Love's Masquerade [Paperback]

Radclyffe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2004

Plunged into the often indistinguishable realms of fiction, fantasy, and hidden desires, Auden Frost discovers a shifting landscape that will force her to question everything she has believed to be true about herself and the nature of love.

It began one winter morning when Auden set out to interview for a much-needed position as an editor in the nonfiction division of Palmer Publishing. Haydon Palmer, however, the powerful young head of the company, offers Auden something far different—something that ultimately forces them both to confront their deepest fears and utmost desires. Unable to resist Hays's challenge and unaware of the charismatic woman's closely-guarded secrets, Auden soon finds herself on a journey that will transform both their lives.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Radclyffe is a two-time recipient of the Alice B. award for lesbian fiction and has written numerous best-selling lesbian romances (Safe Harbor and its sequel Beyond the Breakwater, Innocent Hearts, Love’s Melody Lost, Love’s Tender Warriors, Tomorrow’s Promise, Passion’s Bright Fury, Love’s Masquerade, shadowland, and Fated Love), as well as two romance/intrigue series: the Honor series (Above All, Honor, Honor Bound, Love & Honor, and Honor Guards) and the Justice series (Shield of Justice, the prequel A Matter of Trust, In Pursuit of Justice, and Justice in the Shadows). She also selected and contributed to Infinite Pleasures: an Anthology of Lesbian Erotica, ed Seaman and Dunn (2004)

She lives with her partner, Lee, in Philadelphia, PA where she both writes and practices surgery full-time. She states, "I began reading lesbian fiction at the age of twelve when I found a copy of Ann Bannon’s Beebo Brinker. Not long after, I began collecting every book with lesbian content I could find. The new titles come much faster now than they did in the decades when a new book or two every year felt like a gift, but I still treasure every single one. These works are our history and our legacy, and I am proud to contribute in some small way to those archives."

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933110147
• ISBN-13: 978-1933110141
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #738,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Radclyffe, a retired surgeon and full time author-publisher, has published over thirty-five novels as well as dozens of short stories, has edited numerous anthologies, and, writing as L. L. Raand, has authored a paranormal romance series, The Midnight Hunters. She is a eight time Lambda Literary Award finalist in romance, mystery and erotica--winning in both romance (Distant Shores, Silent Thunder) and erotica (Erotic Interludes 2: Stolen Moments edited with Stacia Seaman and In Deep Waters 2: Cruising the Strip written with Karin Kallmaker). A member of the Saints and Sinners Literary Hall of Fame, she is also a 2010 RWA/FF&P Prism Award Winner for Secrets in the Stone, an Independent Publisher's award winner (IPPY), an Alice B. Readers' award Winner, and a finalist for the Benjamin Franklin award, the ForeWord Review Book of the Year award, and the 2010 Heart of Excellence Readers' Choice award. She is also the president of Bold Strokes Books, one of the world's largest independent LGBT publishing companies.

She states, "I began reading lesbian fiction at the age of twelve when I found a copy of Ann Bannon's Beebo Brinker. That book and others like it convinced me that I was not alone, that there were other women who felt like I did. Our literature provides support and validation and very often, a lifeline, for members of our community throughout the world. I am proud and honored to be able to publish the many fine authors at Bold Strokes Books and to contribute in some small way to the words that the celebrate LGBTQ experience."

You can visit Radclyffe at http://www.facebook.com/Radclyffe.BSB?ref=ts

Or buy her books direct from the publisher at www.boldstrokesbooks.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love's Masquerade, April 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Love's Masquerade (Paperback)

Fans of lesbian romance need look no further than any of Radclyffe's books for the most romantic, erotic, intelligent, thrilling tales of women finding each other and finding love being written today. No other author combines all of the elements necessary for a grand romantic reading experience quite the way Radclyffe does. Her characters are all strong, compelling women, unapologetic about loving women and intensely passionate-in life and in love. In Love's Masquerade, Radclyffe yet again exceeds all expectations. When Auden Frost accepts the position of director for Palmer Publishing's new division of lesbian fiction, she begins working directly for the head of Palmer Publishing, the devastatingly attractive and powerful Haydon Palmer. Love's Masquerade is the story of Auden and Hays, their secrets, and the path that may lead them to love, but it is also a testament to the power of the written word. Radclyffe weaves a story within a story, taking us inside the world of lesbian publishing by giving us not only the story of Auden and Hays, but also the writing of other Palmer authors. The result is the delicious equivalent of having several books in one. The writing in all is superb and profoundly erotic. The original approach Radclyffe utilizes to tell Auden and Hays' story, is a perfect example of why her writing is in a class by itself. It is apparent Radclyffe constantly pushes herself to exceed what she's written before and she does not, and will not, settle for anything less than creative excellence. If you like your lesbian romances with steamy, sexy, passionate love scenes, you will not be disappointed. Radclyffe instinctively knows the ingredients to place in the pot to bring us to a slow boil. She does not hide from the deeply intimate physical or emotional love that exists between two women .

*Note to romance novel addicts* Unlike many authors who publish a new book once a year, if that, Radclyffe is one of the most prolific writers in the lesbian romance genre. She publishes several books per year, all of the same high quality. Readers can rest easy in becoming addicted to Radclyffe's work. I have to believe she is a fan of lesbian romance herself, and knows all too well what it is like to wait for that next book to be published, because she never lets her fans down.

For readers such as myself who for years settled for books that "passed" as lesbian romance novels, Radclyffe is an oasis in the desert. Love's Masquerade, like all of Radclyffe's books is a genuine treasure.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love and Fiction, December 13, 2003

By 

Hiraeth (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love's Masquerade (Paperback)

It's always a pleasure to fall in love with a writer's work and then to have the pleasure of watching her writing - always excellent both in matters of content and style - improve over time. LOVE'S MASQUERADE, Radclyffe's fourteenth published work of lesbian romance fiction, is, simply put, magnificent. In the tradition of Love's Melody Lost and Passion's Bright Fury, Love's Masquerade is a soaring tale of romance: of love's power to heal those wounds that go deeper than the physical, of the potential for agony to which falling in love leaves one vulnerable, and of the strength love gives to enable one to make the most difficult of choices. It is the story of Auden Frost, newly appointed director of Palmer Publishing's new lesbian fiction imprint, and her relationships with the reclusive best-selling novelist Rune Dyre, whose work Auden edits, and her boss Haydon Palmer, who is hiding a devastating secret of her own.

But beyond being a glorious, sexy, synapse-frying romance, Love's Masquerade is a love story about love stories. And it is about the power of stories to heal as they enable us to recognize ourselves - our hopes, our dreams, our fears - in the lives of the characters who leap from the page. It is about the way stories can make us feel less alone. It is about the relationship between writers and readers, about the often unspoken dialogue that two people have through a page of text. Radclyffe's novels are always special - she tells stories as no one can. But here, she celebrates not only women who love women, but readers and writers who love words. Interwoven with the love story are erotic vignettes from Rune Dyre's published works as well as her works-in-progress; Radclyffe's ability to deftly fuse Auden and Hays's love affair with this story-within-the-story is the mark of a true artist of the written word.

For those of you who've never met Radclyffe's writing in any form, this book is a powerhouse introduction to what the lesbian-romance genre can be in the hands of a modern master. And for those of you who've only read her novels in online beta-versions, the pleasures to be had in reading this book in its entirety, text in hand, are beyond compare.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love's Masquerade, January 5, 2007

By 

S. Fish "lover of all books" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love's Masquerade (Paperback)

In this instalment of fabulous writing by an equally fabulous author, Radclyffe again brings to the table an uncanny empathy of the greatest love of all.........the love that grows stronger in the face of adversity. I was enthralled from page one, and never put the book down until I turned the last page. The love story between the main characters also has a parallel story running between the best friends of the main characters. Your emotions are put through the wringer from the first page as Radclyffe takes us on a journey which exposes us to the steamy, sensual, erotic love story we have come to expect from her, but in this story intertwines, as she has not done before, the extreme sadness, resignation of the inevitable and soul-wrenching anticipation of the worst. The most emotionally charged book I have ever read by Radclyffe.