Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Review: THE MISTRESS' HOUSE


When the Earl of Hawthorne buys a second London townhouse whose garden connects with his own, he has no idea his purchase will become a trysting place. In a trio of connected tales in Leigh Michaels's delicious The Mistress' House, three noble cousins find their matches in their mistresses.

First is the Earl of Hawthorne himself. Thorne meets the widowed Anne, who wants the not-as-rakish-as-he-appears earl to ruin her so she won't have to marry again. Second is Richard, the Earl of Colford, whom mill-owner's daughter Felicty shocks when she demands he stand in for his older brother, the previous earl, who betrayed her. And lastly, virginal miss Georgiana and returning soldier Julian, both fleeing arranged marriages, find each other.

I liked Richard's and Felicity's tale the best. This touching story of the wronged cit's daughter and the former spare, who must yet again clean up one of his brother's messes, catches at our heartstrings as their devil's bargain blossoms into love. A tale to remember and savor.

With deft storytelling, abundant humor (laugh at the hilarious asides from Julian's body, which pants "Yes, yes, yes!" when the vivacious Georgiana asks Julian to seduce her, even as his mind shouts "No, no, no!"), and tenderness in all the right places, The Mistress' House will remain with you for a long time to come.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

3 comments:

Kaye Manro said...

I love your reviews, Linda. You give a wonderful overview of the story and then others can decide if they want to read it or not.

Linda Banche said...

Thanks, Kaye. That's the idea. I give enough of the plot so that people know what's going on, then I say what I like about it (which may not be what others like), and I NEVER give spoilers, because I don't want to ruin the story for others.

catslady said...

I agree and you give just enough to help us know if we are interested or not. In this case, it sounds like another good one.