The Masque: A Hellfire Club Erotique

A Hellfire Club Erotique #1

by Kristabel Reed

Olivia Reynard must leave Paris tonight. It's the height of the French Revolution's Reign of Terror and as a nobleman's daughter, she knows it's a matter of time before she's sent to the guillotine. Fleeing to the notorious Hellfire Club, she soon finds a world of sexual pleasure she's never imagined.

Comte Sebastian de Courville has promised to help Olivia get out of Paris, but he didn't expect such instant attraction to the beautiful maiden. He wants to show her every pleasure known, but time is short and their lives are in ever increasing danger. And then there's his lover...

Julien Laruent has survived the treacherous streets of a Paris in turmoil. Now permanently ensconced in the Hellfire Club, he hasn't looked back on that time. A dangerous man to have in one's bed, he took one look at Olivia and vowed to keep her safe.

But when old enemies exact vengeance and Madame Guillotine an ever present threat, will the three of them survive long enough to find love?

This book is 30,275 words long.

94 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2011

About the author

Kristabel Reed lives on the East Coast and loves to explore the steamier side of historical romance. "There are so many sexy situations that didn't just pop up in the 21st century and my goal is to burst the myth of the prim and proper debutante."

She loves romances but historical ménages particularly which add an element of danger and discovery not seen in contemporaries. Historically speaking, unusual romantic connections put lives on the line-people were ostracized and some even put to the death.

She loves reading, watching old movies, and anything Cary Grant. And is always interested in talking about erotic romance, so drop her a line: kristabelreed@yahoo.com; or Tweet her @kristabelreed; find her blog: kristabelreed.blogspot.com

Reviews

[Arlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This falls into the historical sub-genre of erotic romance, and while I'm not a fan of historical fiction, I enjoyed this more than I anticipated. There was a fair amount of intrigue and a sense of risk and danger throughout the story that was conveyed well enough that the historical circumstances were interesting. The erotic aspect was also not hindered by a lot of the old world language and moral politics that often take any sexy out of historical erotica, as has been my experience in the past...

That said, I wish the story would have focused more on the sensuality and emotions within the blossoming relationships among the three main characters instead of all of the external drama surrounding them...as was the case wihin the last few chapters of this book.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novella. It was a interesting story with well balanced action laced with tastefully written sexuality. There wasn't a rushed conclusion and the characters were defined well enough to understand their place in the story. I found the romance romantic and the spicy sex scenes were rather mild compared to Sharon Page or lisa valdez books.

It was a quick read and I enjoyed every minute of it!