Yes, Victorian women thought about more than England when performing their conjugal “duty.” I should hope that is no surprise to anyone, but for those who require proof, I think I have it!
You see, my February release, Scandalous Lovers, revolves around a society who call themselves the Men and Women’s Club.
The amazing thing is, this club actually existed in London, England in 1885-1889. The members – an equal number of men and women – congregated for the sole purpose to discuss the history and science of . . . sex.
The real Club meetings – as do the meetings in Scandalous Lovers – seethed with sexual tension and antagonism, unfortunate by-products created by the legal and social inequality between men and women.
Yet out of this anger and frustration arose a real-life romance: the Club disbanded, but the founder and secretary married, and are the inspiration for my two lovers, Frances Hart and James Whitcox.
Robin ~ Bravo for having an H/H that aren’t fresh-faced kids. As an almost 40-something I can totally relate to both of them. From what I understand the Victorian era was pretty free thinking regarding sex so I’m not totally surprised this club existed. I’d love to read the minutes of the meetings. *waggles eyebrows*
Can’t wait to read Scandalous Lovers!
That’s really interesting. How did you find out about this club? This book sounds interesting. I like the older hero and heroine too.
Thank you, Beth! Being geriatric *winking at Sybil* I thought it would be interesting to write about a character in my own age group.
Actually, the Victorian era was pretty much like in our society: hypocrisy abounded. Many shops carried “pornography,” yet it was illegal to so much as sell a book detailing contraception. Yet a few brave physicians were coming out of the closet and saying that it was natural and healthy for women to enjoy sexual relations. And of course, as contraception became more affordable, more and more couples used it.
Hi Devon! I’m glad you like the idea of an older heroine and hero. I stumbled across information about the Men and Women’s Club when researching The Lady’s Tutor. I was immediately fascinated, but knew I wasn’t ready to write it yet, as it involved a lot more characters than what I was used to handling.
Very interesting.
I’ve always found it interesting how historical romance authors so easily gloss over the real sex-related issues from that era. Sex, from what I understand (believe me, I am NO history buff) was something to be feared – or tolerated – no matter what class you came from. But so many times that particular issue isn’t addressed. Sure, it might be mentioned briefly (she wondered if it was wrong..blah, blah) but the concept of a club, and basing a story around it, well, I think I’ll enjoy it immensely.
Thanks, Holly! I learned so much when writing Scandalous Lovers. And it was very interesting to me, as a writer, because I got to get into the heads of not two characters, but 13 (Frances and James plus 11 Club members). It was fascinating when each of the characters “spoke,” pulling the story together person by person. And to see them grow. . . . It was a difficult book to write, but oh so rewarding.
The premise sounds awesome. Putting this on my TBB list.
Thanks, Jenny! As mentioned earlier, this book was much more difficult to both write and research, but in the end, the work was so rewarding, because I learned sooooo much. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂