Saturday, September 10, 2016

Review: No Mistress of Mine by Laura Lee Guhrke


Click here to buy the book on Amazon
Click here to buy the paperback at The Book Depository

The final book in Laura Lee Guhrke's An American Heiress in London series features Denys, fun, theater-loving Viscount Somerton: heir to an earldom -- who, six years ago, used all of his money, and mortgaged his estate to fund a theater production that headlined his mistress, Lola Valentine. It was a gamble that failed miserably, both critically and financially -- and, to add salt to the wound, Lola eventually left him, after rejecting his offer of marriage. Denys has since picked up the pieces of his near-bankrupt life, and has regained the trust of his family. He's getting ready to court his childhood friend, Lady Georgiana -- and life seems to be going smoothly for him.

Until he receives news that his partner in the Imperial Theater has died, and has left his half of the theater to his former mistress. Old resentments, and old pain become new again as our former lovers try to redefine their business partnership. The power struggle is inevitable, but I felt Denys was really caught off guard by Lola's return to his life -- Lola plans to revive her theater career, and prove to the London theater community that she is an actress, and also plans to be an active partner in running the Imperial.

Lola's presence threatens to destroy the fragile trust that Denys and his father Earl Conyers have built up, and also threatens to destroy the budding relationship he has with Lady Georgiana. So much was at stake for Denys, and I didn't see what Lola had to lose -- she really could just pack up and leave any time she wanted: with or without her, the theater would continue to operate, and she would continue to receive her share of the profits -- that, and the money she inherited from Henry Latham, could allow her to live comfortably the rest of her days.

So why return to London? Why risk an established career and reputation in New York? Why risk a confrontation with a spurned former lover? There are a lot of unexamined motivations that drive Lola forward, and I kept waiting for her to realize them.

Denys, on the other hand, stood to lose everything he had worked for up to that point -- and, if I were him, I would have taken the option to sell their half of the theater (as he and his father discussed). but, there was still a part of him that really longed to be with Lola, and that's the reason he stays and works with her. Denys's motivation is simple: it's love -- it has always been love. During their first relationship, Denys was prepared to sacrifice everything and marry Lola, and it's still that fundamental desire that propels him to make the decision to trust Lola again.

There's a lot of tension in Denys and Lola's encounters -- so many truths unsaid, so many emotions kept hidden -- especially on Lola's part. She was worried that Denys would see her differently if he knew everything about her past, and, perhaps there was a part of Lola that doubted Denys's love, and she kept trying to test it. As I read further, I felt that Lola's doubts were unfounded -- yes, Denys was young when he first proposed to her, and, yes, Denys didn't know the full extent of her scandalous career before they met -- but Denys gave me the impression that he knew what he was doing, and he knew what he felt.

But, perhaps, Denys wasn't completely aware of the class difference between him and Lola, or that he chooses to ignore it. I understand that Lola worried about how her affiliation with Denys could affect his standing in society as Viscount Somerton. Lola knows she cannot be selfish, and separate Denys from everything that he has grown up with. She made the painful decision of walking away all those years ago -- it was a selfless, but painful sacrifice that hurt both of them.

I did love the idea of history repeating itself: Denys is in the same situation he was in all those years ago. They're getting a second chance at their relationship, and we wonder whether our hero and heroine have learned from the past, or will the outcome be the same?

Finally, I would like to see Lady Georgiana get her happy ending. While Denys explains that he made no overt statement about his intentions towards her, it was very obvious where their relationship was headed -- but it was all interrupted by Lola's reappearance. I really thought she and Denys had a very good relationship.

No Mistress of Mine is Book 4 in Laura Lee Guhrke's An American Heiress in London series. To find out more about Laura Lee Guhrke and her books, click below:
Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter




















43 comments:

  1. We have a few ideas about Sims 5 to know you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have read this review. It is exactly right. Book review writing is an interesting and it is a great thing. Reading always gives the knowledge.

    ReplyDelete

  3. Your way of telling the whole thing in this article is genuinely pleasant, every one can effortlessly understand it, Thanks a lot. netflix login

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great blog! I love reading your articles. Very interesting information I can find here. I often visit your site and find a lot of interesting information.
    menmyshop
    Amplifier
    Android Double Din player
    Hypersonic Double din player for android
    Hyundai creta Double din player
    Hyundai Xcent Double din player

    ReplyDelete
  5. Defective or Dangerous Electrical Wiring Hello there! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this page to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. < >Michael Kors Factory Outlet,
    has always been classic in style.
    < >How To Tell If A Michael Kors Purse Is Real,
    any fashionista about the most coveted handbags.
    < >Michael Kors Outlet Mall,
    they are acclaimed for their ageless yet bold designs.
    < >Coach Outlet Store Online Free Shipping,
    every bag is a art piece combining the most exquisite materials.
    < >Coach Outlet Online Sale,
    having an extensive variety of designs.
    < >Coach Factory Outlet Online 48 Hour Sale,
    tell me about the classic monogram design.
    < >Coach Bags On Sale Online,
    you just have to look around in the right places to find it.
    < >Discount Michael Kors Outlet,
    thus to choose a right design handbag combining practicality.
    < >Macys Michael Kors Bags Sale,
    style and reflecting your distinctive status is a great essentiality.
    < >Michael Kors Store Near Me,
    this one would suitable for most occasions.
    < >Coach Outlet Clearance,
    you probably have very definite taste in handbags.
    < >Online Life Coach,
    you could very easily be tricked into getting one.
    < >Life Coach Certification Online,
    is still a far better purchase.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looking for a job? Browse thousands of direct job offers and find the best suitable position on Jobboss.co.uk. Job search for all jobs near me. Just apply for a job vacancy with one click.

    if you want more just look here "jobboss"

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for your post. I’ve been thinking about writing a very comparable post over the last couple of weeks. I’ll probably keep it short and sweet and link to this instead if thats cool. Thank 토토

    ReplyDelete
  10. 토토사이트 I am actually happy to read this website posts which carries plenty of helpful data, thanks for providing these kinds
    of data.

    ReplyDelete
  11. 카지노사이트 I have been browsing online greater than three hours lately, yet I by no means discovered any interesting article like yours. It is pretty price sufficient for me. In my opinion, if all website owners and bloggers made good content material as you probably did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is a really well written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely return.

    성인야설

    ReplyDelete
  13. I highly appreciate your hard-working skills as the post you published have some great information which is quite beneficial for me, I hope you will post more like that in the future.

    타이마사지

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger.

    안마

    ReplyDelete
  15. Its an amazing website, I really enjoy reading your articles.
    온라인카지노

    ReplyDelete
  16. I am glad to be able to see your article,
    and I hope that you will continue to upload a lot of good articles. Please visit once you have time.
    My site is



    바카라사이트
    안전카지노사이트
    바카라

    ReplyDelete
  17. You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the best websites on the net.
    I will recommend this website!

    Look at my page:



    토토사이트
    프로토
    먹튀검증

    ReplyDelete
  18. To a great degree wonderful and entrancing post. I was hunting down this kind of information and had a great time examining this one.



    토토
    스포츠중계
    토토사이트

    ReplyDelete
  19. Rival police force comes to take control of Chukchansi 토토검증업체

    ReplyDelete
  20. Congratulations on your article, it was very helpful and successful. 174e7058d436faaedead465215dd632a
    website kurma
    sms onay
    website kurma

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you for your explanation, very good content. e96ce78321452f4e3e8a635a86bc8323
    define dedektörü

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks for your article. 9dbad1d8e528a18bc117c1e10aaa4951
    evden iş imkanı

    ReplyDelete
  23. This blog post is really great about this Interesting book. Few people, in actuality, would behave as you just did. We are extremely grateful that you shared this lovely content with us. Please visit the compare and contrast essay topics writing service if you need assistance with your studies. I used this service today, so I am aware of how fantastic it is for students, and I sincerely hope you will enjoy it.

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...