About the Book:

She saved his life…

Now he can’t resist her!

In this Wild Lords and Innocent Ladies story, Lord Stanton’s stay on the island of Illiakos is shrouded in memories of fever and his mysterious nurse. Years later, an Illiakan royal visit to Stanton Hall reveals the princess’s chaperone, Christina James, is the woman who saved his life! Alexander is a master of control, but Christina makes him long to unleash the sinful side he’s buried…and unlock her passionate nature, too!

Click on title below for direct Amazon buy link:                                              Lord Stanton’s Last Mistress (Wild Lords and Innocent Ladies)

My Review:                  

Six years ago, Alexander Stanton was badly wounded while on the island of Illiakos.  If Alexander should die, it would cause major diplomatic problems, so the king calls on Christina James to use all her skills to nurse him back to health.  Christina is the orphaned daughter of a doctor, who was taken in by the king to be a caretaker and companion for his daughter, Princess Ari.  Her dedicated care has Alexander coming back to the land of the living, and he is intrigued by his heavily veiled angel.  No matter how often he asks, Christina keeps her promise to the king and won’t reveal herself.  Even so, Alexander asks Christina to leave with him when he has healed enough to return home.  Though she is smitten, she refuses, as Alexander made no promises, and Illiakos is the only stable home she has ever known.

Today, Alexander is unhappy to learn that his father, Marquess Wentworth, has offered their home as a host site for some diplomatic talks, but he has no choice, as he is a major player in the discussions, which include King Darius of Illiakos.  The king’s entourage includes his daughter, the princess, and her companion.  Christina is now twenty four, and has never really gotten over her feelings for Alexander.  She has no plans to reveal herself to him, not sure he would even remember her.  Alexander soon realizes that Christina was his nurse from years ago, and is fascinated all over again.

Alexander is a vastly different man than he used to be.  The former flirtatious agent is now working for the foreign office, determined to live a respectable life, and to suppress his wild side.  He’s carrying the baggage from a scandalous desertion by his mother, and an incident that he, himself, was involved in while acting as an agent for the crown.  Now his expectations are only to someday make an advantageous marriage and live an honorable life.  Love isn’t a possibility.  After all, Christina has made it clear that Illiakos is her home and the king and princess are her family.  Christina is clinging to what she knows is safe, as so many people do.  Losing her parents, and never having her own home has scarred her deeply, and she has fashioned herself into the perfect companion, doing her best to ensure that she will always have a place with Princess Ari.

The connection between this couple was so strong, and so passionate, that it broke my heart to see them both reject the chance they had for true love and a happy future.  Their fears and insecurities, as well as their misconceptions about the other’s feelings caused them to agree to part when the king’s entourage left to return back of Illiakos.   I was so emotionally invested in this story that I wanted to shake Christina, and tell her to be brave and break free, while also wanting to tell Alexander to look deeper than what Christina was saying, and see into her heart.  I was rewarded with a resolution that was emotionally satisfying, and almost fairytale-like.  LORD STANTON’S LAST MISTRESS is a wonderfully romantic, passionate and poignant story, which captivated me from beginning to end, leaving me with some very happy tears, and another addition to my keeper shelf.   ~Rose