The Male ‘Mistress’ in Romance Books

Hello everyone,

On Saturday one of my favourite romance blogs, or is more of a site? I’m not sure but it’s amazing and if you haven’t heard of Heroes and Heartbreakers before a) where have you been? b) You should definitely go check them out asap! Anyway back to my original point, earlier this week Heroes and Heartbreakers published a post on Mistresses and Courtesans as part of their Trope of the Month series. Its true the figure of the mistress or courtesan has been a prevalent trope in the romance novel, particularly historical romances. In fact some of my favourite novels of all time feature heroine who have been ether a mistress, or a courtesan, or a prostitute at some point in the novel. As pointed out by the Heroes and Heartbreakers team, when money and love mix everything gets more complicated.

However, their article and the comments people left got me thinking. Why do the only books being mentioned feature the women as the mistresses or courtesans?* Why should this trope be limited to the heroes being the only one who are paying for sex and/or companionship? Now I’ll admit novels featuring male courtesans, prostitutes, escorts, gigolos, rent boys (or whatever you want to call them) aren’t as prolific. They are out there, however, I personally really enjoy reading this trope with the typical roles reversed. In fact I enjoy it so much I have a whole shelve on Goodreads dedicated to this trope; so I decided to share some of my favourites with you! Also a slight warning given the nature of this trope all these books have a high level of sexual content.

Historical romances:

Master of Sin by Maggie Robinson

The Last Wolf by Sue Brown

Hey everyone,

The book: The Last Wolf

Book 1 in the Sapphire Ranch Wolves Series 

The only good predator is a dead one, as far as Joe Lowther is concerned. 

That is until the day he shoots a wolf, only to watch the animal turn into a naked Callum Pope. Cal is being hunted by a group of humans who eradicate shifter packs for sport. 

Joe makes a decision to help Cal and discovers a deeper connection with the young shifter. One which he’d like to explore. If they live that long. 

My Thoughts:

I feel a little conflicted about this book. It isn’t that I didn’t like it; I personally thought the concept of shifters being hunted by zealous human was extremely interesting. I also thought Cal and Joe were both likeable characters. Cal is a werewolf and a big part of his personality is decided by pack hierarchy, in particular his position as pack omega.

“There’s one other rank, omega. Generally the smallest and weakest wolf”.

Cal is clearly ashamed of his status as omega, probably due to how his family/pack viewed him as less everything due to it. To be honest Sue Brown doesn’t paint Cal’s family in a good light, they bully him, treat him as a servant, tell him he isn’t strong enough to defend the pack and finally leave him to fend for himself because he will apparently slow them down as they escape from the hunters. 

Provoked by Joanna Chambers

Hello everyone,

The Book:

When a man loses his heart, he has no choice but to follow…

Enlightenment, Book 1

Lowborn David Lauriston lacks the family connections needed to rise in Edinburgh’s privileged legal world. Worse, his latest case—defending weavers accused of treason—has brought him under suspicion of harbouring radical sympathies. 

Troubled by his sexuality, tormented by memories of a man he once platonically loved, David lives a largely celibate life—until a rare sexual encounter with a compelling stranger turns his world on its head. 

Cynical and worldly, Lord Murdo Balfour is more at home in hedonistic London than dingy, repressed Edinburgh. Unlike David, he intends to eventually marry while continuing to enjoy the company of men whenever he pleases. Yet sex with David is different. It’s personal, intimate, and instead of extinguishing his desire, it only leaves him hungry for more. 

As David’s search for the man who betrayed the weavers deepens, he begins to suspect that his mysterious lover has more sinister reasons for his presence in Edinburgh. The truth could leave his heart broken…and more necks stretching on the gallows. 

My Thoughts:

This week I wanted to read a romance set in Scotland, and yes that is due to the recent Scottish referendum. Some searching through my extensive TBR pile I came across Provoked by Joanna Chambers and after reading the blurb instantly started reading. In my head I was going to read for an hour, then go to bed so that I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for work tomorrow. Unfortunately, my plan didn’t quite work, as before I knew it the book was finished and my clock was informing me it was 1am. Not the early night I had dreamed off. However, credit to the author this is an amazing book that completely absorbed my mind.

Love in the time of the Dead by Tera Shanley

Hey everyone,

The book:

Laney Landry has been fighting Deads alongside her brother and friends for three years. But she has a secret. She’s immune to Dead bites and has to find the right people to trust with the information. Her team rallies around her to find a doctor who can extract a vaccine from Laney which could fight the virus that ended the world. 

Sean Daniels leads a colony that provides her team with much needed shelter and supplies. He is obviously interested in Laney. The question is whether he’s only intrigued by her as a source for the possible vaccine, or for something more. Tests for the cure might push her body beyond what it can endure, and just as she faces a ghost from her past, her longtime teammate Derek Mitchell hints at an interest in more than just her Dead slaying abilities. 

Two honorable and alluring men -- one colossal decision to make. Despite historically bad taste in men, can she rise above the chaos of the apocalypse and choose the one who deserves her heart? The right choice could mean the difference between surviving…and just living.

My Thoughts:

First things first, I LOVE this cover! It is one of the most beautifully artistic covers I’ve seen for a zombie based romance in ages. In fact it was the cover that first attracted me to this novel and I’m so glad I ended up buying it, it was quite simply perfect for me.

In theory I shouldn’t have liked it, as I normally hate, and avoid, books that offer the reader two men that the heroine could be romantically interested in. Yet something inside told me to give this book ago, partly because I loved the concept; as mentioned in a previous post I currently love zombie, apocalyptic based romances. One of the reasons I loved this book was due to the main character of Laney, she was feisty, determined, sarcastic but also loyal to those she loved. One of my favourite lines from Love in the time of the Dead was Laney talking about her ex Adam:

Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher (Audiobook)

Hello internet,

The (Audio)book:

Apologies this was the biggest picture I could get of the audio version!

Psychologist Elizabeth Cole prepared for the worst when she accepted a job on a newly discovered world - a world where every colonist is tethered to an alien who manifests in the form of a dead loved one. But she never expected she'd struggle with the requirement to shun these "ghosts."

She never expected to be so attracted to the charming Irishman assigned as her supervisor. And she certainly never expected to discover she died in a transport crash en route to the planet.
Reincarnated as a ghost, Elizabeth is symbiotically linked to her supervisor, Murphy - creator of the Ghost Protocol, which forbids him to acknowledge or interact with her. Confused and alone - oppressed by her ghost status and tormented by forbidden love - Elizabeth works to unlock the secrets of her own existence.
But her quest for answers lands her in a tug-of-war between powerful interests, and she soon finds herself a pawn in the struggle for control of the planet... A struggle that could separate her forever from the man that she loves.

My Thoughts:

As soon as I read the blurb of this book I wanted to own it! It just sounded so amazing as I love science-fiction and I love romance so what could be better than a book that promised to be good at both? I loved the blurb so much I didn’t even listen to the sample narration on audible... this may have been a mistake, however, to do justice to the author I’m going to start with all the reason I loved Ghost Planet.