Youth and beauty are a courtesan's greatest assets. At forty-one, Lady Ruth Attwood appears to have lost both, as her latest lover just abandoned her for a younger mistress. Struggling with the knowledge that she's no longer considered desirable, she's uncertain whether to be offended or flattered when a younger man makes her an unusual offer. In need of funds, she agrees. But then she does the unthinkable. She falls in love.
Despite his reputation as a man's man, Baron Garrick Stratfield has never been with a woman. His physical impairment is such that he knows not even a whore will touch him, and he needs a mistress who's willing to be kept without sharing his bed. But passion is just a delicious kiss away because his new mistress is wreaking havoc with his senses. Worse yet, someone is not only out to ruin his reputation, but frame him for murder.
Reviews for Pleasure Me
"I loved every passionate, captivating word of Pleasure Me. I have never anticipated a love scene with such fervor before. This book will enchant you." — Julianne MacLean, USA Today Bestselling author
"I was hooked and spent the whole day reading this sizzling, sensual, engrossing tale." — Barbara Vey, Publisher's Weekly
Beyond Her Book
"Multilayered, sexually charged, innovative and emotional, Burns' novel will touch readers..." — RT BOOKreviews
"Ruth and Garrick have great physical and emotional chemistry. They perfectly complement each other..." Desert Island Keeper Award — All About Romance
An award-winning author of erotic romance, Monica Burns penned her first short romance story at the age of nine when she selected the pseudonym she uses today. From the days when she hid her stories from her sisters to her first completed full-length manuscript, she always believed in her dream despite rejections and setbacks. A workaholic wife and mother, Monica believes it's possible for the good guy to win if they work hard enough.
Also by Monica Burns:
Assassin's Heart by Monica Burns
Book 2 in The Order of the Sicari series
Penguin/Berkley
ISBN 978-0-425-23652-9
Assassin's Honor by Monica Burns
Book 1 in The Order of the Sicari series
Penguin/Berkley
ISBN 978-0-425-23416-7
Kismet by Monica Burns
Penguin/Berkley
ISBN 978-0-42523-215-6
Mirage by Monica Burns
Samhain Publishing
ISBN 978-1-59998-831-3
Dangerous by Monica Burns
Samhain Publishing
ISBN 978-1-60504-121-6
An Interview with Monica Burns
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Monica, thank you so much for talking with us. Your featured book is Pleasure Me and its the emotionally charged tale of a courtesan whose youth is fading and a man who believes his physical impairment makes him unacceptable as a lover. Please tell where the idea came from.
MB: The idea for Pleasure Me was a team effort between me and my editor. At a conference, we were talking about what kind of historical I would write next, and I indicated I wanted to write an older woman/younger man story. An earlier work, Love's Revenge, had been popular, and I wanted to explore the topic a little deeper. Her immediate reaction was to ask if I could make the hero a male virgin. I was taken aback by the request, because I write alpha males. My first reaction was one of those "oh hell no" moments.
HH: We're so used to the same historical story lines and this is enticingly fresh. Why do you think it will appeal to historical romance fans?
MB: I think Pleasure Me is going to appeal to a large segment of the romance readership. First, the average romance reader age ranges from 30 to 49. From the age of 40 plus, women are experiencing a host of issues related to their age. There's the onset of menopause (I experienced peri-menopause at around the age of 32), the societal point of view as to what age makes a woman over the hill. Our regrets about our bodies. As we age, those saddlebags are harder to get rid of, you can't eat or party like you used too, all of these types of things.
I believe Pleasure Me will appeal to this core group of readers, because they're going to see themselves in the book. They're going to understand Ruth and what she goes through. Ruth has to come to grips with the reality that she's no longer the young, beautiful courtesan she used to be. There's a dynamic in the story about how women feel and view themselves. With Ruth, I wanted her to accept the fact that while she was growing older, she was still beautiful and desirable enough for someone to love her.
HH: What do you like best about Ruth and how will readers identify with her?
MB: I love that Ruth kind, considerate, thoughtful, and caring about Garrick's feelings. She wants to make him feel comfortable when he's with her. Her parents had a marriage of love that went really wrong, and he threw her mother out of the house before Ruth was born. Her father rejected her when her mother died, and she was forced to embark on her courtesan career. That rejection is why she started her orphanage. She wants all of the children in her care to feel safe. I think readers will identify with Ruth's nurturing nature.
HH: What can you tell us about Garrick and how is he different from any hero we've ever read?
MB: Garrick is a wonderful hero who's been emotionally traumatized by a sadistic uncle. As a direct result of his uncle's treatment, he's embarrassed and humiliated about his deformity. While his efforts to create a false reputation of sexual prowess are fairly successful, he knows it's all a pretense, but he doesn't beat himself up about it too much. I love his wonderful sense of humor, his desire to make other people happy, and his deep romantic soul. He's a semi-alpha. He knows what he wants and he goes out and gets it, but he does it in such a way that he doesn't overpower Ruth or others.
HH: What sort of research did you do for this work?
MB: The only way I could even think about writing a virgin hero was if I were able to give him a disability or deformity of some sort. I needed something that would cripple him emotionally to the point that he wouldn't want to sleep with a woman. In my research, I came across a medical deformity called the distended testicle. This defect is where one of the testicles doesn't drop down at birth. This happens to about three percent of the male population. Most of the time, the problem corrects itself, but in one percent of males the problem doesn't correct itself naturally. Today surgery can address the problem as doing nothing can increase the possibility of prostate cancer.
However, in the late 1800s, this type of physical deformity would have been viewed in a negative light because a man needed to be able to sire children and produce an heir, particularly if one was a peer. Men were also defined by their sexual prowess in this era, so any type of physical deformity would have been cause for emotional distress. There wouldn't have been any surgical fix. Going to the doctor for the problem might have easily increased the hero's emotional trauma because science still had a long way to go when it came to understanding the human sexual organs.
HH: What else do you have in the works for lucky readers?
MB: Well, I'm currently finishing up the last book in my Sicari series, and I've got some ideas for a couple of new paranormal historicals. I'd like to do a time travel series I've had in my head for about seven years now.
HH: Monica, you inspired me in your biography when you said you believe the good guy can win if he works hard enough. How have you applied that belief in your own journey?
MB: I love Galaxy Quest, and the quote Never Give Up, Never Surrender is pretty much what I live by. There have been times when I've come close to quitting this business, and then something shakes me back to my senses. I just keep plugging away, building readership, one reader at a time. I firmly believe that I can be successful if I work hard, and Never Give Up, Never Surrender.
HH: If you weren't a writer, you'd be a...?
MB: An actress. I wanted to be one when I was a kid. Wanted to earn an Oscar. I can even remember practicing for winning one! LOL I acted some in college, and was pretty good, but I didn't have the guts to stick with it. Chickened out of going to NYC on my own. So I wrote my own stories if I couldn't act in them. I think that ending's turned out a lot better. I'm the director as well as the actor. LOL
HH: What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
MB: Without a doubt, hands down, milk chocolate maple creams. They look beguiling and perfectly harmless, but these little bite size morsels are sin waiting to hit your hips. They're awesome. I have to take care not to go near the candy store when I'm depressed. I'll buy a pound or more and then those candies are gone in about 24 hrs. NOT GOOD!
HH: What is your biggest hope for 2011?
MB: Well, obviously I'm not going to win an Oscar. *grin* So I'd be happy if one of my books fared well in a national contest. I've entered Kismet in several, trying to build up the readership, word-of-mouth aspect. Awards are fun, and I can show them off to my family. LOL
