Welcome Victoria Vane and her herione from her new book, Jewel of the East, Salime

Please give a warm welcome to Salime from Jewel of the East by Victoria Vane today as we sit down and see what makes her tick.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not saving (the world, clients, your mate)?

I love to dance and to read Persian poetry. I was once well renowned for my dancing.

What is it about your love interest Simon that makes you crazy? 

Simon made me crazy from the start. He was so peculiar, and his eyes haunted me like a wounded animal. He kept pushing me to talk about myself when I had never revealed my past to anyone besides our mutual friend DeVere. Simon was the first man who ever truly wanted to know me.

Favorite food? Sugared dates.

Tell me a little bit about your world. What are your greatest challenges in that world?

I was once an odalisque to Mihrişah Valide, the sultan's mother, the most powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire, and the one who chooses the concubines for the Sultan. When a woman enters the harem as either wife or concubine, her life is secure. I had hoped to be chosen… but that was not to be. My chances were destroyed by a jealous rival. After coming to England, I quickly became the reigning courtesan at King's Place, the most exclusive brothel in London. But as a courtesan, a woman has no guarantees at all. If she ages or her lovers tire of her, she is as readily cast aside as a worn slipper.

Describe yourself in four words:  Pragmatic, pensive, mysterious… lonely.

What do you do for a living?

I am a woman of pleasure. I know ways to arouse wild passion in any man, and possess many secrets to gratify his deepest carnal desires.

What do you fear the most? To live without protection… without love.

 Thanks Salime for joining us today at the Reading Nook. Please go and check out Jewel of the East by Victoria Vane.

 

JEWEL OF THE EAST

(The Devil DeVere #5)

Victoria Vane

Having once lived his life only for larks, laughter, and ladies of easy virtue, Captain Simon Singleton has returned from the war with the colonies a shambles of a man. Now free from six years of captivity, he's still fettered by irrational fears that confine him to a life of seclusion.   

Once the crowning jewel of the most lavish brothel in London, the exotic Salime finds her reputation and livelihood destroyed by a bitter rival. With a closely guarded secret stripped away, Salime fears no man will ever desire her again. Seeking aid from one who once saved her life, Salime accepts a proposition to repay her debt by becoming a companion to his war-scarred friend. 

 Circumstance brings these two damaged souls together; but fate ignites a love story worthy of the Arabian Nights.

Excerpt: Jewel of the East

The air had become hazy, and his blood weighted and torpid. Another lungful of smoke brought with it a wonderful sense of well-being. His body was strangely light, as if it defied gravity, but his mind was still sharp and clear. Take care, Sin. It would be damnably easy to adopt this hookah and smoke himself into an eternal slumber.

A whisper, a rustling, and a soft jingle stole his attention.

Salime came into view again, and Simon nearly swallowed his tongue.

Good God! She wore almost nothing at all!

Her breasts rose high, round and soft as choice fruit from her bodice, a scanty garment that failed to cover more than a few inches of her torso. Her Turkish trousers were replaced with a diaphanous scarlet petticoat that revealed the shadowy outline of her long and slender legs. Low on her curvaceous hips was a heavily embroidered girdle covered with coins that jangled as she moved. With her hair hanging loose in a long, silky cascade, he couldn’t help but stare where it tickled the dimples above her lovely arse. The display of olive-colored flesh was almost too much.

"Music, Mustafa," she commanded. The tiny brass cymbals on her fingertips clattered as she clapped her hands, adding percussion to the symphony.

Her eunuch appeared with a strange lute-like instrument. Mustafa settled cross-legged in an unobtrusive corner of the chamber. A moment later the music commenced. The instrument had a tone similar to a guitar Simon had once heard played by a renowned Spanish master. At times plucking and at others strumming, Mustafa played his instrument with comparable skill.

She came toward him with a slow sway of her hips. Every movement made the coins jingle. Salime dominated the room, retreating into the music with arms outstretched and eyes shut as if she were in another world. Her head swung side to side in slow cadence with her swaying hips. Her black hair tumbled across her face. There was nothing earthly about her. That body moved unnaturally, perfectly. Her seductive undulations made his mouth go dry.

Simon lay back on the cushions and groaned. His senses basked in the sounds, scents, and sights. Even without touching her, he felt her inside him. It all seemed like an erotic dream from which he never wanted to awaken.

Erotic Historical Romance (The Devil DeVere Series)

http://www.victoriavane.com

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