Parisian World's Fair 1889 and Menage series

Central Dome of the Fair from http://www.mcmahanphoto.com/

The fair is a backdrop for six ménage stories throughout the six months the fair ran. With thirty-three million people having gone through the fair, six stories does not seem unreasonable. There was a mystery and mystique to the Parisian Exposition. It was before the days of television and internet videos; people didn't know much about the world outside their country or even their cities and towns. To go to a fair where the world was coming to them and they could see and experience an Egyptian belly dance or taste a Mexican tamale was the height of exotic to them.

There was as much wonder and joy in the eyes of the goers as was seen when we landed on the moon or the first tablet was delivered to your hands.

In the Parisian series, each story explores not only the wonders of the fair, but the wonders and excitement of new experience in both sex and love. In the first of the series a frigid wife is awakened by a beautiful Egyptian courtesan. In the second we will see a powerful man, used to getting everything and anything be seduced and conflicted by both another man and a woman when they do not bend to his will. Later in the series we will see a wallflower test the limits of her fortitude and a spinster shock her suitors by telling them she enjoys her freedom from marriage. 

 And there will be a rake, because how could there not be? And this rake will be outmatched in every conceivable manner!

Historicals and the frigid wife

The frigid wife is one of the classic ploys in romance literature. A wife who is untried and frightened and the husband who needs to cajole her into experiencing the sensual part of her nature. It has been used again and again in many forms and I decided to use it in Seduction of My Proper Wife but with a twist.

As with many of my stories; a third party is involved in the de-frigiding (yes I know it is not a word) of the wife, Lillian. But this time that third party is a paid companion...a female paid companion. There is a line in the book that says a woman is much more gentler with these matters.

That is how I show Lillian's awakening, with a woman guiding her to become aware of her own sensuality. What it awakens in her is a lust for both her husband, Philip, and for the woman who helped her realize her lust for life, Aria.

But it's all in how a threesome will last when Victorian morals were  too rigid and condemning.

Seduction of my Proper Wife: A Victorian Menage at the Parisian Expostion

Curious, Lillian wanted to touch the fine fabric, to push it aside and see what lay behind the covering, but Hasina acted as if on a mission and hurried her along. No doubt, Lillian thought bitterly, because the Egyptian wished to close the monetary deal with Philip.

But then they reached the far end of the hallway and those thoughts fled in the face of such vibrancy.

The candle-lighted walls were painted in vivid colors, some with floral designs, others with life-like representations of people. Dozens of rugs covered the floor, each an intricate pattern colorfully and beautifully finished down to the last stitch. Dazzling pillows covered the rugs, and as far as Lillian could see no chairs populated the room.

In the center of the room a working fountain sat, water gushing out of the top to trickle down the rest of the tiers. Above that a small domed skylight allowed in the faintest of moonlight.

Only now did women start to move into the room from behind curtained doors. Lillian stared, unable to stop herself. If she’d been mesmerized by the gracefully undulating bodies before, she was shocked and enthralled now.

These women had discarded any semblance of modesty and walked into the room clad only in a single swath of the sheer fabric they danced in. Their tops, the triangle-cut material that barely covered their breasts and was held up only by the thinnest of strings tied behind them.

Beneath the fabric they were completely bare.

Lillian stiffened and, realizing how she stared, lowered her eyes from the sight.

She felt Hasina patiently waiting beside her, but it took a moment for Lillian to raise her eyes and quell her embarrassment enough to look at the other woman. When she eventually did, Hasina moved to stand before her.

“This is our common room,” Hasina said as she waved to the women, who had taken a keen interested in Lillian, behind her. “Here you’ll find some of my girls relaxing or enjoying a meal. On rare occasions, a gentleman or two will enjoy this space with the girls.”

That last statement surprised Lillian. She hadn’t expected anyone else to be here, but then that had been foolish of her to assume. If Philip could procure their services for her, then of course these women were sold to men who wished to enjoy them.

 

Where to buy:
All Romance
Amazon
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble

Excerpt: Seduction of my Proper Wife: A Victorian Menage at the Parisian Exposition

Philip Thornton only wanted to help his frigid wife enjoy their marriage bed.

Lillian agreed, but once freed from her past, hadn't expected such a fierce transformation.

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?

“Would you like to spend time with one of them?” Hasina asked then added, “Or perhaps more than one?”

Shocked, though he realized he shouldn’t have been, Philip stared mutely at the small woman who seemed undeterred at his silence.

“A finely dressed man such as yourself must have exquisite taste in female companionship.”

Appreciating Hasina’s lack of information, he had, after all, come to the dances without Lillian, Philip shook his head. “This isn’t what I expected,” he admitted. “This type of offer. But I must decline. While the offer does hold temptation, I must decline.”

“This would be a unique experience,” Hasina insisted in the same clear, even voice. “One you’d remember for the rest of your days. A delight as you’ve never known.”

“In another circumstance,” Philip said, “I may have accepted your offer. However, I’m newly wed and am cursed to truly love my wife.”

He’d had hoped the bitterness he currently felt didn’t bleed through to his words, but knew that not to be the case. Hasina cocked her head and moved further into the room, feeling obliged to follow her, as they still conversed, Philip did so.

“Cursed,” she repeated. “Such an interesting word for a man truly in love. Why is it you are cursed?”

Philip took a moment to reply then said simply, “It’s a private matter.”

“I am but a stranger,” Hasina said with a quick smile. “And there is nothing more private than confiding in a stranger. Allow me to help. Unburden yourself.”

Tempted, Philip took a moment longer to debate the wisdom of her invitation. She was right; she didn’t know him, know anyone he did, and he was desperate.

“My beautiful wife is unable to fulfill her duties in our bed,” he admitted.

“Is she ill?”

“No,” Philip whispered, the truth of seeping into his words. “She’s afraid.”

“I see.” Hasina nodded. “She’s cold to you.”

Nodding, Philip realized what he’d said and stepped back, nodding in farewell. “Goodbye. I’ve said too much as it is.”

Where to buy:
All Romance
Amazon
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble

Lack of the Death of the Historical

Downton Abbey, Les Misérables, Anna Karenina, Copper, Mad Men, Spartacus, Boardwalk Empire, I could go on!

It is also my understanding that ABC is developing a new historical set during the Gilded Age. My point in mentioning all of this is that the historical's death has been greatly exaggerated! The historical story transports us to a place and time we could never dream of imagining in real life. A contemporary fiction story can take us to all corners of the world and some of the most exotic locales but a historical can truly take us somewhere we can't go now.

In my latest story, Seduction of My Proper Wife, a Victorian Ménage at the Parisian Exposition, aside from it being a mouthful, it takes place in Paris 1889 during the famous World's fair that brought to being the Eiffel Tower.

I was recently in Disney world and walked through the Epcot Pavilions and I just know Disney would have given his left eyetooth to get the magnificent Pavilions they had at the 1889 Fair. That fair was visited by millions and is arguably one of the most successful fairs in history. So many countries brought so much to Paris for those six months, it was exotic and erotic all at once. A true feast for the senses. And I could not help but to set a story amongst such wonder.  

There was both an innocence and a savvy in the Victorian era that is so much fun to play with as a writer. The face of the prim and proper that is accepted history of the Victorians but there was also the seedy underbelly that exists throughout time. The mystique and allure of the unknown and the curious.

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. 

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