博客來In this vivid reimagining of the French classic Dangerous Liaisons, Sophfronia Scott weaves a fascinating story set in the glittering, dramatic world of Harlem of the 1940s as she takes readers from the grand townhomes on Lenox Avenue to the lush woods of Anselm, North Carolina, and finally to the pews of Harlem’s Mount Nebo Baptist Church.
Harlem, 1947: Jazz may be king, but heiress Mae Malveaux rules night club society with an angel’s smile and a heart of stone. She made up her mind long ago that nobody would decide her fate. Marriage, money, freedom . . . women have little say in how they come or go. Mae does. To have the pleasure she craves, control is paramount, especially control of the men Mae attracts like moths to a flame.
Like Mae, Valiant Jackson is accustomed to getting what he wants—and he’s wanted Miss Malveaux for years. The door finally opens for him when Mae is slighted by Frank Washington, her former lover. Frank is engaged to Mae’s cousin Cecily who is still a virgin. Knowing Cecily’s virginity is what appeals to Frank the most, Mae orders Val to seduce her. If he is successful, his reward will be Mae.
But unbeknownst to Mae, Val seeks another, even more valuable, prize. Elizabeth Townsend is fiercely loyal to her church and her civil rights attorney husband. She is certain that there is something redeemable in Mr. Jackson. Little does she know that her worst mistake will be Val’s greatest triumph.
In the summer when Jackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball’s color barrier and a sweltering stretch has Harlem’s elite fleeing the city for Westchester County’s breezier climes, two predators stalk amidst the manicured gardens and fine old homes. But for all their scheming, Mae and Val are unprepared for what can happen between a man and a woman when the thrill of the chase spirals wildly out of control.
