Mistress in Training

by Edwina Columbia

The lovely Julia Freemont, destitute and disgraced after her father gambled away the family fortune and ended his own life, would rather be a wealthy man's mistress than live in poverty. Rich and handsome Brandon Barringer has long admired Julia from afar, but she never gave him the time of day as long as she was riding high on the tides of the upper class.

Now the tables have turned, and Julia has approached Brandon to ask for his help - in return for her personal favors. Brandon agrees, but one condition: He will teach her to fully appreciate the subtleties of the senses, before they embark into carnal satisfaction.

Genres: Romance, Historical

350 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Edwina (Eddie) Columbia lives in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, near the shores of fickle Lake Erie with her number-one fan and husband, Jeff, along with the only remaining baby at home - Candy, their black lab.
Proud mother of two grown children, Bryan and Tiffany, Eddie turned her passion for reading romance novels into a passion for writing them.
Creative by nature, she dabbles in faux finishing, sewing, tile work, and floral arranging, to name a few, and on most Friday nights can be found at her neighborhood bookstore for her standing "date-night" with hubby.

Reviews

[seton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This debut novel from 2006 is a sexy historical in the style of Elizabeth Hoyt, Nicole Jordan, and Cheryl Holt. It is set in Regency times.

I pretty much forgot the plot as soon as I finished the book. Basically, beautiful Julia Freemont is left with huge gambling debts after her daddy commits suicide. She offers herself to a previous suitor whom she had previously rejected. Because he was illegitimate. He accepts her offers and wants to train her to be the perfect mistress s-l-o-w-l-y. So slowly that the first 300 pages is nothing but one looooooong foreplay. I got really bored about halfway thru the book when I could see what the author was doing.

And that is pretty much the whole book. There is a small sideplot about someone trying to kill the hero but it’s pretty obvious who is the villain and why he is trying to kill him. It is wrapped up pretty quickly at the end.

Grade: C+

Sensuality: R

[Kit★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 Stars!This was yet another Goodwill find where the back cover blurb caught my attention: Never heard of the author before, but I'm willing to try new things. I'll admit I was sort of expecting your average Regency-set romance, and was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be a lot steamier than I was expecting. Almost like erotica, bit a bit tamer. The build-up to the relationship was very well done. The set-up; a well-bred lady's father has lost everything and then killed himself, leaving her destitute. So she goes to the man who is was partly responsible for her father's gambling debts, a man who has always wanted her, though she scorned his ideas of marriage, for while he's very rich, he's only the bastard grandson of a dead duke (his cousin being the current duke). Well now she doesn't know what else to do, because she wants to still have her accustomed luxuries, so what else is there to do but offer herself as his mistress? Her agrees to her proposal, but on his terms, such as she must dress how he says and do what he says. Then he orders her a new wardrobe and whisks her away to his country estate. It's here that the story really begins. The two characters really developed here, gave me a picture of their attitudes and desires. Julia I ended up liking despite the cold first impression I got. Same with Brandon. At first he seemed overbearing, too controlling, but as he started to show his sexy side, and eventually his soft side, I grew to like him rather well. The set-up of the newly-poor girl having to become a man's mistress is a familiar one, but I thought the way the author did it was good. The whole "training" thing made the anticipation greater. Brandon's plan to slowly initiate her, showing her the sensuality in all the senses, sight, smell, y'know, all that. So each lesson gets hotter as it goes. I liked how it went, I even found myself getting frustrated along with Julia, like come on and do it already! Oh, but I forgot to mention, just to throw some mystery and danger in the mix, that Brandon's life is in danger. Someone's been trying to kill him, and no one quite knows who it might be. So one day, they are out riding, and shots are fired, but Brandon doesn't let Julia in on the danger, keeping her completely clueless. So Brandon goes to London for a few days to look into a lead he got about someone who has info on Brandon's parents' possible marriage, which would make him legitimate if true. He also goes to speak with his solicitor to arrange for Julia to regain everything her father lost to him, plus the other debts of her father's that Brandon bought up from other people in the eventuality that something happens to him. While he's gone, Julia decides to go riding, and is told Brandon has ordered for her not to be allowed, ticking her off a bit. When he returns, she's all mad at him for being so controlling, but their desire is still running strong, and the lessons continue. On the day they plan to fully consummate their arrangement, a letter arrives from his friends the Duke and Duchess of Malvern stating that they will be arriving a day earlier than planned. Brandon had invited them as a way to reintroduce Julia to society, and also had the rumor spread that Julia had been at the Malvern estate this whole time to protect her from scandal. So their love-making is delayed, frustrating the both of them beyond compare. Once the duke and his bloved wife arrive, it's more than apparent that Brandon and James are the best kind of friends, and James is all too ready to help find whoever's been trying to off Brandon. His wife Amelia, a brash and outspoken American, quickly befriends Julia as well. The next day, Brandon's cousin Robert, the Duke of Dunwald, arrives, along with his fiancee and Julia's bestest friend since forever, Isabella. Julia insists that she and Isabella must share a room as they always have since childhood, and Brandon reluctantly agrees, pushing their final lesson back even further. Not that they don't find their small moments to be naughty here and there, because they do do that. I personally didn't understand the whole room sharing thing. I mean, Brandon's house is huge, and when James and Amelia arrived, they were given use of an entire wing of the house. So why couldn't Isabella have a room of her own? Yea, yea, I get that they were best friends, but still... I just thought it was a mite strange. However, aside from delaying the loss of Julia's virginity, it wasn't made into a big deal, so I guess it was ok. So, Julia's teasing him, y'know, leaning over so he can see down her dress, licking her lips, sucking food of her her fingers at meals... and he's going nuts. She learned the "tricks" in an erotic novel she found, which the couple passages of that were given were kinda fun to read, I liked that little inclusion. So, anyway, yea, she's giving him a taste of his own medicine, and it's driving him crazy! Made me laugh a couple of times. But of course poor Julia's fallen for him, and Amelia and Isabella catch her crying one day and wring the whole story from her. Julia's afraid they'll shun her now for being a fallen woman, but of course they don't. Amelia tells Julia of a book where women write down their name and the name of the man they wish to marry, then make a wager. Then all the other women who came before in the book would do anything they could to help get the wished for couple together. So they head off to London, Amelia and Julia sneaking away one day while Brandon and James are out riding. Problem is, Robert sees the two women leave, and Robert's no out of suspicion yet for being behind the attacks. Then, while on their ride, Brandon is shot at again, one grazing his temple and the other one hitting him in the torso, knocking him from his horse. James quickly drages him to cover and finds that Brandon's pocket watch stopped the bullet, and saved his life. They return to the house to find their women gone and all hell breaks loose. James and a few of Brandon's manliest man-servants race off to London after Isabella tells them where the women went. Brandon tries to go too, but James tells him he's gotta rest up first, and to come in a couple of days. Back in London, Amelia and Julia get the book business handled at a dressmaker's shop, the same one Brandon ordered Julia's wardrobe from. Turns out Brandon had saved the dressmaker from a life of endless prostitution, and so they're friends, along with the dressmaker's loyal gang of brawny sailors. The dressmaker helps teach Julia a few things about how to drive Brandon wild. One night while leaving from one of these visits, Julia is abducted. Amelia races home to find James there, and she tells him what's happened. James immediately gets a big search crew going, including some of Maude's sailors. One of Brandon's servants rushes back to tell Brandon, finding him already almost to London, and the massive search is on. Of course, they eventually find her, and she's ok, but there's gotta be a little conflict first. I won't give away who the villain is, but it wasn't exactly a huge surprise to me. Hint: It's not Robert. There's a HEA, but because of circumstances leading to Brandon becoming the Duke of Dunwald, there's some work to be done before they get there. So, I thought it was a pretty good book. I could tell the author was fresh (as in new) by the writing style, but it wasn't bad in any way. I really liked the steaminess level. If all her writing is similar, I'd definitely like to read more of it. I could've maybe used more details of the characters' backgrounds and pasts, but otherwise they were well developed and I could feel for them. The action-y bits were good, but I did think the whole conclusion part with the villain was a little rushed. Done in a couple of pages when I felt there could've been a few more pages about it that I would've gladly read. But all in all, I'm glad I picked it up and gave it a read. I hope this author gets to write more stories, because I'd like to read more by her, this book shows promise, at least to me :) 3.75 Stars!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but nothing really stood out.

[ceecee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is set in the time period of around 1800. The book begins when Julia Freemont accidentally says a crude remark regarding a Mr. Brandon Barringer, the illegitimate grandson of a Duke. This remark was bad in itself and made that much worse for having been said in front of the man himself.

The book then turns to a few months later when an unfortunate turn of events lands Julia Freement at his doorstep. She has suddenly fallen from her high status after her father commits suicide when he learns that he has gambled away his fortune. With no family left and no money to her name she turns to the only man she has ever known that will not only hold his word but is also known for his kindness. Julia Freemont makes Mr. Brandon Barringer an offer to become his mistress.

Mr. Berringer accepts, all the while without Ms. Freement's knowledge he purchases all of her fathers debts, purchased her childhood home and sets up an account with enough money to keep her comfortable for when their time together ends.

It's during her lessons with him that she realizes that she has been in love with him the entire time. She is also forced to deal with the harsh reality that after everything she has said about him he truly is the best of men, only now she is unworthy of his affections. With the help of a new friend she is able to overcome her modesty and seduce him in order to have one evening of passion and leave him because she can no longer be his mistress. She cannot find it in her heart to be with a man she loves while he marries and shares his life with another.

Now what is Mr. Brandon Barringer to do. He cannot live without her and she is no where to be found. This book is full of intriguing sexual dilemmas and life and death twists and turns. This book is another quick read.

[Lady Raven RAVE! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ladies this is a keeper such talent on each page i was entertain never bored and i think she did everything just right...
The hero and heroine the sexual tension building up with those two was good to read, their friends Amile and James were also fun to read and Isabella i hope she writes a book about her...I can not say one bad thing about this book you have to have to have to get this book and read it i promise it will not disappoint you..

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned how to be a mistress...heelllooo?