One of the bonuses when a new book in a series releases is that readers become aware that there were older books. Such has been the case since Mistress by Marriage came out last month, with a definite uptick of reads and reviews for Mistress by Mistake and Mistress by Midnight. Here’s a lovely description of January’s Midnight from Romance Reviews Today:

Laurette and Con had grown up together, and from that came a love that grew stronger as they left childhood behind. But Con, the Marquess of Conover, had a guardian who squandered Con’s inheritance and then arranged for a lucrative marriage for his ward with an older, wealthy young lady who desired to move up in society. Because he knew that without money two villages in his care would come to ruin, Con reluctantly agreed to the wedding. Telling Laurette was the most difficult thing he ever did. They had had, on their own, a pagan ritual professing their eternal love, and a wedding night not to be forgotten. And then Con married Marianna Berryman.

Twelve years later, Laurette has business with the Marquess of Conover, as much as she dreads confronting him. Her brother is in dire straits because of his gambling, and only Con can help. And help he does, but with a stipulation…Laurette must become his mistress for six months. Although Con had proposed marriage soon after Marianna died, Laurette had flatly refused, hiding a secret that she didn’t want anyone to discover. Now she has no choice. She will count the days of her agreement, then get on with her life. But Con has no intention of letting her out of his life again.

MISTRESS BY MIDNIGHT tells a story of two honest, honorable people who do the right thing by society’s expectations. But it tears at both of their hearts, and each deals with the situation differently. Laurette embraced her future by starting a small school for girls in her community, trying, in vain, to forgive and forget the man she loved with all of her might. Con made sure he, too, did his duty and produced a male heir, then left his wife and child for travels throughout the world, hoping to avoid any thought of Laurette. How will these two star-crossed lovers work through their issues? Can Laurette ever reveal her secret? Or will Con wear her down with his love for her?

Nicely written, with well rounded, realistic characters, MISTRESS BY MIDNIGHT is a romantic, heartwarming, and at times heart wrenching story with a unique premise.

Jani Brooks

Fun B+ review of Mistress by Marriage at Kay’s Blog This is the first time I’ve ever gotten a sensuality rating of “Yipes,” LOL.

I also want to say how much I’m enjoying reading the entries for the Fall Birthday Bash contest. Over 60 readers have shared some touching, romantic moments in their lives. Sniff.

My blog tour is winding down this week. For the last stops (and last chances to win free books), click here!

I have a birthday in a week, and my websites are going to be two years old in November! To celebrate, I’m running a two-month long contest, where YOU might get the present. I’ll wrap a big box of brand-new romance books (including some of my own) and send it out as an early Christmas present in December. Entry is easy. Go here!

Oh, and the guy? Sorry, he won’t be in the box, but he’s the inspiration for my latest hero, Captain Reynold Durant.

Wow! The cover of Mistress by Midnight is featured in this article about its cover model, Serene Aandahl.

Here are some recent thought-provoking, positive reviews of Mistress by Marriage and her older sisters, Mistress by Mistake and Mistress by Midnight! Highlights here; for full review, click on the links.

Marriage:

Rakehell Reviews: “It was nice to see a romance written about imperfect love. Sometimes we fall in love with someone because we can’t do anything else BUT fall in love with them. The heart wants what the heart wants, and it was refreshing to read such a well written romance novel that shows that.”

BookLoversInc: “The path of these two characters doesn’t run easy, but after all the heartache, drama and fights I loved how Edward finally let himself confront his feelings instead of burying them and realized that deep under all the lust and attraction he truly did love Caroline. That he, the most proper English nobleman meticulously planned the kidnapping of his wife, down to the last small detail, it showed how important she, and their relationship was to him. It was incredibly endearing. ”

Mistake:

Romancing Rakes: “I must say that Ms. Robinson writes like her hero, Bay. It is pure poetry, meant to seduce, titillate, excite and ensnare the reader from the first chapter until the last. I’d forgotten how hot Maggie Robinson can be, just ask my Kindle. The creaking was audible as I gripped it tightly, my heart racing, my toes curling as I sighed from the sexual chemistry between Bay and Charlotte. It’s almost like a soap opera, complete with mistaken identity, kidnapping, crazy ex-wife, expert lover hero, self conscious heroine, and a floozy of a sister who ends up being content with someone you didn’t expect. Oh, and a few plot twists. Ms. Robinson, I’ll be putting the rest of the series on The List.”

EA Recommends by historical romance novelist Evelyn Archer: “Maggie Robinson’s novel Mistress by Mistake has been in my to-be-read pile for over a year now. I finally got to it this week and really enjoyed it. The historical romance is both pretty darn HOT and pretty darn funny – an unusual combination. While these two qualities are not mutually exclusive, most of the time I find writers tend to be one or the other. I have added Ms. Robinson’s Mistress by Midnight and Mistress by Marriage (which will be available in August) to my to-be-read list. Praise indeed!”

Midnight:

Affair de Coeur 5 Stars. “Mistress by Midnight is a well written historical of young love thwarted by duty and responsibility. When the lovers finally reunite as adults, life has changed them both and not necessarily for the good. All is not as it seems, and their journey of self‑discovery is both heartening and extremely sexy.”

Thank you all for making my Tuesday a much better day than it started out to be!

A B+ review for Mistress by Marriage from Smexy Books begins with “I absolutely adored this book…The combination of the angst, the humor and the naughty romance really makes this book for me.” To read it all, click here. Thanks, Mandi!

Mistress by Marriage was a featured book on the RT Book Reviews website, and it keeps flirting around at the tail end of the Top 100 Kindle historical romances.

I just turned in the second London List book. And my editor said she loved it! There were times when I didn’t love it–I gave the h/h a whole lot of obstacles to overcome and I think they were mad at me, LOL. Now I’m working on a proposal for something new. I have 3000 words, no title, and I’m iffy about the characters’ names. And the plot? Don’t be silly. Guess I’ll have to come up with one before I send it to my agent.

The Smart Bitches Sizzling Book Club to discuss Mistress by Marriage is set for Tuesday, September 27 from 9-10:30 PM EST. I’ll be there the last half hour to give away some of my backlist books to participants. For more info, go here.

And it’s official. Both London List books will be published (2012? 2013?) with my working titles for them…are you ready?….Lord Craig’s List and Lady Anne’s Lover. Yay!

Have a Sony Reader? All three Courtesan Court ebooks for $16.49! Download here.

Have a nook? Download here.

Mistress by Marriage is the Smart Bitches’ choice for the September book club! I’m pretty excited, thrilled, gobsmacked, etc. Here is the announcement, with links to discounted prices at various outlets, plus a chance to comment to win one of four paperback copies. Toward the end of the month (tentatively scheduled for 9/27), there will be a reader discussion online, and I’ll be there at the end to answer any questions/defend myself, LOL. Thanks to Sarah Wendell and Kensington for making this possible!

“Grab your favorite drink, a cozy blanket and plop yourself in your favorite reading chair, this one will have your attention from start to finish. Maggie Robinson has a beautiful writing style that puts me at ease while capturing my attention completely. I was drawn to this very original storyline and enjoyed the characters as well. Both Edward and Caroline have their secrets and insecurities, Caroline more so than Edward. Their relationship is addictive and puzzling. I couldn’t wait to see if these two would iron out their differences and make their marriage work, or if they would remain as man and mistress for good. There were numerous passages that made me chuckle while yearning for more interaction between these two.” The complete 4 star review is here, including an excerpt. Thank you, reviewer Tiffany!

Today’s release day for my favorite mistress, Caroline Christie. I’ll be all over the place in the next month talking about Mistress by Marriage. Please follow the blog tour on my news page!

And in pretty exciting news, Mistress by Marriage was in the top 100 historical romance books on Amazon Kindle for a while. It’s on sale for only $7.37. The link is here. Thanks so much to everyone who’s already purchased a copy!