Mistress of Melody

Starred review from March 16, 2015
The entertaining and satisfying second entry in Lawson’s Music of the Heart historical series (after Sonata for a Scoundrel) introduces Jessamyn Lovell, newly famous in Victorian London as the “Gypsy Violinist,” and Morgan Trevethwick, the uptight Earl of Silverton. Morgan’s undercover work for Scotland Yard has him trailing Jessa’s guardian, Mr. Burke, a suspected blackmailer. Lawson creates a strong, sympathetic heroine in Jessa, who allows her unscrupulous uncle to profit from her performances in exchange for keeping her beloved, simpleminded sister safe from a lunatic asylum or a sinister marriage. Morgan has compensated for his wild youth by adopting a rigid propriety, but his search for a suitable wife is derailed by his attraction to Jessa. When she appeals for his protection from her uncle’s devilish plans, he struggles between accepting her offer to be his mistress and giving in to his growing realization that she is the one woman he wishes to marry. This well-paced, humorous love story will delight fans of daring Victorian cross-class romances.