What a Courtesan Wants: A BDSM Regency Erotic Romance

Love love love Aubrey & Lucinda's story. Aubrey is a courtesan only to get his business back on track and to make sure his niece has a dowry to offer when she turns 18 soon. He is also a masterful dominant who has not had any emotional feelings for any of his keepers. Lucinda is a widow who is a submissive but cannot get over the death of her husband two years previous. She is ready to have her physical needs met only which is why she employs Aubrey. They teach each other to love again although is not an easy road. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

By this time, every person who knows me, knows I love Regency erotica by this author. She is writing a series about Gentlemen Courtesans and I loved the first book - but not half as much as I loved Aubrey's book - What a Courtesan Wants. This book showcased what Victoria Vale is so good at - the mix of character development with an interesting story and erotica that hits all the right spots. Reading this book was like getting caught in a room during one of Bill Nye, the Science Guy's experiments - all chemistry, all the time. Yes, you can tell I loved this book. The character of Aubrey, who is a man of color, is so very nicely painted in this book. He is a Master of BDSM, and his "keeper" (what they call the women who have hired the Gentlemen Courtesans) is a lovely widow who is a submissive. What always impresses me in Ms. Vale's books is that she treats the subject of BDSM the way it should be treated, with respect and with the knowledge that there is nothing at all wrong with kink...whether it is written from a Regency viewpoint or any other. I don't know how she does it, but she always manages to define the power exchange without really putting it into words, which allows the reader to FEEL what the participants are feeling. I will note that the copy I received was an ARC through Booksprout. But I've, as always, purchased the book also. This author is one I've been reading for over two years now. I haven't had reason to give her less than five stars on any of her books because she believes in putting 100% effort into her writing, and believes in the characters she writes about (and if you've read my reviews for long, you know I do not hesitate to give less than five stars if something is lacking). You will find no shrinking violets in Vale's books. And her books aren't meant to be read by shrinking violets either. When she develops her characters, she takes it a step farther than a lot of authors do...she reveals them down to the bone. After reading this book, I know what Aubrey was feeling every single second. And I also know that when he gets his HEA, I teared up. That's tough to get me to do when I'm reading erotica. Really tough...another feather in the cap of Ms. Victoria Vale. And now, she should march right back in her office, and write another...and another...and another - I am dying to meet the rest of the Courtesans, as well as anyone else that brilliant Vale brain can come up with

Victoria Vale has done it again! What Courtesan Wants is a wonderfully sexy read with a lot of heart. What I really love about Ms. Vale's books is they are historicals that really show the real wants and desires of her characters. There's love and courtship but also sex and kink. All things people through the ages have felt. This book was particularly good as it showed two people who are really self made in a lot of ways. Showing two strong people who learn to trust and love is particularly pognant. I look forward to more books in this series as there is an on going mystery that needs to be solved. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.