Blog Tour - Blackmail, Sex and Lies - (12/12/17)
Blog Tour
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My Review
5☆ Enthralling, Clever, Historical Murder Mystery. Fiction and Truth!
First of all I just want to take time to say how mesmerising the cover is for Blackmail, Sex and Lies.
It really does ooze elegance, regal, sexy, I actually didn't want to open it for fear of creasing the cover!
Blackmail, Sex and Lies is based on a true story and contains a selection of letters. You can view more of the real letters there is a link in the book.
This beautiful book is a Historical Fiction with a Crime/Murder twist that is executed very well.
The beginning of the book drew me in to Emile's world.
The very start spoke to me of his anguish and pain. The use of his arsenic shows the pain he was in.
He's murder, or suicide was to be uncovered.
Has Madeleine killed him or was it an overdose on his part?
Or is Madeleine being set up?
Madeleine and Emile are having a sordid affair, one that is quiet frankly doomed from the start.
Emile has no money but Madeleine is physically attracted to Emile she knows it's wrong.
You see Madeleine is from an upper class wealthy background and Emile would never be accepted by her family. He has no money or class.
Emile is older than Madeleine. He craves what she Has, wealth and stature.
So When it all becomes too much Madeleine breaks off the relationship.
But Emile is having NONE of it.
He threatens to expose their sordid affair and the intimate letters.
You see Emile died of Arsenic poisoning and although it was well known Emile dabbled in it. So did Madeleine!
So the question comes.... who killed Emile?
I really liked Madeleine she was no Angel but she was also naive, easily led, yet passionate young women.
Emile comes across as controlling, manipulative and possessive.
A disaster waiting to happen!
The one thing I really loved about this book was the intricate letters between Madeleine and Emile, the reader is treated to a insiders look at their passionate and fiery affair. I felt an intimate personal connection with the characters through the beautiful letters.
This is a very clever story, that has been enriched by the back up of reality.
I absolutely loved it.
If you've never heard of this historical crime set in Glasgow in the 1850s before, which like me I hadn't then you are in for a treat!
So if you are looking for a book that is passionate, sordid, creative, with a murder mystery, and characters that you will remember. Then This is the book for you.
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Book Extract
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Author Bio
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If you enjoyed my Blog Tour post then please share so we can get everyone reading and Talking about.....
Blackmail, sex and lies!!
Follow along with the Blog Tour details are on the Poster Below⬇
Blackmail, Sex and Lies
By Kathryn McMaster
Today on my Blog I have the most Luxurious, Beautiful Cover Book
Blackmail, Sex and Lies
I would like to thank Rachel Random Resources and Kathryn McMaster for inviting me on the Blog Tour.
This cover is so so beautiful I didn't want to open it.
Below is all the information you need and my Review.and Extract!
Also Blackmail, Sex and Lies will be dropped to 99p/c for the duration of the blog tour so Don't MISS OUT!!
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Book Information
Blackmail, Sex and Lies is a story of deception, scandal, and fractured traditional Victorian social values. It is the tale of a naïve, young woman caught up in a whirlwind romance with a much older man. However, both have personality flaws that result in poor choices, and ultimately lead to a tragic end.
For 160 years, people have believed Madeleine Smith to have been guilty of murder. But was she? Could she have been innocent after all?
This Victorian murder mystery, based on a true story, takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, 1857. It explores the disastrous romance between the vivacious socialite, Madeleine Hamilton Smith, and her working class lover, Pierre Emile L’Angelier.
After a two-year torrid, and forbidden relationship with L’Angelier, that takes place against her parents' wishes, the situation changes dramatically when William Minnoch enters the scene. This new man in Madeleine’s life is handsome, rich, and of her social class. He is also a man of whom her family approve.
Sadly, insane jealous rages, and threats of blackmail, are suddenly silenced by an untimely death.
Purchase from Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackmail-Sex-Lies-Victorian-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0758DV8CY
Purchase from Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/Blackmail-Sex-Lies-Victorian-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0758DV8CY/💌✒💕💌✒💕💌✒💕💌✒💕💌✒💕
My Review
5☆ Enthralling, Clever, Historical Murder Mystery. Fiction and Truth!
First of all I just want to take time to say how mesmerising the cover is for Blackmail, Sex and Lies.
It really does ooze elegance, regal, sexy, I actually didn't want to open it for fear of creasing the cover!
Blackmail, Sex and Lies is based on a true story and contains a selection of letters. You can view more of the real letters there is a link in the book.
This beautiful book is a Historical Fiction with a Crime/Murder twist that is executed very well.
The beginning of the book drew me in to Emile's world.
The very start spoke to me of his anguish and pain. The use of his arsenic shows the pain he was in.
He's murder, or suicide was to be uncovered.
Has Madeleine killed him or was it an overdose on his part?
Or is Madeleine being set up?
Madeleine and Emile are having a sordid affair, one that is quiet frankly doomed from the start.
Emile has no money but Madeleine is physically attracted to Emile she knows it's wrong.
You see Madeleine is from an upper class wealthy background and Emile would never be accepted by her family. He has no money or class.
Emile is older than Madeleine. He craves what she Has, wealth and stature.
So When it all becomes too much Madeleine breaks off the relationship.
But Emile is having NONE of it.
He threatens to expose their sordid affair and the intimate letters.
You see Emile died of Arsenic poisoning and although it was well known Emile dabbled in it. So did Madeleine!
So the question comes.... who killed Emile?
I really liked Madeleine she was no Angel but she was also naive, easily led, yet passionate young women.
Emile comes across as controlling, manipulative and possessive.
A disaster waiting to happen!
The one thing I really loved about this book was the intricate letters between Madeleine and Emile, the reader is treated to a insiders look at their passionate and fiery affair. I felt an intimate personal connection with the characters through the beautiful letters.
This is a very clever story, that has been enriched by the back up of reality.
I absolutely loved it.
If you've never heard of this historical crime set in Glasgow in the 1850s before, which like me I hadn't then you are in for a treat!
So if you are looking for a book that is passionate, sordid, creative, with a murder mystery, and characters that you will remember. Then This is the book for you.
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Book Extract
The novel is based on the true story of the infamous Madeleine Hamilton Smith, a young socialite from Glasgow. In 1857, she was accused of murdering her working-class lover, Pierre Emile L’Angelier with arsenic. In this excerpt Madeleine’s secret relationship with Emile, as he is better known, has been discovered by her father. However, will she be the dutiful daughter he expects her to be, or will she continue her clandestine relationship with Emile, ten years her senior, and a social-climber who has plans of his own?
‘Unfortunately for Emile and Madeleine, their numerous covert meetings had not gone unnoticed by the town’s gossipmongers and matchmakers. Despite Madeleine being short on looks, her father was not short in pocket. A marriage to Madeleine, for any young man, would be considered a profitable match. An interfering matronly-type, who was a family friend of the Smith’s, made it her duty one day to enquire about Madeleine’s new gentleman friend.
Madeleine noticed the atmosphere was tense when she entered the dining room for the meal that evening. She uttered the usual polite greetings and shuffled onto her seat. She did not look at her siblings for fear of giggling and enraging her father further. Instead she managed a sly glance down the long table towards Papa who returned a stare leaving no room for doubt she was the target of his fury.
She looked over at her mother’s seat. It was empty. The rest of the seats were occupied by her younger siblings: Elizabeth, John, James and Janet. Their eyes were fixed on their empty dinner plates waiting for the maid to dish up their food so they could escape as quickly as they could. Madeleine did not bother to engage in conversation. It was better not to, under the circumstances.
The silence of the meal was broken only by metal cutlery screeching across porcelain as the family carved their meat and speared their food. Finally, the ordeal was over and she sighed audibly as she watched her father finish his last mouthful. As she stood up to leave, his cold voice stopped her in her tracks.
“Madeleine, I need a word with you. The rest of you may go.” He dismissed them with a flick of his hand, neglecting to notice that some of them were still eating. Her father’s command went unchallenged. Her siblings pushed back their seats, abandoned their half-eaten meals, and left demurely.
Her heart raced. She had no idea why she was about to incur his wrath. She sat back down and watched as he slowly dabbed at his mouth with the corner of the starched napkin. She waited an eternity for him to fold, and then re-fold it meticulously and place it next to his side plate. There was no noise except for the tick-tock of the clock. She had never noticed how loud it could be. It seemed to be in competition with her heart thumping against her ribcage in unison.
And then it came.
“Madeleine, are you seeing a man?”
“A man, Papa?”
“Do not play games with me, Madeleine,” he warned in a slow, measured voice, cold and veiled in an implicit threat. He fixed his gaze on her, boring into her soul.
“I asked a simple question, Madeleine Hamilton, and I expect a simple answer.”
“I don’t know what you mean, Papa.”
James Smith raised his large fist and brought it down with such force that cutlery and crockery lifted off the surface and danced briefly before settling again.
“I will ask you again, Madeleine, and I will expect a straight answer from you. I’ve been told you’ve been regularly seen with a man in Glasgow’s parks and on the high street. Someone I haven’t even been introduced to, I believe. Is this true?”
Madeleine drew in her breath sharply in order to clamp down on any potential quiver, where fear might play upon her vocal cords, like bows on violin strings.
“Who told you this, Papa?”
“That is none of your concern, Madeleine. Answer the question. Is it true?”
“If you’re referring to someone I met with Bessie in West End Park, then he’s a friend. I was sure you’d been introduced, Papa and therefore saw no harm.”
She tried to sound glib but it soon transpired that her father knew far more of the relationship than he had first intimated.
James looked at her, his eyes narrowing.
“Madeleine, please listen very carefully. I forbid you to meet this man again. Do I make myself clear?”
Madeleine nodded, purely through habit, but said nothing.
“I’ve done some investigating, and I don’t like what I hear. This man, a Frenchman I believe, is paying you attention. He moves in different social circles, he has no education, no prospects, no money, and as such, he is entirely unsuitable. Do you hear me, Madeleine? And even if he were suitable, the way he has conducted himself is less than impressive. What man would dare court another man’s daughter without being introduced to the family first and asking permission?”
“He really is a very nice man. If you haven’t met him yet, please say when you will, Papa. He’s a gentleman. You’d like him. We’d like to marry one day, Papa.”
Madeleine’s heart was thumping. There! She’d finally said it. She felt brave but quaked, waiting for the response. It came quietly. There was no raised voice this time.
“If he has intentions of marrying you, forget it. I will never give my consent. Never!”
“Please. Papa, I …”
He put his hand up to stop her from continuing.
“I am appalled. Firstly, since I’m learning about this relationship for the first time, and from what you’re telling me, if there is talk of marriage, it’s been going on behind my back for quite some time. And secondly, your actions have encouraged a great deal of gossip. What were you thinking, Madeleine?”
“I’m sorry, Papa.”
She was crushed.
“You’ll end this relationship immediately! And I don’t want to hear any more pointless talk of marriage. I will have your complete obedience and compliance in this matter. I don’t expect to raise this conversation with you again. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
James Smith pushed back his chair, wood scraping against wood.
“On your word and honour, Madeleine?”
“Yes, Papa,” replied Madeleine meekly. She remained seated with her head bowed, hands folded on her lap. Her father left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
*
Madeleine remained seated. She sat in stunned silence for several minutes before flinging her folded arms onto the table and burying her head into them. She sobbed uncontrollably.
Her sobs filtered through closed doors, but no one came to comfort her. The servants returned to the kitchen, her siblings tip-toed past and scurried away. Her mother, still upstairs in her bed, was oblivious to the distress of her daughter, and too preoccupied with yet another migraine. Her father remained in his study.’
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Author Bio
Kathryn McMaster is a writer, entrepreneur, wife, mother, and champion of good indie authors. She co-owns the book promotion company One Stop Fiction (www.onestopfiction.com), where readers can sign up to receive news of free and discounted 4 and 5 star reviewed books. She is also a bestselling author of historical murder mysteries set in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Her debut novel, "Who Killed Little Johnny Gill?" was well received. All her novels are based on true stories, and she melds fact with fiction, writing in the creative nonfiction style. She lives on her 30 acre farm in the beautiful Casentino Valley, Italy for 6 months of the year, and during the other half of the year, on the small island of Gozo, Malta.
Social Media Links –
https://www.facebook.com/kathrynmcmaster.author/💌✒💕💌✒💕💌✒💕💌✒💕💌✒💕💌
If you enjoyed my Blog Tour post then please share so we can get everyone reading and Talking about.....
Blackmail, sex and lies!!
Follow along with the Blog Tour details are on the Poster Below⬇
Happy Reading!!
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