I’m only a month away from my upcoming 2017 release, Only A Mistress Will Do, so this week I’m returning to Mistress for some more snippets before its release on April 4th.
I’m continuing with Chapter One of Only a Mistress Will Do, and here is the link to that previous post if you want to catch up. Miss Violet Carlton is a woman facing a horrifying decision: become a prostitute in order to live or retain respectability and starve. Madame Vestry, owner of the House of Pleasure, has agreed to see Violet and evaluate her as a prospective employee. (Creative punctuation used to conform to the WWW rules.)
Launching a Frigate by Thomas Rowlandson
“Let me see you walk, please.” With a crisp snap, Vestry pulled the curtains open and nodded to the path between the sofa and fireplace.
Violet straightened her skirts as best she could. Suddenly stiff and self-conscious, she concentrated on putting one foot before the other until she came face to face with another obscene painting; she clenched her hands and averted her eyes.
“Turn please.”
Feeling more and more like a horse or a cow at Smithfield market, she did as she was told, hopefully with a bit more grace.
In reward, Vestry gave her a slight nod. “You speak and move as befit your station, Miss Carlton. With a little training, I suspect you will be quite popular with our patrons, so I should be able to command a high price for your virginity.”
Violet’s feet tangled in the plush carpet.
BLURB:
The man of her dreams…belongs to another woman.
Destitute and without friends, Violet Carlton is forced to seek employment at the House of Pleasure in London. She steels herself for her first customer and is shocked when the man rescues her instead of ravishing her. A grateful Violet cannot help but admire the handsome Viscount Trevor. But she must curb her desire for the dashing nobleman she can never have because he is already betrothed to another . . .
Tristan had gone to the House of Pleasure for a last bit of fun before he became a faithful married man. But when he recognizes the woman in his bed, he becomes determined to save her instead. Now, his heart wars with his head as he falls for the vulnerable courtesan. Unable to break his betrothal without a scandal, Tris resolves to find Violet proper employment or a husband of her own. Still, his arms ache for Violet, urging him to abandon propriety and sacrifice everything to be with the woman he loves. . . .
Only A Mistress Will Do is available for pre-order on
Amazon and B & N.
Books in the House of Pleasure series:
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
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Strange how cavalier some peeps are at the idea of a woman forced into prostitution by the very society that condemns prostitutes.
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What an awful situation that far too many women have had to face! I hope she finds a way to make this work for her.
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Yes, way too many, Christina. She’s plucky, though. She’s going to land on her feet eventually.
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I feel so bad for her. I hope something good comes from this.
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We shall wait and see, Kimberly. It’s always the darkest before the dawn, they say. 🙂
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I wouldn’t be super thrilled to be told what to do, but this is a great scene! 😀
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Thank you, Amy! I really wanted to paint the picture dark in the beginning. 🙂
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Poor Violet! but one has to eat…this is a really intriguing story and I can’t wait to read the whole book…great (if sad for her) snippet.
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Yes, this is quite the low point in her life, but as she said in the last snippet, she decided she wanted to live, and this is the price she has to pay to do so.
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Wonderful snippet, Jenna. You pulled me right into the scene. Love the touch of humor.
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Humor always helps a tough situation. LOL I don’t think Violet was amused, however.
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Oh, poor girl! It’s horrible she had to make that choice. I understand why her feet got tangled up with Vestry’s comment. Great snippet! 🙂
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Thank you, Jessica. Women had so little power back then, so little they could do, especially if they had no funds or family. Hard choices were often a the norm, and the reason many women married men they didn’t love, just to have a home and security.
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What an awful position to be in (Hmm, I should rethink that phrasing!). Can’t wait to read more, Jenna!
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LOL, Nancy! I’m glad you’re enjoying it so far!
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This sounds like such a good one! And, your cover is beautiful.
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Thank you so much, Cara! This has been my favorite book since Scandal. I really like the story and characters.
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That’s such an awkward position to be in, for more than one reason. I hope Violet at least likes the guy who chooses her.
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Well, and therein lies the tale, Carrie-Anne! 🙂
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Oh well, in this line of work she won’t have to walk across rooms very often, and it doesn’t matter how she ends up on her back, right? 😉
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Well, the House of Pleasure is a higher class brothel (is that an oxymoron? LOL) so the Madame wants all her girls to seem high class as well. But, yes, the end result will be horizontal, not vertical.
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