What was socially acceptable in ancient Greece raised eyebrows in Victorian England, but of course many mores that would have been quite acceptable in most societies over the centuries would have scandalized the very proper ladies and gentlemen of Queen Victoria’s court.

“Refined deportment” was a course of study for young women, proper conduct being a measure of social standing and success—as well as a necessity for those wanting to be granted entry to the growing upper classes. There were rules for everything, and they varied according to one’s location, the situation, and so on. Mourning was strictly enforced, with relatives of the dearly departed constrained against wearing colors or attending pleasurable functions for specific periods of time, depending on the closeness of the relationship.

Widows, poor souls, were expected to wear full mourning for two years—and it didn’t matter if they were thrilled that their husbands had left them in peace by kicking up their toes! What if the merry widow looked ghastly in black? It was a scandal if she chose to disregard convention and switch her bombazine “widow’s weeds” for the milder mourning forms of gray, mauve, or white! (My thanks to this site for focusing me on Victorian etiquette. Take a look—you’ll learn much about what it took to be a lady or gentleman during that era! http://logicmgmt.com/1876/etiquette.htm)

Needless to say, Victorian customs lent themselves to creating a “ton” of scandal, and Anh Leod’s “Aphrodite’s Necklace” points out the schism between acceptable behavior in the age of the Greek gods and Victorian times. While “Madamoiselle Makes a Match” focuses on the underside of Victorian behavior, it points out that in every society up to that time, there were standards that weakened for young gentlemen seeking their pleasures, while women of the lower classes were still expected to “act like ladies” even if that sometimes meant starvation.

Scandalously Yours is a box set of eight stories by bestselling, award-winning authors whose stories range from ancient and medieval Celtic settings to Regency England, post-Civil War Missouri, and the American west. Whatever the period, the awesome tales of love’s triumph over conflict will warm your hearts!

Excerpts:

From Wilder’s Thief, by USA Today bestseller, Josie Jax

Well, she was robbing a bank. That certainly qualified her as barmy. But dang it all to hell, she couldn’t afford to slip into the coddling arms of her wild imagination, not in the middle of a cussed hold-up of all things.

From Aphrodite’s Necklace, by Anh Leod:

Holding such expensive gems made her feel funny, as if her heart and senses wanted to jump out of her skin. What felt almost like a cool breeze lifted her skirt and the air caressed her womanflesh. She shuddered and looked around. Thankfully, no one was paying any attention to her.

From Madamoiselle Makes a Match, by Kate Rothwell

Summoning all of her bravery, she darted in and landed a quick kiss on his chin but then backed away at once. “There. I was the first to touch. You want to touch me now?”

From Seducing Laura, by Lynne Connolly

That reminder of her one disastrous youthful indiscretion nettled Laura. It was something she preferred to forget. She sipped her tea and allowed her quick temper to subside within her. “That was an entirely different case, and our parents dealt with it smartly. Besides, I wasn’t an heiress. Belinda is. You know we have to be constantly on our guard against fortune hunters.”

From The Brass Octopus, by Maeve Alpin

“You seem uncharacteristically bothered. You do love to judge others, but you are usually quite calm about it–especially here among all your friends…the books.” Polly’s eyes gleamed as she flashed a wry smile. “What did he do?”

“He read a passage of Early Experiences out loud.”

From Beneath a Cornish Moon, by Ann Jacobs

The night seemed as fitting as any might be to stand vigil o’er her sire’s earthly remains. While her silent future husband stood the first watch at the foot of the bier, Lea sat beside the window, her head bowed as she fingered her rosary beads.

Silently Lea grappled with stark reality. She glanced toward Alain. His expression told her naught. He appeared as dark as the night, as mysterious as the Eucharist. No less overwhelming now than when he had worn full armor, he made her tremble, yet lent her strength by his presence.

A strength Lea appreciated more as hours went by and she endured the rituals of saying farewell.

From Timeless Voyage, by Cornelia Amiri

Her captive’s extraordinary eyes, fathomless as the sea, drew her to him. How could a Roman be so handsome?

Thoughts swam in her head. I do not know him. Even if I did, he’s a Roman. I have to hate him.

Laig the Dark headed scowled. “We leave no survivors, save for the Roman slaves we set free.”

From Wooing the Librarian, by Jane Leopold Quinn

In his life before becoming a preacher, in his bounty hunting days, he wouldn’t have bothered with a proper looking woman. He’d needed the easy, no commitment, no responsibility, no-morning-after type of woman back then. It was all different for him now. Now he wanted the morning-after woman, the family, the promise of forever.

About Scandalously Yours authors:

In August 2014, a well-known publisher of erotic romances announced a downturn: slowed sales, layoffs of editors and cover artists, and most important, later and later royalty payments. Authors began requesting reversion of rights, and subsequently a group formed, consisting mostly of former authors of this publisher. Box sets had become the project of the time, and so Under the Sun Publishing was formed as a division of Inkwell Royalty Solutions, to revise former titles from this publisher and bring those that fit the UTS guidelines out in box sets. We have since expanded our offerings to include books originally published elsewhere and never-before-published novels and novellas.

The guidelines: all books would be romances between one man and one woman, sensual to frankly erotic but without the coarse language many readers find objectionable. The first of these sets was released in September 2015, followed by two more in October and November. Book four, the first historical set, was delayed while we evaluated effectiveness of promotion, and Scandalously Yours will enjoy a twenty-stop blog tour before and immediately after its release on March 8, at multiple booksellers rather than as Kindle exclusives.

Under the Sun hopes readers will enjoy the stories it has compiled for them and pass the word along that its box sets are not only great reading but also great bargains!

Buy links:

Amazon.com—http://www.amazon.com/Scandalously-Yours-Eight-Scandalous-Seduction-ebook/dp/B01BFZXVD6/

All Romance Ebooks–https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-scandalouslyyours-1975255

Kobo– https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/scandalously-yours-2-166.html

Smashwords– https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/612550

Books will also be available at barnesandnoble.com and iTunes (Apple), but buy links are not yet available for them.