Rating: 
Summary: Drop everything and read this
Review: A super book. I had no idea how I was going to learn to love this hero, but Dylan Kennedy won my heart and soul 4ever! Kathleen wanted to be Cinderella, but he taught her to be herself! The love scenes in the fancy railroad car were the Best! The big scam they pulled had me on the edge of my seat. The last scene of the book had me laughing through my tears. This is Romance at it's very best. Reminds me of all that is good and bright about people.
Rating: 
Summary: Romance; Disastrous Chicago Fire; Mrs.O'Leary's Cow ?
Review: Could this be a true version of how that horrible fire in 1871 started? Add romance Cinderella style, minus Prince Charming and instead insert an unscrupulous rake, out to steal Cinderella's (non-existant) fortune and the story unfolds.
This is my first Susan Wiggs novel; but it won't be my last! I was captivated by the unusual storyline, however not being a avid romance reader, felt it bogged down a little in the middle.
I wanted them to quit making love and get on with the action! The action being; how two penniless people are going to overcome the tragedy of the century, stay together long enough to find their trust and become prosperous!
Rating:
Summary: Fiery!!
Review: For one night in her life, Kathleen Bridget O'Leary, a maid servant whose mother milks cows for a living, becomes Cinderella. Her quality rich friends decide to wager an innocent bet that they could transform this ordinary servant girl into a glittering lady whom everyone would mistake her for a rich heiress. And they pull this masquerade off perfectly! And imagine, when Dylan Kennedy, the most eligible bachelor on that side of the Mississippi pays exorbitant amount of attention to her! There is a twist though... Dylan turns out to be a scheming con-artist looking for an heiress to rob her wealth. Oh and did I mention that amidst the plot there is a raging fire that made history in 1871 which changes their lives forever? This catastrophe that causes them to marry impulsively and Dylan and Kathleen find out there are consequences greater than they ever imagined.Will Kathleen ever find her dreams of being a rich and respected lady of society? Will Dylan change his ways? Well, you'll just have to find out! I really enjoyed this story! Since reading THE HOSTAGE, I've been dying to find out what happened to Kathleen and I'm so glad she got such a great story! And with such a sizzling hero! I love the good hearted (but a bit misguided) Dylan! And who would have thought the trading of wheat could be so exciting?? My heart was thumping as if I was watching a suspense movie, during the scene where they were waiting for the wheat prices to go up and up and up. I loved the ending, too. It was so sweet and poignant. A complete 180 for Dylan and Kathleen. Susan Wiggs writes magnificent story lines with real characters, whose personalities you can peel away layer by layer. It seems she digs deeper than most authors these days. Thank you Susan.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful characters and a great read!
Review: I picked up the first book in this trilogy, "The Hostage", on a whim at the supermarket because I needed a book to read on a holiday weekend. What a lucky find; Susan Wiggs is one of the most talented romance writers that I have read. As much as I enjoyed "The Hostage", I loved "The Mistress" even more. Kathleen O'Leary has always yearned to be a part of the glittering, upper-class world that she only saw second-hand through her work as a lady's maid. With a keen interest in business and a love for the finer things in life, she feels that she doesn't fit in with her Irish, working class family. While pretending to be the lady of her dreams at a party, she meets the dashingly handsome Dylan Francis Kennedy. The two are immediately smitten, but we soon learn that Dylan is not all that he seems, either. Not only is he not a moneyed gentleman, he is a longtime con artist and swindler, determined to get at the money that he thinks Kathleen has. What I loved about this story is that it shows how people's dreams and desires change. In the wake of the Chicago Fire, Kathleen realizes that her family--not her yearning for things material--is the most important thing in her life. Her love for them and pride in her heritage give her great strength and the courage to fight for her man and their future together. Similarly, Dylan learns that he can be truly heroic and a good man--someone worthy of love. Wiggs has a real gift for creating characters that are true-to-life, intelligent and sympathetic. I will definitely be reading more of her books!
Rating:
Summary: I loved this more than words could ever say....
Review: I picked up the first book in this trilogy, "The Hostage", on a whim at the supermarket because I needed a book to read on a holiday weekend. What a lucky find; Susan Wiggs is one of the most talented romance writers that I have read. As much as I enjoyed "The Hostage", I loved "The Mistress" even more. Kathleen O'Leary has always yearned to be a part of the glittering, upper-class world that she only saw second-hand through her work as a lady's maid. With a keen interest in business and a love for the finer things in life, she feels that she doesn't fit in with her Irish, working class family. While pretending to be the lady of her dreams at a party, she meets the dashingly handsome Dylan Francis Kennedy. The two are immediately smitten, but we soon learn that Dylan is not all that he seems, either. Not only is he not a moneyed gentleman, he is a longtime con artist and swindler, determined to get at the money that he thinks Kathleen has. What I loved about this story is that it shows how people's dreams and desires change. In the wake of the Chicago Fire, Kathleen realizes that her family--not her yearning for things material--is the most important thing in her life. Her love for them and pride in her heritage give her great strength and the courage to fight for her man and their future together. Similarly, Dylan learns that he can be truly heroic and a good man--someone worthy of love. Wiggs has a real gift for creating characters that are true-to-life, intelligent and sympathetic. I will definitely be reading more of her books!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful characters and a great read!
Review: I picked up the first book in this trilogy, "The Hostage", on a whim at the supermarket because I needed a book to read on a holiday weekend. What a lucky find; Susan Wiggs is one of the most talented romance writers that I have read. As much as I enjoyed "The Hostage", I loved "The Mistress" even more. Kathleen O'Leary has always yearned to be a part of the glittering, upper-class world that she only saw second-hand through her work as a lady's maid. With a keen interest in business and a love for the finer things in life, she feels that she doesn't fit in with her Irish, working class family. While pretending to be the lady of her dreams at a party, she meets the dashingly handsome Dylan Francis Kennedy. The two are immediately smitten, but we soon learn that Dylan is not all that he seems, either. Not only is he not a moneyed gentleman, he is a longtime con artist and swindler, determined to get at the money that he thinks Kathleen has. What I loved about this story is that it shows how people's dreams and desires change. In the wake of the Chicago Fire, Kathleen realizes that her family--not her yearning for things material--is the most important thing in her life. Her love for them and pride in her heritage give her great strength and the courage to fight for her man and their future together. Similarly, Dylan learns that he can be truly heroic and a good man--someone worthy of love. Wiggs has a real gift for creating characters that are true-to-life, intelligent and sympathetic. I will definitely be reading more of her books!
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book!
Review: I was captivated from the very start. This story makes you sit back and think about yourself and what is really important in life. I loved it! I have found a new author to add to my favorites list!
Rating:
Summary: Wiggs is wonderful
Review: In Chicago, impoverish Kathleen O'Leary works as a maid at an exclusive school for young ladies. However, tonight, October 8, 1871 Kathleen pretends to be a wealthy debutante wearing a borrowed gown to attend a high society ball. Also at the gala event is the city's wealthiest bachelor Dylan Kennedy, just back from Europe. When they meet, Dylan sees a beautiful woman perfect for him to seduce. He wants funds from her because he is a con artist. She sees her soulmate. On the other side of town, an inferno has erupted starting at the barn of Kathleen's parents. As the fire spreads and threatens everyone in the city, Kathleen and Dylan hastily marry. Somehow they survive and quickly fall in love, but both, not expecting to live, entered the marriage with deception and duplicity. He trusts no one and needs instant cash that she cannot provide while she continues to shower him with love. THE MISTRESS is an enjoyable Americana romance that centers on the aftermath of the Chicago fire. The story line uses real events and people to propel the entertaining romance to its climax. The lead couple will receive reader empathy as they learn the importance of being truthful as well as earnest in a relationship. However, what makes Susan Wiggs' tale a cut above the norm is the intricate look at survivors whose prize for minor success is clinging to life one day at a time. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: A dream novel!
Review: Kathleen Bridget O'Leary doesn't just weave a fantasy in her mind....she works to make her dreams come true. However, even in the best of her dreams she never conjured up any man as dashing, good looking, or as captivating as Dylan Kennedy. He surpasses everything she ever expected or dreamed of in giving her heart over to a man. However, there are a few little problems with this wonderful rogue. He has made an art of lying and he doesn't know what love is. Kate has her work cut out for her as she struggles to not only survive the great Chicago fire of 1871 and its aftermath, but to also prove to Dylan that love does exist. I haven't been so totally immersed in a book or loved the characters like I have those in "The Mistress in a very long time. This is the first novel by Susan Wiggs I've read and she immediately climbed to the top of my list of favorite authors. So, if you have this book....curl up and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: What if you had the chance to be somebody you weren't...
Review: Kathleen O'Leary took the chance with a borrowed dress and jewels, and fell in love with Dylan Kennedy, a wealthy and desired bachelor. So the story ends here, right? Of course not... it's a romance, and we must have turbulence, passion, fire (ha! no pun intended...)! Both were not what they pretended to be, and through a heedless marriage the truth comes out. What's a 12:01 Cinderalla and a dethroned Prince Charming to do? It's a story about how you can find your identity, your peace, in the one you love, and how unlikely that love can sometimes be; it's not unlike The Charm School, another book by Wiggs, that paired together a hero and a heroine that, under normal circumstances, wouldn't even have looked at each other on the street. Well-written and heartwarming, set against the famous fire in Chicago and the stunning effects it had on people's (real and fiction) lives, The Mistress is a lovely, polished gem to spend your day with.
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