Artistic License (Black Lace) [Mass Market Paperback]

Vivienne LaFay (Author)

Book Description

Series: Black Lace | Publication Date: October 1, 2003

In Renaissance Italy, Carla Buonomi is determined to find a new life for herself where she can put her artistic talents to good use. Dressed as boy – albeit a very pretty one – she travels to Florence and finds work as an apprentice to a master craftsman. All goes well until she is expected to perform licentious favours for her employer. In an atmosphere of repressed passion, it is only a matter of time before her secret is revealed.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Virgin Black Lace; First Edition edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0352332107
• ISBN-13: 978-0352332103
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,454,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Vivienne LaFay is a prolific writer of romantic erotica, living in England. She is author of the Naughty Nineties trilogy and 'Artistic Licence' - all previously published as Black Lace books. She also writes sexy novels for women under the name of Vanessa Davies, and erotica aimed at couples, under the name of Rebecca Ambrose.

Her erotica for men is written under the name of Nadine Wilder, and she has also written some 'spanking' novels, for the Chimera imprint, as Rosanna Challis. Most of her work is available in Ebook format in the Amazon Kindle Store.

As well as the erotica series, Vivienne has also written a steamy romance - 'The Rock Star's Secret Wife' - under the name of Rebecca Ambrose.

Here are some reviews of this author's work:

'It is obvious the writer has put a lot of thought into avoiding the old cliches . . . Indeed, given the fact that Rebecca Ambrose under a variety of other names, is perhaps the most prolific writer of erotica working at the moment, the writing is amazingly without cliché and not at all boring . . . The characters are well rounded and, above all, believable.'
CARESS, UK erotica newsletter. Reviewer, David Weldon

'Talented authoress of Britain's very best super-sensual novels, like Dickens she is a pioneer. . . this modern literary icon writes in the newly popular and 'cutting edge' sensual lines . . . the most versatile writer of the super-sensual British genre . . . '
ROMANTIC TIMES (US) reviewer Kathryn Falk

About THE WOMEN'S CLUB (Vanessa Davies)
'Read this in bed together and hands start to wander. It took us several nights to get to the end of the book . . . Non-stop sex that leaves you little choice but to join in.'
NEW WOMAN (British Women's Magazine)

About THE MISTRESS (Vivienne LaFay)
An intriguing mix of characters, history and sex . . . wonderful details about the suffragette movement and the exciting bohemian world of artists and intellectuals of the (early 1900s). Reading THE MISTRESS is like taking a walk through the turn of the century with a lovely friend.'
Adrienne, Review on website of Erotica Readers Association

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romantic, colorful, and touching, November 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Artistic License (Black Lace) (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a big fan of the Black Lace series, but this is one of my favorites. LaFay's richly descriptive prose drew me into the world of Renaissance Italy, and her portrayal of the struggling artist Carla Buonomi, who has to disguise herself as a boy in order to pursue her dream, stayed with me long after I had finished the book. This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy erotica as an overall sensual experience; all of the senses are engaged in this story of a young woman's development as a creative and sexual person. The writing is juicy, bawdy, and fun to read. My only criticism would be that some of the language is anachronistic, but I found that easy to overlook. This is a very special novel.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Certainly one of Black Lace top ten books ..., June 28, 2004

By 

Rudolf Spoerer "dowadiddi" (Weston, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Artistic License (Black Lace) (Mass Market Paperback)

WOW ... you can't imagine how many books one has to read in this genre before a gem is found that actually has an interesting story well written with superb character development and real life erotica that does not entail the women getting the living daylights beaten out of her .....

This novel deals with a young girl, Carla, during the Italian renaissance finding family life untenable afer being pleasantly seduced by her older cousin, Stefano. Unable to endure the shame she disguses herfelf as a young man, since women alone would really not fare well in the streets, and makes her way in the world.

Carla changeds her name to Carlo and is immediately taken in by a master painter, Piero, who was a Guild member (Artist union). During this time only Guild members were allowed to sell their paintings while younger artists had to content themselves with apprenticeship positions relegated to the painstaking tasks of mixing and preparing paints for the master.

Carla managed to keep her identity secret even though she began to like another apprentice, Marco, who was also working for his Guild licence.

Of course without giving away the story, the novel is solid and holds together, with Carla trying to live her life as a man while yearning for pleasures of the flesh as a woman. It's very easy for the reader to identify with Carla's plight and the frustration of the girl trying to live through the rules and norms of the renaissance society are very very palpable ...

The author spends considerable time with the exciting life story of Carla while keeping sexual tension and erotic interludes in the forefront ....

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully told historical erotica..., June 24, 2005

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Artistic License (Black Lace) (Mass Market Paperback)

Artistic License is one of the most erotic historical novels I have read in quite a while. Vivienne Lafay creates a wonderful story with beautiful prose and almost palpable descriptions set during Renaissance Italy. The novel tells the story of Carla, a young woman who escapes her home after she is seduced by her cousin. In an attempt to protect herself from ruffians on the street and to keep her identity a secret, she changes her name to Carlo and disguises herself as a man. She is taken by an artist named Piero -- who discovers she is a woman and offers her shelter in exchange for sexual favors. She becomes his lover and artistic apprentice trying to become a guild member to sell paintings. But everything changes when she meets fellow apprentice Marco. Marco doesn't know that Carlo is actually Carla, and hiding her desire for Marco and concealing her real identity becomes all the more difficult for Carla. There are various twists throughout the novel.

The erotic scenes are wonderful and smoldering, yet lyrical and sensual as well. I couldn't keep the book down. The sexual tension between Carla and Marco alone makes the book a worthwhile read. The characters are well developed and the story is beautiful, nuance and full of layers and memorable prose. Erotica is seldom written so rich and lyrical. Most erotic novels, especially the Black Lace ones, end up reading like Penthouse letters and Artistic License (along with The Captivation, The Ninety Days of Genevieve, and a few others) is the rare exception. If you're in the bargain for a historical erotica that tells a compelling story and is intelligent to boot, do not hesitate to pick up this gem.