His Secret Mistress by Cathy Maxwell
A Logical Man Guide’s to Dangerous Women #1. Historical romance.
Kate Addison owns and manages a traveling acting troupe. Brandon doesn’t want her on his land because she broke his heart many years ago but he soon finds himself involved with her actors and designing sets. Maybe she can stay awhile.

An amusing plot and entertaining story that culminates is a grand romance and life changing decisions. Once they get past their history and trust issues. ( )

Good second chance story. Fifteen years earlier, Bran and Kate were in love. He was an engineering student, and she was a young actress - not precisely an approved relationship. They had just shared one passion-filled night together when Fate tore them apart. Each believed the other betrayed them. Bran left for India and buried his heartbreak in work, becoming a respected architect and engineer. There he stayed until the death of his brother-in-law forced him home to be the guardian of his nephew. Kate suffered terribly because of what happened. She eventually left London and resumed her work as an actress, forming her own company. Her goal is to return to London and produce her plays there.

However, Fate is not done with Bran and Kate. Bran receives a frantic message from his sister, claiming that his nephew plans to marry an actress he just met. Bran is stunned at the identity of said actress because surely it can't be the same Kate. Furious, he tears off to save his nephew from the clutches of a gold-digger. Kate is frustrated. The troupe's wagon broke down in a small town, and it will take days to repair it. Meanwhile, the local young nobleman is making a nuisance of himself, pledging his undying love and interfering in her rehearsals. She can't be rude to him for fear of reprisals, but she just wants him to go away.

I loved the first meeting between Bran and Kate. He comes tearing in, full of righteous fury, and she takes the wind out of his sails by pretending she doesn't recognize him. I loved watching her stand up to him. She does go a little overboard though in her determination to get back at him. The events at that night's dance are both amusing and heartbreaking as Kate lives down to Bran's expectations. Their confrontation after the dance was emotional as they discover the truth about that night so long ago. It also becomes clear that the attraction between them has not died.

I enjoyed the rekindling of the relationship between Kate and Bran. Neither can deny the sparks that still fly between them, but can they overcome the past to be together? In addition to that past, they must also deal with the smitten Duke, judgmental neighbors, and a drama queen sister. The interactions between Kate and Bran are witty and fun, with underlying passion during their private encounters. I liked Bran's support of Kate's dream and his realization that he still loved her and dreams of a future with her. Kate also accepts that she still loves Bran. But trouble rears its head when Bran jumps to conclusions over his nephew's actions and says some terrible things to Kate. After responding with some pointed remarks of her own, it's no surprise when she refuses his apology. I ached for them both as they parted once again.

I loved seeing Kate continue to pursue her dream despite her heartbreak. The details of the process were fascinating, and I enjoyed watching it come together. I hurt for her over the betrayal by one of her troupe members and liked her determination to succeed. Opening night of her play was a nail-biter. I liked her surprise and pleasure at Bran's arrival, and that both of them admitted their mistakes. I was glued to the pages during the play, as Kate faced down those who tried to destroy her. Bran's words were just what she needed, and I loved the effect they had. The ending was awesome, and I loved the unexpected twist.

The secondary characters were great. Bran's fellow Society members are intriguing, and I look forward to their stories. I have my suspicions about the direction of the engagement between Ned and Miss Taylor and can't wait to see if I am right. I adored Miss Taylor's actions at the dance. Bran's nephew, Christopher, Duke of Winderton, is a spoiled brat. However, he isn't entirely to blame for it. His mother has indulged him, and even Bran hasn't done anything to wake him up to his responsibilities. Bran's sister is a pain in the butt drama queen. She refuses to let her son out from under her thumb. She insists on keeping the truth about the estate's finances from him. Everything Christopher or Bran do is a disaster in the making, in her opinion. I wanted to shake her many times. I was also frustrated that Bran caved into her wishes every time. If he had stood up to her more often, Christopher might not have been as much of a brat. ( )

I received an ARC of this book to read through Edelweiss+ in exchange for a fair review. His Secret Mistress by Cathy Maxwell is the first book in her new series A Logical Man’s Guide to Dangerous Women. As a young man, Brandon Balfour was madly in love with an actress, and when he thought she betrayed him behaved as young men do and left everything behind and went off to make his fortune and many years later is still bitter about the experience. Now returned a man of wealth Brandon is acting as guardian to his nephew when the nephew falls madly in love with a beautiful actress who happens to be the same woman who broke his heart. Kate Addison was shattered when the young man she was in love with abandoned her, but she’s put her life back together and has put together a theatre company, and she intends to return to London and take back that which was taken from her. This is a lovely second chance at love story, and I enjoyed it very much, but I would have perhaps made Brandon grovel just a bit more. I adored Kate and cheered her on each time she put those silly men into their place. Medium Steam. Publishing Date February 25, 2020. #EdelweissPlus #HisSecretMistress #CathyMaxwell #Avon Romance #HarperCollinsCanada ( )

Brandon Balfour and Kate Addison have a history. Fifteen years ago they were young, in love, and shared a magical night together. The very next afternoon, she abandoned him for a man with riches and a title. Or did she? You’ll just have to read the story to find out.

Imagine Brandon’s surprise when his sister summons him from London demanding that he do something about her son who has declared his intention to marry an actress whose acting troupe has broken down on the edge of their lands. As guardian to his nephew, the Duke of Winderton, it is his responsibility to see to the boy, except he isn’t a boy anymore. When Brandon’s sister, Lucy, mentions the actress's name – Brandon is shocked – it can’t be the same Kate Addison!

Kate and Brandon had parted with huge misunderstandings between them. Each thought the other had betrayed them and both were still extremely angry to this day. Can they put aside their anger and find peace with each other? Can they find their way back to love?

One thing that I loved about the story was that the two main characters were older – he was thirty-six and he was thirty-five.

The first fifty(ish) percent of the book covers only one day in the story – it was a very busy day for Brandon. The story moves along well enough, but it is a bit slow and in a few places, I found myself skimming.

This is an excellently written, well-plotted, and very modern contemporary story appearing in period dress. It fits in perfectly with the current “women’s rights” trend in historical romance – even though women didn’t have any rights in the Regency period. I’m giving it a 4-star rating because it is well written, but for my own reading preferences, I wouldn’t give it above a 3-star rating. I might try the next book in the series to see if it is more of the same, and if it is, I'll discontinue reading the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )