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Proper Series #2
A Proper Mistress
Hoping to protect his brother from a disinheritance, Theodore sets out to marry an unsuitable woman in order to deliberately incur his father's wrath and hires Molly to assist in the ruse, only to discover that she is nothing like the unsavory character she is supposed to emulate. Original.
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2000
29 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Shannon Donnelly
52 books53 followersShannon Donnelly's writing has won numerous awards, including a RITA nomination for Best Regency, the Grand Prize in the "Minute Maid Sensational Romance Writer" contest, judged by Nora Roberts, RWA's Golden Heart, and others. Her work has repeatedly earned 4½ Star Top Pick reviews from Romantic Times magazine, as well as praise from Booklist and other reviewers, who note: "simply superb"..."wonderfully uplifting"....and "beautifully written."
In addition to her Regency romances, she has had novellas published in several anthologies, has had young adult horror stories published and is the author of several computer games.
In addition to her Regency romances, she has had novellas published in several anthologies, has had young adult horror stories published and is the author of several computer games.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 25, 2012
I read this book because sometimes I have trouble sleeping and need a short fluff romance novel to tire myself out. It certainly didn't hurt that it was available as a free download in the kindle store! I have to say, though, that it was an entertaining story, and I found that I couldn't stop reading. It is worth noting that this book is the second in a series, and there are enough mentions of other characters to cause a little confusion for the reader.
First, for the bad news: Our hero, Theodore, is terribly immature. His big brother Terrance has been disinherited for his actions in a previous novel, and Theo is bent on getting his brother back as the heir...by getting himself cut off. Does he have a plan for what he's going to do with himself when he no longer has an income? Nope. He just can't be bothered to think ahead to what the consequences of his actions will be, and how they will impact the people beyond him. Although the story wraps up neatly with his HEA, it bothers me that he's so childish. But Theo's attitudes also feel real: the landed gentry during this period tended to be a privileged class who didn't always take into consideration those they considered beneath them socially. Part of his character development involves becoming a better human being in general and overcoming the limitations of his class bias. It still feels like he's a jerk, but it makes sense within the attitudes of the period.
But for the good news: There's some juicy good historical stuff in here if, like me, you like literature with a capital "L". The book's heroine, Molly, grew up in India with her military father, and is sent back to England after her parents die from cholera, like Frances Hodgson Burnett's Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden. Nobody meets her boat, so the 12 year-old is presumed to be unwanted and sent to the workhouse, and then into service. Theo's eventual discovery that Molly is a cook and not a high-priced courtesan makes another social commentary about the stratification of society in England during the Regency. Many Regency romances are almost Austenian in their focus on the small country house and women who are barely mobile, so I love that our heroine has experiences that develop her character and aid her problem solving. For all her fictional poverty she rises above the typical vapid heroine and, eventually, so does her hero, due in no small part to the reality checks she provides.
All in all, this book was an enjoyable read. This Kindle edition suffers because of some unfortunate spelling and word use issues (I never understand why this happens in a digital edition!) and this is part of the reason why I have rated this book at three stars. I also wish (boy howdy do I wish!) there had been a little epilogue; the story wraps up far too quickly! But since there is another book that follows featuring the unrepentant Terrance, I might yet find out how Molly and Theo's HEA turns out. Sneaky, Shannon Donnelly. Your eeeevil plan involving a free book has worked!
First, for the bad news: Our hero, Theodore, is terribly immature. His big brother Terrance has been disinherited for his actions in a previous novel, and Theo is bent on getting his brother back as the heir...by getting himself cut off. Does he have a plan for what he's going to do with himself when he no longer has an income? Nope. He just can't be bothered to think ahead to what the consequences of his actions will be, and how they will impact the people beyond him. Although the story wraps up neatly with his HEA, it bothers me that he's so childish. But Theo's attitudes also feel real: the landed gentry during this period tended to be a privileged class who didn't always take into consideration those they considered beneath them socially. Part of his character development involves becoming a better human being in general and overcoming the limitations of his class bias. It still feels like he's a jerk, but it makes sense within the attitudes of the period.
But for the good news: There's some juicy good historical stuff in here if, like me, you like literature with a capital "L". The book's heroine, Molly, grew up in India with her military father, and is sent back to England after her parents die from cholera, like Frances Hodgson Burnett's Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden. Nobody meets her boat, so the 12 year-old is presumed to be unwanted and sent to the workhouse, and then into service. Theo's eventual discovery that Molly is a cook and not a high-priced courtesan makes another social commentary about the stratification of society in England during the Regency. Many Regency romances are almost Austenian in their focus on the small country house and women who are barely mobile, so I love that our heroine has experiences that develop her character and aid her problem solving. For all her fictional poverty she rises above the typical vapid heroine and, eventually, so does her hero, due in no small part to the reality checks she provides.
All in all, this book was an enjoyable read. This Kindle edition suffers because of some unfortunate spelling and word use issues (I never understand why this happens in a digital edition!) and this is part of the reason why I have rated this book at three stars. I also wish (boy howdy do I wish!) there had been a little epilogue; the story wraps up far too quickly! But since there is another book that follows featuring the unrepentant Terrance, I might yet find out how Molly and Theo's HEA turns out. Sneaky, Shannon Donnelly. Your eeeevil plan involving a free book has worked!
September 2, 2011
Ending speech wasn't as swoon worthy as the rest of the book.
August 23, 2025
Not very well-written, the grammar is poor & it skirts a bit close to the farcical for my taste. Some poor grammar may be expected in dialogue, depending on the character, but not all the way through. Repetitive & silly - with so much excellent Regency slang to choose from, I do wonder why the author stuck with the ridiculous "blazes" & "gads", ad nauseum. It's a sweet idea but it didn't work for me.
March 22, 2022
This was an engaging read. I enjoyed it very much.
August 16, 2023
Rated 3.5
December 28, 2023
A Proper Mistress
Out of the mouth of babes comes wisdom beyond years. A sense of value and worth when all else proclaimed her worthless.
Out of the mouth of babes comes wisdom beyond years. A sense of value and worth when all else proclaimed her worthless.
August 31, 2011
The wastrel of an elder brother Theodore Winslow hero-worships has gotten himself disinherited. Again. So Theo sets out to make his father change his mind--by getting himself disinherited. What better way to arrange it than bringing a woman of ill-refute back to the ancestral home... and telling daddy you plan to marry.
This relatively short romance is a fun romp, with fun characters. Our heroine has had a very tough life, but she's a joy. She's never bitter, never regrets, and finds a little bit of happiness in everything she crosses. Instead of seeing her misfortune, she sees the little bits of good luck woven throughout, and it's really quite admirable. I really enjoyed her obsession with food.
I have a pet hate, though: reading cockney dialogue. Sure, if it's one sentence, to illustrate that the wee boy our kindly hero/heroine sees fit to condescend to is a peasant, it's possibly offensive, but I get it. But it can be so jarring to read page, after page, after page of it... Duck. Nevertheless, it's essential to the plot, and Donnelly handles it well enough.
Still, I felt like I failed to connect completely with this book. The edition I purchased had a few spelling and grammatical errors. I'm used to this in romance eBooks, but I noticed it particularly here. It kept pulling me out of the story. It may be because of the cockney dialogue, and the fact I had re-read sentence to make straight of them. When combined with typos, it was a bit more confusing.
Nevertheless, the characters were likable, it was light hearted (which is a lovely breath of fresh air), and a fun read, at a very good price.
This relatively short romance is a fun romp, with fun characters. Our heroine has had a very tough life, but she's a joy. She's never bitter, never regrets, and finds a little bit of happiness in everything she crosses. Instead of seeing her misfortune, she sees the little bits of good luck woven throughout, and it's really quite admirable. I really enjoyed her obsession with food.
I have a pet hate, though: reading cockney dialogue. Sure, if it's one sentence, to illustrate that the wee boy our kindly hero/heroine sees fit to condescend to is a peasant, it's possibly offensive, but I get it. But it can be so jarring to read page, after page, after page of it... Duck. Nevertheless, it's essential to the plot, and Donnelly handles it well enough.
Still, I felt like I failed to connect completely with this book. The edition I purchased had a few spelling and grammatical errors. I'm used to this in romance eBooks, but I noticed it particularly here. It kept pulling me out of the story. It may be because of the cockney dialogue, and the fact I had re-read sentence to make straight of them. When combined with typos, it was a bit more confusing.
Nevertheless, the characters were likable, it was light hearted (which is a lovely breath of fresh air), and a fun read, at a very good price.
August 18, 2011
So I really enjoyed every minute of reading this book. I was highly suspicious at first, because, well, because I'm kind of a sucker for the unrepentant sex worker makes a non-sexual connection with someone, but has too much pride to be rescued, etc, etc. Maybe just because I tend to write it. So in this case, i was like 'A cook? Seriously? And a virgin too?' I think the reason that I loved the first book I read of S. Donnelly's was because it involved a fallen woman, not very far fallen, but enough so that she was mature and not a virgin. Apparently I also like to read romances about older people. Perhaps because I feel competitive with people my own age, and really, I've kind of lost the race.
So I read the back of this one, and thought it had potential. It turned out to be completely unlike I expected, and yet was still amazing and brilliant and funny.
What seems to be a repeated problem with these books, though, is that they are far too short. There are so many intriguing tangles, and they don't get sorted out. What about Theo's mother? Who's getting the manor? Why on earth does Terrance get a romance of his own? He should fall off a cliff, seriously. I may actually have to read Terrance's romance just to find out some of these things.
After spending the day embroidering and listening to the Hunger Games, reading this was a perfect sweet dessert.
So I read the back of this one, and thought it had potential. It turned out to be completely unlike I expected, and yet was still amazing and brilliant and funny.
What seems to be a repeated problem with these books, though, is that they are far too short. There are so many intriguing tangles, and they don't get sorted out. What about Theo's mother? Who's getting the manor? Why on earth does Terrance get a romance of his own? He should fall off a cliff, seriously. I may actually have to read Terrance's romance just to find out some of these things.
After spending the day embroidering and listening to the Hunger Games, reading this was a perfect sweet dessert.
September 14, 2011
This has a mistaken identity plot. No spoilers so if you want to know more ... The cook in a high-end cat house takes up a short term position as fiance for a sweet second son that has decided to dis-inherit himself by shocking his father with a terrible fiance.
This book was sweet and there was some cute scenes but the editor missed many grammar and spelling errors which threw me out of the story as well as leaving in many repetitive words, like Blazes. There is a plethora of swear words in every historical period and it would have been fun to hear a variety of different to pepper the story.
This book was sweet and there was some cute scenes but the editor missed many grammar and spelling errors which threw me out of the story as well as leaving in many repetitive words, like Blazes. There is a plethora of swear words in every historical period and it would have been fun to hear a variety of different to pepper the story.
September 24, 2007
Let me preface this by saying that on what is arguably Providence's most historic street, Benefit Street, there is a little garden with a stone bench. This is no ordinary garden. Once in a while a creature of some sort will drop off romance novels that she (I am assuming it's a she) has read for others to enjoy. After walking by the books many times, I decided to take one.
Anyway, this was the first romance novel I've ever read and it was way better than I expected. I was drawn in, finished it quickly, and it wasn't trashy (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Anyway, this was the first romance novel I've ever read and it was way better than I expected. I was drawn in, finished it quickly, and it wasn't trashy (not that there's anything wrong with that).
September 10, 2011
Ok this is a book that had my winning formula: Poor heroine falls in love with a Lord.
Bah, you fail.
Ok she's a whore-house cook who is "bought" by a dude to fool his dad into thinking she's his intended wife. So he can be DISinherited from his family. Yes, that's right, disinherited. Already i hate him, I mean what the fuck. The other thing is, she's more embarrassed about being a cook then a whore. He must never know she's a cook, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE FUCKING HORRIBLE! A whore is fine.
I literally said MEH, when i finished this book.
whatever.
Bah, you fail.
Ok she's a whore-house cook who is "bought" by a dude to fool his dad into thinking she's his intended wife. So he can be DISinherited from his family. Yes, that's right, disinherited. Already i hate him, I mean what the fuck. The other thing is, she's more embarrassed about being a cook then a whore. He must never know she's a cook, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE FUCKING HORRIBLE! A whore is fine.
I literally said MEH, when i finished this book.
whatever.
September 6, 2011
This is the first book by Ms. Donnelly that I have read. Although the story line was very predictable (man hires a "whore" to act as his intended to satisfy/dissatisfy his family), I enjoyed the depth of Theo's and Molly's characters. I would probably read Terrance Winslow's story to see if Donnelly becomes a new author I follow.
March 25, 2012
I think the only reason I'm giving this 2 stars instead of one is because as horribly written and as unedited as it was, it was mildly entertaining. But if I have to read the words "blazes" or "gads" in an historical romance again, I'm going to scream.
And last time I checked, Regency England nobility didn't use the word "ain't." Seriously.
And last time I checked, Regency England nobility didn't use the word "ain't." Seriously.
November 15, 2012
I love regency romances with their dramas of class and manners. This was an entertaining twist on an old trope of marrying outside one's class. Lots of typos and misspellings but it was a decent story. A sweet romance, no sex.
February 20, 2012
Simple formula for the story but a nice read. I enjoye it.
January 7, 2013
I liked this story, but I had to give it 3 1/2 stars because it drug a little too much.
March 26, 2012
The dialect was sometimes confusing and I believe it took me approximately 3 days to complete (with a weekend of nothing to do).
March 30, 2012
nice. Cliched, predictable... but a pleasant, mindless read. Except the hero is somewhat lacking in appeal. Theo is more a spoiled, stubborn, petulant boy than a romantic leading man.
April 7, 2012
I wonder if I should make a Regency shelf...
June 11, 2012
I just can't get enough of these historical romance novels! Another good one that made me smile.
August 11, 2012
Entertaining fluff. I'm sorry, though, throwing 'ducks' into every other sentence does not make for much of a Cockney accent!
March 1, 2013
Just as much light-hearted fun on the re-read as it was the first time around. I wish there were recipes, though.
February 2, 2016
A well written trad regency..story of Molly and Theo
October 17, 2011
A good quick read that was fun. The plot was kind of routine but the characters made it work.
July 12, 2016
I did enjoy the character of Molly, a very nice lighthearted read.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews