Sophie's Voice (Sex and the Season Book 4) (26 page)

P
hysiological Mysteries
and Revelations in Love, Courtship, and Marriage
by Eugène Becklard is a real book, and Becklard was a physician. The original was published in 1845 and is in the public domain. The excerpts in
Sophie's Voice
are actual reproductions from the Becklard text with all spelling and punctuation intact. Though the book seems ludicrous now, it was highly regarded as the
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)
of its time. The latter, written by David Reuben, M.D. in 1969, is now considered antiquated on some topics, such as homosexuality.

An Introduction to the Marriage Bed
by Lady Margaret Mead is fictional, though I based it on
Instruction and Advice for the Young Bride
by Ruth Smythers. Also in the public domain, it wasn't written until 1894, forty years after
Sophie's Voice
takes place. Today, evidence exists that the entire text was meant as a joke, and it is well known as a humorous work.

Joke or not, both of these texts illustrate the wealth of misinformation and ignorance that our ancestors were exposed to. Is it possible that in another century or two, our descendents will find out that we were ignorant as well? Only time and evolution will tell.

D
ear Reader
,

Thank you for reading
Sophie's Voice
. If you want to find out about my current backlist and future releases, please like my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/HelenHardt
. I often do giveaways, as well.

If you enjoyed the story, please take the time to leave a review on a site like Amazon or Goodreads. I welcome all feedback.

I wish you all the best!

Helen

S
ex and the Season
:

Lily and the Duke

Rose in Bloom

Lady Alexandra's Lover

Sophie's Voice

Snow Creek Series (coming soon):

Craving

Obsession

Possession

Bakersville Saga:

Cowboy Heat

Cowboy Lust

Cowboy Passion

Daughters of the Prairie:

The Outlaw's Angel

Lessons of the Heart

Song of the Raven

Collections:

Destination Desire

Her Two Lovers

Non-Fiction:

got style?

1
. The theme
of a story is its central idea or ideas. To put it simply, it's what the story
means
. How would you characterize the theme of
Sophie's Voice?

2. It's clear from the first two books that Sophie is more like Rose than like Lily. Compare and contrast Sophie and Rose. How are they alike, and how are they different?

3. Discuss the excerpts from the Becklard text. Becklard was a physician and was quite serious about his findings. What do you think of his book?

4. Discuss the excerpts from the Lady Margaret Mead book. Do you think they make sense considering the era? Why or why not?

5. Why do you think Sophie let Ally take her father's abuse for her? Does this make her weak? Why or why not?

6. What do you think Zach's life was like after his mother died? How might he have survived? How did this contribute to the man he became?

7. Why do you think Sophie allows Zach liberties so quickly? Does this go against her character? Why or why not?

8. Did you enjoy the erotic adventures of Lord and Lady Peacock? Why or why not?

9. What did you think about Brighton's refusal to allow Zach to court Sophie? What might have been going through Brighton's mind?

10. How did you feel when Nanette was murdered? Did you, even for a moment, think that Zach had killed her?

11. Taking into consideration the era and Sophie's personality, why do you think she gave Zach the alibi?

12. We get a bigger glimpse of Ally's stepfather, the Earl of Brighton, in this story. Discuss his character. Do you find him hypocritical? Why or why not?

13. What might the future hold for Zach and Sophie? Will their marriage be successful? How will it differ from her sister's and cousins' marriages?

14. In today's terms, Sophie had a stalker. Were you surprised at the stalker's identity? Why or why not? Discuss his character. Why do you think he acted as he did?

15. Who would you like to read about next in this series?

T
o quote
George R. R. Martin, “this one was a bitch.” Every so often in an author's career, a book comes along that makes walking across hot coals and pulling one's own teeth out seem preferable to finishing it.
Sophie
was that type of book. As much as I love Sophie and Zach, I had a difficult time telling their story. These words were dragged kicking and screaming onto their pages. And then magic happened. As you see Sophie evolve from a timid young lady afraid to venture out into the world to a beautiful and talented woman who finally believes in herself, I hope you feel the magic too.

As always, thank you to my brilliant editor, Michele Hamner Moore, and my eagle-eyed proofreader, Jenny Rarden. Thank you to all the great people at Waterhouse Press—Meredith, David, Kurt, Shayla, and Jon. Your belief in your authors knows no bounds. I'm proud and thrilled to be one of them.

Thank you to the members of my street team, Hardt and Soul. HS members got the first look at
Sophie
, and I appreciate all your support, reviews, and general good vibes. You are all awesome!

And thanks to all of you who read
Lily, Rose,
and
Alexandra
and looked forward to Sophie's story. I hope you find it worth the wait!

H
elen Hardt's
passion for the written word began with the books her mother read to her at bedtime. She wrote her first story at age six and hasn't stopped since. In addition to being an award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance and erotica, she's a mother, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, an appreciator of fine red wine, and a lover of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. She writes from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her family. Helen loves to hear from readers.

http://www.helenhardt.com

http://www.helenhardt.blogspot.com