The Aphrodite Academy Series by Blair Bancroft

Author's Note: This Limited Special Edition of CECILIA also includes BELLE, Book 1 of The Aphrodite Academy series. These novellas go beyond the traditional Regency novel to explore what might have happened to young women, from ladies to tavern wenches, to whom life was unkind—young women with no family or friends willing to help when their lives fall apart. This is a new genre for me, and I call it "Regency Darkside." The language is saucy, the sex occasionally graphic... moreAuthor's Note: This Limited Special Edition of CECILIA also includes BELLE, Book 1 of The Aphrodite Academy series. These novellas go beyond the traditional Regency novel to explore what might have happened to young women, from ladies to tavern wenches, to whom life was unkind—young women with no family or friends willing to help when their lives fall apart. This is a new genre for me, and I call it "Regency Darkside." The language is saucy, the sex occasionally graphic. But the stories are driven by plot and character, not the sex scenes. And traditional Happily Ever After endings prevail. BELLE. Lady Arabella Pierrepont vows vengeance on all men, only to find the one man she respects and secretly loves—the man who rescued her from her father's abuse—is the high bidder for her services as a courtesan. And now she must suffer the anguish of being mistress to the only man she ever wished to marry. CECILIA. Cecilia Lilly has but one grand ambition—to become the mistress of a titled gentleman. Unfortunately, she soon learns the truth of the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for." Yet even after suffering a severe beating by her "protector," a marquess, she finds it difficult to accept the friendship of a man on a far different rung of London's social ladder. less

Holly Hammond, an independent, sharp-tongued former tavern wench, has reached the pinnacle of her ambition, flying high as a sparkling London courtesan—until she finds herself out on the street, pregnant with twins. Her choices are few: live the false life of a widow in some distant corner of the realm or give up her child. And then, an offer out of the blue. For what might be the highest price ever placed on a courtesan, she is bartered into marriage with a stranger... moreHolly Hammond, an independent, sharp-tongued former tavern wench, has reached the pinnacle of her ambition, flying high as a sparkling London courtesan—until she finds herself out on the street, pregnant with twins. Her choices are few: live the false life of a widow in some distant corner of the realm or give up her child. And then, an offer out of the blue. For what might be the highest price ever placed on a courtesan, she is bartered into marriage with a stranger. Royce Kincade is a stalwart, upright border Scot who fixes his sight on the prize at the end of the rainbow, giving little thought to such pitfalls as his wife's determined independence, the possible outrage of his relatives, or the reappearance of the babies' natural father. Not surprisingly, both Holly and Royce are left to wonder if theirs is a marriage made in Heaven or in Hell. Author's Note: The novellas of the Aphrodite Academy series go beyond the traditional Regency novel to explore what might have happened to young women, from ladies to tavern wenches, to whom life has been unkind. I call this genre "Regency Darkside." The language is saucy, the sex occasionally graphic, but the stories are driven by plot and characters, not the sex scenes. And traditional Happily Ever After endings prevail. less