, Lovelace provokes a duel which leads to his own death.

Another such tragic tale is Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1782), a French epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos, that has been adapted several times over the centuries to stage and screen. The version best known to modern audiences is the 1988 film, Dangerous Liaisons, starring John Malkovich, Glenn Close, and Michelle Pfeiffer. For those unfamiliar with this story, it is also very dark with a plot steeped in seduction, revenge, and intrigue.

The Marquise de Meurteil (the model for my own Lady Blanchard) has been abandoned by a former lover. In her scheme to exact revenge, she recruits another former lover, the notorious rake Vicomte de Valmont, promising him a night in her bed if he will debauch her former lover's intended bride, Cecile Volanges. Valmont is not at first interested, as he has his eye on seducing another woman, the virtuous Madame de Tourvel. Without going into plot spoiling details, he soon enters the conspiracy and is successful in both the conquests of Cecile and M. de Tourvel, but unexpectedly loses his heart to the latter.

When mocked for falling in love by the jealous Marquise, Valmost breaks off the affair with de Tourvel which results in her decline and death form heartbreak. Similar to Lovelace's fate in Clarissa, Valmont is provoked to a duel, and killed. In the process, however, the Marquise's scheming letters are exposed to all of Paris and she becomes a social Pariah. She later contracts small pox and loses her only asset – her beauty.

Treacherous Temptations shares a number of themes and devices with these three novels. Like Clarissa, Mary is an innocent heiress who her guardian intends to use for his political advancement. Lady Blanchard, plays a role similar to that of the Marquise de Meurteil in that she is a former lover who convinces Hadley to seduce Mary for her money. Lord Hadley, like Richardson's Lovelace, perceives Mary as a means of revenge over his enemy and vows to possess her body and soul, but unexpectedly loses his heart in the process. Similar to Richardson's Pamela, however, virtue prevails and my seemingly hopeless rake Hadley is redeemed by love.

Mini-excerpt:

"That girl is Sir Richard's ward?" When the girl in the music room had introduced herself as Mary Elizabeth Edwardes he had not made the connection, but then again, wily Sir Richard had taken care not to reveal anything about the Edwardes heir.

"One and the same my love, and worth every bit of fifty thousand a year! That plump little pigeon is one of the richest women in England, and thanks to me, she is yours for the plucking."

The blood roared in his ears. It was just too bloody good to be true. The very one who held his lands was residing under Barbara's roof. The girl was not only the means to a large fortune but also of revenge. "That certainly does throw a different light on matters." He took heed not to betray his growing excitement. "But you and I both know Sir Richard would see me hanged before granting consent for me to wed his ward."

She smiled. "Who said anything about seeking his consent?"

"You intend for me to despoil her to force a marriage? My dear Barbara, such rude and crass methods don't suit me at all. The entire thing lacks finesse."

She scowled. "Then how else do you propose we get control of her fortune?"

"I would propose gaining the girl's good faith and cooperation."

"And then what? Do you think she will just hand it over to you?"

"Something very close to that."

"You are overly confident."

"Not at all," he laughed. "I have never failed to achieve my object where a woman was concerned, nor has any ever complained of my methods."

***

MY GIVEAWAY: Winner's choice of any e-book from my backlist

***

ABOUT VICTORIA VANE

A lover of history and deeply romantic stories, Victoria combines these elements to craft romantic historical novels and novellas for a mature reading audience. Her writing influences are Georgette Heyer for fabulous witty dialogue and over the top characters, Robin Schone, Sylvia Day, and Charlotte Featherstone for beautifully crafted prose in stories with deep sensuality, and Lila DiPasqua for creative vision in melding history with eroticism.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES 2012:
THE DEVIL DEVERE SERIES

Library Journal Best E-Book Romance 2012
LR Cafe Best Series Nominee 2012
A Wild Night's Bride 
• Night Owl Reviews Top Pick 
• Amazon Top 100 Best seller 
The Virgin Huntress 
• Night Owl Reviews Top PickThe Devil You Know 
• Night Owl Reviews Top Pick
• The Romance Reviews Top Pick
• LR Café Best Historical Romance nominee 2012The Devil's Match 
• Night Owl Reviews Top Pick
• The Romance Reviews Top Pick
• LASR Reviews Book of the Month December 2012
• Swept Away by Romance Best Historical Romance of 2012
• LR Café Best Author Nominee 2012
• Swept Away by Romance Favorite Author 2012A Breach of Promise 

• Night Owl Reviews “Top Pick”
• Reading Romances 5 flames and “Pen Award” 
• TBR Pile 5stars/Book of the month winner September 2012
• LASR Erotic Reviews 5 STAR/Book of the Month Nominee
• The Romance Studio 5 Sweetheart Nominee
• TRS CAPA Nominee 2012 
CONTACT:victoria.vane@hotmail.com
Web: http://authorvictoriavane.com
Blog: http://victoriavane.wordpress.com
Twitter: @authorvictoriav

Giveaway

GIVEAWAY RULES:

The author and publisher have generously provided an ebook copy of "Treacherous Temptations" for a lucky follower of my blog!

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :)

• INTERNATIONAL
• Must be a follower to enter
• Ebooks/codes will be mailed out by the publisher
• Must be 18 or over 

• Ends Mar 12

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

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