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Audible sample Sample
Vice (Jane Feather's V Series) Paperback – May 2, 1996
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Juliana drew the line at becoming a harlot. She had already begun the week as a bride...and ended it as a murderess. She was sure no one would believe that she'd hit her elderly groom with a bed warmer and knocked him dead quite by accident. So she did the only thing she could--she ran. Yet now she was in no
position to turn down a shocking proposition from the dangerously handsome Duke of Redmayne: that she become one man's wife and another man's mistress--his mistress.
Could she play such a role? Could she live up to such a bargain? And once she had tasted the pleasures of Redmayne's bed, would she ever want anything else?
- Print length448 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBantam
- Publication dateMay 2, 1996
- Dimensions4.2 x 1.2 x 6.85 inches
- ISBN-100553572490
- ISBN-13978-0553572490
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Jane Feather is an accomplished storyteller...rare and wonderful." --Daily News, Los Angeles
From the Publisher
"Jane Feather is an accomplished storyteller...rare and wonderful." --Daily News, Los Angeles
From the Inside Flap
Juliana drew the line at becoming a harlot. She had already begun the week as a bride...and ended it as a murderess. She was sure no one would believe that she'd hit her elderly groom with a bed warmer and knocked him dead quite by accident. So she did the only thing she could--she ran. Yet now she was in no
position to turn down a shocking proposition from the dangerously handsome Duke of Redmayne: that she become one man's wife and another man's mistress--his mistress.
Could she play such a role? Could she live up to such a bargain? And once she had tasted the pleasures of Redmayne's bed, would she ever want anything else?
From the Back Cover
Juliana drew the line at becoming a harlot. She had already begun the week as a bride...and ended it as a murderess. She was sure no one would believe that she'd hit her elderly groom with a bed warmer and knocked him dead quite by accident. So she did the only thing she could--she ran. Yet now she was in no
position to turn down a shocking proposition from the dangerously handsome Duke of Redmayne: that she become one man's wife and another man's mistress--his mistress.
Could she play such a role? Could she live up to such a bargain? And once she had tasted the pleasures of Redmayne's bed, would she ever want anything else?
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"If you insist upon making this proposition, my lord duke, I wish you would do so." Juliana spoke suddenly, breaking the intensity of a silence that had been having the strangest effect upon her. Her skin was tingling all over, her nipples pricking against her laced bodice, and she had to fight against the urge to drop her eyes from that languid and yet curiously penetrating gray scrutiny.
"By all means," he said, taking a sip of his wine. "But I must first ask you a question. Are you still virgin?"
Juliana felt the color drain from her face. She stared at him in disbelief "What business is that of yours?"
"It's very much my business," the duke said evenly. "Whether or not I make this proposition depends upon your answer."
"I will not answer such a question," Juliana declared from a realm of outrage beyond anger.
"My dear, you must. If you wish to spare yourself the inconvenience of examination," he said in the same level tones. "Mistress Dennison will discover the answer for herself, if you will not tell me."
Juliana shook her head, beyond words.
He rose from his chair and crossed the small space between them. Bending over her, he took her chin between finger and thumb and tilted her face to meet his steady gaze. "Juliana, you told Mistress Dennison that your husband died before your marriage was consummated. Is that the truth?"
"Why would I say it if it wasn't?" Somehow she still managed to sound unyielding, even as she yielded the answer because she knew she had no choice but to do so.
He held her chin for a long moment as she glared up at him, wishing she had a knife. She imagined plunging it into his chest as he stood so close to her she could smell his skin, and a faint hint of the dried lavender that had been strewn among his fresh-washed linen.
Then he released her with a little nod. "I believe you."
"Oh, you do me too much honor, sir," she said, her voice shaking with fury. Springing to her feet, she drove her fist into his belly with all the force she could muster.
He doubled over with a gasp of pain, but as she turned to run, he grabbed her and held on even as he fought for breath.
Juliana struggled to free her wrist from a grip like steel. She raised a leg to kick him, but he swung sideways so her foot met only his thigh.
"Be still!" he gasped through clenched teeth. "Hell and the devil, girl!" He jerked her wrist hard and finally she stopped fighting.
Slowly Tarquin straightened up as the pain receded and he could breathe again. "Hair as hot as the fires of hell goes with the devil's own temper, I suppose," he said, and to Juliana's astonishment his mouth quirked in a rueful smile, although he still held her wrist tightly. "I must bear that in mind in future."
"What do you want of me?" Juliana demanded. An overwhelming sense of helplessness began to eat away at her, challenging bravado; and even as she tried to fight it, she recognized the futility of the struggle.
"Quite simply, child, I wish you to marry my cousin, Viscount Edgecombe." He released her wrist as he said this and calmly straightened his coat and the disordered lace ruffles at his cuffs.
"You want me to do what?"
"I believe you heard me." He strolled away from her to refill his wineglass. "More champagne, perhaps?"
Juliana shook her head. She'd barely touched what was in her glass. "I don't understand."
The duke turned back to face her. He sipped his wine reflectively. "I need a wife for my cousin, Lucien. A wife who will bear a child, an heir to the Edgecombe estate and title."
"The present heir is, to put it kindly, somewhat slow-witted. Oh, he's a nice enough soul but could no more pull Edgecombe out of the mire into which Lucien has plunged it than he could read a page of Livy. Lucien is dismembering Edgecombe. I intend to put a stop to that. And I intend to ensure that his heir is my ward."
He smiled, but it had none of the pleasant quality of his earlier smiles. "I shall thus have twenty-one years to put Edgecombe back together again...to repair the damage Lucien has done--as much as anything, I believe, to spite me."
"Why can't your cousin find his own wife?" she asked staring incredulously.
"Well, I suspect he might find it difficult," the duke said, turning his signet ring on his finger with a considering air. "Lucien is not a pleasant man. No ordinary female of the right breeding would choose to wed him."
Juliana wondered if she was going mad. At the very least she had clearly stumbled among lunatics. Vicious, twisted lunatics.
"You...you want a brood mare!" she exclaimed. "You would blackmail me into yielding my body as a vehicle for your cousin's progeny, because no self-respecting woman would take on the job! You're...you're treating me like a bitch to be put to a stud."
Tarquin frowned. "Your choice of words is a trifle inelegant, my dear. I'm offering a marriage that comes with a title and what remains of a substantial fortune. My cousin doesn't have long to live, hence the urgency of the matter. However, I'm certain you'll be released from his admittedly undesirable company within a twelvemonth. I'll ensure, of course, that you're well looked after in your widowhood. And, of course, not a word of your unfortunate history will be passed on."
He sipped his wine. When she still gazed at him, dumbstruck, he continued: "Your secret will be buried with me and the Dennisons. No one will ever connect Lady Edgecombe with Juliana...whoever-you-were." His hand moved through the air in a careless gesture. "You will be safe, prosperous, and set up for life."
Juliana drained her champagne glass. Then she threw the glass into the fireplace. Her face was bloodless, her eyes jade stones, her voice low and bitter as aloes. "And to gain such safety...such rewards...I must simply bear the child of an undesirable invalid with one foot in the--"
"Ah, no, not precisely." The duke held up one hand, arresting her in midsentence. "You will not bear Lucien's child, my dear Juliana. You will bear mine."
Product details
- Publisher : Bantam; Reissue edition (May 2, 1996)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0553572490
- ISBN-13 : 978-0553572490
- Item Weight : 8 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.85 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,839,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #13,777 in Action & Adventure Romance (Books)
- #67,481 in Romantic Suspense (Books)
- #86,376 in Historical Romances
- Customer Reviews:
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I'm all for spunky heroines, but it was quite unrealistic to me that Juliana kept getting herself into perilous situations; the Duke coming to her rescue; them having incredible sex (which she initiated sometimes); and then dismissing Tarquin as a venal predator of women.
There was no actual romance beyond the instantaneous sex that the two fell into time and again, and I would have liked more background/backstory of the romance between Quentin and Tarquin's betrothed (forget her name).
It was all about Juliana and her point of view and I hardly got any insight into any of the other characters. Plus--really--I cannot conceive of any person--male or female--being as stubborn and outrageously pig-headed as Juliana was.
Very disappointing.
The plot was formulaic--Juliana gets into all kinds of trouble; Tarquin comes to her rescue, time after time (three times in all, I think, throuhgout the book). (I mean, the book could've been called "Tarquin saves the day"). I would have liked to know more about him--his parents, his childhood, his relationship with his brother Quentin, Lydia, and that woman who broke his heart--all of this is just hinted on. His relationship with Juliana is endearing--as is the fact that he calls her "mignonne," literally "cutie"--particularly from Quentin's eyes.
All that said, the book would have been bad had it purported to be anything but the most blatant romance novel, the "guilty pleasure" kind. Because it does not, it is quite good... Also, lots of curious details about the life in London at the time, etc.
All in all, if you like spicy romance with fairly captivating characters and not-to-bland a plot, you will probably like this.
This novel was a quick and easy read and will hold your attention. The only problem is I started to immensely dislike the "heroine". Her decision making process left a lot to be desired and it got to the point where I had to side with the duke who "purchased" her. I know many historical romance readers like "strong willed" female characters, but how can you like a character that is stubborn to the point they continue to make silly decisions which always ends in harm's way?
As for the romance, I was a little disappointed the author did not take us on a "romantic journey". Juliana and the Duke instantly lusted over each other, and love was barely mentioned, which I found odd. On the plus side, I did learn a lot about prostitution in Victorian London and the infamous red-light district of Covent Garden.
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I was quite disappointed with this one!!