Research is the crux of any good historical romance, unless of course you have firsthand knowledge. If you do, we need to talk because I have a ton of questions! Anyhoo, even for a history lover like myself, research is important. Here’s the thing, it goes way beyond the basics of dates and events. We’re talking about knowing what kind of fabric was popular for dresses, menswear, or housewares. Knowing about societal rules and expectations that govern a character’s actions and even basics like what did they eat, how did they bathe, or use the restroom, etc.

I’ve lost days clicking around the interwebz doing research, but nothing prepared me for researching historical sex. The research was fascinating and…uh…stimulating. *grins* Who knew sex toys have been around for centuries? I never thought about it much until I started asking questions as I wrote. If you’re interested I did a whole post on this topic on my site.

But what really fascinated me is the Victorian roots of BDSM. Now, many of the practices associated with BDSM have been around for centuries. Spanking, flogging, etc. aren’t new. I think we all know the Greeks and Romans too decadence and pleasure to all new heights. But the widespread practice of BDSM is solidly rooted in the Victorian era. With sexual repression, along with all the other repressive behavior of this era, at a peak it is not surprising to find strong roots here.

Since men were pushed to refrain from masturbation in order to save their souls, prostitution was rampant. Women who were not part of the sex industry were a non-entity. There was no cautioning about masturbation because it was assumed they had no sex drive. They were simply the conduits for reproduction. A vessel to be filled. So you can see how this environment was ripe for some secret kink to develop.