His Secret Mistress (Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women Series #1)

by Cathy Maxwell, Justine Eyre (Read by)

Overview

At the Logical Men’s Society—an exclusive bachelor’s club—brandy flows like water, bawdy stories abound, and a gentleman tempted to marry is always persuaded to reconsider . . .

Brandon Balfour made the mistake of trusting his heart to the exquisite, strong-willed actress, Kate Addison, with whom he shared one intimate night before fate intervened. Now a decade later, Brandon is a leading member of the Logical Men’s Society—for no woman since Kate has managed to captivate him.

To Kate, the memory of that night still burns strongly, because it was followed by a stunning betrayal. A chance encounter may have brought Brandon back into her life, but that doesn’t mean Kate will ever forgive him. She’s vowed to make him pay—even as she realizes the promises of the young love they once shared are still etched upon her heart . . .

Loving her exiled him.

Trusting him ruined her.

And now, a clash of passions threatens everything each of them ever desired.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781094114897
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/25/2020
Series:	Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women Series , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 6.80(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Cathy Maxwell is a New York Times bestselling author whose résumé includes years as a naval officer, news broadcaster, and costume designer for theater productions. These days, she spends hours in front of her computer pondering the question, Why do people fall in love? It remains for her the great mystery of life and the secret to happiness.

Justine Eyre is a classically trained actress who has narrated many audiobooks, earning the prestigious Audie Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She is multilingual and known for her great facility with accents. She has appeared on stage, with leading roles in King Lear and The Crucible, and has had starring roles in four films on the indie circuit. Her television credits include Two and a Half Men and Mad Men.

Editorial Reviews

01/27/2020

A painful misunderstanding comes to light in this delightful Regency series launch from Maxwell (The Duke That I Marry). Brandon Balfour, a 36-year-old bachelor, is a prominent member of the anti-marriage Logical Men’s Society and still smarting from a heartbreak in his youth. When Bran’s sister, the Dowager Duchess of Winderton, insists he pay off the older actor that her son has grown infatuated with to convince her to leave the boy alone, Bran laughs off her concern—until he learns the actor in question is Kate Addison, his own former lover. Bran demands that Kate immediately leave the town of Maidenshop or he’ll send the magistrate after her. Surprised at seeing Bran again, spunky Kate refuses to go and confronts Bran about just how badly the disastrous end of their relationship hurt her. Bran is stunned by her anger, believing he is the one who was jilted 15 years ago. As the dark truth of what really happened comes to light, the couple’s verbal sparring and well-matched wits hide their deep emotional vulnerability and make for electric chemistry. Readers will find it easy to root for their happy reunion. Agent: Robin Rue, Writer’s House. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Maxwell (If Ever I Should Love You) provides a brave heroine whom readers will root for in love and life in this first book of a new series...readers looking for an unconventional Regency romance should give this a try." — Library Journal

“I love Cathy Maxwell!” — Julia Quinn

From the Publisher

I love Cathy Maxwell!

Julia Quinn

02/07/2020

Brandon Balfour and Kate Addison were once desperately in love but grossly manipulated against each other. Brandon left the country broken hearted, and Kate was forced to leave the stage and live with her rapist. Years later, Brandon is back in England, an architect and member of the bachelor club, the Logical Men's Society. One of his duties is to oversee his nephew and the ducal estate. When the young duke abruptly falls in love with an actress, and Brandon finds out it's Kate, he's convinced she's trying to con his nephew. In reality, Kate just needs time for the troupe's wagon wheel to be fixed. As the duo spar and manipulations of the past come to light, the spark of their true feelings begins to resurface. VERDICT Maxwell (If Ever I Should Love You) provides a brave heroine whom readers will root for in love and life in this first book of a new series. While the couple's intriguing backstory isn't as fleshed out as it could be, readers looking for an unconventional Regency romance should give this a try.—Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati Blue Ash

Library Journal

Justine Eyre’s spirited reading is as lively as Kate Addison’s theater company, which is stuck in her former lover Brandon Balfour’s quirky British village. While Kate keeps Brandon’s mooncalf nephew at arm’s length, the village looks on as the couple reignites their romance. Eyre sets a brisk pace that keeps listeners’ attention and is attentive to Maxwell’s sense of the dramatic. Kate’s voice, with its appealing mid-range timbre, is steeped in indignation at Balfour’s youthful desertion. Balfour’s is deeper, with a rough edge, that ranges from mild in conversations with his whinging sister, the dowager duchess, to hard-edged when dealing with unreasonable theater crowds. As several calamities test the lovers’ tenuous connection, Eyre navigates Maxwell’s comedy of errors with memorable secondary characters whom listeners will want to hear in future installments. C.A. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2020 - AudioFile

Justine Eyre’s spirited reading is as lively as Kate Addison’s theater company, which is stuck in her former lover Brandon Balfour’s quirky British village. While Kate keeps Brandon’s mooncalf nephew at arm’s length, the village looks on as the couple reignites their romance. Eyre sets a brisk pace that keeps listeners’ attention and is attentive to Maxwell’s sense of the dramatic. Kate’s voice, with its appealing mid-range timbre, is steeped in indignation at Balfour’s youthful desertion. Balfour’s is deeper, with a rough edge, that ranges from mild in conversations with his whinging sister, the dowager duchess, to hard-edged when dealing with unreasonable theater crowds. As several calamities test the lovers’ tenuous connection, Eyre navigates Maxwell’s comedy of errors with memorable secondary characters whom listeners will want to hear in future installments. C.A. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2020 - AudioFile

2019-12-09
An actress who has carefully chosen the rules she can break in Regency-era England finds herself painfully conflicted when she rediscovers her ex-lover, now an aspiring architect with his heart set on building bridges.

Brandon Balfour has studiously avoided matrimony. His singleness has ensured continued membership in the Logical Men's Society, a group for unmarried scientific-minded men instituted by the grandfather of the current Earl of Marsden. While the matrons of the village of Maidenshop would like nothing better than to see him—and his two eligible young friends—comfortably wedded, Brandon has other concerns: Not only is he haunted by his romantic past with the indomitable Kate Addison, he is also hoping to secure the future of his ward, the Duke of Winderton. But ancient history returns to create drama in the present when he learns that Winderton believes himself in love with Kate, whose traveling theater group has halted at their village. Brandon crashes back into her life, but Kate is determined that he will not shatter her heart again. Since she suffered disastrous consequences after her tryst with Brandon 15 years ago, Kate feels used and betrayed. She is determined to prove that she can stand her ground and won't give the architect an inch. The first installment in Maxwell's A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women series is deliciously sweet when it dwells on the protagonists' interactions with secondary characters but insipid when the couple get together to trade barbs and memories. Brandon's struggle with the difficulty of building a solid foundation for his life inspires empathy, but the enormity of Kate's trauma gets obscured by drama. A fiercely ambitious woman who has braved several odds to gain financial independence, Kate is a beautifully crafted character whose story deserved more sensitivity and nuance. However, the scenes involving the villagers of Maidenshop sparkle with wit and insight, illuminating several human foibles and desires.

A fairly straightforward romance set in a quaintly charming world.

Kirkus Reviews