Mistress Diaries by Julianne Maclean
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(Mass Market Paperback)
- Pub. Date: July 2008
- 384pp
- Sales Rank: 79,750
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: July 2008
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
- Format: Mass Market Paperback, 384pp
- Sales Rank: 79,750
- Series: Avon Romance Ser.
- ISBN-13: 9780061456848
- ISBN: 0061456845
Synopsis
A proper lady would never let herself become his mistress . . .
Kristin Ramsdell - Library Journal
A glorious night of passion with a nobleman leaves young widow Cassandra Montrose, Lady Colchester, pregnant. After she is told she is terminally ill, Cassandra has no choice but to take the baby to the child's father, Lord Vincent Sinclair. A second diagnosis reveals she is not about to die, but the damage has already been done. Vincent is about to marry, but he doesn't want to lose Cassandra or his daughter. The marriage has been commanded by Vincent's father, but Cassandra refuses to be Vincent's mistress. Then she agrees to a platonic arrangement-until they realize that their passion for each other has never died. An intriguing situation with an unexpected solution combined with strong, compelling characters results in a lively, provocative story that is sure to please. MacLean (In My Wildest Fantasies) lives in Canada.
More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
Julianne MacLean fell in love with some of the classic romances—Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Pride and Prejudice—while completing her degree in English literature. Then she decided that she needed a "real job," but after a brief stint as a government auditor, she realized she just didn't care enough about numbers matching up. So a month before her wedding, she sat down and wrote the first paragraph of a romance. Now fifteen years, a husband, and a daughter later, Julianne is a happy, fulfilled, stay-at-home mom and a devoted romance writer.
Customer Reviews
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Loved itby Judith7
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October 21, 2008:
A couple of nights ago I was on the flight from hell. An all night red-eyed special, packed full, and I was stuck between two large gentlemen, one who was snoring. To top it off, I have a problem with restless legs and I knew it would be a VERY long flight. Then something magical happened. I turned on the overhead light and pulled The Mistress Diaries by Julianne MacLean out of my purse. A moment later, indeed from the first journal entry of Cassandra Montrose, I was lost.
I felt much like the figure on the cover. I opened a book that turned out to be a door to an enchanting sensual and thoroughly delightful story of missed opportunities, regrets, forgiveness and second chances. I loved the way the author allowed Vincent and Cassandra to grow along with their friendship, and I really enjoyed the layered background of a somewhat dysfunctional but genuinely loving family. The witty dialogue and loveable characters were an absolute delight. I loved it! I was drawn right in and didn?t come up until they turned the lights off for touch down 4 1/2 hrs later. I was thinking, what the heck? I still have two chapters to go!
Anyway, it was a warm and wonderful read that turned a nightmare into a treat. My only complaint is that from the epilogue, it seems the series is coming to an end, and in both this and the previous book about Vincent?s brother Devon, I was very intrigued by their mother, the Duchess, a sad, graceful and lovely lady who deserved, in my opinion, a story and happy ending of her own. Oh well. It?s a testament to Ms MacLean?s writing and storytelling that even the secondary characters are so vibrant and compelling you want their stories too. I?ve enjoyed all Julianne MacLean?s books, but this is one of my favourites.
Poor characters, weak plotby Anonymous
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September 30, 2008: This book feels like it's missing a prologue to the prologue. Vincent's character isn't even established before Cassandra, begins assaulting it for no good reason than her own bitterness over her poor choice. Cassandra assumes a position of moral superiority and tears Vincent apart over his choice of lifestyle which she seems to believe has made her the victim of the tale, ignoring her own part in the making of her demise. Cassandra is far from sympathetic. She initially permits pride to take precedence over the well being of her child but even as she teeters on the precipice of idiotic behavior she continues to make digs at Vincent's character including his ability to be a father, despite her complete lack of knowledge about his abilities or intentions in that area. She in fact admits she has little experience with men and their children but only after making presumptions about his interests in fatherhood. Vincent makes claims as to Cassandra's belief in the power of love but nowhere in the novel is it established that they ever had a conversation of any depth prior to their one night together. No details on that are in the story. In fact the two characters seem to make baseless assumptions about each other at every turn which suggests an attempt to create antagonism for the sake of intrigue, despite the fact that there is no true justification for it. Cassandra is also a hypocrite. On one hand she has little problem enjoying the pleasantries of their relationship but at the same time, she takes the tack that their relationship will somehow become sordid if she agrees to be his mistress, ignoring that his fianc?e would be no less betrayed after the fact than she would before the wedding. Letitia herself is a ridiculous character whose behavior is nonsensical and remarkably contrived. While Vincent is the sole saving grace of the plot, the later revelation of his character is a direct contradiction to his incomplete and ineffective portrayal as a standard rake. This would have been a wonderful development had it not been obvious that he was the single worthy and sympathetic character in the story from the beginning. Though the second half of the story was a definite improvement on the beginning, the only motivation to continue past the first half was to find out if the ridiculous characters improve. Fortunately they do, raising the quality of the story into solid mediocrity.
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