Review Wednesday: The Perfect Mistress by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Title: The Perfect Mistress

Author: ReShonda Tate Billingsley
1st Date of Publication: July 5, 2016

ISBN: 9781476714974
# of Pages: 336

Genre: Adult Romance/Contemporary

Age Rating: 17+

Buy on Amazon 

Book Description:

Lauren Robinson knows exactly what it takes to be the perfect mistress. She had a front-row seat when she tagged along with her father on all of his extramarital trysts. She loved “keeping Daddy’s special secrets,” but many family members, especially her mother, consider her an accomplice in helping break up their family.

Years later, Lauren’s mother, Joyce, whose health is failing, cannot let go of the bitterness caused by her husband’s philandering. She continues to blame Lauren, as does Lauren’s brother. Joyce can’t see past her anger and betrayal and has withheld her maternal affection from Lauren for most of her life. This emotional distance and Lauren’s early dating experiences lead her to date married men…

That is until Dr. Matthew King enters the scene. Now poised to become a college president, Matthew is a former beau that left Lauren brokenhearted. He tries to show Lauren that he’s a changed man since their college days. The two truly connect and their relationship quickly escalates.

When Matthew proposes marriage, Lauren happily accepts, but as their very public engagement makes the news, someone is intent on sabotaging their relationship. Someone who watched her own marriage destroyed by Lauren, and won’t be happy until she gives Lauren a taste of her own medicine. Can Lauren stop the cycle of destruction in time to salvage the only love she’s ever known?

Setting: Raleigh, NC, in 1989 and 2016
Point of View: 3rd person- Lauren Robinson

Goodreads Rating: 4.26

My Rating: 4.0

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Title

View on the Cover: The woman is pretty attractive. But, why is her lips shown more than anything else?
View on Title: It sounds scandalous. Can you really be the perfect mistress or is it all an illusion?

Pros:

• The premise behind the book is the sins of the father will affect the lives of their sons, or in this case daughters. Lauren becomes a victim of her father's lifestyle and then becomes her father as she becomes a woman.
• This novel represents a world that is slightly different than the norm. It's interesting because the kind of world that Lauren is in is more of a man's world, but she owns it and is extremely successful.
• Lauren is a very clever woman, and is often underestimated. There is a moment where she has to deflect a woman's rage and convince her that she isn't her husband's mistress, even though she really is. She also makes it a point to remember and remind all the husbands of their wives and anniversaries to keep the affair quiet.
• Matthew's character is the complete opposite of Lauren. He wants to be loyal and love only her, but because of Lauren's experience she has a hard time believing the love he has for her.
• A few societal issues are explored here. 
• The first issue is obviously cheating and basically prostitution. It's obvious that Vernon, Lauren's father, cheats on his wife and creates a strained relationship between the entire family.
• The second issue is miscarriage and cancer in that it often leads to depression in the family because loved ones are lost.
• The final issue is betrayal and misunderstanding of actions, which is seen through the strained relationship between Lauren and her mother, Joyce.

Cons:

• The novel seemed to be really slow. The disappointing thing about this is that the synopsis summarizes almost 80% of the book before it continues past that point.

ReShonda Tate Billingsley's Website:

http://www.reshondatatebillingsley.com/

Other Recommendations:

Ladies Man by Katy Evan
Wrong by Jana Aston
Slave to Love by Julie A. Richman