More Than a Mistress by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’d Rate This Book a 4.5
MORE THAN A MISTRESS is the first book in the Mistress trilogy. It is the story of Jane Ingleby who is on the way to work as a milliner’s assistant when she comes across a duel being fight. She attempts to stop the fuel but instead ends up getting Jocelyn Dudley, the Duke of Tresham, shot. Tresham demands that she assist him which ends up making Jane late and getting her fired. Jane comes to Tresham and demands that he help her. He offers her a job nursing him. The two are fascinating together. Jane challenges Jocelyn at every turn. But both of these people have pain and secrets that these two people possess.
I loved Jane and Jocelyn. The two of them have a difficult road to travel. There is so much pain in Jocelyn’s life and he is always anticipating betrayal that he assumes the worst about Jane. Yet he cannot give her up. I loved how Balogh reveals the soft sensitive side of Jocelyn and yet allows him to remain the strong man that he is.
My only negative comment is that I think the story is better with the missing chapters that Balogh released in NOW A BRIDE. Those the chapters give an emotional conclusion because Jocelyn finally gives voice to his feelings for Jane. For me the book ends to abruptly without those chapters.