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The Penningtons #2
A Man Without a Mistress: The Penningtons, Book 2
A man determined to atone for the past...
For seven long years, Sir Peregrine Sayre has tried to assuage his guilt over the horrifying events of his 21st birthday by immersing himself in political work - and by avoiding all entanglements with ladies of the ton. But when his mentor sends him on a quest to track down purportedly penitent prostitutes, the events of his less-than-innocent past threaten not just his own political career....
A woman who will risk anything for the future...
Raised to be a political wife, but denied the opportunity by her father’s untimely death, Sibilla Pennington has little desire to wed. To delay her brothers’ plans to marry her off as soon as her period of mourning is over, Sibilla vows only to accept a man as politically astute as was her father - and, in retaliation for her brothers’ amorous peccadillos, only one who has never kept a mistress. Surely, there can be no such man in all of London.
When Sibilla’s attempt to free a reformed maidservant from the clutches of a former procurer throw her into the midst of Per’s penitent search, she is inextricably drawn to the cool, reserved baronet. But as the search grows ever more dangerous, Sibilla’s penchant for taking risks cannot help but remind Per of the shames he’s spent years trying to outrun.
Can Per continue to hide from the guilt and ghosts of his past without endangering his chance at a passionate future with Sibilla?
For seven long years, Sir Peregrine Sayre has tried to assuage his guilt over the horrifying events of his 21st birthday by immersing himself in political work - and by avoiding all entanglements with ladies of the ton. But when his mentor sends him on a quest to track down purportedly penitent prostitutes, the events of his less-than-innocent past threaten not just his own political career....
A woman who will risk anything for the future...
Raised to be a political wife, but denied the opportunity by her father’s untimely death, Sibilla Pennington has little desire to wed. To delay her brothers’ plans to marry her off as soon as her period of mourning is over, Sibilla vows only to accept a man as politically astute as was her father - and, in retaliation for her brothers’ amorous peccadillos, only one who has never kept a mistress. Surely, there can be no such man in all of London.
When Sibilla’s attempt to free a reformed maidservant from the clutches of a former procurer throw her into the midst of Per’s penitent search, she is inextricably drawn to the cool, reserved baronet. But as the search grows ever more dangerous, Sibilla’s penchant for taking risks cannot help but remind Per of the shames he’s spent years trying to outrun.
Can Per continue to hide from the guilt and ghosts of his past without endangering his chance at a passionate future with Sibilla?
- GenresHistorical Romance
Audible Audio
First published December 15, 2015
13 people are currently reading
346 people want to read
About the author
Bliss Bennet
9 books100 followersBliss Bennet writes smart, edgy novels for readers who love history as much as they love romance.
Despite being born and bred in New England, Bliss finds herself fascinated by the history of that country across the pond, particularly the politically-volatile period known as the English Regency. Though she’s visited Britain several times, Bliss continues to make her home in New England, along with her husband and ever-growing piles of research books.
Despite being born and bred in New England, Bliss finds herself fascinated by the history of that country across the pond, particularly the politically-volatile period known as the English Regency. Though she’s visited Britain several times, Bliss continues to make her home in New England, along with her husband and ever-growing piles of research books.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 22, 2021
5 Stars of 'This Was a Reread (or rather ‘listen’ because Alex Wyndham’s narration finally came out!) But it Confirmed to Me, Again, that Bliss Bennet is a Desperately Needed Bright Star in Historical Romance.'
In my review of the first book (A Rebel without a Rogue), I talked a lot about how refreshing I found Bennet’s depiction of aristocratic lifestyles. I know she isn't the only one doing this, but I just want to say she is someone doing it and doing it well... Very K.J. Charles meets Stella Riley or thereabouts?
ANYWAYS!
My boy Per is wicked smart (channel your inner Morgan circa Good Will Hunting at the bar when you read that, see gif above), and Sibilla is too. They are certainly well matched in that regard which was nice. There isn't much to say about Peregrine except that he is very straight-edge, straight-laced and his arc is a slow unravelling on account of Sibilla. Sib has a barbed tongue, can be sensitive, spiteful, compassionate, and selfish all at once--a multi-dimensional heroine if I ever saw. I come by my appreciation of complex female characters (my delicate way of saying unlikeable) honestly and I think some might not be tickled by Sibilla's behaviour at times but I loved it. All of it.
The moment I think people could hate... is actually the ultimate reason I love this book, though: It is the scene right near the end when Per finally admits to his feelings about the whole Mary Catherine debacle . In repsonse, Sib shares her truth at feeling hatred for her father . The shared shame in these, admittedly reprehensible, feelings of anger was incredibly human. It reminds of me of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Binding, that admittance of not being immune to human failings. This unpleasant truth is, perhaps, what feels unfamiliar in historical romance...warranting a rejection of Bennet's work. Fair enough, it is Literature and authors intentionally bring a character low so they can use it as a plot device. SO it's no wonder readers don't like this moment, is it? This wasn’t a part of an arc, and did not serve some signposted purpose… but it’s these sort of moments in real life that actually bind us as people: shared grief, shared shame, liking because and loving despite. I get we want to suspend disbelief and bask in the fantasy of Perfect People… but this sort of humanity, while unpleasant and bitter, is soooooo refreshing to read in a genre largely touted as being nothing more than vapid, sex-filled gambols. Amidst the humor there is alot of poignancy and so I’m pro-Peregrine and Sibilla.
Which leads me to a TANGENT: Viscount Dulcie is vibrant and hilarious and I love him and I hate him and I love him. His role in this story gets a cherished *Chef’s Kiss*. Blame him for any moments of immaturity, really… he is a naughty little cherubic devil and no one is safe in his company. End Tangent.
On this re-read/listen, I genuinely looked for problems. I have read the criticisms of this book (and Bennet as a whole), and have to say I strongly disagree . I just don't quuiiitteee see how one can pick apart this, and not also see arguably worse flaws in some of the bestsellers …*ahem* I won't list all the authors that come to mind (don't worry, I read these writers and often quite like them!) Also! This isn't to denigrate other reader's opinions at all! (hey, I HATE a lot of bestsellers, frequently rip apart cult favourites, not to mention we are 100% entitled to whatever reaction fiction prompts within. Look to my simulatenous hatred towards and defense of Whitney, My Love). But I wonder if, when certain author's don't meet market expectations, we reject them because we are used to a particular execution of Regency romances and what with humans generally not enjoying change… I dunno these are just my musings. I really tried to be objective, though, so I made my husband (the remorseless curmudgeon of a film-watcher & book-reader) listen for issues and we were of the same mind: this novel is well developed and lovely. It's by no means riddled with the juvenility seen in other new HR writers (even when there are rompy moments).
Despite the context of navigating prostitution in the 1820s, the moments of lightness and humor meant A Man Without A Mistress was not mired by the seriousness of the first or last books in the series. The MCs were refreshing and the repartee between them and ancillary characters, like the irreverent Lord Dulcie (who gets his HEA with the second eldest Pennington brother in A Sinner without a Saint), make this sharp and intelligent. Combine this with good prose, steam, the break from prescribed historical romance formulas, and I think this is an elevated take on various HR tropes as well as the Regency period in general.
Alex Wyndham’s narration is obviously perfect. There were notes of Gabriel Brandon (Garland of Straw) and Ralph Sherbourne (Cadenza and A Trick of Fate) in the voice of Peregrine and it was tastttyyyy. The sharp edge of Sibilla's tongue was wonderfully brought to life in dulcet feminine tones and Dulcie was just another *Chef’s Kiss*.
In summary, I have read the eBook twice, have listened to the audiobook, and it remains a delightful story. I highly recommend Bennet's work but advise, if you do take the dive, setting aside any sort of HR canon induced expectations; just go with the flow and soak up all the Penningtons have to offer.
I eagerly await the next installment to be released in audio format, and more from Bennet in the future.
In my review of the first book (A Rebel without a Rogue), I talked a lot about how refreshing I found Bennet’s depiction of aristocratic lifestyles. I know she isn't the only one doing this, but I just want to say she is someone doing it and doing it well... Very K.J. Charles meets Stella Riley or thereabouts?
ANYWAYS!
My boy Per is wicked smart (channel your inner Morgan circa Good Will Hunting at the bar when you read that, see gif above), and Sibilla is too. They are certainly well matched in that regard which was nice. There isn't much to say about Peregrine except that he is very straight-edge, straight-laced and his arc is a slow unravelling on account of Sibilla. Sib has a barbed tongue, can be sensitive, spiteful, compassionate, and selfish all at once--a multi-dimensional heroine if I ever saw. I come by my appreciation of complex female characters (my delicate way of saying unlikeable) honestly and I think some might not be tickled by Sibilla's behaviour at times but I loved it. All of it.
The moment I think people could hate... is actually the ultimate reason I love this book, though: It is the scene right near the end when Per finally admits to his feelings about the whole Mary Catherine debacle . In repsonse, Sib shares her truth at feeling hatred for her father . The shared shame in these, admittedly reprehensible, feelings of anger was incredibly human. It reminds of me of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Binding, that admittance of not being immune to human failings. This unpleasant truth is, perhaps, what feels unfamiliar in historical romance...warranting a rejection of Bennet's work. Fair enough, it is Literature and authors intentionally bring a character low so they can use it as a plot device. SO it's no wonder readers don't like this moment, is it? This wasn’t a part of an arc, and did not serve some signposted purpose… but it’s these sort of moments in real life that actually bind us as people: shared grief, shared shame, liking because and loving despite. I get we want to suspend disbelief and bask in the fantasy of Perfect People… but this sort of humanity, while unpleasant and bitter, is soooooo refreshing to read in a genre largely touted as being nothing more than vapid, sex-filled gambols. Amidst the humor there is alot of poignancy and so I’m pro-Peregrine and Sibilla.
Which leads me to a TANGENT: Viscount Dulcie is vibrant and hilarious and I love him and I hate him and I love him. His role in this story gets a cherished *Chef’s Kiss*. Blame him for any moments of immaturity, really… he is a naughty little cherubic devil and no one is safe in his company. End Tangent.
On this re-read/listen, I genuinely looked for problems. I have read the criticisms of this book (and Bennet as a whole), and have to say I strongly disagree . I just don't quuiiitteee see how one can pick apart this, and not also see arguably worse flaws in some of the bestsellers …*ahem* I won't list all the authors that come to mind (don't worry, I read these writers and often quite like them!) Also! This isn't to denigrate other reader's opinions at all! (hey, I HATE a lot of bestsellers, frequently rip apart cult favourites, not to mention we are 100% entitled to whatever reaction fiction prompts within. Look to my simulatenous hatred towards and defense of Whitney, My Love). But I wonder if, when certain author's don't meet market expectations, we reject them because we are used to a particular execution of Regency romances and what with humans generally not enjoying change… I dunno these are just my musings. I really tried to be objective, though, so I made my husband (the remorseless curmudgeon of a film-watcher & book-reader) listen for issues and we were of the same mind: this novel is well developed and lovely. It's by no means riddled with the juvenility seen in other new HR writers (even when there are rompy moments).
Despite the context of navigating prostitution in the 1820s, the moments of lightness and humor meant A Man Without A Mistress was not mired by the seriousness of the first or last books in the series. The MCs were refreshing and the repartee between them and ancillary characters, like the irreverent Lord Dulcie (who gets his HEA with the second eldest Pennington brother in A Sinner without a Saint), make this sharp and intelligent. Combine this with good prose, steam, the break from prescribed historical romance formulas, and I think this is an elevated take on various HR tropes as well as the Regency period in general.
Alex Wyndham’s narration is obviously perfect. There were notes of Gabriel Brandon (Garland of Straw) and Ralph Sherbourne (Cadenza and A Trick of Fate) in the voice of Peregrine and it was tastttyyyy. The sharp edge of Sibilla's tongue was wonderfully brought to life in dulcet feminine tones and Dulcie was just another *Chef’s Kiss*.
In summary, I have read the eBook twice, have listened to the audiobook, and it remains a delightful story. I highly recommend Bennet's work but advise, if you do take the dive, setting aside any sort of HR canon induced expectations; just go with the flow and soak up all the Penningtons have to offer.
I eagerly await the next installment to be released in audio format, and more from Bennet in the future.
October 31, 2021
My first read/listen by this author. Ms Bennet has definitely done her research, with the historical detail woven in seamlessly.
I liked Per and Syb, although I didn’t always find them convincing. Also the tone felt a little uneven, shifting too quickly from anguished revelations and discoveries to a final scene with farcical elements which wouldn’t look out of place in a Heyer novel. But all I could think of by then was why the table didn’t collapse under them (and no, it’s not what you’re thinking…)
Anyhow, I will probably try another one by the author, just in case I wasn’t in the right space for this one!
I liked Per and Syb, although I didn’t always find them convincing. Also the tone felt a little uneven, shifting too quickly from anguished revelations and discoveries to a final scene with farcical elements which wouldn’t look out of place in a Heyer novel. But all I could think of by then was why the table didn’t collapse under them (and no, it’s not what you’re thinking…)
Anyhow, I will probably try another one by the author, just in case I wasn’t in the right space for this one!
May 5, 2017
Imagine me, if you will, with my head repeatedly banging on my imaginary romance reader desk. My cup of tea is shaking, liquid sloshes out onto my custard creams. It's carnage.
Rather like this book.
It's a mess. It's frustrating. It's a disappointment.
Really, I should've known there would be an issue with the book from looking at the cover (some might say I should've judged the book by the cover). Why would the author of an interesting and clever blog, proudly named 'romance novels for feminists' use the pen name Bliss? It's silly and frivolous. Frankly, it's something Avon would do. It's a gimmick, and this is an author who surely doesn't need a gimmick? She's got smarts and historical knowledge and a love of the genre. Write the novel and they will come (and read it).
Bliss obviously didn't feel that way. I had the sense throughout that she was trying to write the novel she thought people wanted to read rather than writing the novel she wanted to write.
I say that because of the utter hodgepodge of ideas and characters and language on display here.
From the outset one is confronted with the makings of a serious book. Per (Peregrine, actually - but I'll be damned if I'm typing that every time), our hero, is a political hopeful. Courting patronage from a powerful Lord with control over seats in the House. He's instructed to survey former prostitutes to come up with data in order to support a Bill his benefactor wishes to get passed. Sib (Sibilla - but I'll be double damned if I'm typing that every time), our heroine, is a politically engaged young Miss, her father taught her the ins and outs of politics and he importance of it. But he's recently died and now she's left only with her feckless brother and she has to convince him to take up the political mantel so she can run his house and start a political salon. The problem with her plan is that her brother is a man with a mistress and a reputation with women and he's been depicted in a cartoon about a notorious prostitute. This could damage his career and he's never, apparently, had an association with the prostitute so she wants to find the artist. And to find the artist, she needs to find the prostitute. So, she and Per are thrown together.
Except that's not how they're thrown together. Actually, they meet in Hyde Park when he sees her riding too fast and assumes her horse has gotten out of control. It is a scene straight out of How To Write A Romance Novel In Ten Easy Steps. They end up, predictably, splayed out on top of one another. Per is very aware of her curves, her scent. It's a scene I've read many times. And it's entirely incongruous in a novel which started off with a very political angle.
I'm not saying something can't be both political and lighthearted, but here the concepts are forced together like bodies on the Tube. A mass of sweaty people, trying desperately not to look one another in the eye and praying for no delays.
Sib and Per have serious conversations about sex and women and their role in society. Then he inelegantly thinks about her breasts, or she remarks on the tingling sensation touching him gives her. No subtly to the transition, no attempt to merge the thoughts and the tone.
I'd rather have read a frivolous ballroom to front room to garden party story about an aspiring politician and a forthright political Miss, or the serious book about serious people doing serious things and eventually falling for one another. Bliss has tried to do both and she simply can't.
Later in the story, Sib discovers her maid used to be a prostitute. It's a deeply serious subject. Then they go and try and rescue one of her friends from the home where she has been trapped as a sex slave. Here, Sib runs into Per and they have their first kiss...
For the love of God, Bliss, have a rethink about your structure.
Sib and Per are inconsistent characters. Their actions often stand in complete opposition to their stated aims and personalities. There's an episode in which Sib (remember her? The aspiring political hostess with ambitions for her brother?) dresses up as a prostitute and goes with Per (remember him? The serious young man with the political ambitions?), who is dressed as her rake lover and Per's friend to try and steal some information about whores. Eventually, Sib starts to feel like a silly nag and Per comes across as a horny teenager.
The language is trying so hard to be Regency that it's come full circle and seems painfully anachronistic.
The book relies on misunderstandings and twisting plot devices far too much.
Bliss also has a tendency to shoehorn in her history.
PLOT/HISTORYLESSON/PLOT
It should be organic. See: Charles, KJ.
I've criticised this pretty vociferously. It's one of those reviews I hope the author never, ever sees. I've laboured over this book. It's been lunch break reading and lights out reading and my frustration has built and built. Now I'm venting and acting as though writing a good novel should have been easy for her and she's robbed me of that better hypothetical book, which is ridiculous.
I think Bliss has every chance of writing a decent book in the future. If she pares everything back and stops over-thinking and over doing the elements, I think she'd be left with something very readable.
This was not readable, or at least not finishable. I made it to 81% and decided: fin.
Rather like this book.
It's a mess. It's frustrating. It's a disappointment.
Really, I should've known there would be an issue with the book from looking at the cover (some might say I should've judged the book by the cover). Why would the author of an interesting and clever blog, proudly named 'romance novels for feminists' use the pen name Bliss? It's silly and frivolous. Frankly, it's something Avon would do. It's a gimmick, and this is an author who surely doesn't need a gimmick? She's got smarts and historical knowledge and a love of the genre. Write the novel and they will come (and read it).
Bliss obviously didn't feel that way. I had the sense throughout that she was trying to write the novel she thought people wanted to read rather than writing the novel she wanted to write.
I say that because of the utter hodgepodge of ideas and characters and language on display here.
From the outset one is confronted with the makings of a serious book. Per (Peregrine, actually - but I'll be damned if I'm typing that every time), our hero, is a political hopeful. Courting patronage from a powerful Lord with control over seats in the House. He's instructed to survey former prostitutes to come up with data in order to support a Bill his benefactor wishes to get passed. Sib (Sibilla - but I'll be double damned if I'm typing that every time), our heroine, is a politically engaged young Miss, her father taught her the ins and outs of politics and he importance of it. But he's recently died and now she's left only with her feckless brother and she has to convince him to take up the political mantel so she can run his house and start a political salon. The problem with her plan is that her brother is a man with a mistress and a reputation with women and he's been depicted in a cartoon about a notorious prostitute. This could damage his career and he's never, apparently, had an association with the prostitute so she wants to find the artist. And to find the artist, she needs to find the prostitute. So, she and Per are thrown together.
Except that's not how they're thrown together. Actually, they meet in Hyde Park when he sees her riding too fast and assumes her horse has gotten out of control. It is a scene straight out of How To Write A Romance Novel In Ten Easy Steps. They end up, predictably, splayed out on top of one another. Per is very aware of her curves, her scent. It's a scene I've read many times. And it's entirely incongruous in a novel which started off with a very political angle.
I'm not saying something can't be both political and lighthearted, but here the concepts are forced together like bodies on the Tube. A mass of sweaty people, trying desperately not to look one another in the eye and praying for no delays.
Sib and Per have serious conversations about sex and women and their role in society. Then he inelegantly thinks about her breasts, or she remarks on the tingling sensation touching him gives her. No subtly to the transition, no attempt to merge the thoughts and the tone.
I'd rather have read a frivolous ballroom to front room to garden party story about an aspiring politician and a forthright political Miss, or the serious book about serious people doing serious things and eventually falling for one another. Bliss has tried to do both and she simply can't.
Later in the story, Sib discovers her maid used to be a prostitute. It's a deeply serious subject. Then they go and try and rescue one of her friends from the home where she has been trapped as a sex slave. Here, Sib runs into Per and they have their first kiss...
For the love of God, Bliss, have a rethink about your structure.
Sib and Per are inconsistent characters. Their actions often stand in complete opposition to their stated aims and personalities. There's an episode in which Sib (remember her? The aspiring political hostess with ambitions for her brother?) dresses up as a prostitute and goes with Per (remember him? The serious young man with the political ambitions?), who is dressed as her rake lover and Per's friend to try and steal some information about whores. Eventually, Sib starts to feel like a silly nag and Per comes across as a horny teenager.
The language is trying so hard to be Regency that it's come full circle and seems painfully anachronistic.
The book relies on misunderstandings and twisting plot devices far too much.
Bliss also has a tendency to shoehorn in her history.
PLOT/HISTORYLESSON/PLOT
It should be organic. See: Charles, KJ.
I've criticised this pretty vociferously. It's one of those reviews I hope the author never, ever sees. I've laboured over this book. It's been lunch break reading and lights out reading and my frustration has built and built. Now I'm venting and acting as though writing a good novel should have been easy for her and she's robbed me of that better hypothetical book, which is ridiculous.
I think Bliss has every chance of writing a decent book in the future. If she pares everything back and stops over-thinking and over doing the elements, I think she'd be left with something very readable.
This was not readable, or at least not finishable. I made it to 81% and decided: fin.
January 19, 2016
While I enjoyed A Rebel without a Rouge, I thought it was more historical fiction than a historical romance. In A Man without a Mistress, Bliss Bennet finds the right balance of captivating historical story, interesting characters AND romantic tension. I loved Sib and Per. It is really well crafted book.
I look forward to future Pennington sibling stories. Ben and Theo grow with each book.
I look forward to future Pennington sibling stories. Ben and Theo grow with each book.
February 9, 2021
More a 3.6...
There are great elements in this book and the romance was a good one for me. I also liked the plot of this book more than the previous one. The main characters were more likable too. I'd say the reason this didn't feel even better is that there doesn't seem to exist a good balance between the drama/bleakness of some issues and the positive aspects. Perhaps more joy or closer family bonds could have helped this one to be even stronger.
I'm still going to read the following books.
There are great elements in this book and the romance was a good one for me. I also liked the plot of this book more than the previous one. The main characters were more likable too. I'd say the reason this didn't feel even better is that there doesn't seem to exist a good balance between the drama/bleakness of some issues and the positive aspects. Perhaps more joy or closer family bonds could have helped this one to be even stronger.
I'm still going to read the following books.
September 23, 2018
A man determined to atone for the past
For seven long years, Sir Peregrine Sayre has tried to assuage his guilt over the horrifying events of his twenty-first birthday by immersing himself in political work--and by avoiding all entanglements with ladies of the ton. But when his mentor sends him on a quest to track down purportedly penitent prostitutes, the events of his less-than-innocent past threaten not only his own political career . . .
A woman who will risk anything for the future
Raised to be a political wife, but denied the opportunity by her father's untimely death, Sibilla Pennington has little desire to wed. To delay her brothers' plans to marry her off as soon as her period of mourning is over, Sibilla vows only to accept a man as politically astute as was her father--and, in retaliation for her brothers' amorous peccadillos, only one who has never kept a mistress. Surely there can be no such man in all of London.
When Sibilla's attempt to free a reformed maidservant from the clutches of a former procurer throw her into the midst of Per's penitent search, she is inextricably drawn to the cool, reserved baronet. But as the search grows ever more dangerous, Sibilla's penchant for taking risks cannot help but remind Per of the shames he's spent years trying to outrun. Can Per continue to hide from the guilt and ghosts of his past without endangering his chance at a passionate future with Sibilla?
**
ReviewA USA Today Happy Ever After Must Read Romance
**
"I was in the mood for a historical kind of happy ever after, and boy, did I hit the jackpot. A Man without a Mistress, the second of Bliss Bennet's Pennington series, is savvy, sensual and engrossing, and manages a spot-on balance of realism and buoyancy. The hero and heroine are refreshingly equal in all but their gender -- they're a couple of resourceful, damaged, wry, intelligent, lonely and delightful messes." -- USA Today Happy Ever After
"Bennet skillfully weaves mystery, political history, and romance together in this captivating novel. She surprises the reader by including in this story with its threads of grief, guilt, and grimness a couple of humorous scenes that reminded me of my favorite scene in Georgette Heyer's The Unknown Ajax. But I think her finest achievement is the heroine who remains unconventional to the end even when she cooperates in the most conventional of romance fiction's elements: the HEA." -- Heroes and Heartbreakers
**
"effervescent. . . . Bliss Bennet does a wonderful job of keeping her plot and dialogue frothing along at a canter from start to finish. These are very densely-plotted and pleasingly insightful Regencies, a series well worth following." -- Historical Novel Society Indie Reviews
About the Author
Despite being born and bred in New England, Bliss Bennet has always been fascinated by the history of that country across the pond, particularly the politically volatile period known as the English Regency. So much so that she spent years writing a dissertation about the history of children's literature in the period. Now she makes good use of all the research she did for that five-hundred-plus-page project in her historical romance writing. Bliss's mild-mannered alter ego, Jackie Horne, muses about genre and gender on the Romance Novels for Feminists blog. Though she's visited Britain several times, Bliss continues to make her home in New England, along with her husband, daughter, and two monstrously fluffy black cats.
February 14, 2016
A unique tale for historical lovers who enjoy political revolution during the Victorian age, "A Man without a Mistress" depicts the plight reformation architects were tasked with in order to bring about change.
Read full review in the 2016 February issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2016 February issue of InD'tale Magazine.
March 14, 2017
Sibilla is...unique. Not because of her forwardness given the time period of this story--women did not get involved in politics, nor did they openly discuss politics because, well, they're women--but because of her unusual requirement for a husband. I mean, what man worth his weight in gold during this period didn't have a mistress? Her requirement was brilliant, and the hope that it would buy her more time to put off marriage was worth making it, I think.
Sibilla took front and center in this story for me, and Sayre was a wonderful compliment to her. He mistook her for a damsel in distress and quickly learned she was anything but. Their debates and discussions about politics might have raised a few eyebrows and caused some to whisper about her unladylike behavior, but Sayre didn't try to change her.
That was breathtaking, more so than Sibilla remaining true to herself up to "The End".
Sayre's past is not to be forgotten amidst the love and discovery happening. It was never far from the lighthearted moments; he carried his guilt well while ghosts from his past nipped hungrily at his heels. Respite came when he spent time with Sibilla, even if he sees himself in her penchant for taking risks. And that time with her produced feelings he hadn't dared encourage in a long time, urged him to reach for something that could be life-changing.
This was an easier read than A Rogue Without a Rebel, though I'm not sure why. The abundance of history and description hasn't lessened from Book 1 to Book 2, but there is something here that wasn't as prevalent in Book 1. Commonality? Attraction? Romance? I'm not sure, but I hope to experience more of it in this series. This is, dare I say, the better of the two books so far. So how exactly does an author top a story like this?
I'm not sure but I hope to find out.
Complimentary copy received from publisher
Sibilla took front and center in this story for me, and Sayre was a wonderful compliment to her. He mistook her for a damsel in distress and quickly learned she was anything but. Their debates and discussions about politics might have raised a few eyebrows and caused some to whisper about her unladylike behavior, but Sayre didn't try to change her.
That was breathtaking, more so than Sibilla remaining true to herself up to "The End".
Sayre's past is not to be forgotten amidst the love and discovery happening. It was never far from the lighthearted moments; he carried his guilt well while ghosts from his past nipped hungrily at his heels. Respite came when he spent time with Sibilla, even if he sees himself in her penchant for taking risks. And that time with her produced feelings he hadn't dared encourage in a long time, urged him to reach for something that could be life-changing.
This was an easier read than A Rogue Without a Rebel, though I'm not sure why. The abundance of history and description hasn't lessened from Book 1 to Book 2, but there is something here that wasn't as prevalent in Book 1. Commonality? Attraction? Romance? I'm not sure, but I hope to experience more of it in this series. This is, dare I say, the better of the two books so far. So how exactly does an author top a story like this?
I'm not sure but I hope to find out.
Complimentary copy received from publisher
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June 5, 2024This was great fun. As well-researched as other Bliss Bennet novels I've read, but with a bit more levity due to the introduction of Lord Dulcie (who I understand is one of the MCs in the last book in this series). Sir Peregrine Sayre (Per) is a man with several shocking secrets and the self-discipline of one who holds himself to the highest moral standards. Sibilla Pennington (Sib/Billie) is a firecracker with the wit and looks to try Per's patience and resistance. These two together are explosive. The plot re: the penitent prostitutes and the Guardian Society (which was real!) was fascinating. This series keeps getting better, and I look forward to devouring the next two books.
July 14, 2023
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