title: A Seduction in Scarlet
author:  Sara Bennett 
description: Bennett's latest skirt-lifter featuring Courtesan Aphrodite, a Victorian London madam, stars Portia, Lady Ellerslie, who's weary of living her life to honor her deceased husband, a war hero and favorite of the queen. Courtesan Aphrodite grants Portia's wish to spend one night at Aphrodite's establishment with the man of her choice. While in disguise at Aphrodite's Club, Portia encounters Marcus Worthorne, a man she admired as a young girl before her marriage to elderly Lord Ellerslie. The two engage in a heated tryst, which leaves Marcus obsessed with uncovering the mystery woman's identity. The complexity of the novel increases dramatically when Portia must reconcile her desire for personal happiness with her duty to her country as she and Marcus continue their sizzling clandestine affair. An intriguing subplot involving vicious attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria adds depth and substance to this pleasing historical romance. <I>(Jan.)</I> <BR>Copyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
zlib_text: **“I don’t give a fig where you think I should go!” she exclaimed.**
  
  “Don’t you see the danger? Don’t you know what the mere sight of you does to a
  man?”
  
  She opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but it was too late. His left arm
  went around her to hold her captive while his right hand cupped the back of
  her head, preventing her from turning away.
  
  His mouth came down on hers with desperation she could feel in every line of
  his body. His lips were challenging, not punishing. They were firm, warm and
  tinged with sweet wine. She had never felt anything as exciting as this before
  and she was dizzy with the heady sensation.
  
  Surer now, more confident, he softened his assault to coax an answering moan
  from her. She scarcely recognized her own voice in that sigh. Encouraged, he
  deepened the kiss and Gina knew she was being branded, claimed, owned entirely
  by this man. Only James Hunter could have robbed her of the will to resist.
  
   _Heavenly and wicked at the same time._
  
    
  
   _ **A Rake 