Review: Mistress by Mistake by Susan Gee Heino

Publisher: Berkley, Penguin

Holly‘s review of Mistress by Mistake by Susan Gee Heino

Lord Dashford has decided to ward off the marriage-minded by convincing the world he’s throwing away his fortune. No matter, since heiress Evaline Pinchley, dragged to the Dashford estate, has no inclination to marry him.

Unfortunately, she fails to recognize her host when he begins to seduce her. An empty bottle later, Evaline wakes to find herself in Dashford’s bed. Now rumors and passions are sure to run wild-unless Dashford and Evaline realize that what happened by moonlight was no mistake.

I wasn’t sure when I started this if I was going to like it. I don’t always like the “mistaken identity” theme. This one worked only because that wasn’t the key plot element.

This entire novel was just one big farce. I can’t think of another way to describe it. The longer the story went on the more convoluted it became.

Dashford got suckered into an engagement with one of the local girls just after his father died. He didn’t mean to agree, but somehow he found himself roped into it. During a night of drinking, he and his best friend come up with a plan to get him out of it: He’ll pretend to be a complete rake and lose the family fortune. Then his fiance will break it off and he won’t have to.

Two years later and his plan as worked almost too well. Not only does his erstwhile fiance think he’s flat broke and a total libertine, but so does his mama. She invites Evaline to the estate in the hopes that Dashford will fall for her – and her fortune.

Evaline has only agreed to go to the Dashford house party because her scheming aunt forced her. She has no intention of trying to land herself a husband. She’s only waiting it out until her 25th birthday so she can gain control of her own finances. She also wants a small cottage on Dashford land..one that belonged to her grandmother.

Throw in the scheming fiance, zany best friend, man of finance, matchmaking mama and an old legend about a lost treasure and, well..farce.

Dashford’s plan to get out of his engagement was rather ridiculous. I don’t really understand how it worked for as long as it did. That was very far fetched. It made sense that he and his bestie planned it all during a drunken haze, but that it actually worked for 2 years seems…crazy.

Oddly enough, the zany plot actually seemed to work. But it didn’t come together until the end. While I was reading I was thinking “really? That just happened?”. When I closed the book, however, it was with a smile on my face.

Despite Dashford’s silly plot to ruin his own reputation, I really liked him. His attraction to Evaline was evident and really worked. Evaline was also a good character. She was a down-to-earth type girl. I liked that she had a plan to take care of herself and get out from under her aunt’s thumb.

Speaking of..the aunt was very ridiculous. I’m surprised she got away with as much as she did, considering how obvious she was.

This was a fun, fast read. I zipped right through it. Though there were some head-scratching moments, overall I enjoyed it.

3.5 out of 5

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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