What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mysterious Miss M #1
The Mysterious Miss M
THE REGENCY UNDERWORLD -- SEX, SCANDAL AND REDEEMING LOVE
The Mysterious Miss M is a living male fantasy -- alluring, sensual, masked. But when Lord Devlin Steele finds himself responsible for her -- and her child -- he comes to know the real Maddy: the loving, passionate woman who drives away the nightmares of the Waterloo battlefield.
But the aristocratic soldier can't support his new family. He will inherit his fortune only on marriage to a suitable lady -- and Maddy is far from suitable. With the dangers of London's underworld closing in, how can he protect the woman he has come to love?
The Mysterious Miss M is a living male fantasy -- alluring, sensual, masked. But when Lord Devlin Steele finds himself responsible for her -- and her child -- he comes to know the real Maddy: the loving, passionate woman who drives away the nightmares of the Waterloo battlefield.
But the aristocratic soldier can't support his new family. He will inherit his fortune only on marriage to a suitable lady -- and Maddy is far from suitable. With the dangers of London's underworld closing in, how can he protect the woman he has come to love?
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
4 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Diane Gaston
175 books127 followersDiane Gaston’s dream job had always been to write romance novels. One day she decided to pursue that dream and has never looked back; she is now writing full-time. Her books have won Romance’s highest honour—the RITA Award, the National Readers Choice Award and the Golden Heart. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three very ordinary house cats. Diane loves to hear from readers and friends.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 26, 2022
Read: 7/24/22
2.7 stars
Great idea but not well executed!
2.7 stars
Great idea but not well executed!
December 3, 2015
This was Diane Gaston's debut novel and the winner of the Golden Heart.
The heroine may be problematic for some readers. She is the Mysterious Miss M of the title, a prostitute whose favors are "won" by patrons of her evil protector's gaming hell.
Whether or not a prostitute can work as a romance novel heroine is really a matter of the author's skill in telling the story and in making the characterization believable. There are some very good examples from such authors as Mary Balogh, Megan Chance, and Cecilia Grand. This story is not on the same level.
When she was 15 years old, Madeleine, the heroine, was seduced by a much older unscrupulous profligate. She is a true survivor who was held almost a prisoner for 3 years before the hero came to her rescue. She blames herself for the seduction, views her life as a punishment and fears for her daughter's future. Her profession made her cynical, mistrustful and wise beyond her age in some aspects and hopelessly naive in others. The hero, Devlin, is the youngest brother of a Marquise. He was gravely injured in the Waterloo, survived but still suffers from PTSD. He has hard time adjusting to civilian life and feels disillusioned. His creed is “Live for the moment”. It all changes when Madeleine , her daughter and a friend are unexpectedly trusted into his life. They are his charges; he is their only protector against the cruel world, their Knight in Shining Armor.
If this seemed to be too predictable, it is. Never less, the plot moved along pretty well and kept me interested. There were couple of twists involving the heroine's daughter and father. The later was quite unexpected and I wish the author explored it more instead of what felt like brush off of a pretty significant development. The main characters were multi-dimensional, and their relationship progressed nicely. In addition to the main romance, the author gave us not one but two other ones. These romances were superficially drawn, didn't enhance the story and almost felt like page- fillers. There was of cause a required villain lurking around and written as a total cliché.
I was also not impressed with the writing style. It felt too abrupt and lacked imagination.
While selecting the book, I didn’t know what to expect as I wasn’t familiar with the author. I'm still on a fence about it.
The heroine may be problematic for some readers. She is the Mysterious Miss M of the title, a prostitute whose favors are "won" by patrons of her evil protector's gaming hell.
Whether or not a prostitute can work as a romance novel heroine is really a matter of the author's skill in telling the story and in making the characterization believable. There are some very good examples from such authors as Mary Balogh, Megan Chance, and Cecilia Grand. This story is not on the same level.
When she was 15 years old, Madeleine, the heroine, was seduced by a much older unscrupulous profligate. She is a true survivor who was held almost a prisoner for 3 years before the hero came to her rescue. She blames herself for the seduction, views her life as a punishment and fears for her daughter's future. Her profession made her cynical, mistrustful and wise beyond her age in some aspects and hopelessly naive in others. The hero, Devlin, is the youngest brother of a Marquise. He was gravely injured in the Waterloo, survived but still suffers from PTSD. He has hard time adjusting to civilian life and feels disillusioned. His creed is “Live for the moment”. It all changes when Madeleine , her daughter and a friend are unexpectedly trusted into his life. They are his charges; he is their only protector against the cruel world, their Knight in Shining Armor.
If this seemed to be too predictable, it is. Never less, the plot moved along pretty well and kept me interested. There were couple of twists involving the heroine's daughter and father. The later was quite unexpected and I wish the author explored it more instead of what felt like brush off of a pretty significant development. The main characters were multi-dimensional, and their relationship progressed nicely. In addition to the main romance, the author gave us not one but two other ones. These romances were superficially drawn, didn't enhance the story and almost felt like page- fillers. There was of cause a required villain lurking around and written as a total cliché.
I was also not impressed with the writing style. It felt too abrupt and lacked imagination.
While selecting the book, I didn’t know what to expect as I wasn’t familiar with the author. I'm still on a fence about it.
February 23, 2016
One of the most memorable historical romances I have read. The unique story will haunt you and make you pray desperately for a happy ending. I have re-read the story at least five times.
January 18, 2012
5 Stars! ~ At the age of 15, Madeline was sold into prostitution to the man who took her innocence and shamed her family name. Devlin, home recuperating from battle wounds, at the card tables he wins a time with the Mysterious Miss M. Madeline finds her new customer to be honourable and she finds that she wants to make love to him, something she never allowed herself before. Years later, Devlin having recovered from his near fatal wounds from the battle of Waterloo, again wins at the card table. This time he wins Madeline to keep; and suddenly he finds himself the caretaker of Madeline, her daughter Linette and her hand maid Sophie. His brother holds the control on his family fortune as was willed by their father. Devlin cannot receive his inheritance until he marries. Without his inheritance, Devlin has no means of supporting his new family. So he reluctantly begins searching for a wife, all the while falling more deeply in love with Madeline and her daughter.
This is one of those stories where you instantly fall in love with the characters. You can't help but feel for Maddy. She blames herself for her life and fears for her daughter's future, and the risk to Devlin's reputation. Devlin is strong and has a deep sense of honour. Though he carries deep emotional scars from his time in battle, with Maddy's love he finds healing. The secondary characters are also very well done. An excellent debut by Ms. Gaston. I'm not usually an Historical fan, this one was well worth the read!
This is one of those stories where you instantly fall in love with the characters. You can't help but feel for Maddy. She blames herself for her life and fears for her daughter's future, and the risk to Devlin's reputation. Devlin is strong and has a deep sense of honour. Though he carries deep emotional scars from his time in battle, with Maddy's love he finds healing. The secondary characters are also very well done. An excellent debut by Ms. Gaston. I'm not usually an Historical fan, this one was well worth the read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2013
2.5 stars. I've wanted to read this book for years as the heroine mistress theme is one of my favs, but I didn't necessarily want to buy it so when I saw this as a library ebook, I borrowed it right away. I'm glad I finally got a chance to read it. I thought it was an okay read. I enjoyed the story-line of a down on her luck courtesan and a second son war veteran, but thought It was very predictable.
June 17, 2024
I absolutely love the premise but for some reason, I felt like the execution fell a bit short. Some of the dialogues feel a bit awkward, the pacing of the story seemed a bit choppy at times but it was a pleasant read nonetheless as I cried a few times over Maddy’s ordeal and Devlin’s love for her. These two seemed so genuine together.
March 25, 2021
Mostly did like this story although it did have strong characters, I found parts of the plot a bit too sad.
April 3, 2022
dnf @ 22%
The premise is good but the writing just didn’t it for me. Plus I don’t like how young the heroine is.
The premise is good but the writing just didn’t it for me. Plus I don’t like how young the heroine is.
April 18, 2011
Uzun bir historical romance perhizinden sonra gene sizlerleyim bayanlar. Kitabımız imkansızlar karşısında direnen iki aşığı anlatmakta bu türe dönüşüm için gayet güzel bir kitap oldu. Ama size tavsiyem bu kitabı sizi nefessiz bırakıcak veya mest edicek kadar güzel bir aşk romanından sonra okumamanız. Haliyle beğenmeme olasılığınız yüksektir. Konumuza gelirse kızımız Madeleine 15 yaşında hain bir lord tarafından tuzağa düşürülmüş ve babası tarafından uygunsuz bir durumda yakalandığından sonrada o adama satılmıştır. Bir kumarhanede adamların gönlünü eğlendirmek için zorla çalıştırılıyordur. Gencecik hayalleri Lord'un ve müşterilerinin acımasızlığında yok olmuştur. Ama bir gün odasına gelen bir genç adam ona yaşatmadığı duyguları yaşatmış ve Madeleine'in aklından bu genç adam hiç çıkaramamıştır. Delvin ailenin en küçüğüdür abiside bir Markidir. Madeleine'le askerden vatanına izin için döndüğünden tanışmış o da onu savaş yıllarında aklından çıkaramamıştır. Aradan dört yıl geçtikten sonra gene aynı kumarheneye oynamaya geldiğinde Farley'in yani kızımızı alıkoyan Lord'un büyük borç batağında olduğunu ve şu andaki kazanmakta olduğu elin tahsilatını alamıyacağını biliyordur. O anda odaya Madeleine bir adam kolunda getirilip Farley'in ayağına atılmış ve kadının uslu durmadığı,adamı tekmelediği iddiasının üzerine Farley kızı tokatlamıştır. Delvin ise hemen kızı kendine çekmiş ve bir anda olup biten kumar borcunun karşılığı kızı alma pazarlığında kızı kendi sorumluluğunda bulmuştur. Bilmediği ise bayanın yanında 2 kişi daha getireceği ve hayatını manen bir rüyaya maddende bir kabusa çevirecek durumlar yaşayacağıdır. Ama aşkları her zorluğundan altından kalkmasını bilecek kadar dayanıklıdır.
January 6, 2017
I had reservations while reading this book. Its starts what off with telling us a fifteen year old Madeleine performing favors at a gaming hell for Farley. Her father sells her off to pay his own debts. Devlin also spends time with her and doesn't realize she's fifteen. I'm sorry but you cannot get away with not knowing how young she looked and not wonder, because she was a child.
Thereafter I continued reading on with a sense of discomfort, because Maddy does not sound like an eighteen year old. And her child sounds much younger than three give, her vocabulary.
These were grave errors that prevented me from enjoying the book.
The good bits- my heart ached for Maddy, for what she endured, for what she was forced to live with . For the shame and disappointment. It all made Maddy a very sad figure and personable. Devlin's redeeming qualities shines through the rest of the book. But if you can get past the initial discomfort, you can read this book.
Thereafter I continued reading on with a sense of discomfort, because Maddy does not sound like an eighteen year old. And her child sounds much younger than three give, her vocabulary.
These were grave errors that prevented me from enjoying the book.
The good bits- my heart ached for Maddy, for what she endured, for what she was forced to live with . For the shame and disappointment. It all made Maddy a very sad figure and personable. Devlin's redeeming qualities shines through the rest of the book. But if you can get past the initial discomfort, you can read this book.
September 27, 2010
This is a reformed prostitute book, so if you don't care for that sort of Regency, you'd best skip it. (Gaston doesn't delve into the grimier and more sordid aspects of prostitution, as Mary Balogh has done, but it may still be off-putting for some.) The plot centers on a well-meaning young man who enjoyed one night with a lady of the evening before he went off to war. He never forgot her and when she crosses paths with him again, he decides to help her escape her life of prostitution. Much of the plot revolves around the hero growing up and taking responsibility for his own life. There are two secondary romances and I would have liked more detail on both of them, especially that between the marquess and his wife. Overall, a solid historical in the style of a traditional Regency.
December 22, 2010
Devlin Steele wins a night with the mysterious Miss M in a card game. Both treat their time together as special and want to remember it in future. Devliv to help him while fighting as a soldier and Madeline to help her through the life she is living.
When he returns from war Devlin finds himself responsible for Maddy and her child. He finds himself falling in love with them both but to get in inheritance he must marry a women who his brother approves of.
I could have given this 5 stars, but Maddy's character lets the book down - she's lovely but so naive. There are a couple of other love stories in this book too.
It was an enjoyable read.
When he returns from war Devlin finds himself responsible for Maddy and her child. He finds himself falling in love with them both but to get in inheritance he must marry a women who his brother approves of.
I could have given this 5 stars, but Maddy's character lets the book down - she's lovely but so naive. There are a couple of other love stories in this book too.
It was an enjoyable read.
June 3, 2021
Cover on mine is very different. Very original story of a fallen woman and a gamester... quite surprising with such an unusual theme. A couple of times I had to remind myself it was a romance and would have a happy end...moving.
Above review from 2009.
Reread this in 2021, and agree with the my previous comment. Parts of the story seem quite dire, and the confrontation with the father rather shocking. Strong characters and plenty of human flaws. Serena's character seems unlikely, but rather indispensable for the plot to work.
Above review from 2009.
Reread this in 2021, and agree with the my previous comment. Parts of the story seem quite dire, and the confrontation with the father rather shocking. Strong characters and plenty of human flaws. Serena's character seems unlikely, but rather indispensable for the plot to work.
February 10, 2014
The Mysterious Miss M has everything that I love about Diane Gaston's story. Characters are not always neatly packaged but all so real. In the story, there is a heroin with a young daughter, a hero who cries, not so perfect looking people find real love, and parents who act all selfish and cruel toward their children. You get many kinds of love in Diane's story, and I find that very satisfying.
April 7, 2012
It was sweet.
Devlin's character is quite unbelievable, he's too good to be true.
Nothing really Mysterious about Miss M.
Quite a predictable ending.
However, it was a light & relaxing read.
Devlin's character is quite unbelievable, he's too good to be true.
Nothing really Mysterious about Miss M.
Quite a predictable ending.
However, it was a light & relaxing read.
April 17, 2016
Μια κοπέλα που έμαθε να επιβιώνει σε αντίξοες συνθήκες και να σώζει όποιον περνάει από το χέρι της χωρίς να περιμένει τίποτα. Ένας στρατιώτης που επέζησε από θαύμα. Ένας υποχθόνιος προαγωγός. Μια μυστηριώδης ιστορία με πολλές ανατροπές.
August 9, 2016
Definitely on the "sexy" side but the main characters felt realistic and true to themselves. Not a story line that one has read over and over though.
January 23, 2012
kesinlikle okunulması gereken bir kitap...
March 31, 2013
A good one!!
June 24, 2014
An unusual romance with wonderful main characters; really enjoyed it and looking forward to reading more of Diane Gaston's books.
December 17, 2015
Good God! I shouldn't have like this book. The heroine was so damaged I should have dislike her...but, but... I LOVE HER. I LOVE ALL IN THIS BOOK!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews