You know, there are some days in life that call for a cup of coffee and a good romantic book. One such beautiful romantic book is The Mistress by Danielle Steel.
If you like a good romance with beautiful destinations, gripping plotlines, and real characters, this is definitely a good read. This story is engaging and a page-turner.
As a reader, I get attached to the characters very soon and find ourselves cheering and rooting for them. It is a casual read that anyone can enjoy.
There are a lot of things to look forward to in this particular romance. It is unorthodox and very comforting.
There are circumstances which call out to us, and incidents which make our hearts swell. This is just one of those books which make us want to read them again and again.
The timelessness and beauty of the book is an experience, which I highly suggest one should try as soon as possible.
Therefore, if you are looking for a romance book recommendation, the mistress is your destination.
Table of Contents
About The Author: Danielle Steel
The full name of the author is – Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel. She was born in America and a native writer.
The author is mostly known for her romance novels. She is the fourth bestselling fiction author of all time.
Over 800 million copies have been sold of her work. In her life, she has written 179 books, including over 146 novels.
Based in California for most of her career, Steel has produced several books a year, often juggling up to five projects at once.
Despite “a resounding lack of critical acclaim” (Publishers Weekly), all her novels have been bestsellers, including those issued in hardback.
The formula for the bestselling author is fairly consistent, often involving rich families facing a crisis, threatened by dark elements such as prison, fraud, blackmail, and suicide.
Steel has also published children’s fiction and poetry, as well as raising funds for the treatment of mental disorders.
Her books have been translated into 43 languages, with 22 adapted for television, including two that have received Golden Globe nominations.
She also has a personal website. You can know her better by accessing it. – Danielle Steel Website
Denielle Steel Books:
- The Gift
- Changes
- The Long Road Home
- Prodigal Son
- Big Girl
- Until The End Of Time
The Mistress Book Review:
The story is about a girl Natasha who has been through unfortunate times. Due to bad time, she comes under the care of a Russian Billionaire: Vladimir.
As the story progresses we find out a lot about the dark ways and secrets of the high-class society, their lifestyle, and the terrible acts done by these people. This book explores the world of crime and love in a haunting yet beautiful way.
The best part about The Mistress is all the subplots. They tie the story together and seem very satisfying how it completes a full circle.
The storytelling skills of the author are very superior. She takes up a bold and intriguing writing style.
The story also has a vivid description of places like Moscow, Paris, and London. These are sophisticated details and feel very vivid.
This book is a perfect pick for anyone who loves yachts and beautiful destinations.
The Mistress isn’t just a story but a tale that makes us realize the importance of trust. Trust that we have in ourselves and the importance of controlling our own lives.
This book empowers and enlightens. It is about how only we have the choice to dictate who we really are and what decisions we want to take.
The Female Protagonist: Natasha
Natasha Leonova is initially depicted as a naive and innocent girl who is fighting for her survival. But later as the story unfolds we get an insight into how brave and amazing she is.
From letting someone else dictate, how she must live, behave, and exist, she takes charge of her own life and takes the simplest and most basic steps towards the life that she wants.
This character has a lot of development throughout the book and compels the reader to empathize with her on her journey.
She makes bold choices and there are a lot of surprising incidents that guide and lead her. They are fun to read and some of them may get us all teary-eyed as well.
Natasha has a lot of sides to her personality and her story shapes the kind of person she becomes at the end of the book.
She is a strong female character who goes from being oppressed to finding her own voice and acting on her own decisions.
Danielle Steel has made this character docile and vulnerable yet strong which depicts a lot more than just traits of a character in a story.
The Male Protagonist:
Theo Luca is the son of a famous artist and a good artist himself. He is not as splendid as his father but he feels perfectly alright in his own skin and his artworks.
He is proud to be who he is and the kind of individual he has become. Theo is also the main love interest in the book.
Through his art, the author tries to elaborate on a lot of things. Theo’s character is real and relevant.
There are many interesting things related to him that are discovered in the latter half of the book.
There are many unknown facts which are also brought out during that time. Theo is a relatively simple character and despite being the main love interest falls second in line to Vladimir.
However, his moral values are far superior to that of our billionaire.
The Antagonist:
Vladimir Stanislas is an arrogant person. He is mean and condescending. But the author describes his past and the reader understands this character a little better.
I get to know how this character became what he is and why he reacts the way he does. I empathize with him and get to know where he comes from.
However, this does not justify a lot of things he does throughout the novel. Overall this is a controversial character that gets our hearts spinning with his unpredictability.
Vladimir’s character, in my opinion, was created by keeping in mind the typical, stereotype evil human with unquestionable powers and the way such people can oppress others and manipulate them to their own advantage.
Reading about this character adds dimension to the novel and one really contemplates how such people come to exist in our society.
This character is controversial because as a reader we get to have an insight into why he becomes what he became and we really don’t blame him but his acts are indeed formidable.
What I like the Most in The Mistress:
The book is all about a woman who overcame insurmountable odds and who survived to tell this story. The female protagonist is strong and a character who is worthy of admiration.
The vocabulary of the book is fairly simple hence it can be enjoyed by any level of reader.
The flow of the book is very smooth and is hardly ever broken. With smooth transitions and consistent storylines, this makes for a perfect binge reading book.
Despite it being a book from the romantic genre, the book contains a lot of different elements.
The Mistress also reflects on society and gives a certain depth to this story. This book can also be enjoyed by the readers of any age group as there is no explicit content as such.
The mistress is a kind of book that stays with you even after you finish it. This is a book of comfort and can be read time over time.
This romantic classic helps you to explore a different kind of storytelling and gives you the love story you are seeking to read.
What I didn’t Like:
As a celebrated author with a lot of experience, the mistress fails to meet the “Danielle Steel” standards. However, if you haven’t read other bestselling books from the author, this flaw can be easily overlooked.
The story doesn’t feel like a love story initially and the prior half can be a bit solemn and heavy on the heart.
Similarly, the pace is also a bit slow in the first half. But, the story picks up its pace in the latter half and makes the entire build-up worth the end.
The climax of the story was satisfactory and might leave some readers thinking about it but gets predictable as we move towards the end.
The Mistress also has a lot of repetitions, which slows down the overall reading pace of the book.
The author aimed at the emphasis of the plots but it came out as constant repetition which felt a little monotonous later in the book.
Other than that, this book is a great read with a unique story and balanced subplots. It does not feel overwhelming at any given point.
The Mistress quotes:
“dangers of her past. She cared about what he provided in an otherwise dangerous world. “Russia is a hard place,” she said quietly, “or it used to be. I think it still is for most people. The strong ones like Vladimir survive and climb out, and he pulled me out with him. The others don’t make it, and many of them die. I might have been one of those.” “You gave up your freedom for all that,” he said, still”
“He had that instinctive sense of great artists to know when a work was complete and move on.”
“There was no point in point in looking back and comparing her old life to her new and she had so much more to do. She couldn’t falter now. She looked up auction houses in the phonebook that night and found some she recognized and wrote down their phone numbers. It was time to let go of her possessions.”
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Also, if you love to read romance book, try One in a Million by Jill Shalvis.
