Circle of Desire
About
Downton Abbey meets Fifty Shades of Grey.
In the gilded cage of 1890s New York, desire cuts across every social boundary. Ten interwoven encounters reveal the hidden hungers that pulse beneath the city's rigid façade—from the marble mansions of Fifth Avenue to the tenement shadows of the Lower East Side. In drawing rooms perfumed with respectability, gaslit theaters thick with ambition, and exclusive underground sex clubs, men and women of every station risk everything for fleeting moments of connection.
Circle of Desire follows ten interconnected sexual encounters, one character from each chapter moving into the next, creating an unbroken chain that ultimately circles back upon itself—a literary carousel of lust and longing that defied every convention of its time.
Watch as a street-smart prostitute seduces a rough cavalry soldier... who then sweeps an innocent parlour maid into forbidden passion... who catches the eye of her master's privileged son... who becomes obsessed with a lonely banker’s wife trapped in a loveless marriage... Each encounter leads inexorably to the next in this literary carousel of lust, where every character's deepest desires drive them into the arms—and beds—of the next.
Meet these unforgettable characters:
- Ludmila, a Czech prostitute who refuses to be anyone’s victim
- Mary, the Irish parlour maid whose innocence masks a hunger for more
- Charles, the wealthy young gentleman with surprising appetites for submission
- Eleanor, the banker’s neglected wife who discovers her own dominance
- Victor, the powerful banker hiding dark fetishes and secrets
- Beatrice, the sweet working-class girl who knows exactly what she wants
- Samuel, the Jewish playwright living a double life for his art
- Isabella, the sultry Italian actress who commands every stage—and bedroom
- Senator Harrison, the silver-haired politician with underground connections
- And more forbidden liaisons that will shock and seduce you
Told primarily from the female perspective, this erotic masterpiece gives voice to women’s desires in an age when they were meant to be silent. From tender seductions to BDSM encounters in secret clubs, from passionate affairs to calculated arrangements, no boundary is left unexplored.
Perfect for fans of:
- Spicy forbidden romances with strong female characters
- Historical, Victorian era, and Gilded Age romance and erotica
- Complicated characters and thought provoking plots
- Exploring the intersection of romance, sexuality, power, and society
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Madame Bovary, The Age of Innocence, Outlander, The Story of O.
Circle of Desire is a spicy reimagining of Arthur Schnitzler’s forbidden classic, Reigen (La Ronde).
Romance & Erotic Tropes Featured:
- Age Gap Romance (older men with younger women)
- Forbidden Love (across class boundaries)
- BDSM/Power Exchange (dominance and submission themes, roleplaying)
- Secret Affairs (married characters seeking passion elsewhere)
- Workplace Romance (employer/employee dynamics)
- Bisexual/MFF Encounters (exploring all forms of desire)
- Prostitute with a Heart of Gold
- Voyeurism/Exhibitionism (watching and being watched)
Warning: Contains explicit sexual content, BDSM themes, and morally complex characters who will seduce you completely.
Praise for this book
Ten Stars if I could!!!!!!!!!
rom beginning to end this book held my attention with characters brought to life in an excellent display of writing! The story goes full circle from one encounter into the next, each with vivid and tantalizing lust and emotions.
I felt pulled right into old New York, where every meeting sparks with secret hunger. The way each character links to the next kept me hooked, like a chain I couldn’t break. It’s bold, sultry, and full of longing that feels both scandalous and human.
Circle of Desire is a daring carousel of lust in Gilded Age New York—ten scandalous deeds linked in one unbroken chain of bold passion. Bold, intoxicating, and unapologetically erotic, it gives voice to women’s desires in an age of silence. Historical erotica at its most decadent, this book shocks, seduces, and lingers.