Suche books:   





• Mistress
Amanda Quick

Bantam, 1995 - 384 pages

average customer review:based on 33 reviews
view larger image
 for more information click here

   highly recommended  highly recommended





Another Regency from this author's prolific pen

Amanda Quick has written an awful lot of Regencies and over time the similarities become apparent; her heroes all have harsh faces, are rather alpha male, for some reason believe they can't love and deflower the heroine before marriage. The heroines are usually bluestocking women who aren't conventionally attractive but are witty and singleminded. There's also usually some kind of mystery to be solved that helps bring hero and heroine together.

Mistress is another such book. It started off very well, with the Earl of Masters, Marcus Cloud, discovering that a woman named Mrs Bright is going around in society in London saying that she is his latest mistress and that they have quarrelled. Masters knows very well she isn't - he has never met her - but he's intrigued enough to return to London from his estates in Yorkshire to find out what's going on.

When he arrives at a Ball that Iphiginia Bright is attending she is more than slightly startled - she had been informed by a blackmailer that Masters had been murdered. He walks in, sweeps her off her feet (literally, not emotionally) and delivers her home, asking her why she's masquerading as his mistress. She explains the blackmail plot and although he doesn't initially believe her one of his other friends soon becomes a target of the same blackmailer and so he and Iphiginia join forces.

Amanda Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle) likes to add mystery plots to her regencies and I suppose it gives an extra focus for the book but so often in her books, and this is one of them, it's all too easily solved. Despite our heroine being rather a bluestocking (a former schoolmistress) she seems to see everything rather simply and in a black and white manner. In fact the whole book is like this - nothing deep and complicated; Iphiginia sets up an investment pool and of course it is wildly successful, she decides that a lady that Masters' brother Bennet likes is right for him on an acquaintance of about two seconds and she pushes her way into Masters' life, causing him to break some of the rules by which he lives his life, with little reflection as to whether they might actually serve him well. We also have the traditional Amanda Quick heroine giving up her virginity at the drop of a hat, having saved it up for ages.

Amanda Quick's regencies are not ones to read for historical accuracy. Our characters call each other by their first names, they speak American rather than English to each other, they talk in rather 20th century words about love and other stuff and their sexual morality definitely doesn't feel like that of the Regency period. But if you just want a fun and fluffy book to read this one will probably do.



 for more information click here


What I've come to expect in a Quick historical*****

This book is great! Its exactly what I've come to expect in a Quick historical, well written characters, humor and an original story line. Quick tends to stretch the 'believabilty' factor here a bit, but its fiction, so I didn't let it bother me.

I have to agree with another reviewer that the heroine's name was annoying -to say the least! I just wound up calling here Finny for my sanity's sake.

If you haven't read any other Quick historicals, I highly recommend: Desire, Mystique and Ravished. But STAY AWAY from Slightly Shady and its sequel -horrible books.


 for more information click here









 for more information click here


Another Regency from this author's prolific pen

Amanda Quick has written an awful lot of Regencies and over time the similarities become apparent; her heroes all have harsh faces, are rather alpha male, for some reason believe they can't love and deflower the heroine before marriage. The heroines are usually bluestocking women who aren't conventionally attractive but are witty and singleminded. There's also usually some kind of mystery to be solved that helps bring hero and heroine together.

Mistress is another such book. It started off very well, with the Earl of Masters, Marcus Cloud, discovering that a woman named Mrs Bright is going around in society in London saying that she is his latest mistress and that they have quarrelled. Masters knows very well she isn't - he has never met her - but he's intrigued enough to return to London from his estates in Yorkshire to find out what's going on.

When he arrives at a Ball that Iphiginia Bright is attending she is more than slightly startled - she had been informed by a blackmailer that Masters had been murdered. He walks in, sweeps her off her feet (literally, not emotionally) and delivers her home, asking her why she's masquerading as his mistress. She explains the blackmail plot and although he doesn't initially believe her one of his other friends soon becomes a target of the same blackmailer and so he and Iphiginia join forces.

Amanda Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle) likes to add mystery plots to her regencies and I suppose it gives an extra focus for the book but so often in her books, and this is one of them, it's all too easily solved. Despite our heroine being rather a bluestocking (a former schoolmistress) she seems to see everything rather simply and in a black and white manner. In fact the whole book is like this - nothing deep and complicated; Iphiginia sets up an investment pool and of course it is wildly successful, she decides that a lady that Masters' brother Bennet likes is right for him on an acquaintance of about two seconds and she pushes her way into Masters' life, causing him to break some of the rules by which he lives his life, with little reflection as to whether they might actually serve him well. We also have the traditional Amanda Quick heroine giving up her virginity at the drop of a hat, having saved it up for ages.

Amanda Quick's regencies are not ones to read for historical accuracy. Our characters call each other by their first names, they speak American rather than English to each other, they talk in rather 20th century words about love and other stuff and their sexual morality definitely doesn't feel like that of the Regency period. But if you just want a fun and fluffy book to read this one will probably do.

And a note about Barbara Rosenblat's narration - although she's American she has an amazingly good English accent and is able to render different voices very well. When she is narrating you can really become part of the story.



 for more information click here






I'm not going to be picky.

I can be quite picky when doing a review of a romance novel and I am not going to do that with this book because I finally got almost everything I have asked for in the past from authors. (Is it being picky to say that the heroines name was almost impossible for me to pronounce? I gave her the nickname of Ginny and moved on.)

This is a book where the hero (Marcus) actually talked to the heroine (Iphiginia). What a concept. See, authors, I told you it would work. These two characters discussed their problems, situations and feelings. Perhaps it was somewhat of a departure from what might have happened during the Regency period of English history but I'm not living during that time and the book was not written during that time. Mistress was written in 1994 and I now understand what other reviewers mean when they suggest reading the Amanda Quick books which were published a while back. It was written as a romance novel, not a sexual how-to manual. Many modern romance books are so sexually explicit I feel embarassed reading them. Perhaps that is old fashioned but I happen to be an old fashioned woman (and I like it that way!).

The two main characters were interesting, intelligent, charming, and realistic in their interaction with each other. They discussed things with each other. They solved the mystery by working together. No, he did not believe her at first, why should he? But, after only a short time he understood her motives and they worked together. Was the blackmailer easy to spot? Yes, but only if you are like me and have read hundreds and hundreds of mystery stories. Ms. Quick actually did a very good job of continuing the mystery throughout the story.

I highly recommend this book. Iphiginia is such a vivacious character that she turns Marcus' world upside down. One of the most compelling parts of this story (for me) takes place during a conversation between Marcus and his brother Bennet. Bennet does not know that Mrs Bright is a mistress-in-name-only. She has done such a good job convincing the ton, and Marcus does not contradict her, so everyone believes that there is a physical relationship between Marcus and Iphiginia. Bennet is absolutely appaled that his brother would countenance a marriage with a woman who, according to the standards of the day, is a totally unworthy person. He asks Marcus why he would want to marry her. Marcus replies, "When I am with her I do not feel as though I am made of gears and springs." Marcus had invented a clockwork man, an automaton which could function but could never feel emotions, whether joy or sorrow. He realised he did not want to be that type of man any longer and that this one woman held the key to a different life for him. I loved that comparison.

Could I be picky? Of course. But then, I can't write a book. Amanda Quick can and I don't want to pick this apart because it offers me all the things I enjoy so much in romantic fiction.






 for more information click here


Another Regency from this author's prolific pen

Amanda Quick has written an awful lot of Regencies and over time the similarities become apparent; her heroes all have harsh faces, are rather alpha male, for some reason believe they can't love and deflower the heroine before marriage. The heroines are usually bluestocking women who aren't conventionally attractive but are witty and singleminded. There's also usually some kind of mystery to be solved that helps bring hero and heroine together.

Mistress is another such book. It started off very well, with the Earl of Masters, Marcus Cloud, discovering that a woman named Mrs Bright is going around in society in London saying that she is his latest mistress and that they have quarrelled. Masters knows very well she isn't - he has never met her - but he's intrigued enough to return to London from his estates in Yorkshire to find out what's going on.

When he arrives at a Ball that Iphiginia Bright is attending she is more than slightly startled - she had been informed by a blackmailer that Masters had been murdered. He walks in, sweeps her off her feet (literally, not emotionally) and delivers her home, asking her why she's masquerading as his mistress. She explains the blackmail plot and although he doesn't initially believe her one of his other friends soon becomes a target of the same blackmailer and so he and Iphiginia join forces.

Amanda Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle) likes to add mystery plots to her regencies and I suppose it gives an extra focus for the book but so often in her books, and this is one of them, it's all too easily solved. Despite our heroine being rather a bluestocking (a former schoolmistress) she seems to see everything rather simply and in a black and white manner. In fact the whole book is like this - nothing deep and complicated; Iphiginia sets up an investment pool and of course it is wildly successful, she decides that a lady that Masters' brother Bennet likes is right for him on an acquaintance of about two seconds and she pushes her way into Masters' life, causing him to break some of the rules by which he lives his life, with little reflection as to whether they might actually serve him well. We also have the traditional Amanda Quick heroine giving up her virginity at the drop of a hat, having saved it up for ages.

Amanda Quick's regencies are not ones to read for historical accuracy. Our characters call each other by their first names, they speak American rather than English to each other, they talk in rather 20th century words about love and other stuff and their sexual morality definitely doesn't feel like that of the Regency period. But if you just want a fun and fluffy book to read this one will probably do.



 for more information click here


reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7



After a year of grand adventures touring the classical ruins of Italy and Greece, Iphiginia Bright returned to England to discover that the real excitement was at home. It seems that her Aunt Zoe has fallen victim to a sinister blackmailer and only Iphiginia can hope to stop the culprit before he can do more harm. Her plan is inspired: Imitating history's most legendary beauties--Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, Aphrodite--the former schoolmistress will remake herself, and descend upon London Society as the dazzling mistress of Marcus Valerius Cloud, the infamous Earl of Masters. Rumors hint that the Earl has disappeared at the blackmailer's hands, and by posing as his unknown mistress, Iphiginia is convinced she can ferret out the villain. Overnight, Iphiginia is transformed into a vision with a host of eager admirers, including one she does not expect -- the Earl of Masters himself, who strides into a shimmering ballroom one evening to cooly reclaim his "mistress". He is everything they say he is... arrogant, attractive, devastatingly seductive, and Iphiginia can't help but be enthralled. But when Marcus agrees to play along with her charade, she doesn't know that the determined earl has plans of his own: to tease and tempt her, until the beautiful deceiver becomes more than his mistress in name only.


 for more information click here



hot or not?    What's your opinion?     Write a review and share your thoughts!



recommendations

Romance Authors with books worth investigating
My Favorite Romance Novels from Amanda Quick
Historical Romances I'll Never Forget
Historicals on my keeper shelf
Summer 2008 Reading




mistress

Kristin Lavransdatter: The Bridal Wreath; The Mistress of Husaby; The ...
How to Capture a Mistress (M/s Studies Books)
Calabrian Tales
Just Doll: book 1 of the Staten Bay Trilogy
Double Dead (Five Star Mystery Series) (Five Star Mystery Series)



search for books
mistress

Impressum / about us


Suche books: