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Oh, how I wish . . .
When a promised inheritance turns out to be a fraud, shy spinster Charlotte Wilmont makes an impetuous wish that despite her lack of charm and fortune, she could capture the heart of the one man whom she's forever adored—Sebastian, Viscount Trent.
Be careful what you wish for . . .
With that utterance, Charlotte awakens shocked to find herself entwined with her beloved Sebastian. But the respectable man she knew is now a most rakish devil and she is . . . well, by some inexplicable magic, London's most infamous mistress.
Even passion comes at a price . . .
Being the scandalous Lottie Townsend affords Charlotte unimaginable freedom—passionate nights with Sebastian, endless days of shopping, and adoring fans. But all too soon, Charlotte finds that being one man's mistress isn't the same as being his wife. Yet if she returns to her old, respectable life, can Charlotte trust there will be enough magic left to recapture Sebastian's heart . . . and reawaken his rakish desires?
Chapter One
London
May 9, 1810
An Ordinary Wednesday, or at Least One Presumes So
If one were going to define what gave a family that air of prestige amongst their peers, set them apart in the bustling ton, first and foremost you would list those admirable qualities of respectability, social standing, and, most importantly, wealth.
Of course none of those things described the Earl of Walbrook or any of his five children--with the possible exception of the earl's eldest son and heir, Sebastian Marlowe, Viscount Trent.
But we'll get to him in a moment.
Luckily for the Marlowes, they rarely noticed their pariah status in Society. Snippy mentions in gossip columns were of no interest to them. And if they had a host of detractors, they had one very enthusiastic admirer.
Miss Charlotte Wilmont. She thought them the most glorious family in London.
Why, their cluttered house on Berkeley Square, which housed the odd objects that the earl sent home from his travels, the leftover stage sets and costumes from the countess's numerous private theatrical productions, Griffin's scientific experiments, Cordelia's Roman treasures, and Hermione and Viola's collections of neatly clipped fashion plates from The Ladies Fashionable Cabinet, was more oddmuseum than house, but it felt like home to Charlotte.
Even now, standing in the middle of the foyer, awaiting her best friend, Lady Hermione, and dreading the terrible news she had to tell her, Charlotte couldn't help but feel a sense that she, plain and ordinary Miss Wilmont, belonged here.
She could just imagine what her mother, Lady Wilmont, or Cousin Finella, with whom they lived, would say about that. Especially when faced with the ornately carved chest that stood front and center in the entryway, decorated as it was with a rather large male fertility statue standing tall and erect atop it.
The ebony phallus would have been banished to the dustbin at Cousin Finella's. Feeling a little bit guilty for even casting a curious glance in its direction, Charlotte forced her gaze over to the silver salver beside it, piled up as it was with mail and notes and calling cards for the family.
Envy tugged at her heart over the sight of such a friendly pile--for no one invited her to soirees and parties, called upon her cantankerous mother (for good reason), or sent lovingly penned letters expressing whatever it was one put into such tidings.
Surely Charlotte didn't know. No one had ever sent her a letter.
And atop it all sat the most coveted missive of all--an invitation to Lady Routledge's soiree.
Though Hermione had spent the last month expressing dread over having to attend the upcoming event, Charlotte knew her dear friend would have been positively distraught not to be invited. For Lady Routledge's annual evening had launched any number of young ladies from veritable obscurity onto that very coveted pedestal, the most sought after title a girl could attain: that of Original.
But to do that took a lady of some talent--able to sing, perhaps a dab hand on a pianoforte, or possess the composure to give a stirring and dramatic reading. Not that such a lack of proficiency didn't stop any number of hopefuls from getting up (or more to the point, being prodded up by their anxious mothers) and giving a rather, ahem, memorable performance.
Having had only lessons from Cousin Finella on the pianoforte, and neither an elocution or singing lesson, Charlotte would rather die than get up before the assembled ladies and lords, gossips and dandies, and make a cake of herself. So perhaps it was a good thing that society had forgotten Sir Nestor Wilmont's spinster daughter.
She was about to turn away from the overladen salver when a note peeking out from beneath the stack caught her attention, a tiding written in a neat feminine hand and addressed to The Right Hon. the Viscount Trent.
Sebastian, Charlotte sighed. Hermione's older brother and the heir to the Walbrook earldom.
Even as Charlotte rose up on her tiptoes and tried to spy some sort of indication who this missive was from (not that she couldn't make a very educated guess), the door from the back of the house swung open.
She straightened immediately, and to her horror, none other than Lord Trent himself strolled into the foyer. He was lost in thought and didn't even notice her as she shrank into the nearby curtains.
With his arrival, Charlotte went into a deep blush and that tongue-tied inability to sputter out any word that could be deemed intelligible.
Oh, bother, Charlotte, she chided herself, say something, anything.
What was it Hermione always said?
Truly, Charlotte, if you would but talk to him you would discover he is as dull as they come. Mother swears her real son was snatched away at birth and Sebastian left in his stead, for no child of hers could possess such a sensible nature!
A sensible nature? How could Hermione pronounce such a virtue as if it were a sin? Charlotte wondered as she peered out from the shadows of the curtains.
Certainly Sebastian's sensibility was one of his most endearing characteristics in her estimation. He'd taken over the family accounts and properties at an early age--just after his father had departed for his South Seas adventures ten years earlier. While the viscount's peers and friends had spent the last decade gadding about, Sebastian had kept the Marlowes afloat with careful management and a tight purse over his mother's and sisters' propensity for shopping.
Why, just look at what had happened to Charlotte and her mother when her own father had died! There had been no one to manage things, and as a result they lived with Cousin Finella.
And when Hermione exceeded her pin money, or one of Griffin's scientific experiments went awry and left half of Mayfair shaken from yet another explosion, or Viola brought home yet another stray dog, did Sebastian ever complain? Did he harangue them with lectures? . . .
Continues...
Excerpted from His Mistress By Morning by Elizabeth Boyle Copyright © 2006 by Elizabeth Boyle. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
CaramelReader
Posted March 31, 2013
I loved reading this book. This is one of my favorite historical romances. It added something different and unique, and was not all about the typical kissing (etc) scenes but about the growth of protagonist Lottie as a person. We're all stuck between a rock and a hard place many times in our lives, and it was easy to feels the emotions of those similarly disposed in this novel. I always enjoy Boyle's novels!
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Posted February 9, 2013
Good writing, likeable characters, fun fairytale.
vickielvl
Posted December 31, 2009
I really love this book and could read it over and over. I loved the plot of the book and the characters. Wondering when the sequel will come out!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I loved this book. To me it was amazing how so much could happen because of this ring. I could not believe how wonderful this book was. It was a def change to normal romance stories. I would rec this book to anyone that wants a different beat to a romance novel. It was thrilling, romantic and def original. I have put this in my library and intend to read it many more times.
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Posted March 31, 2009
I read the second book of this series before the first one (this one) and was not sure if I wanted to after reading the jacket. However, it is wonderful! A wish is made by the damsel to be loved by this man like he loves his mistress. Her fairy god mother for lack of a better term changes the world around her and she becomes his mistress. However, she is a known mistress of some renown and he is a different man as well. So is their love story told but she also wants marriage but as a lady of the night he cannot do so. The book is about how things can be, how they should be and how it all works out in the end. I cried, I laughed and I loved. Not every book can do this. It was a love hard fought and hard won.
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Posted November 7, 2008
I Also Recommend:
I truly adored this novel, it was fun. Lottie (Charlotte), mousy friend of Sebastian's sister has adored him for a long time. Actually Lottie adores his whole family because they are eccentric and do not care about the ton's rules, well except for Sebastian. A good deed to a stranger transforms Lottie's life and she becomes Sebastian's love. Actually she becomes his mistress and in this parallel world Sebastian is a BAD BOY (Yummy). Here's where all the fun starts. Lottie discovers several things in this alternate world not only about this hidden part of herself but about her family too.<BR/>Then she is returned back into her original world and helps herself become more bold and saucy. She also decides to awaken Sebastian's inner bad boy and awaken his naughtiness too.<BR/>If you are looking for a light, fast, fun romance with a dash of magic then here is the book for you. Check it out!
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Posted December 16, 2006
As a fan of every Elizabeth Boyle historical romance ever written, His Mistress By Morning was as usual, an enjoyable read, but with a surprising paranormal twist, which made the story even more interesting. Charlotte has a long time romantic crush on Lord Sebastian, Viscount Trent. As she visits her friend Lady Hermione, Sebastian's sister, she finds herself wishing she could be like the ladies who turn Sebastian's head. She wakes up finding herself in Sebastian's bed, but as his mistress, not his wife - which is her true wish. She soon realizes that it is the magic powers of the recent ring willed to her by her aunt that has the power to have provided her with this wish. The story is sensual with a bit of magic, making this story even more interesting and hard to put down. At the end, when Charlotte and Sebastian are back in the present world, Charlotte discovers she has the real power from her past experience with the magic of the ring to truly make Sebastian hers, and in the way she really dreams, as his wife. This story is fun, sensual and magical and definitely in the same caliber as the rest of Ms. Boyle's historical romances. I look forward to the remaining books about the Marlowe Family Tree.
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Posted November 1, 2006
I love historical fiction and I love when I find a romance that I can't wait to see what's going to happen next but hate to see it end. I am estatic that there will be another story with the same characters. They were all unique and funny.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.By 1810 reticent spinster Charlotte Wilmont knows she loves Viscount Sebastian Marlowe, who ignores the fact that his family is pariahs of the Ton as he takes care of the scandals caused by his four wild siblings and causes a few with females too. Charlotte¿s fondest wish in life is to have Sebastian love her forever.--------------- However, sometimes you get what you wish for as Charlotte wakes up to find Sebastian in her bed. He remain the most notorious rake in England while she has become the most infamous mistress as every male bids to have Lottie Townsend in their bed, but he is the winner. Although she does not understanding how this transition from lonely in love and on the shelf virgin to his mistress happened, Charlotte does not care as she appreciates her freedom from convention, her sexual trysts with Sebastian, and the wealth to buy whatever she desires. Being the subject of male adulation and female envy only makes her unconventional life that much greater. However, in spite of her euphoric lifestyle, something is lacking and soon she realizes a mistress is not a wife and mother and that she may not have her beloved¿s heart after all.----------------- A bit of the whimsical adds to a wonderful Regency romance that will be considered by most readers as one of the best historical tales of the year. Charlotte initially loves that she has become HIS MISTRESS BY MORNING, but soon wants much more from him as she finally realizes her wish has not come true. Sebastian takes immense delight with his mistress at night, as he is a certified rake, but finds he needs more of Charlotte than just the bedroom. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this amusing quirky love story.---------------------- Harriet Klausner
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Overview
Oh, how I wish . . .
When a promised inheritance turns out to be a fraud, shy spinster Charlotte Wilmont makes an impetuous wish that despite her lack of charm and fortune, she could capture the heart of the one man whom she's forever adored—Sebastian, Viscount Trent.
Be careful what you wish for . . .
With that utterance, Charlotte awakens shocked to find herself entwined with her beloved Sebastian. ...