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sirkt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
One of those books where you are shouting at the main character to be less naive, but the historical details are fascinating, and you become attached to the characters
panda28's review against another edition
3.0
This book was decently well written, and Rubenhokd certainly has an excellent grasp upon the era which she writes about. While it's not the best novel I've ever read, and some parts were quite lengthy and at times unnecessary it was still quite the captivating read. Most of the characters were well fleshed out and weren't "flat" I could picture running into modern versions of them on the street. The one complaint that I have is that I'm left with more questions than answers, and I wish she had delved more into what is going on with Allenham and why he had to leave. All in all it was a good book, and I would reccommend it to people who like both historical fiction and a good romance, so long as you can wait to find out what happens next.
bebbiie's review against another edition
3.0
I had periods of both hating and loving this book, my overall conclusion has to be: Wasn't worth my time.
Henrietta was plain annoying, simpering and stupid my one goal is to be with 'her' man and spends the whole book trying to get to him. Not once does said man attempt to find her.
I will not be carrying on with the series.
Henrietta was plain annoying, simpering and stupid my one goal is to be with 'her' man and spends the whole book trying to get to him. Not once does said man attempt to find her.
I will not be carrying on with the series.
corvinaq's review against another edition
3.0
The first installment of the scandalous adventures of Henrietta Lightfoot. This is an enthusiastic, scenery-chomping, melodramatic tale of life as a courtesan in 18th century London. It is a hugely enjoyable guilty pleasure book, but sometimes the narrator's protestations at her own dirty doings get tiresome. "I had no ideeeeeea he wanted my body! I wasn't raaaaaaaaaaaaaaised this way! These bacchanalian romps SHOCK me! I'm a nice girl, the idea of cheating at cards offends meeeeeee." These were all repeated sentiments. Stop complaining and OWN it, Henrietta! I wanted to say. Still, it's an amusing and ridiculous book.
ruth's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
nomadreader's review against another edition
3.0
(originally published at http://nomadreader.blogspot.com)
The basics: Mistress of My Fate, the first in a planned trilogy, is the story of Henrietta Lightfoot. From the publisher: "a young woman who was abandoned as a baby and raised alongside her cousins, noble children of a lord and lady. At just sixteen years old, circumstance and a passionate love affair tear Henrietta away from everything she knows, leading to a new life fending for herself on the streets of 18th century London as a courtesan, gambler, and spirited intellect of the city."
My thoughts: The premise sounds great, right? I love a feisty historical heroine and meandering life stories. Yet, I still can't quite put my finger on why this novel didn't work for me. I liked it enough to read all of its 450+ pages in three days, but I never felt truly immersed in the story. Henrietta directly addresses the reader in her retelling of her life, and while I got the impression Rubenhold intended for Henrietta to appear to be trying to hard, it also felt like Rubenhold was trying to hard to make Henrietta precocious. Still, throughout the novel, I kept reminding myself Henrietta was fictional because she felt so real. Strong characterization is a promising start for a trilogy, and I may well revisit the antics of Henrietta when the second volume comes out.
The basics: Mistress of My Fate, the first in a planned trilogy, is the story of Henrietta Lightfoot. From the publisher: "a young woman who was abandoned as a baby and raised alongside her cousins, noble children of a lord and lady. At just sixteen years old, circumstance and a passionate love affair tear Henrietta away from everything she knows, leading to a new life fending for herself on the streets of 18th century London as a courtesan, gambler, and spirited intellect of the city."
My thoughts: The premise sounds great, right? I love a feisty historical heroine and meandering life stories. Yet, I still can't quite put my finger on why this novel didn't work for me. I liked it enough to read all of its 450+ pages in three days, but I never felt truly immersed in the story. Henrietta directly addresses the reader in her retelling of her life, and while I got the impression Rubenhold intended for Henrietta to appear to be trying to hard, it also felt like Rubenhold was trying to hard to make Henrietta precocious. Still, throughout the novel, I kept reminding myself Henrietta was fictional because she felt so real. Strong characterization is a promising start for a trilogy, and I may well revisit the antics of Henrietta when the second volume comes out.
rogue_runner's review against another edition
3.0
Oh, Henrietta. I wanted to like you, but god you were annoying. Especially in the first few chapters. I just wanted to wring your silly neck for being such a goddamn pushover.
For a book called 'mistress of my fate', Henrietta Lightfoot spends a whole lot of time being pushed around and made to do things by other people. This doesn't really change throughout the book. She makes a few stupid errors, other people get in the way of her 'plans'- which mostly seem to be put into her head by other people, and makes some friends and suitors by looking pretty and acting prude. Hmm.
For a book called 'mistress of my fate', Henrietta Lightfoot spends a whole lot of time being pushed around and made to do things by other people. This doesn't really change throughout the book. She makes a few stupid errors, other people get in the way of her 'plans'- which mostly seem to be put into her head by other people, and makes some friends and suitors by looking pretty and acting prude. Hmm.
ashreec's review against another edition
1.0
One of the worst books ever. I would not recommend this one to any one.
pridiansky's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I truly thought I would give this book a 3 until fifty pages from the end, where it takes a turn for the worse. To be frank, this character isn't the most...robust of characters. She is constantly, CONSTANTLY having to be buoyed up by the kindness of the many female characters around her who are willing to be patient with her stubborn, often irritatingly naive way of thinking. There are multiple occasions where the character insists she's not dull, as the people around her assume, but I think there's some Dunning Kreuger at work here. She is, in fact, rather dull at times. She doesn't learn quickly, or is just determined, I felt, to stay the naive little girl. It's never explicitly said, but on some level I felt she's trying to distinguish herself in some way from the 'riff raff' she's forced to associate with. She frequently appeals to the reader to consider her upbringing and how meek and mild she was expected to act. While that is true, I just felt like telling her 'That was then, and this is now.' It's harsh, but you adapt or you die. The book took on a pattern where she would be engulfed in despair or self-pity until her unfortunate, more experienced friends scraped her up off the floor and gave her a pep talk.
At first, this was fine. I'm not denying that the character goes through a great deal and at a very young age. Trauma, depression, rape, abortion, emotional abuse, the loss of a son (she's not able to visit him any longer), and a steep learning curve on the realities of the world in general. There were scenes where I deeply felt for the character, and I set the book down for probably two weeks because I hit a section that caused me so much anxiety that I had to take a break. So, it wasn't like I wasn't invested in Henrietta for a good portion of the book. I skimmed ahead multiple times in certain sections because the suspense was too much for me and I had to know how it turned out. But by the end, when she hits a rough patch for the umpteenth time in the home stretch of the story (and over something far less daunting than all of the other traumas that came before) I just thought: "REALLY? Again? Really? FFS." It's not like this book is short, either, coming in at 450 pages. It's no Count of Monte Cristo, but 450 pages is still a commitment. So, when she unravels in the last lap of the book, it was so frustrating to watch, and I lost sympathy for her character. I think that was a mistake on the author's part. If the character continuously lacks the resolve to see herself to the end goal, then how are you supposed to care about it as the reader, and so near the end of the story? I resented that I had read so far only to see the character fall to pieces once again and disappoint me. And when you've already read the first 400 pages, it felt silly to not see it through, even though I no longer felt invested in the outcome.
Honestly, the payoff didn't feel worth the length of the book. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the ending was insulting, as it ends very abruptly and sets you up for the next volume, which I have no intention of reading. To read that far and have the book end in such an abrupt manner is foul play by the author. You couldn't pay me to spend one more minute with Henrietta, the main character. If you get frustrated with these kinds of characters, you will probably know what I mean and know that this book isn't your cup of tea. The world felt well-fleshed-out, colorful, and alive, as did some of the other characters. But, with such a limp noodle of a main character, the journey is not nearly as fun as it could have been.
At first, this was fine. I'm not denying that the character goes through a great deal and at a very young age. Trauma, depression, rape, abortion, emotional abuse, the loss of a son (she's not able to visit him any longer), and a steep learning curve on the realities of the world in general. There were scenes where I deeply felt for the character, and I set the book down for probably two weeks because I hit a section that caused me so much anxiety that I had to take a break. So, it wasn't like I wasn't invested in Henrietta for a good portion of the book. I skimmed ahead multiple times in certain sections because the suspense was too much for me and I had to know how it turned out. But by the end, when she hits a rough patch for the umpteenth time in the home stretch of the story (and over something far less daunting than all of the other traumas that came before) I just thought: "REALLY? Again? Really? FFS." It's not like this book is short, either, coming in at 450 pages. It's no Count of Monte Cristo, but 450 pages is still a commitment. So, when she unravels in the last lap of the book, it was so frustrating to watch, and I lost sympathy for her character. I think that was a mistake on the author's part. If the character continuously lacks the resolve to see herself to the end goal, then how are you supposed to care about it as the reader, and so near the end of the story? I resented that I had read so far only to see the character fall to pieces once again and disappoint me. And when you've already read the first 400 pages, it felt silly to not see it through, even though I no longer felt invested in the outcome.
Honestly, the payoff didn't feel worth the length of the book. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the ending was insulting, as it ends very abruptly and sets you up for the next volume, which I have no intention of reading. To read that far and have the book end in such an abrupt manner is foul play by the author. You couldn't pay me to spend one more minute with Henrietta, the main character. If you get frustrated with these kinds of characters, you will probably know what I mean and know that this book isn't your cup of tea. The world felt well-fleshed-out, colorful, and alive, as did some of the other characters. But, with such a limp noodle of a main character, the journey is not nearly as fun as it could have been.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Rape, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy
fabmom52's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the setting of this book England, 1790s) and enjoyed the story as told by the main character Henrietta Lightfoot in the first person. I liked how she would say "no imagine reader...." I love that it will be a trilogy. At times it seemed typical; girl's mother gives her up and she goes to live with Rich uncles and doesn't get much attention since they have their own daughter; she is always in the shadows. A very wealthy man comes to the house and instead of wanting to marry the rich daughter, Catherine, he falls in love with Hettie. This causes many complications. But there are still some good twists and turns and she leads a life of depravity and must go change her life dramatically to survive. A good story, a bit long at times but will read the sequel.