Cathy Maxwell

Good start to the new series. Gwendolyn, Dara, and Elise are three sisters and daughters of a gambler. The girls lived with their grandmother when he went off on his travels. It's been a long time since anyone heard from him, so when their grandmother dies, their unscrupulous cousin claims the heir's rights and moves into the house. He promptly tries to marry the girls to anyone who will have them. Middle daughter Dara decides their best bet is to go to London for the season and find dukes to marry.

The three women are short of cash, so when they sneak off on their trip, they stop first at their father's favorite gaming hell in Dublin. Gwendolyn disguises herself and enters a game of faro to win the money they need. Though a talented player (she counts cards), she finds herself losing badly, unaware that the dealer is cheating. She is rescued by a gentleman named Becket Steele, who stakes her further play in exchange for a later favor and stops the cheating. Gwendolyn rapidly makes up for lost time, returns the stake, and escapes when things turn rowdy.

We next see the sisters in London, where things start slowly, thanks to their one Society connection being out of town. Thanks to the mysterious Mr. Steele and Michael Brogan, an Irish MP, they get a break. Suddenly Elise and Gwendolyn are declared the "Incomparables" of the season, and men have lined up at the door to court them. Dara remains in the background, believing she is the "plain" sister. But Dara is the brains behind the plan and keeps her sisters focused on the prize. But that focus gets disrupted as Michael Brogan begins paying attention to Elise, who eats it up. Dara is furious and does her best to discourage him.

Dara irritated me at first with her mercenary approach to husband hunting. I got that they needed husbands, but her narrow focus on dukes left out many perfectly suitable men. I enjoyed seeing Michael give her a hard time about it. It quickly became apparent that there was a strong attraction underneath their antagonistic encounters. However, Dara refused to accept it, knowing how Elise felt about him. It isn't easy, and a couple of passionate kisses complicate her efforts.

I enjoyed seeing the progression of the relationship between Dara and Michael. The bickering between them is a different sort of flirting, though neither realizes it. I liked Michael's realization that he got much more enjoyment out of his duels with Dara than he did talking to Elise, and I was happy to see him pull back from that relationship. Dara's life becomes even more complicated when her rescue of a drowning child and Michael's assistance put her at the center of a scandal. Suddenly the sisters find themselves again on the outside looking in, with their plans in ruins. I loved Michael's insistence on doing "the right thing" and had to laugh at Dara's attempts to get out of it.

Besides his duties as a member of Parliament, Michael has learned of an ongoing embezzlement problem at the War Office. With Steele's help, he has identified one of the players, but Dara inadvertently interferes with one of his attempts to learn more. She is later with him when they witness a murder, and I loved how her practicality helped temper his emotional response and how he's impressed with how much help she is when there is more trouble. I also approved of his protectiveness when he realized she was in danger. I ached for Michael when he thought the investigation was ruined and cheered when an unexpected twist turned things around. The resolution was very well done.

At the same time, Michael and Dara realize the truth of their feelings for each other but fear rejection if they say anything. I liked seeing Dara gain her courage first. Her confession was fun and quintessentially Dara-like, followed by the most Michael-ish response. I hope we get to see more of them in the following books.

I liked the dynamics among the three sisters and loved their aunt "Tweedie." Dara is the planner, but all three are intelligent, well-spoken women interested in more than your average debutante. As the book continued, you could feel their frustration at hiding who they were. Dara tends to be heavy-handed in her need to keep them on the straight and narrow, and eventually, her sisters rebel. Gwendolyn was okay, just more interested in having some time for her pursuits as well as their Society obligations. But Elise was a spoiled brat. Her popularity quickly goes to her head, especially regarding Michael's early attention. She doesn't seem to notice when he backs off and becomes insufferable when she discovers Michael is more interested in Dara. She desperately needs an attitude adjustment. The book finishes with an epilogue that appears to be a lead-in for the next book and is Elise's story. I have high hopes that she will get that awakening.

#netgalley… (més)

His Secret Mistress by Cathy Maxwell
A Logical Man Guide’s to Dangerous Women #1. Historical romance.
Kate Addison owns and manages a traveling acting troupe. Brandon doesn’t want her on his land because she broke his heart many years ago but he soon finds himself involved with her actors and designing sets. Maybe she can stay awhile.

An amusing plot and entertaining story that culminates is a grand romance and life changing decisions. Once they get past their history and trust issues.… (més)