Back in 18th century Covent Garden, we meet Madam Moineau, the mysterious and alluring, masked mistress of Blackstairs, an establishment offering a good time and beautiful companions for some of the finest clients in London. Beneath the fine dresses, make up and masks though, Moineau hides a dark past that she wishes to remain hidden. This is all to be threatened in the winter of 1785 by the appearance of two men: first, the charming rogue artist Anthony Lake and second, the cold Viscount Edmund Polmear. Finding themselves both up against the fearsome Polmear, Lake and Moineau’s lives are to become inextricably entwined for good or ill.

Moineau, or Georgie as we learn her true identity is, has been through a terrible ordeal after which she has worked hard to build a new, safe life at Blackstairs. Now ferociously protective and independent, she finds it hard to let anyone close and with the return of Polmear, the instigator of her ordeal, she raises her defences even higher – when she first sees him again the fear was palpable. But could her heart also been under threat from the handsome Anthony Lake? Anthony has recently returned from Europe on a mission to find his daughter and revenge the murder of her mother. Feckless in the past, he is now determined to put things right. I really liked Georgie and Anthony, and I was totally invested in them and their struggles.

Catherine Curzon is a new author for me and my request of this book was a bit of a whim, purely based on the sound of the premise – boy am I pleased I followed my whim. I thought Curzon did a wonderful job of bringing alive 18th century London, with well rounded characters, a dark, twisting mystery and a will they/won’t they romance. While the romance was a larger part of the book than I had expected, I was enjoying the mystery and the characters so much I was happy to go with it. In the future, I would be interested in reading more by Catherine Curzon.

Overall, The Mistress of Blackstairs was exactly what I hoped it would be: a light historical mystery that was a real, easy page turner.

*3.5 stars

An enjoyable, easy read.
I ended up liking this book a lot more than I expected to--always glad when that happens!

Curzon's descriptions of life in 18th century London were spot on, as most readers would agree, I think. The attire and mannerisms of the time period were accurate, and I like the book all the more for it.
A peek inside the life of a brothel owner also kept it interesting for me, as this is usually something I am more accustomed to reading about in historical romances from the other side--the male characters who frequent the brothels, not the women who own them.
The plot moved along nicely, allowing me to finish the book in one sitting.
Also, the main characters were very likeable and well-developed.

But the book was not without its flaws....
There were numerous typos and editing errors, which always irritates me.
The ending seemed too hasty and predictable to be believable. The entire book led up to this super climactic moment between Georgina and Polmear, only to be wrapped up and finished way too quickly. I mean, he didn't even fight for his life! What's with that!?
And although the book was descriptive in some aspects, in others it was not--including who was speaking and when. Because Curzon did not use speaker tags properly, I was constantly having to go back and re-read the section above a conversation just to make sure I was clear on who was actually speaking.

Overall, I did enjoy the book.
Each time I begin a historical romance, I cringe at the all-too-real possibility that it will turn out like so many before it; guy meets girl...guy is rich, girl is beautiful...they hate each other, they love each other, they hate each other, they love each other...they end up together after overpowering the bad guy and saving the day...blah blah blah.

But this novel managed not to do that (at least, not for the most part), so I gave it a solid 3.5 stars. A great read for someone into descriptive and entertaining historical romances!


*This was an ARC provided to me by the publisher and author in exchange for an honest review.
May 18, 2017

Oh my goodness! This book is really good! I love Historical fiction and this one surprised me in such a way. It is NOT one of those cheesy romances (I hate romances) it is captivating and full of twists!

Meh. I really wanted to like it but I had a hard time doing so. The progression of the story and character interactions were very predictable, there was a lot of repetition (which made the page count higher than necessary), and the climax was rushed and underwhelming.

The villain was very one-dimensional, more shock-and-awe than terrifying, and the daughter character was inconsistent (meaning, at times she seems much younger and much older than she was).

An extra star for portraying the seedy side of London in a believable way for the time period, the lovely fashion descriptions, and my liking of the protagonist. Despite my criticism, I would try another Curzon book simply for the historical accuracy of her fiction.

1785, Covent Garden, London, Madam Moineau owner of Blackstairs a brothel, becomes to the attention of Anthony Lake and Viscount Edmund Polmear as they both return to Londonafter many years away. All have secrets, some too afraid to be themselves.
A cast of characters, that are well portrayed with a story containing mysteries, murder, and theft which make an enjoyable and entertaining read.

In 18th century Covent Garden, Madam Moineau, is the mistress of Blackstairs, an establishment catering to the finest clients in London. Georgina Radcliffe, or Georgie to her friends the mysterious, veiled lady of Paris was better known in the past as a former courtesan.
In the winter of 1785 two men appear in Madam Moineau’s life. The first is artist Anthony Lake who has recently returned from Europe. Lake is on his own assignment, searching the streets of London for the daughter he only recently discovered he had fathered. He learns that the child’s mother is dead, brutally killed and Anthony finds himself on an unexpected mission to avenge his ex-lovers’ murder. He first meets Georgie in Charlie’s coffee house.
The second returns to London nearly ten years after he left Madam Moineau, then known as Georgina, for dead, Viscount Edmund Polmear. He has a new fiancée Harriet Passmore and is soon to be found around Blackstairs, seeking a further mistress for his own pleasure. His sudden appearance is a shock for the victim that he believed he left for dead, forcing Madam Moineau to face the horrors of her own past head on.
Anthony and Georgie’s lives become inevitably and inextricably entwined as they find themselves up against the fearsome and unforgiving Viscount Polmear.
An enthralling read, Anthony has secrets & a hidden past, Georgie has suffered but resurrected herself, Polmear made me shudder, a really well portrayed villain. The characters are all well portrayed & I especially liked Molly.The pace of the book is very good. There’s mystery, murder, attempted murder & theft which all add to this riveting novel.
So overall a gripping page turning novel that kept me reading until the early hours