BEHIND THE RED DOOR - Jackie Barbosa

Kensington Aphrodisia (Trade Paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-3458-2

June 2009

Erotic Romance Anthology

Three ladies and three gentlemen can only find love and passion BEHIND THE RED DOOR of a certain elite brothel in Regency England. The brothel has no address but is well known for housing the most beautiful paramours in England. The madam has only three requirements for the women she hires: they must be exceptionally beautiful, they must be intelligent, and they must enjoy having sex.

Wickedly Ever After

London, England - July 1816

Nathaniel St. Clair, sixth Marquess of Grenville, was determined to live up to his father’s prediction of worthlessness and licentiousness. After all, his father was constantly reminding him that is soul is black and he’ll never be able to earn his love or respect.  To Nathaniel’s great amusement his fiancée has run off with the Earl of Holyfield and he has been spared the matrimonial noose.

Eleanor Palmer was not as upset as her family believed when Holyfield, her fiancé, eloped with another woman, but she was upset when Holyfield recommended the scandalous Marquess of Grenville as her future intended. She intended to make her unwillingness to be courted by such a man perfectly clear, but when she met Nathaniel in his study they found that they have something in common besides Latin poetry.

These two dynamic characters chase each other in circles as they appease their curiosity and find that Holyfield may not have been entirely wrong. Eleanor is a delightful bluestocking young lady whose wit may be the only thing to hold a man like Nathaniel. When he finds that she is more than a beautiful body, his only hope to keep her is to offer marriage, but will she accept all of his different personas?  He can only hope that a secret excursion to the Red Door will persuade her.

Wickedly Ever After is a pleasurable tale in Regency England that explores a naive girl’s sexuality. Readers will delight in the fast-paced and clever dialog as these two characters engage in verbal battle.

Scandalously Ever After

London, England - July 1816

Calliope, or “Callie” James, is one of Madam Upshaws most famous girls at the Red Door. She’s always enjoyed her trade, from the first time she was introduced to passion as a scullery maid, and has no desire to leave the life behind until one night a mysterious gentleman purchases her services for one week, day and night.

Lieutenant Colonel Jack Prescott had not slept in weeks since he resigned his commission in the military. After giving the matter a great deal of thought, he realized that after sleeping in the proximity of his men in barracks and tents and he would need to purchase a sleeping companion simply to fall asleep again. But he didn’t count on falling in love with his ‘companion’ and he certainly didn’t plan to become a titled peer of the realm. Will his love for Callie be enough to keep them together despite society’s strict rules? 

As a well written sequel to Wickedly Ever After, Scandalously Ever After introduces some new characters and expands on some of the old favorites. Callie is an easily loveable heroine who ignores many of the social norms of the day. Jack is a tarnished hero searching for redemption. Once again Barbosa delivers a passionate plot with engaging characters.

Sinfully Ever After

London, England - April 1817

Lady Jane St. Clair has been quietly in love with Gerard Everett, Earl of Chester, for most of her life. But as a “plain Jane” she could never hope to attract his attentions, much less hold them. To her chagrined delight Gerard decides to follow his happily married friends down the aisle and he’s chosen her for his bride, but will she be able to keep her man or will he chase after the next pretty mistress who comes his way?

Gerard knows that he isn’t attracted to Jane, but as his best friend he feels that Jane is the best person to give him a chance of a ‘nice’ marriage even if it isn’t a passionate marriage. He doesn’t plan to be faithful to her, but he does hope that she’ll be content. However, unknown to him, Jane’s scheming sister-in-law and best friend Callie have planned for Jane’s unorthodox education of the marriage bed. Gerard has no idea that beneath his plain Jane fiancée is a voluptuous, passionate vixen burning for a chance to come out. Jane’s only question is whether or not Gerard will appreciate the knowledge she gains from The Red Door as his secret lover.

Sinfully Ever After is a wonderful conclusion to the BEHIIND THE RED DOOR trilogy.  In this final installment, Barbosa shows how even the plainest of women can have a secret inner sex kitten. The dialog is true to Barbosa’s talent and provides an engaging and entertaining tale perfect for reading just before bed with a glass of wine.

In her BEHIND THE RED DOOR collection Barbosa gives readers everything that they could want: lusty romance, humorous wit, and loveable characters all draped in a compelling plot. For the perfect bedtime read I highly recommend BEHIND THE RED DOOR.

Mel Mason