Victoria Vane | How A History Geek Found Her Happily Ever After

As a true blue history geek who began my writing career with historical fiction, I faced a huge dilemma when I turned my hand to writing steamy romance. Was there any way I could incorporate my geeky obsession with history into passionate romance stories? At first look, it seemed unlikely, but after a frenetic 18 months of writing, followed by five award-winning titles, the answer is a resounding yes!

Since A BREACH OF PROMISE, my erotic romance debut inspired by Georgian era play, The Belle's Stratagem, I have consistently sought my inspiration in real historical events and people. In the belief that this added element of reality gives greater depth and dimension to my stories, I have endeavored as much as feasible to incorporate real history into ALL of my steamy romances. The result has surprised and delighted readers— and has become my author trademark.

In my award-winning Devil DeVere series I use a number of real events (such as the Otaheitian Feast of Venus at King's Place Brothel) and many real people as my secondary characters. My heroine Phoebe in A WILD NIGHT'S BRIDE was closely modeled after Georgian actress Mary Robinson and her ill-fated affair with a young George IV (then the Prince of Wales). DeVere's character closely follows the rakish exploits of Frederick Calvert, who I privately nicknamed "the Bad Baron Baltimore."

TREACHEROUS TEMPTATIONS, my newest release from Entangled Publishing's new Scandalous imprint, was largely inspired by several popular novels of the 18^th century which share a common theme of virtue v. vice, and feature the planned seduction of a virgin as the primary trope. Treacherous Temptations is also such a story— darkly erotic with similar element of deception and intrigue.

It begins on the heels of the South Sea Scandal, an event every bit as catastrophic as the Wall Street crash of 1929. My characters Hadley and Mary are both closely linked to this event, as Mary's father, a commoner and clerk for the company reaped a massive fortune, while Hadley's father, the Earl of Blanchard, a company director was ruined beyond redemption. To pour salt in the wound, the Earl, (who commits suicide) is used as a company scapegoat and posthumously impeached for fraud. Rather than living with the disgrace of a lost fortune and ruined name, Lord Hadley goes abroad where he sinks deeply into debauchery and dissipation and eventually becomes a spy.

While Hadley and Mary are both fictional characters, I modeled Hadley Blanchard after Philip, Duke of Wharton, a brilliant young nobleman who also lost his fortune with the South Sea company. Disillusioned and on the verge of complete ruin, he went abroad and dabbled in Jacobite intrigue, but died early after an infamous (and short) life of dissipation.

Mary Edwardes was also modeled after a real person, a commoner by the same name, who became one of the greatest heiresses of her time, and who made an ill-fated match with Lord Anne Hamilton (Yes, he was really named Anne, after his godmother the queen!) When Mary realized her profligate husband would likely squander her fortune, she took the drastic measure of destroying her marriage records and baptizing their infant son under her maiden name— choosing the stigma of bastardy over marriage to a noble rake! The real Mary Edwardes never rewed.

In TREACHEROUS TEMPTATIONS, Mary and Hadley, whose lives are fated to intersect, are both pawns of unsavory characters— Hadley's wickedly wanton step-mother Barbara, who is mistress to Mary's equally unscrupulous guardian, Sir Richard – the man responsible for Hadley's ruin. My Mary is faced with a similar dilemma of a marriage she doesn't want when her guardian seeks to wed her off to nobleman in exchange for political favors. Hadley on the other hand, is tired of his life of deception and seeks to reclaim his lands and titles, as well as revenge on the man who ruined him. When Hadley perceives Mary is the answer to both, he sets out to seduce her— only to risk his own treacherous heart.

About the Book

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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. Learn more at her website

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