No Man’s Mistress by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I Wanted to Like It More Than I Did
NO MAN’S MISTRESS is the second book in the Mistress Trilogy. It is the story of Lord Ferdinand Dudley who wins an estate in a card game only to find out that it is already inhabited by Viola Thornhill, who insists that the estate is hers. The two match series over the estate. Viola, however, harbors dark secrets and a painful past that leaves her alone.
I really wanted to like this book, but I never really liked Viola. She was too much of an enigma throughout the book. Her past was too painful and sordid and I never felt that the resolution of her personal journey was set out in a way that made her sympathetic. Unlike most Balogh novels there were times that I didn’t know if I would be able to finish the book.
I’m not a great fan of the ex-prostitute story so perhaps I judge them more harshly than other tropes. This book just didn’t feel deep or dark enough to compensate for the serious story of Viola’s life.
This book was my least favorite in the trilogy even though I enjoyed revisiting the other members of the Dudley family.
I’d rate this book 3.5.