What do You think about Mistress (2005)?
Iphiginia (let's now dwell on the name, shall we?) has recently returned to England, when she learns her dear aunt Zoe is being blackmailed. The blackmailer is so vicious he actually killed a member of the ton, Marcus Valerius Cloud, Earl of Masters, so he truly must be stopped. So Iphy devises a cunning plan. She would enter the ton posing as Masters's mistress - the man is dead after all, he won't be able to label her a liar and since he was quite a recluse before his death, no one will know the truth - and try to uncover the blackmailer.All is proceeding quite nicely, though Iphy still hasn't uncovered the blackmailer's identity, when all of a sudden Masters appears at a ball, quite healthy and alive, rather curious as to whom his mistress might be. Drat it, when a man is supposed to be dead, he should remain dead, don't you think?Anyway, Marcus is quite taken with his pretend mistress and decides to keep up with the charade. The fact he also thinks she is the blackmailer - yes, one of his friends is also being blackmailed - helps in his decision to do so.But soon, blackmailers and intrigue will prove to be the farthest thing on Marcus's mind and he'll be more than ready (and Iphy more than willing) to erase the "pretend" from their arrangement.This is the absolute first book by AQ I read and I've been hooked ever since (with historicals one of my favorite genres and Ms. Quick one of my favorite authors).I loved this story. It had everything one desires in a historical. A wonderful leading couple (a high-ranking member of the ton and a spinster), nice supporting cast, great chemistry, lovely romance, and a nice dose of suspense thrown into the mix, just to keep things lively. Though Marcus isn't Julian (from Seduction), he's still one of my favorite historical heroes out there. And Iphy, the template AQ heroine, a little before her time, was his perfect counterpart.Though this is an oldie, it remains one of my absolute favorites on that keeper shelf, and I really cannot find any fault in this book. It even has a carriage-sex scenes, that "must" in early AQ novels.5 ½ stars. ;P
—Mojca
3.5It should be noted that Amanda Quick -- better known as a pseudonym of Jayne Ann Krentz -- was, at one time, my favorite author. And although that was more than a decade ago, she will always have a spot in my heart, even if I don't quite connect with her books as well as I used to.One reason I loved Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz books is that her characters are intelligent. The heroine does her own thing. The hero falls hard. It's quite pleasing all around. But Mistress seems to hit you over the head with the intelligence factor, with the characters -- Iphiginia more than Marcus -- commenting on the other's intelligence.And don't even get me started on the name Iphiginia. At least I have copy/paste on my side so I don't spell her name wrong.I did enjoy the set up of this book -- Iphiginia poses as the mistress of the Earl of Masters (Marcus) to look into the blackmailing of her aunt, and when he catches wind of it, he simply has to investigate... and get pulled under Iphiginia's spell. (Seriously, copy/paste is amazing.)Amanda Quick books often have an element of suspense or mystery in them, even though they're historical romance. I'm always fond of this, since it provides outside factors to keep the couple apart, rather than their stubborn beliefs. However. HOWEVER. Marcus had some pretty stuffy "rules" that he was infamous for that, quite naturally, caused some angst toward the end of the story. It only moderately made me roll my eyes.I also seem to remember that Amanda Quick books also feature a virgin heroine who hides her virginity until the hero discovers it for himself... usually as he thrusts home. That holds true for Mistress, too, and... yeah. I'm not sure how I feel about that scene because there are elements that are amusing to it. And yet, Iphiginia should have said something beforehand rather than letting Marcus believe she was a widow. Like he wouldn't find out? Come on.As to the blackmailer, I actually figured it out before it was revealed (yay me!), but it was an... okay? mystery/suspense line. Lots of Marcus running after Iphiginia and getting mad when she wouldn't listen to him. Iphiginia herself stretched the bounds of believable situations. Oddly enough, it was the money factor more than anything. She was incredibly brilliant, yes, but there would have been a lot of subterfuge necessary to get the men of the world to let the women invest their money.So yes. Mistress is most definitely everything I remember of Amanda Quick books. They're pleasant, but I do believe my tastes have altered somewhat. Still an enjoyable book. I would pick up more without hesitation.
—Amanda
Having heard great things of Amanda Quick's clever historical erotic romances, I was expecting a little too much with this threadbare effort. Yet the premise sounded good enough: a blackmail-investigating young woman must impersonate a somewhat rakish gent's mistress in order to win her way into high society and rummage through their belongings. When the wealthy-but-honest lothario joins the search for the blackmailer, sexy shenanigans and deeper connections ensue.Repetitious and over-formulaic, let down by poor proofing as well as poor editing, Mistress is surely a work-in-progress rather than a finished book. In my version (Kindle) there is at least one unforgivable typo (a word rendered illegible by random keystrokes), and for an erotic romance the fun scenes are tediously far apart.It's not entirely without fun: the scene in the statue room is enjoyable enough. I have no doubt Amanda Quick can be a fun writer. It's just that, having been so let down by this concoction, I'm not in a hurry to read more.
—Julie Ambrose
