The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Soft, Sweet Unusual
THE SECRET MISTRESS is the this book in the Mistress Trilogy. It is actually a prequel to the other two novels but I didn’t mind reading it last. It is the story of Lady Angeline Dudley, the sister of the Duke of Tresham, who travels to London for her coming out. on the way, she ends up in the same inn public room as Edward Ailsbury, the Earl of Heyward. Heyward is the consummate gentleman who rescues her from the attentions of a rake.
I absolutely loved this book. It is not a flashy story, but rather a sweet story about falling in love between two opposites. Balogh does a great job with difficult characters. Heyward, we already have learned is a bit stuffy and uptight. Balogh makes him sympathetic and romantic without sacrificing his character. He is who he is presented to be but he is also more. She masterfully weaves the story of the unlikely pair such that by the end I had no doubt that these two were meant for one another.
There is also a secondary romance mirroring the main one that made me smile.
This book also contains some extras from the entire series. I enjoyed those as well. They are really extras and not a short story. The epilogue that wraps up the entire series was nice because readers get an update on all the important characters in the series.
I’d rate this one a 4.5.