Review: Not Disappointed I Read It  **3 1/2 Stars**
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 15, 2014
After reading the blurb, I was a bit hesitant to read this book.  I've read tons of historical romance novels, and I'm not particularly fond of the lofty Lord asks heroine to be his mistress formula.  More often than not, the story comes off a bit sordid, and oftentimes makes for uncomfortable reading.  I decided to go ahead and give this book a chance, because I've read a number of Ms. Osbourne's "Bride of Beckham" novellas, and enjoyed them very much; so I know she's a talented author.  Furthermore, this book was being offered for free, and it's fairly short.  So, even if it sucked, I would still be able to finish it without too much mental anguish, and no financial loss whatsoever.  I'm one of those people who find it almost impossible to leave a book unfinished once started, so I have to be extra careful when selecting reading material...it's a mental thing, I can't help it.  Some of you may think I'm crazy, but I know that there are lots of you who will know exactly what I'm talking about.  LOLFrom a technical aspect the book is quite well written, and while the plot is not unusual, Ms. Osbourne does give it a unique twist.  However, it could do with a bit of editing.  The main issue I had is the fact that in the beginning of the story we are told Constance has worked as Lady Graves' companion for seven years.  Later in the story we are told it was six years, then after that it was eight.  Moreover, the book is sadly lacking in some significant details; specifically, what does the hero and heroine look like?  All I know is that Charles has dark hair and brown eyes, and he's handsome.  As for Constance, I know even less; she has blonde hair, oh and she's beautiful.  Nevertheless, other than those minor issues, the book makes for easy, pleasant reading.When the story begins, Constance is working at her position as a companion to Lady Graves, who is gravely ill.  During her time with Lady Graves, Constance often espies Charles riding along the stream that bordered the property.  Throughout the years, Constance's fascination with the handsome man increases, to the point where she begins to fantasize about him, although she has no idea who he is.  After Lady Graves dies, Constance gets a position at the local seamstress store.  This is where the opportunity to meet Charles arises.  When the two meet, there is an instant connection between them...and I do mean instant!  This is absolutely, a love at first sight romance.  Of course, Constance has been half in love with the Earl for years, and when she meets him her fascination with him increases tenfold.  All his life Charles has been raised to believe that he must marry a woman of equal rank...it seems his father was an overbearing snob.  Consequently, Charles can see no way to marry Constance, and he asks her to be his mistress.  Constance, of course, refuses.What I really liked about the story is the fact that, although Charles does ask Constance to be his mistress, it was very obvious to me that he cared about her.  He practically begs Constance to share his life, and the entire affair is handled in a very respectful manner (hard to believe, considering he's asking her to be a mistress, but there you have it.)  I didn't experience any of the uncomfortable feelings I normally do whenever I read a story where the h and H have a mistress/protector relationship, or where such a relationship is pursued by the hero.  The problem I had with the story; however, is that, although we are given a reason for Charles' inability to accept the possibility of marriage to Constance, because of her social status, I wasn't thoroughly convinced.  Consequently, I found myself becoming irritated with Charles' claim that he "couldn't" marry Constance.  More than once, it is alluded to that Charles' pater was a bastard, but that aspect of the story isn't satisfactorily explored.  Furthermore, I couldn't understand Charles' thinking at all.  He was willing to withdraw from society, live at his country estate fulltime, with Constance in residence as his mistress, and even wanted to have children with her, but he couldn't marry her?  That's some messed up thinking and I just couldn't buy it.  All I kept thinking was, if he was willing to do all of that to be with her, then why couldn't he just marry her?I liked Charles, but I felt removed from his mental anguish, so I had a hard time accepting his thinking.  In my view, Charles' father's character, and his influence over his son, needed to be more fully developed, in order to give me a better understanding of just how hard it was for Charles to break free of his father's influence, even after death.  If that had been done, most likely I would have found it easier to empathize with Charles' plight.  I liked the way Constance stuck to her guns and refused to accept Charles's offer, although I was a little irritated that she waited around for him to decide if he "could" marry her.Despite this plot weakness, I liked the book.  It's a worthwhile read, though not an emotive one.  For those of you who are historical purists, I'm not sure how you'll feel about this story.  While it's not exactly modern, the societal strictures are definitely relaxed.  However, I was ok with it considering it's set in the country, where the societal rules were a bit relaxed anyway.  If Amazon allowed I would give it 3 1/2 stars (I rated up because I really enjoyed it, despite the problems I enumerated.)  BTW I would not say this is a clean romance.  There is a love scene, which although described is not, IMO, overly graphic, nor is there any crude language.  Happy reading!