"The Demon's Mistress" by Jo Beverley is a short story in the series "Short Stories/Novellas" that follows the story of a young man named Van who is rescued from a dark place by an older woman, Maria. The plot revolves around their unlikely bond, where Maria becomes the light in Van's world of darkness and helps him find hope, while Van brings love and spark into Maria's life. The storyline is described as original, with well-defined characters and relatable emotions. Readers appreciated the depth of the main characters and the development of their relationship, despite the story being shorter than expected.

Characters:

The characters are well-defined, with relatable struggles, featuring an unusual age dynamic between the hero and heroine.

Writing/Prose:

The writing is engaging but sometimes lacks depth in character emotions, typical of historical romance.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot begins well but fails to maintain engagement due to excessive perspective shifts and inadequate character development.

Setting:

Set in historical England, it incorporates elements typical of the historical romance genre.

Pacing:

The pacing is uneven, starting strong but feeling cut short, leaving some readers wanting more.

Notes:

The Demon's Mistress is part of The Company of Rogues series.

The novella features a younger male hero and an older female heroine, which is unusual for historical romance.

The story explores themes of depression and healing, particularly for war veterans.

Maria, the heroine, plays a pivotal role in helping the hero find purpose.

Several readers feel there was not enough character development of the main couple's relationship.

Despite mixed reviews, many readers appreciate Jo Beverley's writing style and historical settings.

There is a desire among readers for longer stories from Beverley, as this novella felt too short to fully develop the plot.

The book includes underlying intrigue between the two main characters, both of whom are dealing with trauma.

Readers are enthusiastic about the connections within the series and were happy to find stories they previously missed.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include themes of depression and suicide, which are addressed in a sensitive manner.

Has Romance?

There is a medium level of romance present in the story, with emotional connections developed between the characters.

implied steam level

From The Publisher:

Lord Vandeimen returns home from Waterloo to ruined estates, his family all dead. His attempts to recreate something of his heritage leave him deep in debt, and he is ready to commit suicide when a woman bursts into his room with an extraordinary proposal.

Mrs. Maria Celestin, widow of a wealthy foreign merchant, will pay him a small fortune to pretend to be her betrothed husband for six weeks. Van cannot refuse, but he is wary of this outrageous good fortune. He is also intent on getting into the widow's bed. He doesn't expect to be dragged back into life, and into love, or into a battle to win the woman who bought him.

What can you read after
The Demon's Mistress?

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