The Duke's Mistress

I disagree a little with another reviewer who said this Regency was predictable. I actually found it a little different than the rest. There were some flaws that would normally make me give it less than a 5, but because of the emotional charge I felt while reading this, I couldn't give it less! Lady Isabelle Milborne survived an abusive marriage. During that marriage her husband made her a partner in a scheme to revenge himself on Justin Everard, the Marquis of Wroth. Belle was really an innocent in the matter of framing Justin and forcing a duel, but Justin believed she betrayed him. He was in love with her and felt his actions (winning her in a card game!) were justified to save her. Belle saw it differently, but to protect him, she pretended to have lured him into her husband's clutches. The duel ends badly and though Lucian Milborne lives (but does not recover completely), Justin flees the country and enters the military. Three years later, Justin returns a hero and is now the Duke of Westmore. Belle is a widow, with a small pension and modest demeanor. But Justin is not fooled and sets out complete his own revenge. By implying he will court her young sister-in-law (Chloe) whom Belle loves as a sister, Justin forces Belle to become his mistress. Just the hint of scandal makes the ton snub Belle and she is no longer even allowed to talk to Chloe! Justin has a conscience, and removes Belle from London to his seaside home. He shows himself to be a wonderful gentleman who continues to love and care for Belle. Though they both try to remain impersonal and remote, they cannot hide the growing attraction and love. There are villains that force separation of the lovers. All the side characters are well fleshed out and I see a story or two coming out of them. You cannot see how this will end. Belle with her protective qualities always plays second fiddle and Justin, too, places duty above love. Nice reading - and of course the happy ending is achieved.

The Duke's Mistress is the story of Isabelle Milborne, who is deceived by her husband, Lord Milborne, and is used as a ploy in his revenge against Justin, the Duke of Westmore, whose father he holds responsible for the death of his father. Three years later Justin is seeking his own revenge against Isabelle, whom he fell in love with but thinks he was betrayed by. Justin meets Isabelle for the first time in three years at a ball. He sets out immediately to get revenge. Justin realizes that his love for Isabelle hasn't diminished over the years and after a series of events makes her his mistress for the Season to protect her from the gossip about her that spreads around London. Will having Belle as his mistress be enough??? The Duke's Mistress was a very predictable regency romance novel. The characters were predictable and the storyline the same. However, this book was written in a way that was entertaining. It was a very easy book to read with characters who actually had a bit of dimension. Justin and Belle were likable characters who seemed real. The author was very descriptive and this turned out to be an asset to the story. This book starts out a little slow but picks up speed and keeps the reader interested and entertained through the rest of the book. A nice lazy afternoon read.