Leda Swan, Mistress

Mistress

Leda Swan

Avon, Apr 2008, $13.95

ISBN: 9780061431227

Schoolteacher Emily Clemens knows that to keep her position at the exclusive girls' finishing school she must behave with decorum and never be in the middle of scandal. She needs the job, but the endless ennui and the posturing by her superior and the aristocratic parents are driving her crazy. Having no family to turn to, Emily decides to pose for racy photographs hoping she can become the mistress to some affluent rake.

However, Emily is stunned when she finds herself attracted to photographer Eric Twyford. He may not meet her criteria, but she does not care. However, when he fails to show even the slightest thaw in his icy professionalism, a despondent Emily returns to her initial plan, but wonders how she will seduce anyone with B&W photos when she failed to move Eric with her flesh. Still she turns elsewhere even as Eric cannot wait to move past this job because he needs to make love with his latest model-client.

The theme of this nineteenth century English romance of two people in love misunderstanding the motives of each other has been used frequently; however, Leda Swann refreshes the concept with the lewd photos as the matchmaker. E & E are fully developed individuals who fall deeper in love with each other with every shot he takes. . Although Emily makes some asinine selections that feel out of character for her, fans will appreciate the heated historical romance between the model and the photographer.

Harriet Klausner