An Experienced Mistress

by Bryn Donovan

Will Creighton always does what Victorian society expects of a gentleman. But after he returns home to London from the horrors of war to find his fiancée married to someone else, he decides he's played by the rules long enough. He intends to enjoy illicit pleasure with a mistress before marrying a proper wife.Genevieve Bell is anything but proper. She struggles to be taken seriously as a female artist, and when very young, a brief affair ruined her chances for a good marriage. Now painting is her only passion--until she meets Will.When Will mistakes Genevieve for an experienced mistress, Genevieve finds herself unable to resist playing along. But will he discover she's far from an expert in the art of love?

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Fiction, Historical Fiction

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Author, book editor, blogger, and optimist who lives in Chicago. **no longer active on this platform**

Reviews

[GD]

I loved this romance. Represents all that is best about the genre. Well-plotted, full of interesting, likable characters, hot & steamy romance from a sensitive and feminist point of view.

[sara]

I don't know that I've ever read a "romance novel" before, but I enjoyed this one. It was well-written, entertaining and didn't insult my intelligence. Very good.

[PlotTrysts]

So you may know that I absolutely LOVED Her Knight at the Museum, a contemporary time travel romance involving a medieval knight and a museum curator. Well, turns out she had a Victorian romance waiting in the wings that just got a rerelease. I snapped it up and read it in one evening.

An Experienced Mistress is about will, Crimean War vet, and Genevieve, struggling Pre-Raphaelite painter. Will makes some assumptions about Genevieve's profession and asks her to be his mistress so he can brush up on his skills. Genevieve misunderstand his initial proposal as his asking for painting lessons, and when she realizes what he REALLY wants he's basically on his way out the door. She's still planning on saying no and setting him straight - no really, she is! - but he pays in advance, and she's not quite ready to give the money back; he does EVERYTHING she asks him to do (he is a diligent student!); and then she's both in too deep AND falling in love with him.

This is a really fun read, and unlike many other historical romance "mistress" novels, there's no coy skirting around what Will and Genevieve both want. (It's steamy, OK?) I also am personally pretty in love with the Pre-Raphaelite movement, so I adored that Donovan placed Genevieve squarely in its midst. Finally, I really loved the grand gesture! It was really meaningful for the relationship, both spontaneous yet with elements of planning that showed Will'd really thought about it, and it was sweet + steamy.

I've jokingly (and somewhat cynically) said that Bryn Donovan's contemporaries are the closest we're going to get to historical romances from a specific traditional publisher for a while. (It's cynical but I also believe it.) I'm really glad to have read what she does with a start-to-finish HistRom, and even gladder that I loved it.

15-Word Summaries:⁠
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Laine: Will scoops up Genevieve as soon as her paramour dumps her, or so he thinks.⁠
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Meg: After Genevieve realizes Will asked her for SEX lessons, she’s already spent the fee. Oops?⁠

[Sarah]

This is a rerelease of a 2010 novel by an author who I believe largely writes contemporary romance with a twist. It was nice enough the concept was intriguing and if it weren’t for the rushed and rather easily won out ending I probably would have rated it higher!

[Mircah Foxwood]

Great story. Bryn Donovan has a very accessible writing style that is a pleasure to read, and the love scenes are sexy!

[K. King]

3.5⭐️

[Kathi]

This was a cute lil read.

[Susan Bagby]

If you like very romantic, spicy Victorian romance novels, this one's for you. Will, an aristocrat returning home from war is enchanted by a beautiful artist, Genevieve but misunderstands what kind of lessons she gives. He offers her a situation she can't refuse but she holds back the truth, scared he'll change his mind. Their romance unfolds slowly, and eventually, they both will have to be honest with each other if they expect true love.

[Annika Astradsson]

Loved it. The main character of the book is mistaken for a woman of easy virtue, and decides to play along because she likes the guy making the wrong assumption. It had me when I read that plot. Too often books are about a woman's "fall" from madonna to sexually active, and she usually resents it. This book, however, is about a woman coping very well with not being a virgin and creating a full life for herself, despite that society in general thinks she should curl up and die. Or at least stay out of sight. That much for the plot. Then you have to add the rich language and VERY sexy scenes that make me, a grown woman, blush with pleasure. Read it. You won't regret it.

[Chalon Emmons]

I haven't read a romance since I was in junior high, but this one was written by a friend of mine from grad school, so I checked it out. It's great: interesting characters, an engaging plot, and sex scenes that were actually sexy. I'm not sure I'll go out of my way to read more romances in future, but if Bryn Donovan writes another one, I'll definitely read it.

[Sundry]

A quick and lively read by a quick and lively author! Way to go, Bryn!

[Shauna]

Fun romance without all the annoying cliches.