Back in February, 2008, I gathered my courage, stepped out of my comfort zone, and made the decision to attend a small romance author-reader event a couple hours from my home. The first person I met that weekend was Cathy Maxwell and by the end of the event, I felt that I had not only discovered a new author to read but had also made a new friend. Twelve years later, I still eagerly anticipate each new book Cathy writes and am happy to say our friendship continues to flourish. Her newest book, His Secret Mistress, launches her A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women series. Logical men? Dangerous women? You have to know I'm all over that!
Please give Cathy a warm welcome to The Romance Dish.
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Okay, Romance Dish readers, you and I can talk. We read loads of historical and contemporary romances. We celebrate every aspect of the genre. We’ve watched it expand and change over the decades. We get that paranormals are never about vampires and shape-shifters but celebrate the outsider--the people who don’t fit in, who have cut themselves off from anything resembling love or trust in the world.
The high-minded duke is just another name for the person whose position creates a barrier between the real, the honest, the accepting. There isn’t a small town contemporary that doesn’t celebrate second chances, or a new adult that isn’t rooted in the importance of finding one’s self.
And that corporate raider? Well, he or she needs a wake-up call to realize that a meaningful relationship is the only true currency of value, something you and I already know. We get it.
Recently, a friend asked for a copy of one of my books to read. She is not a romance reader. She is also highly intelligent, a progressive in all matters, and values her feminist credentials.
I think she asked for one of my books to read because, perhaps, I was not what she expected a romance writer to be? I don’t own a feather boa. I rarely talk about my books. I believe I seem sensible to her. However, I do like bonbons.
Of course, I gave her a book. I gave her TREASURED VOWS, one of many I’ve written where the female protagonist isn’t afraid to face the challenge of living the life of her dreams. Isn’t that what we all want?
I also included IF EVER I SHOULD LOVE YOU about a woman struggling with the mistakes of her past. Are they like other historical romances? Yes, yes, and yes. The tales I write are about characters stepping it up in their lives. They have goals, desires, and love is important . . . because you and I know that how well we love and how well we are loved in return is the only true measure of a fully lived life.
Of course, my hope is that my friend enjoys the books. My dream is that she joins the legions of us who once looked down our noses at romance novels. We believed books should be critical, challenging, mind puzzles that can be sometimes dismal in their pessimism.
And then we discovered reading should also be fun. We learned that a happy ending is not a pat on the head but what we dearly wish for in all of our relationships. Most of all, we learned that the pursuit of love is always fascinating and worth the time..
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| Woodard Photography Studio |
Cathy Maxwell has been in publishing for over twenty-five years. Yes, that makes her a war horse, i.e. she has seen a lot of stuff. Over the course of that quarter of a century, Cathy has written over thirty-five historical romances, hit the New York Times and USA Today lists, been nominated for or won some nice awards, made dynamite writing friends, and has had the time of her life. Her upcoming book has the old school title of HIS SECRET MISTRESS and will be out February 25, 2020. You can find out more about her at www.cathymaxwell.com Or, if you wish to stalk her, www.facebook.com/maxwellcathy. She usually yaks back.
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His Secret Mistress
by Cathy Maxwell
A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women - Book 1
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: February 25, 2020
At the Logical Men’s Society—an exclusive bachelor’s club—brandy flows like water, bawdy stories abound, and a gentleman tempted to marry is always persuaded to reconsider . . .
Brandon Balfour made the mistake of trusting his heart to the exquisite, strong-willed actress, Kate Addison, with whom he shared one intimate night before fate intervened. Now a decade later, Brandon is a leading member of the Logical Men’s Society—for no woman since Kate has managed to captivate him.
To Kate, the memory of that night still burns strongly, because it was followed by a stunning betrayal. A chance encounter may have brought Brandon back into her life, but that doesn’t mean Kate will ever forgive him. She’s vowed to make him pay—even as she realizes the promises of the young love they once shared are still etched upon her heart . . .
Loving her exiled him.
Trusting him ruined her.
And now, a clash of passions threatens everything each of them ever desired.
PJ's Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this story of two characters who are given a second opportunity to capture a happy ending that eluded them fifteen years earlier. But, not without facing a whole lot of baggage from their earlier relationship, including each one's misunderstanding of the events of the past, of perceived betrayals. Their journey is filled with humor, snappy banter, heartache, sizzle, forgiveness, and love.
I enjoy characters with life experience behind them. It gives them depth. Kate and Brandon in their younger years wouldn't have been nearly as complex or interesting while introducing us to them in their mid-thirties brings more of a richness to them, more layers to be unveiled. I felt a connection with them, especially with Kate, and a greater investment in the outcome of their relationship.
Characterization is something at which Maxwell excels and in this book, she gifts readers not only with a complex main couple but with an entire community of fascinating folks. I look forward to discovering more about them in future books and am especially curious to find out if my suspicions about a potential future couple prove true. In the meantime, if you're looking for a fast-paced, smooth-flowing, historical romance that will elicit both laughter and tears, I recommend you give His Secret Mistress a try.
Have you read Cathy Maxwell's books?
Do you have a favorite?
Do you consider yourself a "dangerous woman?"
One randomly chosen person who comments before 11:00 PM, February 28, will receive a signed copy of His Secret Mistress that I brought home from Coastal Magic.
Must be 18 or older.
U.S. addresses only.
PJ's Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this story of two characters who are given a second opportunity to capture a happy ending that eluded them fifteen years earlier. But, not without facing a whole lot of baggage from their earlier relationship, including each one's misunderstanding of the events of the past, of perceived betrayals. Their journey is filled with humor, snappy banter, heartache, sizzle, forgiveness, and love.
I enjoy characters with life experience behind them. It gives them depth. Kate and Brandon in their younger years wouldn't have been nearly as complex or interesting while introducing us to them in their mid-thirties brings more of a richness to them, more layers to be unveiled. I felt a connection with them, especially with Kate, and a greater investment in the outcome of their relationship.
Characterization is something at which Maxwell excels and in this book, she gifts readers not only with a complex main couple but with an entire community of fascinating folks. I look forward to discovering more about them in future books and am especially curious to find out if my suspicions about a potential future couple prove true. In the meantime, if you're looking for a fast-paced, smooth-flowing, historical romance that will elicit both laughter and tears, I recommend you give His Secret Mistress a try.
Have you read Cathy Maxwell's books?
Do you have a favorite?
Do you consider yourself a "dangerous woman?"
One randomly chosen person who comments before 11:00 PM, February 28, will receive a signed copy of His Secret Mistress that I brought home from Coastal Magic.
Must be 18 or older.
U.S. addresses only.
