More Than a Mistress Book

More then a Mistress is just one of those books that capture you from the start and doesn't let you go until long after.
One of the most unlikely meetings to take place in both their lives. Jocelyn Dudley, Duke of Tresham is faced with another duel as he's ascued to have been the lover of a married woman. A gentleman through and through takes up the duel instead of calling the woman a liar. So when a young woman runs toward the duel to stop them, Jocelyn is annoyed when he's shot in the leg.
Jane thought she was doing the right thing in stopping the duel, but when her efforts go astray things get a little tricky and she becomes the nurse of the infamous Duke of Tresham and later his mistress.

Jocelyn runs from the demons of his past, taught that kindness and love were a weakness, those emotions if shown where beaten out of him or hid away behind his gentleman armor. Slowly his armor cracks as the kindness and understanding of Jane opens his heart and sees the world like never before.
Jane runs from the demons of the present, after protecting herself from her cousin who would have raped her in order to gain her money, she runs away thinking she killed him (with a book no less)in order to find help, then to hide knowing it wouldn't last forever. When she starts to work for Jocelyn she starts to see a great man behind the society mask he dons to wear. Falling in love with the man inside.

I adored Jocelyn, thinking like Jane he was some stuck up peer, but you see ,like her, he's much more then that and the pains from his past run deep. Jane slowly heals his wounds not only the shot through his leg, but on his heart. Jane was a great female lead, very straight-forward taking no lip from Jocelyn and giving it back ten-fold. Showing wisdom beyond her years and love and trust.
Jocelyn and Jane don't fall head over heels in love with each other at first sight, but get to know each other, slowly falling in love with one another, but fighting and hiding it tooth and nail. You can see moments where both feel the connection between each other.
The sensual level is like a warm burn making the moments feel special and magical (expect for one time).

The pace of the book never stumbles or slows keeping pace as the story unfolds of the truth behind Jane and the struggles of Jocelyn.
The secondary characters each shined in their own way, but not outshining either Jane of Jocelyn.

While at the end I did want to smack Jane and Jocelyn up-side the heads for being so mule-headed and short-sighted, they do come to their senses in time for their wonderful happy ever after!

Overall: I adore Mary Balogh's books as she makes these wonderful complex imperfect characters, making them human and real. Making a special place in your heart for them. More then a Mistress does that and so much more.