By Clyve Rose
Lady Lydia Clifton must escape a brutal forced marriage and she must get out of England however she can, but Valkin Brishen, King of the Romany stands in her way, and he means to unravel why she is on the run, and why she's pretending to be his mistress.
NO ONE TOUCHES THE KING'S MISTRESS
Thrown to the wolves by her father, Lady Lydia Clifton faces a forced marriage and all the brutality that comes with the Earl of Basingstoke. She must flee and has only one way out of England: disguise herself as Martha Dale, mistress to the Romany king.
Lydia knows her brother Wil became estranged from their family and all of English aristocracy because he fell in love with a Romany woman. That makes this white lie more potent, as it offers the kind of protection that just might keep her safe.
Despite her reputation being in tatters, all Lydia needs to do is to make it to France, and into the care of her oldest brother, Roger.
King Valkin Brishen is fully aware lies and subterfuge can and has brought harm to his people, yet when his men find a lovely English maid on the run who claims to be his mistress, anger battles with more than curiosity over exactly why this English rose is fleeing with such haste.
Her flight speaks of courage, but her deceit could put his people in peril.
And more, he wonders if it's worth the risk to his heart if he takes her under his protection.
Date Published: January 24,2023
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing
MY THOUGHTS
Lady Lydia Clifton knew that her father didn’t care for her. A stutter has meant that she has had no suitors, no one who has stepped forward wanting to marry her, but surely that wasn’t so bad? Lydia preferred the company of horses over men anyway. But when she learns that her father has arranged a marriage between herself and the Earl of Basingstoke, a swine who would try to claim her as ‘his’ before news of her impending wedding even reached her, Lydia must try and take matters into her own hands.
The only way Lydia sees to escape her father and the Earl is to flee to her older brother Roger, in France. Travelling under her lady's maid’s name, and claiming to be mistress to the Romany king, in the hopes that the lies will keep her safe, Lydia begins the long journey alone. But she is weary and hurt. Neither she nor her horse is able to get too far. It just so happens that she comes to a stop where the Romany king can come face to face with his so-called ‘mistress’.
King Valkin Brishen is shocked to hear about the English maid claiming to be his mistress, but the woman is in need of refuge. He knows the woman from a house party he attended, but he knows she is not being entirely truthful when it comes to telling him who she is. In the dark as to who he really has hidden in his camp, Valkin is taking a risk keeping the woman hidden, but he doesn’t want to let her go anytime soon. She has awakened something inside of him, feelings he’d never felt before, and somehow he knows that this is the woman he is meant to be with.
I absolutely loved reading this book! I will admit, this book wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I came into this book thinking it was your typical historical romance with a lady running away from an unwanted marriage, and a dark and mysterious man with power and influence swooping in to save her. Granted, this was a part of the story, but it was also so much more. This book is packed full of historical detailing, and both Lydia and Valkin’s emotions come across as so real in the telling in this book that they might as well have been talking to me directly.
There is an incredibly slow-burning romance within the pages of this book. Lydia has never been made to feel worth anything, she cannot believe that anyone would willingly take her as a bride, let alone love her. She has known Valkin since they were children, for he used to be a friend of her brothers’, and she feels able to trust him, trust that he is safety. On the other hand, Valkin does not recognise Lydia, although knows that the name she has given him is not her real one, and believes that she is hiding from something greater than he knows. He knows what he feels for her, but he is afraid of the consequences of falling for a woman of the ton, and he is even more afraid that she does not feel the same. Their feelings remain a mystery to each other until the very end of the book, but the way they care for each other, not knowing if the feelings are reciprocated or not, is beautiful. They both want to do everything they can to help the other, even though it often results in stilted and awkward conversations.
I absolutely loved the entirety of Lydia's stay in Valkin’s camp. She is in unknown territory, and yet she is made to feel at home in the welcoming and caring community. I knew little about Romany camps, and their way of life, and I learnt so much while reading this book. It truly sounds like the perfect place for Lydia to have found herself. It is a place of family, love, and healing. After years of abuse, being among Valkin and his sisters gives her the love of a family she has never truly known. The author has done an absolutely fabulous job describing the camp, at times I felt like I was walking among the covo as well, the smells of cooking food in the air, and the gentle noises of chatter and birdsong surrounding me. While there are some very real dangers and a sense of unease throughout the whole book, the setting made it almost peaceful to read.
I have just learnt that this is technically book 2, and that there is another book with these characters, but focusing on Valkin’s sister, and the man she falls in love with. It is now on my to-buy list, because I have found a new favourite author in Clyve Rose. This is an absolutely wonderful book, and one I highly recommend you read.
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