For quotes, comments, and deeper review - The Secret Mistress Buddy Read

I usually love Balogh, so I don't know what happened with this one. A lot of the story is spent in the heroine and hero's head and when there were scenes in present time acted out, they were dragged on.

I enjoyed the heroine, she was sheltered from growing up in the country but her naivety, openness, and honesty felt very genuine and not Mary Sue-ish. She also made friends with who she thinks the hero loves and it wasn't done in maliciousness but because she genuinely liked aspects of the woman's personality.

The hero is thought to be dull, in comparison to his wild brother, and I honestly had to agree, he did come off dull. His character didn't get colored in until towards the ending.

There was a secondary romance that had way more spark and chemistry and I wished this had been their story instead.

"Love, Edward thought broodingly. What the devil did it mean? It meant all the euphoria of romance and all the underlying but unspoken power of lust, obviously. Perhaps it had only to be believed in to be experienced. But was there any real substance to it?"

More quotes and comments - The Secret Mistress Buddy Read

"Lord Heyward, are you perhaps just a little bit stuffy?"

For more quotes and comments - The Secret Mistress Buddy Read

Doing a buddy read with my friend Missy over on GoodReads in the Romance Book Buddy Reading group!
This has started a bit slow for me but there is potential for some great sexual tension banter.

The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh purchase link

Mango Black Bean Chipotle Coke Chili recipe

I added six chipotle peppers to this for spice. I actually think this would make a great vegetarian chili if you just took out the ground turkey

I have read the first page of this one three times, and I end up putting it down. I normally inhale a Mary Balogh book, so I'm chalking this up to "this isn't the right time." Back to the TBR shelf it goes.

I was reading it for the Veteran's/Armistice Day book task:

Book: Read a book involving a war, battle, or where characters are active military or veterans, or with poppies on the cover, or honor the ‘unknown soldier’ of your TBR and read the book that’s been there the longest.

I'm willing to bet that I have at least one Navy Seal romance freebie on my kindle, so if I do, I'll try that one instead.