His Lady Mistress

5 Responses to “His Lady Mistress”

1. SusieQ says:

   March 22, 2010 at 4:57 pm

   This book had a strong opening. Verity Scott, the 15-year ancient daughter of a suicide, is following her father’s body to its burial in an unmarked grave. The hero, Max, who served with Verity’s father at Waterloo, appears and helps Verity with food and restrained comfort (appropriate, since she’s only 15).

   Flash forwards nearly five years, and now Verity is the unpaid & unloved drudge of her uncle’s household. They’ve even forced her to take a new name, supposedly to take in her “bring shame on” in being the daughter of a man who committed suicide, but really, as revealed later in the book, so the family tree can assume the inheritance she’s been left by her alienated grandmother. Max comes to the uncle’s house to check on Verity.

   This is where the book ongoing going all incorrect (for me). The hero, after initially being open in a “heroic” fashion — helping the heroine, comforting her about her father’s death, & professing inwardly that he owes something to this girl because she’s the daughter of the man who saved his life — simply drops off the face of the planet. Lets FOUR years go by lacking a peep out of him? Doesn’t become suspicious when she doesn’t appear for a come-out in London, doesn’t ever write to the uncle building inquiries into Verity’s well-being? He makes all kind of fancy inward excuses for not doing so, but his behavior doesn’t make sense.

   Worse, after physically catching hold of Verity while witnessing her struggle with her disreputable male cousin, Max is suddenly STRICKEN with lust for her. The leader attempts to gloss over the lusting part by giving Max inward semi-doubtful thoughts: “never felt this way before — what are these new feelings for this girl?” but the constant harping on Max’s ACUTE physical discomfort, even during the briefest encounters with Verity, really weaken the unadmitted so-called “like” and make it all “lust”.

   The hero’s weakness in looking out for the heroine initially, and his frankly lustful scenery toward her, are not in the least attractive. I grant the book 2 stars for its heroine, who is a small more fervently drawn, and for the book’s first two chapters which show inventiveness (at least, until the hero’s re-introduction).

   The book is also severely weakened by plot devices involving near-constant misunderstandings between the hero/heroine, which a few excellent conversations would clear up; they refuse to have these conversations. As a replacement for, both suffer silently & inwardly throughout the whole book. I truly despise this type of misunderstanding between a hero & heroine. (Romance authors who use the contrivance of not allowing their characters to TALK to each additional should, in my opinion, be banned from writing romance. It’s been done to death.)

   Overall, I became more & more detached from the tale as I read, and more annoyed by its flaws than anything else.
   
   
   Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
2. L And S Video, Inc. says:

   March 22, 2010 at 7:23 pm

   I won’t summarize the whole book and characters but simply say, this is a Cinderella tale, with all of the depth of the fairy tale.

   A romance is a hero and heroine falling in like, not thinking the worst of each additional at every opportunity.

   A lot of romances go for the huge misunderstanding, but the leader piles them on and never lets up, and as a result, the characters suffer in the process.

   Where is the excitement of getting to really know each additional intimately? That is different from the like scenes in the book, which were okay but again, misplaced agreed how missing in harmony the couple is throughout the book.

   This is a honestly quick read if you are willing to go happily along with where the leader wants to take you, but I personally got bored and annoyed with them both after a while and one excellent heart to heart would have resolved everything in 50 pages or less!

   Not so sure they will have a happily ever after if their courtship is anything to go by!
   Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
3. Theresa Johnson says:

   March 22, 2010 at 8:44 pm

   Do I really have to say more?? *sheesh* I just want to rate the book
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
4. Tracie Garcia says:

   March 22, 2010 at 11:44 pm

   I really loved this novel for the simple reason of it being exactly what I needed..Entertaining. Just the sort of book if you want a quick simple read and like the templates that past romances are written upon.
   Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
5. Miriam L. W. Williams says:

   March 23, 2010 at 1:56 am

   Very interest tale line. The characters are appealing and believeable. Typically, the tale stalls in some parts but soon picks up enough to hold your interest.
   Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5