Search - No Man's Mistress

I did not like this book. The first half was lovely, wonderful even. The hero and heroine's fight over the house kept me interested.


SPOILERS:

I got half way through and found out that she had been forced into prostitution and then after two years of retirement from it, the man that forced her into it is forcing her hand to come back.


I hated the plot twist so much that even though I tried to finish the book I could not stomach it. I wish that once she had found out about her hand being forced, that she would have told the hero about how she got into it and how she was being forced back in. He could have helped her right away and saved the book for me.

I had such high hopes for this book. All the reviews I read said nothing about this twist or I wouldn't have started to read it. I usually love Mary Balogh's books, but I found one that I can't stand.

A book you won't put down because of the unusual plot twists. Viola is a strong character who gives as good as she gets. Thank goodness Dudley will not give up on her. Great romance. My favorite Balough yet!

Enjoyed

When Lord Ferdinand Dudley wins an estate in a card game, he hurries to Pinewood Manor to claim it. He is surprised to find it is already occupied by Miss Viola Thornhill. Viola was given the estate two years ago by the elderly Lord Bamber and refuses to leave what is rightfully hers. Ferdinand says he's not budging either, so they are stuck under the same roof until the true owner can be named. Viola is sure Ferdinand isn't going to like country life, especially when she asks the villagers to help make his life miserable.

This is a well-written historical romance with very likable characters. There was a bit of a surprise in the middle of the book which gave this book a unique twist. My only problem with it was I thought it was a bit of a stretch that the Regency ton would accept Viola into their midst as they did at the end of this book. My rating: 4.5 Stars.

A really great read.

Balogh's stuff is great, her character's have depth. I especially like that her heroines especially in the Mistress series, are real survivors.