The Mistress Thief (Zebra Regency Romance)

Rating:
Summary: stupid and ignorant
Review: "The Mistress Thief" possesses one big plot with two very closely intertwining subplots, so much so that at times I felt almost overwhelmed by how much was going on, and at the breakneck speed at which the events were all unfolding. However, the novel did make for absorbing reading, so that even though the urge to break something on the "hero's" -- Ranson Baldwin, the Earl of Weston -- head, grew with each succeeding chapter, I did enjoy this novel immensely.

Here's the outline of the novel: Lavinia Peyton is devoted to rescuing women who, because of circumstances beyond their control, have been forced to become prostitutes. However, she's really ardent about liberating the Earl of Weston's mistresses in particular from under his nose. Lavinia believes that the earl's casual and careless treatment of her beloved elder sister, Barbara, is the reason why Barbara has fled England, and is currently living in Europe. So, mostly out of revenge, Lavinia has whisked the earl's mistresses out of London, into hiding. What Lavinia doesn't know is that the earl is currently working with the Home Office in trying put a stop to a white slavery ring. For quite a while now, up-market courtesans having been disappearing from the London scene, and no one can find a trace of them anywhere. The earl has a suspect in mind; but in order to inveigle his way into this man's confidence, the earl needs to have a mistress. What to do when his mistresses, one by one, start disappearing?

In the meantime, Lavinia and the earl meet during one of the fashionable London dos, and both are at once attracted to and taken with each other. However, Lavinia cannot rid her mind of the earl's treacherous behaviour to her sister; while the earl is intrigued by Lavinia's beauty and wit. She also seems to alternately blow hot and cold with him -- one minute being really friendly and open, and the next being cold and cutting. Sensing that Lavinia is the ONE, he wishes that he could tell everything, esp since he suspects that it is his reputation for cutting a swathe amongst the courtesans that has made Lavinia so cold towards him. And then a crisis develops and Lavinia turns to the earl for help. Unfortunately he is unable to help her because doing so would jeopardize his investigations. He thinks that once everything is over, he can placate Lavinia with the truth. But will Lavinia be able to forgive him everything, esp not trusting her with the truth?

The plot of this Regency is a rather engrossing and intriguing one. And Alana Clayton did a wonderful job in developing the subplots and tying them all together, so that the novel was a lot 'meatier' that Regencies from Zebra usually are. My only problem with "The Mistress Thief" lay more with the character of the earl. I just couldn't stomach the his supreme confidence that he could win back Lavinia's approval and esteem by waiting to explain all only after his job with the Home Office was over. It never seemed to occur to him that a young woman who is as intelligent and as capable as Lavinia would prefer to be trusted with the truth before the fact, and may actually resent not being fully trusted. As for Lavinia, while her scheme to pay the earl back for his wrongs seems a little harebrained and demented, the courage, determination and intelligence she displays throughout the book (especially in the later half when the plot picks up), more than compensates for her early dementia.

Reservations about the earl aside, however, "The Mistress Thief" is an incredibly absorbing plot-driven novel, that many are bound to enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: stupid and ignorant
Review: Alana Clayton doesn't know much about the regency, she thinks the Prince Regent was involved in politics, that the home office investigated crimes, that prostitutes required job training to find jobs (more likely they required references.) She also seems to think that her characters have read the last chapter, how else explain why everyone involved expects that a romance between a married woman and a man not her husband will work out, except by assuming that the characters know in advance that the husband will be killed. Then there are the two main characters. He falls in love with her immediately, Lord knows why, probably because she is rude, suspicious, and churlish in her every dealing with him. And, oh yes, a plot that relies on the principal protagonists deliberately witholding information from one another for no reason simply will not fadge.

Rating:
Summary: Just not enjoyable
Review: Although I usually enjoy any Regency romance, I did not like this book. The characters were not stereotyped; unfortunately, they were also supremely uninteresting. I felt that the major personality trait of the heroine was pettiness, while the hero was defined by his obliviousness. Within the first 15 pages, I was fairly certain I knew the plot, but stuck with it until page 73, where I stopped and skipped to the last 10 pages. As it turned out, I was right -- I did know the plot. Since I couldn't even bring myself to read the whole book, I recommend that you choose another one to buy. Just for the record, I have well over 300 Regency romances in my personal collection and I have never felt strongly enough about one to write a negative review.

Alisha

Rating:
Summary: MOST ENJOYABLE FOR A CHANGE!
Review: What intrigued me was the thought of a man losing his mistress - three at that.

Did not bother to pick the plot apart - just read for enjoyment and a change from the boring bed hoping of the contemporaries.

Did like the misguided loyality of Livinia Peyton to her sister but couldn't believe she was that dumb. Comes with the age of the person I guess.

Ranson Baldwin for all of his investigations of Lord Hayley should have been a more dangerous character. I think everyone loved to hate Lord Hayley and Thomas Carter and the truth behind this small fact. Women disappearing into slavery.

Jessica and Lavinia got off a lot better than they should -- the danger was present but didn't quite catch them in the plot -- still I did enjoy the general story.

Loved Drew's sense of humour --

Do recommend for a light, easy read and a change of pace.