BLACK SILK - Sharon Page
Kensington Aphrodisia
ISBN: 978-0-7582-1471-3
April 2008
Erotic Historical Romance

London - 1819

Mousy Maryanne Hamilton has a secret: she edits the stories of former courtesans and she and her partner, another courtesan, publish these stories into books.  The illegitimate daughter of an erotic artist, Maryanne is no stranger to eroticism, despite being a virgin.  The publishing started as a way to help impoverished women, but now Maryanne is in trouble.  They owe a large sum of money, and her partner, Georgiana, has disappeared again.  When Maryanne receives a note from Georgiana begging for help, Maryanne heads to the notorious Mrs. Master’s debauched house party.  Trying to escape a group of men pawing at her, Maryanne slips into a room, and finds Lord Swansborough – the man she secretly fantasizes about as she edits her stories.

Two women have recently gone missing, and witnesses claim that they saw Dashiel Blackmore, Viscount Swansborough, with the victims.  Dash is sure that the disappearances have something to do with Lord Craven and his white slavery trade, but has no proof.  The only way to find it is to join the naughty scavenger hunt the victims were participating in.  A run-in with his cousin at Mrs. Master’s sends him to find privacy and a bottle, and when a masked woman invades his sanctuary Dash figures a wild bout of sex with a courtesan will help him achieve oblivion just as easily as the brandy.  His night with “Verity” is just as wild as he’d hoped it would be, and her assertion that she is a novice to the trade adds spice to an already amazing night.  Though he doesn’t usually carry on affairs, he’d like to see more of Verity, but circumstances call him away from London.

Three months later, Maryanne is forced to admit that her adventures as Verity will have long lasting consequences.  She doesn’t want a forced marriage, and the fact that she led Dash to believe she was a courtesan absolves him of blame, but Maryanne’s brother-in-law and guardian insists on a wedding.  Maryanne has always been the peacemaker in her family, and when her refusal to tell Dash about the baby and force a marriage begins to come between her sister and brother-in-law, she gives in.  While Dash is intrigued to find out that Verity is in fact his friend’s sister-in-law, and knows that they will suit, he can’t help but wonder if she is involved in the plots against him.  His uncle has repeatedly tried to kill Dash to gain the title, and some unknown person is framing him for the abduction and murder of women.  Maryanne is obviously keeping secrets from him, but are they the kind of secrets that will hurt him, or is he leading her into danger?

BLACK SILK is an intriguing erotic novel.  At times, Maryanne seems like a lady ahead of her times.  Her parents never married, and Maryanne and her sisters, Venetia and Grace, along with her mother, led the village to believe that their father worked out of the country.  She grew up living a lie and now, with her sister’s respectable marriage to an Earl, Maryanne is considered an eligible young lady.  Unfortunately, Maryanne also grew up believing that promises are never kept, and love is no guarantee of happiness.  She is grateful to have gotten through the Season without an offer of marriage, and when she meets Lord Swansborough and realizes that if she doesn’t leave she will be ruined, Maryanne is willing to take the chance.  She’s not sure if her desires are what a “respectable” lady should be feeling, but she wants the adventure.  Dash is haunted by his past, hunted by an unknown enemy, and feels responsible for the recent abductions, because he believes the sole purpose is to hurt him.  What was supposed to be a mindless night of sex with an experienced woman turns into so much more, and though a part of him is worried that Maryanne is not all that she seems, he can’t help but hope that with Maryanne he might have a future.

Fans may recognize both characters from Ms. Page’s previous novel, SIN, which featured Maryanne’s sister, Venetia, and Dash’s friend, Marcus.  While it may be helpful to know more of the background and how Maryanne came to be in the situation she begins in, this is really her and Dash’s story and can be read alone.  The sex scenes between Maryanne and Dash are steamy and adventurous, but as the story progresses they also become more emotional.  The mystery of the abductions and the attempts on Dash’s life are also a large part of the story, and are woven seamlessly into the romance.  An enticing and enjoyable story, be sure to pick up your copy of BLACK SILK.

Jennifer Bishop