Uncaged welcomes Jade Lee
Welcome to Uncaged! You recently released the second book in a series called Temptress, part of the Forbidden Pleasures series. Can you tell readers more about this book and series?
Come to the Forbidden City! Join the competition to become the next Empress of China!
That was the call in 1851 to all eligible virgins in China. Girls endured tests of purity that included physical inspections and a cultural talent display. If they passed, they met the young emperor who picked one to be his wife. Four more became favored concubines. And several were selected as lower concubines. The winners would never leave the Forbidden City again. The losers left in disgrace.
VIXEN features a young woman who has been reared to be the next empress. But in the days before the selection begins, she realizes that purity and virtue won’t attract a man. If she wants to catch the emperor’s eye, then she must learn the ways of seduction. And who better to teach her than the handsome scholar next door?
What begins as a scandalous diversion quickly escalates to deadly risks. They will both be killed if they are caught, and yet they find purpose, hope, and love with every glorious caress. Will she give up being the Empress of China for love? Is he worthy of such a sacrifice? Spoiler alert: YES!
TEMPTRESS follows a woman who enters the competition. She hasn’t the wealth of the others to bribe the eunuchs, but she has been trained in statecraft and is smarter than her competitors. She is also vulnerable to the one man who can destroy her. He is the Emperor’s best friend and Master of Ceremonies. (Spoiler alert: he is also completely fabricated. There were no other “whole” men in the Forbidden City, but I needed a hero who was not a eunuch.)
The Master knows she is the best woman to become empress, but he wants her for himself. Will he risk both their lives on his feelings? Will she choose him over becoming empress? And what happens when they are inevitably caught? (Spoiler alert: Yes, they take the risk. And yes, they do get caught. Oops!)
You’ve also written in The Lyon’s Den connected world, which is a very fun world to read. Are you planning on writing anything more in that world?
I launched the series with INTO THE LYON’S DEN, then did another book LYON HEARTED later on. I loved, loved, loved writing those books, especially the second one with the “abacas woman” as heroine. So yes, I do hope to write in the Lyon’s den again. I’m just so caught up with the Forbidden Pleasures books, that I missed the sign up date. Oops! But I hope to get in another book soon.
How do you use social media as an author?
Not as well as I’d like! I’m active on Facebook, have a Jade’s Jewels group there plus author pages. That’s where I put most of my information and random pictures of my cat, plus the jigsaw puzzles I do. Feel free to find me there! But also, sign up for my newsletter. You’ll be sure to catch all the good news that way. I also share pretty pictures of my books and inspirations for my stories on Instagram, if you want to join me there.
Read the rest of the interview in the issue below.
A USA Today bestseller, Jade lee has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords were her first loves which naturally led her to the world of regency romance. She is is a big fan of The Bridgertons, Big Bang Theory (even though it’s over), and her favorite movie is The Avengers because she loves the MCU.
Jade Lee has a gift for creating a lively world, witty dialogue, and hot, sexy humor. Winner of several industry awards, Jade has published 70 romance novels and says she’s just getting started. Her nest series Daring Debutantes launches in 2025, but don’t miss her exotic China series Forbidden Pleasures starting with Vixen. JadeLeeAuthor.com
Enjoy an excerpt from the book Temptress
Temptress
Jade Lee
Historical Romance
COMPETITION TO BECOME EMPRESS
The time has come for Emperor Xian Feng to choose a wife. All noble virgins must come to the Forbidden City to compete, hoping to become Empress. They will endure three trials of purity before they meet their emperor. And they must find favor from the dowager empress, her greedy eunuchs, and most dangerous of all…the Master of the Festivity. Sun Bo Tao.
THE FOX IN CHARGE OF THE HEN HOUSE
Sun Bo Tao is the emperor’s best friend and the only other male in the Forbidden City who is not a eunuch. He has no time for virgin games. Not with a rebellion in the north, a Dutch envoy seeking trade status, and opium choking the country. But the emperor cannot trust the greedy eunuchs to help select his bride, and so Bo Tao must weed out those who are weak, spoiled, or stupid. He never expected to find a brilliant mind in the delectable body of a virgin.
THE VIRGIN DETERMINED TO WIN
Chen Ji Yue is prepared to be a political wife. She knows how to appear chaste, bribe where appropriate, and navigate the bitter rivalries inside the Forbidden City. But she never learned how to resist the temptations of the emperor’s best man. Sun Bo Tao holds her future in his hands. He also touches her body with reverence and kisses with passion. How can he stir such desire in her when she knows her purpose?
But in a competition to become Empress, love is the greatest weapon of all.
Excerpt
Chapter One
Chen Ji Yue struggled to breathe. Excitement pounded in her blood, she was already dizzy with the noise, and yet she still could not draw a full breath. How blessed she was to be of the right age for a Feast of Fertility! Only a few hundred girls every few decades had such an opportunity! To catch the eye of the Emperor was every girl’s dream. But first, she had to escape all these wailing women!
She stood in all her finery outside their Peking home, ready to climb into the palanquin that would take her to the Forbidden City. If everything went well, she would be chosen and never see her family again, but she would have the consolation of knowing that the Emperor would gift her family great riches in thanks.
For some perverse reason, Mama thought that the bigger display of grief here, the better Ji Yue’s odds inside the palace. So she had hired mourners, wailing women to fill the street this early morning, but all it did was give Ji Yue a headache.
“Mama,” she murmured from behind the clattering ivory beads. “Let me go. I cannot be late.”
“Not yet, little heart. Show respect to your father.”
She’d already bowed to her father several times. “Mama, believe in me. I can do it.”
Mama didn’t hear her. She was busy wailing again. And worse, she would not let go of Ji Yue’s hands.
“Mama…” Ji Yue began, but then her mother pulled her close.
“You won’t win the Emperor on beauty, Ji Yue. You must be smart. You must see what others don’t and capitalize on it.”
“I know. You’ve told me…” Ji Yue let her voice trail away. This close, she could see real tears in her mother’s eyes, and her heart lurched with pain. What would it be like to not see her mother’s face every morning? Who would help her father with his poetry or tutor her brothers? Mama, most likely, but Mama already had plenty to do squeezing every penny so they had enough to eat.
“That playboy Sun Bo Tao was named Master of the Feast,” her mother continued. “This is very bad and very dangerous. He is a hanger-on because of his friendship with the Emperor. No title, no education, nothing but trouble. Avoid him, Ji Yue. Avoid him at all costs!”
“I know, Mama. I will stay away from him. I promise!”
Read the rest of the excerpt in the issue below
