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Guest Post Author Natasha Blackthorne + Giveaway
Filed in Giveaways , Guest Post , Natasha Blackthorne , The Geeky Lover Posted on November 4, 2011 @ 6:21 am
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We are very happy to welcome Natasha Blachthorne here at Book Lovers Inc today. She writes historical romances with an erotic twist. Her Carte Blanche series started this summer with the release of Grey’s Lady and book 2, White Lace and Promises, will be released in December. Today Beth, the heroine of her series, is here to tell us about her back-story. Please give Beth and Natasha a warm welcome and join the discussion at the end to win your own copy of Grey’s Lady.
Why should men always have the power of choice when it comes to love? Is it right that we women have no choice but to sit and wait for a man decide to honor us with his declarations–usually uttered in the form of a demand? And all we as women may do is say “yes” or “no” and hope we have made a wise choice. The man still has the power to break his promises and it will be our good name and heart that bears the damage.
My mother fell into an adulterous affaire with an unknown man and as a result I was created. Her husband put her out of their house. I would have been borne in the almshouse if not for the kindness of her employer. After my mother’s death, I would have gone to the foundling home without my kindly benefactress. My unknown father also had his power of choice, the choice to abandon me. How fair is it that men have all the power of choice?
Oh, you ask what about the gentlemen? Ha! The gentlemen. They are the very worst.
A gentleman once declared passionate love for me. He said this so ardently, his beautiful brown eyes shone with sincerity. I was young. I was naïve. I believed him. I trusted him and gave my heart wholly into his keeping. And as went my heart, eventually so went my virtue.
Do you what happened next? Surely, I don’t have to tell you. You know how these maudlin stories go. He married someone else. A lady. Someone of his own class. His took his power of choice. He became a respectable family man and I was left being a soiled dove. I had a good cry over it. I may have drank a little too much at his wedding celebration. What a pitiful little fool I was. But I did not wallow in my self-pity for long. So men have needs and desires? Well, I also have needs. I also have desires. Why should men have all the power of choice? Why should they have all the enjoyment in life?
I take my own power of choice now. I chose whom, when and for how long and I select only the most handsome, wealthy, and powerful of gentlemen.
Yes, I know you are asking do I not fear discovery? This is a worry and I take it seriously. Truly I do. I live with my half-brother and his family now. He is very protective and very touchy about matters of honor. Our mother was not faithful to his father. Now he takes such matters so seriously. Too seriously. If he had his way, I would stay home all the time, working in the backroom of his cobbler shop with one eye on the children. But honestly, though I love my nieces and my half-siblings, life there is dreary. It’s all work, work and more work. Everything is shabby, everything seems to stay gritty and grimy no matter how hard I work to keep things clean. There are always more shoes to repair. I swear my eyes shall go crossed trying to sew by candlelight night after night. I never get enough sleep or time to myself. If I couldn’t go out and seek my adventures, I should go mad. I have my mother’s wild blood in me and my desires can run so high I fear they shall consume me.
I could marry a nice man and he would carry me away from all of this. I would have my own cozy home and hearth. My benefactress has introduced me to a nice young minister and to a nice young but struggling legal clerk and a nice young medical student who trembled all over and went pale when I said good morning to him. I have no interest in nice young men. It’s the wealthy, powerful, arrogant gentlemen who fascinate me. I know they will never desire me for a wife but they shall burn for me. They shall remember me.
How do I protect myself from discovery? I limit my liaisons to one single meeting. I never meet with my gentlemen again, no matter how desperately they implore me. And they do implore me. Though I am poor, the child of adultery by an unknown man and powerless in my society, I have something gentlemen desire. I have beauty, and thanks to my mother’s wild blood, I understand their hot lusts better than the women of their class. I do gain a measure of satisfaction out of leaving them burning for more. Burning for me. No gentleman shall ever forget the one afternoon he spent with me.
Today is a special day for me. Mr. Asahel de Grijs, otherwise known as Grey to his friends, is coming to my favorite bookseller to give a lecture on privateering. He is a New York man, the owner of Sexton Shipping which has a fleet of over forty sea going vessels. He is rumored to be the wealthiest gentleman in America. I know this is not true. I know exactly who is the wealthiest man in America. But Mr. Sexton is among the top three wealthiest men in our nation. He is also politically connected and quite powerful. He would be the brightest feather in my cap. I think I shall wear my shabbiest dress because it is always more thrilling when these gentlemen cannot resist the tattered, poor little bastard girl. They are slaves to their own greed for beauty.
I don’t really deride gentlemen for their focus on beauty. I appreciate a handsome face and well-made masculine form. Well, if Mr. Sexton’s physicality matches his other attributes, then I shall be entertaining a gentleman today. In private. In his carriage. But only for today. Afterwards, he shall burn for me. He will never forget me.
About the Book:
Seeking sexual excitement and conquest, poor but beautiful Beth seduces wealthy merchant prince Grey Sexton, only to find herself the pursued as he seeks to own her body and soul.
Flouting the moral standards of Jeffersonian America, temptress Beth McConnell lets no man touch her heart. Her motto is love them once and leave them burning.
But when she boldly seduces Grey Sexton, a self-controlled merchant prince from New York, she finds herself too fascinated by his ice-over-fire nature to stay away. His possessive determination to own her, body and soul, threatens to expose her secret erotic life to public shame.
But Beth will only surrender her love to a man she can trust. And Grey’s materialistic approach to relationships leaves her little reason to believe he can ever give her what she truly needs.
For these two cynical yet lonely people, can deep sexual intimacy work a miracle and lead to the opening of their hearts?
Natasha’s Bio:
Flirting with the Forbidden.
Emotional…Evocative…Erotic…Historical Romance from the Georgian and Regency Eras, set in both England and America.
Whether they are bold or shy, my heroines’ strong desires and deep emotions drive the plot—and drive their heroes to the point of no return.
I have always been a daydreamer who told myself stories of love and romance set in other times and places for my own pleasure. Eventually my story worlds became so real, they demanded to be brought out of my imagination and onto the page. It gives me great joy to finally share them with you. I hope you enjoy my story world.
I am married to my own hero and we share our life with a very quirky calico cat. I have a BA in History and I love to read, both romance and scholarly history and I listen to a variety of music from classical to reggae. But mostly I am hard at work researching and writing my next story.
Find Natasha: Author Site | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Shelfari | Book Trailers
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~*~*Giveaway*~*~
Natasha has generously offered an ebook copy of Grey’s Lady to a lucky commenter!
All you have to do is answer her question:
Common cultural wisdom claims women now have as much choice when it comes to love and sexual relationships as men. The double standard has been conquered. Do you think this is true? Why or why not?
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)
Please leave us a way to contact you.
(Email or twitter name – no way to contact you – no entry).
This giveaway is open worldwide!
Giveaway ends on November 12th and we will announce the winner on Sunday.
Good luck!
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I think the playing field has leveled a bit but not so much that it has been conquered. I think propiety and old customs still lingers even when gender rights are toted around. Men can blame testorone whereas women don't have that same excuse. I think if people do object, they wouldn't do so as publicly but the disapproval would exist.
Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com
I don't this the double standard has changed much. First, a man can sex it up and there is no real way to know unless he is stupid and contracts something nasty. Even then, lots of diseases are easier to hide for men then women. Second, we still call a woman who explores her sexuallity a whore. I don't care what strata of society you call home, we all do it. Do you ever hear men called a whore unless someone is joking around? Do I think there is a little more understanding that women have the same needs as men? Yes, I do think people are starting to better understand sexuallity. Humans have a long way to go before it is truly equal. jepebATverizonDOTnet
I think it's true but still depending on the woman and how she's brought up and how her confidence level is.
email: cruz042 at csusm dot edu
twitter: @ariannecruz07
I believe in some level it has, women nowadays are more prone to ask men out instead of waiting for them. How about the 'cougar' label, these are strong women, who own their sexuality and take what they want at any age.
Eva
evitap67(at)gmail(dot)com
Women are owning their sexuality more and more. There are still those who kowtow to the man, but those women are going the way of the dinosaurs. I applaude any woman who takes the lead in her life and loves.
Great post, luv 🙂
Good afternoon everyone,
Thank you so much to Book Lover's Inc for hosting me today. You really did a beautiful job of displaying Grey's Lady and my post.
Hello to Na, Jen, Arianne, Eva and Avril. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the question.
I think we've made a lot of progress in this area, but I don't think we'll have true sexual equality until we have gender equality. Men hold the greater balance of power in the world, ie, the pursestrings, and that will not likely change given the differences in men's and women's nature. That's not really as much of a bummer as it sounds. Women still have a lot of important advantages where sex is concerned. 😉
rina
rina.carnation@gmail.com
I do believe men and women are equal at the moment, but I also believe that women need to hide it from their friends and familie because they will be judged harshley. Internet dating has truly made a lot more possible though.
Thanks for the great post, and I think I will love your books!
auriansbooks at gmail dot com
I don't think things have changed much if you take a look at the less developed world. Woman are still considered chattel in many countries and some don't even have the right to say "no"!
tamsyn5@yahoo.com
Congratulations on the new book! It looks like a great story. I think it is somewhat true that women do initiate relationships but women still seem to be judged more harshly for their choices than men. Look at that senator who posed in the nude and claims he couldn't go to school without doing that. I don't think a woman would be able to get away with that.
mce1011 AT aol DOT com
Hm. That double standard has come a long way in being reduced, but I think it's still around to a certain extent. There still seems to be an underlying expectation for women–that they can be sexually independent, but not too much so. The words "slut" and "whore" are still applied to women far more often than to men…and even in the case of the latter, it's usually thought of more as humorous ("You're such a man-whore, har har har!").
And I totally agree with Tamsyn…in some parts of the developing world, it's absolutely forbidden for a woman to choose her mate or have a degree of sexual or romantic independence. Promiscuous man? Wrist slap–if even that. Promiscuous woman? Stoned to death.
All that said, I thank the freakin' heavens that I'm able to pick my mate…or pick no one, if I so desire. I can be a Samantha or a Charlotte (yes, absolutely everything can be explained in context of Sex and the City ^_^), and it wouldn't have bearing on my worth as a human being. Rock on.
LOVED this guest post. Can't wait to read more of Beth's story!
Alisha
myneedtoread [at] gmail [dot] com
I think that in the free world, woman have the power. Unfortunately, there are still parts of the world where a woman has no choices about her life period. It makes me sad and I don't see it coming to an end anytime soon.
That said, there are people that consider a woman all kinds of not so nice names when she decides either to not marry or just the opposite, sleep around. In some ways, we are stuck in the stone age but at least, if you are living with your boyfriend, people tend to view it as saving money.
Great post and more power to you.
maw1725@gmail.com
Hello everybody,
Lots of great comments, I am enjoying reading everyone's perspectives. Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my guest post.
I don't think "conquered" is quite there yet. Women certainly have more choices than they did 100 years ago, but I think the old values are still ingrained in most of us – men are the bigger, stronger sex. Personally, I like it that way. 😉
msculp@gmail.com
Hello Marissa,
Thank you for sharing your opinion. 🙂
Natasha