The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh - Wayback Machine

January 29, 2020
"Get me a bromide, and put some gin in it."

https://marybalogh.com/
What’s with the quote, you may ask. Well, I’ll tell you my little Petunia’s. It’s a line from one of my favorite movies, The Women (1939). That quote is a line made by a character named Countess Flora DeLava (Mary Boland). This type of female character was popular in the movies of the 30s and 40s, and I loved them. This type of female characters were a little scattered, and a little flighty. They were usually comic relief. One might think these women were ignorant, but one would be wrong. Let me just drop the names of a few more characters from movies I love: Bridget Drake from When Ladies Meet (1941), played by Spring Byington - Millicent Jordan from Dinner at Eight (1933), played by Billie Burke - Angelica and Irene Bullock from My Man Godfrey (1936), played by Alice Brady and Carole Lombard - and Louise Patterson from The Big Clock (1948), played by Elsa Lancaster. Then there is Lady Angeline Dudley, from The Secret Mistress, part of the Mistress series by Mary Balogh. Angeline reminds me of these women. It is possible that some people may look at these women and think they are silly, even an insult to womankind. Maybe their mannerisms are frantic, fast, and make us tired. But there is hidden depth lurking underneath their flighty facade. Sometimes they may even be considered self-centered, but if one listens carefully, there is often some profound utterances coming from their mouths.

If you have read the other two books in this series, you may recognize Angeline as the featherbrained sister of the two Dudley brothers. She and her husband were secondary characters in both previous books. Angeline’s brothers barely tolerate her husband, Edward Ailsbury, Earl of Heyward. They consider him a boring stick. Angeline, on the other hand, talks, talks, talks, and her brothers try to ignore her. Once again, Ms. Balogh’s lightbulb lit, and she decided to go back in time and give us a prequel. She decided to give us Angeline and Edwards’s story. Out of the three books, this one turned out to be my favorite.

This is an example of Mary Balogh’s fun side. The Secret Mistress is not a hysterical, laugh-out loud, screwball story, but it is lighthearted. It is a treat. Angeline and Edward are both wonderful characters. She is a loving woman, and she loves her brothers, but when it comes to husband material, she does not want someone like her brothers. On the other hand, she does not want a bore. A bore is how society views Edward.

Then there is Edward. He does not want someone too exciting. He does not want someone who is frivolous. He wants someone who can help him in his career. He definitely does not want some empty-headed woman who is totally unaware of the rules of society. You know what I mean. The kind who comes down to a room in an inn, by themselves, and proceeds to stick their round bottom in the air while staring out of the window. The kind of round bottom one looks at, even when one doesn’t want to. The kind of round bottom which will attract rakes. The kind of woman who causes men to get in fights, and then is surprised that she is the cause of alllll the problems. It all can be overstimulating for a man who does not want excitement. At least that is what we are led to believe.

Angeline and Edward are perfect for each other. They are the kind of couple who bring out the best in each other. This book more than made up for the second book in the series. I cannot say enough about what a joy it was to read. It was humorous, the characters were delightful, and I smiled all the way through it. This book is why I love Mary Balogh. This is why I love Romanceland. I highly recommend this book.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Warm