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fireth's review against another edition
3.0
The heroine in the book was referred to as a spinster; (She's 26 years old!). A very fairy-tale with a dash of fantasy to this historical romance. I finished this within one seating on a late Saturday night.
vnessag's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
fringebookreviews's review against another edition
3.5
I really did enjoy this! But I swear if I have to hear the words “Miss Burke” EVER again. I also don’t feel like they really knew each other in the non-wish timeline. I think it needed more from the second half!
jscarpa14's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second time I've read this charming story and it's been teasing around my mind for weeks as I remembered bits of the plot but not the title or author and kept searching and searching with each little bit I remember to learn what book it was that was tempting me to read but wouldn't reveal it's title in my memory. So happy to have rediscovered this hidden gem to enjoy again.
The delightful thing about this story is the way it combines both a regency romance with just an air of fairy tale, more specifically just a hint of Cinderella and the fairy godmother. But Quince isn't the Disney, make your life perfect sort of wish granter, instead when Charlotte, a proper but mousy daughter of society wishes to be the woman who her best friend's older brother Sebastian loves, she wakes up as his mistress living on the wrong side of the tracks with all of the male side of society celebrating her and all of the female shunning her. As she steps into shoes she, with her sheltered life, has no idea how to fill, you're presented with a humorous and delightful tale of true love and being very careful what you wish for.
My only disappointment really is that now that I've come back to the series I've notice that there's only one more book about the Marlowe family and I really was looking forward to spending a lot more time with them. :)
The delightful thing about this story is the way it combines both a regency romance with just an air of fairy tale, more specifically just a hint of Cinderella and the fairy godmother. But Quince isn't the Disney, make your life perfect sort of wish granter, instead when Charlotte, a proper but mousy daughter of society wishes to be the woman who her best friend's older brother Sebastian loves, she wakes up as his mistress living on the wrong side of the tracks with all of the male side of society celebrating her and all of the female shunning her. As she steps into shoes she, with her sheltered life, has no idea how to fill, you're presented with a humorous and delightful tale of true love and being very careful what you wish for.
My only disappointment really is that now that I've come back to the series I've notice that there's only one more book about the Marlowe family and I really was looking forward to spending a lot more time with them. :)
platinumwarlock's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lily_maid's review against another edition
3.0
If you're a frequent reader of traditional historical romances and you're looking to try something a little more experimental with shades of paranormal romance and a parallel reality, His Mistress By Morning might be just what you're looking for.
In spite of the magic rings, the immortals lurking about, and the shift to an alternate reality, the book is still very much a historical. Fashion, art, and poetry are important to the book's plot and Boyle has clearly put research into those details.
Charlotte, a quiet spinster, has secretly dreamed about her best friends brother Sebastian for years. However, the possibility of a relationship is slim. Her family is poor, he's practically engaged to a society beauty, and he can't even remember her name. When her great-aunt's fortune turns out to be a simple ring he seems further and further out of her grasp.
All is not what it appears, however, and the ring turns out to a wish-granting ring that transports Charlotte to an alternative reality where she has become a saucy courtesan named Lottie.
In this new wish-created reality, Charlotte's relationships with the most important people in her life have drastically changed. Sebastian, the man who never noticed her, is her lover, Cousin Finella a straight-laced woman who helped raise her is a noted courtesan herself, her best friend, Hermione Marlow doesn't even acknowledge her.
This alternative reality forces Charlotte to navigate and reevaluate her relationships. The book is an interesting look at how alternate realities and wishes can force us to look at ourselves and our own realities and the things that we would be better off changing.
The ending is a bit rushed, but Charlotte is ultimately able to use the alternative reality to shape her pre-wish reality essentially merging the two.
In spite of the magic rings, the immortals lurking about, and the shift to an alternate reality, the book is still very much a historical. Fashion, art, and poetry are important to the book's plot and Boyle has clearly put research into those details.
Charlotte, a quiet spinster, has secretly dreamed about her best friends brother Sebastian for years. However, the possibility of a relationship is slim. Her family is poor, he's practically engaged to a society beauty, and he can't even remember her name. When her great-aunt's fortune turns out to be a simple ring he seems further and further out of her grasp.
All is not what it appears, however, and the ring turns out to a wish-granting ring that transports Charlotte to an alternative reality where she has become a saucy courtesan named Lottie.
Some things are the same, the important ones. But time is like a garden, touched by winter one year, kissed by a gentle spring the next. You never know what will take root and bloom
In this new wish-created reality, Charlotte's relationships with the most important people in her life have drastically changed. Sebastian, the man who never noticed her, is her lover, Cousin Finella a straight-laced woman who helped raise her is a noted courtesan herself, her best friend, Hermione Marlow doesn't even acknowledge her.
This alternative reality forces Charlotte to navigate and reevaluate her relationships. The book is an interesting look at how alternate realities and wishes can force us to look at ourselves and our own realities and the things that we would be better off changing.
The ending is a bit rushed, but Charlotte is ultimately able to use the alternative reality to shape her pre-wish reality essentially merging the two.
thebookcoyote's review against another edition
3.0
I love the idea of this book. "His Mistress By Morning" is a fantasy/regency romance which combines magic and regency manners in a rather charming matter. Unfortunately, it's not quite as good as it could be. "His Mistress By Morning" follows shy, plain Charlotte Wilmont, a girl destined to be a spinster who finds herself desperately in love with her best friend's older brother, Sebastian Marlowe, Viscount Trent. Sebastian barely knows she exists, and is nearly betrothed to a young lady of wealth and fortune who will help to recover the family's sagging fortunes. The book opens with Charlotte deeply dissapointed - an inheritance she had been given by her aunt which she hoped would make her eligible for Sebastian's affections - turns out to be nothing but a strange old ring. Or so she thinks. Putting on the ring, Charlotte wishes that she could be the woman that Sebastian loved - and wakes up the next morning in an alternate universe as his mistress, the famous courtesan Lottie Townsend. This sounds like an entirely charming plot, and in some ways it is. Boyle doesn't do as much with it as she could, however. The alternate timeline drags a bit, and seems not to be heading in any particular direction. I never quite understood (nor did she make entirely clear) the whole Quince/Milton dynamic - I know they're supernatural, but was I supposed to get more out of that? What I did like, however, was seeing Charlotte grow into a better understanding of herself and of her sexuality, learning to throw some of her strict upbringing to the wind and learn to enjoy herself. All in all, this book had great potential, but didn't deliver as well as it could have.
plottrysts's review against another edition
4.0
We absolutely loved this book, but you have to be in the right mood for it. What mood is that? The mood where you want to just sit back and enjoy what you're reading, not worrying too much about how much sense it makes or how historically accurate it is. That said, both of us felt that even while enjoying this book on a superficial level (which is VERY easy, as we mentioned earlier) there were depths to this book. Structurally it is very cool, and there are lots of elements that allow for fun thought experiments.
Come for the fluffy sex, stay for the structure of the prose (or something like that). Enjoy.
30-Word Summaries:
Laine: A wish made unknowingly while wearing a magic ring makes your wish come true, but in the genie way. Luckily the negative consequences are fine if you're sexing a hottie.
Meg: If you watched Run, Lola, Run and thought that it would be really cool translated to Regency England with a ton of sexytimes, then this book might be for you.
www.linktr.ee/plottrysts
Come for the fluffy sex, stay for the structure of the prose (or something like that). Enjoy.
30-Word Summaries:
Laine: A wish made unknowingly while wearing a magic ring makes your wish come true, but in the genie way. Luckily the negative consequences are fine if you're sexing a hottie.
Meg: If you watched Run, Lola, Run and thought that it would be really cool translated to Regency England with a ton of sexytimes, then this book might be for you.
www.linktr.ee/plottrysts
ctsquirrel's review against another edition
4.0
The library scene, unf damn. But 3.75 overall, characters were great, dialogue was great, sex was great, plot was confusing.