The #1 New York Times bestseller—a thrilling new romance from E L James, author of the phenomenal bestselling Fifty Shades Trilogy. London, 2019. Life has been easy for Maxim Trevelyan. With his good looks, aristocratic connections, and money, he’s never had to work and he’s rarely slept alone. But all that changes when tragedy strikes and Maxim inherits his family’s noble title, wealth, and … noble title, wealth, and estates, and all the responsibility that entails. It’s a role he’s not prepared for and one that he struggles to face.
But his biggest challenge is fighting his desire for an unexpected, enigmatic young woman who’s recently arrived in England, possessing little more than a dangerous and troublesome past. Reticent, beautiful, and musically gifted, she’s an alluring mystery, and Maxim’s longing for her deepens into a passion that he’s never experienced and dares not name. Just who is Alessia Demachi? Can Maxim protect her from the malevolence that threatens her? And what will she do when she learns that he’s been hiding secrets of his own?
From the heart of London through wild, rural Cornwall to the bleak, forbidding beauty of the Balkans, The Mister is a roller-coaster ride of danger and desire that leaves the reader breathless to the very last page.
more
Loved this steamy romance. It’s not 50 Shades, it’s a whole new story that will pull you in and consume you. EL James has again given you characters so complex, you are addicted to their pain, their joys and their feels!! Highly emotional with many twists that becomes a definite must read!!
The Mister by E.L. James was awesome. The topic of this author and her books is very controversial. In my opinion, the controversy is ridiculous. If it wasn’t for Fifty Shades and the rest I wouldn’t be blogging about romance books, reading them anywhere near as much or reading such spicy awesomeness. So I thank you, E.L. James, for writing your fan-fic, for giving us Christian Grey and the red room, for opening the world of steamy romance up to indie authors and romance readers! That being said – this book is not anything like Fifty. Yes Maxim is rich and Alessia is not and he does swoop in but the similarities end there.
Maxim is grieving the loss of his brother. But it is more than that. With his brothers passing, he, the “spare”, is now the next Earl of Trevethick, a lifestyle and obligation he is NOT prepared for. When his new daily (cleaner) turns up he is entranced with her beauty and unsettled by it. When he overhears ehr playing complex compositions of Bach on his piano, he’s beyond intrigued.
Alessia escaped an arranged marriage in Albania only to wind up in an even worse situation. After making her way to her mother’s best friends home in London she settles into a life of work. The highlight of her work days is at The Misters apartment. He has a piano and is often not home and Alessia treasures the times when she can play. Music lights up her soul. But when trouble finds her and comes knocking on The Misters door, she fears she will lose everything she has managed to carve away for herself.
The audio is fabulously done for this book and was how I listened to the majority of it. The first person narrative of Maxim and the third person narrating of Alessia is different but also brings to attention the language barriers between these two characters.
It took a little while for me to warm up to the story and get fully settled in but around the halfway mark I was addicted. I HAD to know what was going to happen, I just had to witness their growing relationship and the changes in Maxim. Loved it! Enjoy!
This is the story of Maxim and Alessia. An Earl and a runaway from Albania. They both had to overcome obstacles, especially Alessia. This is a great love story with action in it that will keep you on the edge. There are twists and turns and trials and tribulations in this story. I really enjoyed it. I’m sure whoever reads it will enjoy it too. This story holds your attention to see what happens next. Another great read from E L James.
A sweet but sensual modern-day Cinderella story with a white knight hero who saves the damsel in distress. Alessia is shy and gentle with a quiet, inner strength of spirit. She inspires Maxim to become a better version of himself, the kind, gallant gentleman. A tender, emotional, and deeply romantic story that gave me warm fuzzies and squishy feels. Recommended for readers who love fairy-tale retellings.
If you are looking for another 50 Shades this is not it. This book is so much better. The characters are frail and flawed but so very likable.
Well. Where do I start? This might get a bit long and ranty.
I was thinking about not writing anything about this. People have to make up their own minds about things anyway. And even though I shouldn’t care, I’m just so disappointed about all those really bad and mean reviews I’ve seen on here. I can totally understand a bad-ish rating or no rating if it’s not your kind of book or if some things about it bothered you. But most of those 1-star reviewers just read the book so that they could complain about it! Why read it then? You probably didn’t love Fifty Shades either. You’re probably jealous of Erika’s success or you think she stole everything from those sparkly vampire books. Or just the opposite – you’ve only ever read Fifty and you love it so hard and you expected the exact same story in The Mister. But how is the book or the author to blame if the book wasn’t at all what you were expecting??? Nobody said it was going to be the new Fifty or that it was a porn book or a thrilling thriller. Ugh. I could rant on forever about this!
Anyway. As I’ve said – people have to make up their own minds. Read the blurb and some good and bad reviews and decide if you want to read this book. It’s not Fifty Shades. It’s actually better in some ways. But of course it’s not the exact same funny and erotic and dramatic and slightly immature love story that Ana and Christian gave us. Why should/would it be? Makes no sense.
But it is a love story! A Beautiful Cinderella-ish Love Story with some very heartbreaking and adorable and funny and sweet and erotic and interesting moments! AND I LOVED IT! Yup – there. I said it. I LOVED THE MISTER! I really did. It took me almost a week to read it. On purpose. I didn’t want to rush it. I wanted to savour every single moment of this story. It’s not every day that we get a book written by Erika! And I enjoyed it. Very much. But I can also see why some of the more mature (not old) reviewers say it didn’t grab them or that it was too slow or uneventful. It might appear that way to some people. Maybe to fast-readers especially. That’s why you should really take your time with this book. Get some wine or a mug of hot chocolate and some snacks. (I always get snacky while reading!) Cuddle up somewhere comfy and let Alessia, Maxim and Erika pull you away from life and into this beautiful world…
Ok – before I start with my real review – should I be proud or offended that one of the bad guys got my last name??? Hm. Not sure.
OK – here goes. Hahaha – for a second here I was tempted to just write: I LOVED IT – 5 STARS – NUFF SAID – and leave it at that. But I just can’t do it. I have to go into a bit more detail about what I loved and didn’t love-love.
First of all here’s my rating – just so you know that this is not going towards the one-star pile – it will probably sound like it a few times during my review, but it’s definitely a five-star book for me!!
(I’ll take this moment to advance-apologize to Erika for whatever I’m going to write next!)
FIVE BIG AND FAT STARS
Should we start with what I didn’t like? To get it out of the way? I’m pretty sure my don’t-like text will be so much longer than my love text, but that doesn’t mean anything!
OK … remember when you first read Fifty Shades? And Fifty was not your very first book – you’ve read a lot of good and even erotic books before. And then you read Fifty and you loved it – so much. BUT. I had my problems with Fifty. With the writing most of all. It didn’t feel like a real author wrote it. Ugh – please forgive me for saying this Erika! But the writing in the Fifty books was not amazing. And it wasn’t supposed to be. Erika wasn’t an author. She didn’t go to college to become an author. It was a hobby. I never expected to get some super-literature-thing when I read Fifty. I still loved the story. Even though some parts of it I could’ve done without – like the inner goddess and the bdsm. LOL!
But back to the writing in Fifty. It was totally okay and readable, but some little things bothered me. Like the fact that an English person wrote an ‘American’ book. That’s a thing I always complain about – no idea why it bothers me so much, but it does. In Fifty you notice in almost every line or on every page, that the author is not American. Which is one of the best things about THE MISTER! It’s an English author writing and English story. YAY! Finally! I still don’t like the Britishness in some situations – like those situation where I just don’t know what she’s talking about!
What I hated in Fifty and what I still didn’t love in The Mister, was the overuse of the word EXQUISITE! There must be another word that can be exchanged for that!?!? Please.
The positive thing about remembering that the writing in Fifty was a not-so-good, is the fact that the writing in The Mister is SO MUCH BETTER!!!! So much. Maybe it’s still about the British-Author-British-Story thing, but I really think Erika got so much better! YAY!
Another thing I didn’t like about The Mister … and I’m not the only one. Almost every review I’ve seen mentions that they hate that. The POVs. The book is told in Maxim’s first person POV. Perfect. I love that. But then we get Alessia’s POV and she gets another POV thingy. Why? I heard other authors saying that they can’t get into the minds of their male characters and that’s why they do it in their books, but with this book it is the male character who we get the first person POV from. Maybe Erika couldn’t get into the mind of Alessia? Or she just wanted the two to sound differently. Who knows. I didn’t love it, but I got used to it while reading. But I know that many many readers will really hate that.
Next thing I didn’t love. The book is pretty long. Which I love, but you get the feeling that it’s blubbering along and nothing much exciting is happening and then we get a bit more action towards the end and that’s it. I loved the blubbering. Every single scene that happened to our two darlings was beautiful to me, but I can understand why people will say that the story wasn’t really happening for them. That there was no story. And that’s a bit sad. Maybe something could’ve been added here and there to make it more interesting for some readers, but pfff – who cares. I loved it.
Another little thing. Some readers might run away in the beginning because Maxim comes across as a bit of a slut. He has a new girl in his bed every night. And it could’ve mayyybe be done a bit differently – maybe just mention it in some way, instead of showing us all the sexy moments with NOT the heroine!
Now I will write a bit about the end – I will put it into a spoiler thingy – so please don’t read it if you haven’t read the book. Or maybe – if you’re too scared to read the book because you fear it’s going to Cliffhanger you – you’re allowed to read the spoiler thingy too: (view spoiler at goodreads)
I think that’s all the ‘bad’ stuff I had in my head…
What did I love about The Mister?
Pretty much everything.
Let’s start with the cover!
Isn’t it pretty?!?! Erika made that herself! Perfect picture and perfect colors. I love it. And the title. It sounds weird at first, but when we get to know Maxim and Alessia and we ‘hear’ Alessia say that word – it is beyond adorable!! I can’t wait to hear her say it in the movie!
Then we have our darling’s stories. Maxim, the rich boy who used to be happy living his carefree playboy life. But he’s not really that guy anymore since his brother died. He needs to grow up now. And Alessia comes along at the exact right moment.
Alessia. The super-talented girl from Albania who left her scary life with the hope of a future full of exciting and happy things. But of course it didn’t happen that way. But now that second chance is possible with the Mister …
It’s so adorable to see them get to know each other and fall for each other. I loved watching them fight for their happy end. And it’s not an easy journey for our two darlings. But they still give us a lot of fun and adorable and erotic moments to swoon over! I loved how he watches her play the piano. I loved how they smile and beam at each other, when they haven’t had much to smile about for a long while. I loved how she takes his hand when they walk through town. I loved every little thing about their love story.
And even though I said that there’s not much happening in this story, that’s really not true. Yes, we don’t have people shooting at us every other chapter, or some ex bit*h showing up to drive us apart or a parent or sibling trying to buy someone off. But there’s still so much happening and if you let yourself – you will fall in love with that story too.
Then we have the typical Erika music moments. There’s a lot of music in this book. Classical and modern – and I don’t like one piece of it. LOL! But I don’t have to like the songs. I still love that there’s music in this book. So much music and food and drinks and cars and places and history and language and real-world problems like human trafficking and death and family expectations … et cetera.
I was just wondering about something … how will those Albanian lines in this book be translated into the Albanian version of the book??? There are so many Albanian words and lines in this book! The same thing I wondered when I read Ana Karenina – there was so much German in there! How do they do it???
Ugh, I feel like I’ve written a whole book of my own … why did I write so much? I probably didn’t even make any sense!
The only thing I really wanted to say was … I LOVED THIS BOOK! AND I REALLY HOPE WE’LL GET MORE FROM ALESSIA & MAXIM!
Omgosh this book is !!!!
I want more of Maxim Traveleyan!!!!!! I have waited for a new book from E.L. James forever!!!!!! It was worth every second!!!!
I expected more from this book. It started interesting but then the story was too forced, it didn’t feel credible
5 Stars
The Mister by E.L James is an angsty romance with plenty of drama, secrets, suspense, chemistry, danger, and passion. This is quite different from the other books that Ms. James has written, so if you are expecting Fifty Shades of Grey- you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
Readers seem to either love it or hate it, with little in between. I obviously fall into the ‘Love It’ team. I really recommend you going into the book with an open mind and without any expectations of a 50 Shades experience. This book has its own personality and feel. It is a sweeter, slightly less complicated story- but that’s not to say it doesn’t have intrigue, steam, or depth. Because it does. The Mister has a Cinderella-esque feel to it- which I loved.
As expected, the characters were really well developed, interesting, believable- and endearing! The story is well written, captivating, and very easy to read. I very much enjoyed this story and look forward to seeing what Ms. James does next!
Thank you, Ms. James!
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a huge fan of the Fifty Shades of Grey books. And maybe I’m the only person who hoped The Mister wasn’t a repeat of Christian and Anastasia’s story. Their story is unique to them, just as Maxim and Alessia’s story is unique to them.
Yes, Maxim is rich and entitled and Alessia is his housekeeper, and they face many obstacles along the way. In the form of The Mister, E. L. James reminds us that love conquers all and no matter what your station in life is to stay true to your heart.
The Mister was an enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read more of their story.
“Love. Confusion. Irrational. Frustrating… Exhilarating. This is what it feels like. I am madly, crazily, ridiculously in love with the woman sitting opposite me.
My daily. Alessia Demachi.”
E L James is back. After the resounding success of 50 shades, the author returns eight years later with a new book, repeating the formula that made her famous (billionaire + naive girl + torrid romance) having the ungrateful mission to meet the high expectations of her fans who will compare the new work with her main success.
The Mister shows the love story between Maxim Trevelyan and Alessia Demachi. He is a handsome, rich man, playboy, who lives surrounded by beautiful, luxurious women, who loves a drink, drugs and a party, who has never had a serious job in life, and who with a tragic family accident ends up inheriting a nobility title and responsibilities he did not want. She is an illegal Albanian immigrant, without a penny, who flees to London and ends up working as a daily in Maxim’s house. And with all the clichés of the genre, all he has to do is lay his eyes on her to fall in love, leaving his old life behind and devote himself to protecting and conquering her.
But Alessia is running away from something and someone and this will be the mystery of the book. Showing several English landscapes, Maxim and Alessia will live their fairy in an isolated location, but the return to reality will be inevitable, and with that the problems will appear. Some sketches of villains are formed, although we are not sure who these characters really are, they are not very developed. The title of Earl of Trevethick inherited by Maxim would also be a good plot, especially with the suspicions he has about his brother, but again this was not explored either.
As mentioned above, comparisons will be inevitable with 50 shades, and some similarities are perceived in both works. The surname of the character, the piano, the virgin and demure girl, the expensive and powerful cars, even a forbidden room (but here the room is not so much fun).
But when I finish reading, I get the feeling that something is missing. The end is abrupt, several questions remain unanswered, several characters are misused. At first the book is a single volume, there is no confirmation of continuation, but in the end, I got the impression that it will have another book.
I confess I expected more. I liked Maxim very much, I found him well built, believable, a good male character. Alessia had her good times, but like every naive girl, she ends up becoming boring. Some dialogues are repetitive, the book is too long, the landscapes are detailed to the extreme which can become tiring.
If the book is good? No. If it’s bad? Neither. I explain. The book is not good because I already know the author, I have already read the 50 shade trilogy and I am part of the people that loved it. So I think it could have been better, there are many loose ends in the narrative. But at the same time it is not bad, it fulfills its role, works as a novel, a light reading, but unfortunately forgettable.
With eight years of hiatus, one would have expected more. Better characters, better plot, better writing. Unfortunately I was disappointed. E L James could not create a new hit the size of 50 shade. Christian Grey is still her first success. Maxim could not overthrow him.
Captivating Love Story…
I was enchanted with this romantic love story. I fell in love with Alessia and Maxim right from the beginning. A couple that on the surface appear not to have anything in common or at all suited for one another. They are oceans apart in the lives that they lead and in their station in life.
Their journey is full of twists and suspense and it was breathtaking to witness the love that they had for one another. I am hoping for a further story about this couple in the future.
I loved this book!! It was the sweetest love sorry Maxim was the book boyfriend that everyone wants he’s a Lord he’s rich he loves with his whole heart and he will do anything for Alessia.
Maxim was the “Spare” his brother was the Heir he literally lived his life for himself a play boy and a cad. He slept with everyone a new woman every night. No desire to settle down why should he? He had wealth and no need to do anything of value.
The day his brother died changed him he became the Lord the Heir and now he has to care about the family estates and the businesses.
One woman changes his view on being a cad. She caught his attention when he heard her play the piano and when he finally got to talk to her and learn about her he was enchanted.
Alessia has a back story as well and she is tight lipped in why she is in London and what happened to her but gently Maxim gets it out of her. She is a spit fire once she opens up to him.
I really loved this book there are some missing pieces but I hope it’s because she is writing a sequel.
Let the haters hate but I really liked The Mister.
I admit that I found it was a little slow at the start of the book as the groundwork of the plot was being laid, but once it was all there the story started to take shape and by then I was totally hooked on the story. Alessia is such a sweet girl that had lived a bit of a sheltered life but she soon comes into her own and you can’t help but love her character. Maxim was a bit of a tool at the start of the book but so was Christian Grey and that didn’t stop us from loving him by the end of FSOG and for me Maxim was the same, he is a character that redeems himself over the course of the book and I really came to love him too.
I just wanna know when is Erika gonna confirm there is a second book to The Mister as I have so many things that I need answered!!!!
I’ve always been a huge fan of Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy and it was my first taste of erotic romance. Once you have one clicked via Amazon, there are suggestions of other books of this genre. I discovered there were lots of like-minded people that had read them and that was my entrance into the social media book world. Ms. James has orchestrated a lot of friendships unwittingly through her written word and revolutionized the intimate side of romance in our books. I was absolutely excited to discover that we were going to get a brand new story and characters for The Mister. When I saw the gorgeous cover, I was chomping at the bit to learn more about the story and so the countdown began.
The Mister is a very passionate love story set in three different locations, London, Cornwall, and Eastern Europe. It is a modern-day classic Cinderella-style story. Maxim Trevelyan lives in London and has aristocratic connections and a lot of money. The good looking bachelor very rarely sleeps alone and he just is living it up because he can afford to. Tragedy strikes and he finds himself having to sit up and take a bit of responsibility and he struggles to accept his fate.
Maxim doesn’t see another big challenge head-on in the form of the beautifully talented Alessia Demachi. She’d recently arrived in England and has a dangerous past. Maxim is drawn to the musically gifted beauty and develops a longing for her that he has never felt before. Danger awaits, but can Maxim protect and save the mysterious Alessia even though he harbours his own secrets?
The Mister was every bit thrilling from the prologue right up until the last chapter. It was full of passion, angst and there’s a certain amount of suspense to it. Thrilling scenes had me on the edge of my seat and in my mind, I was shouting out to the characters as if they could hear me; I suppose a bit like we do when watching an action-packed movie. I loved the chemistry and the banter between Maxim and Alessia and they had me smiling on a few occasions. I have to highlight the supporting characters who were developed brilliantly.
I couldn’t put this book down and still listen to the well-put-together playlist. I’ve since downloaded the audio which was highly recommended by my lovely friend from KFF. I would really love to see more from Maxim and Alessia in the future as I really took to them very warmly. I have to mention that I was very fortunate enough to attend the evening with EL and it was a marvelous event having a bit of insight into the production of the book.
I also took a stroll to see the public house mentioned in the story as well as a walk down to Chelsea Embankment where part of the story is set. It really was fascinating to get the visual of the setting. I particularly enjoyed having parts of the settings that I was familiar with, for example, Brentford. I grew up not far from there and have a few male members of my family that are Brentford FC fans. Also, my company was mentioned those snippets were spot on. I gave this a five-star rating because I enjoyed it so much and the fact it was set in the UK was an added bonus. Once again, I’ve been a huge fan, but I must say something I never thought I would The Mister is a hell of a lot more! I can’t recommend reading this love story enough and do listen to the playlist. It really helps to set the scene for the imagination and reading experience.
Maxim was used to being free to do what he wanted then suddenly after a death he’s given responsibility he never expected. During this difficult time he turns to someone for comfort. That all changes when he meets Alessia. Alessia cleans his house but she has her own secrets. She’s attracted to Maxim but will her secrets keep them apart? Will Maxim act on his attraction to her?
I can’t recommend reading and listening to The Mister at the same time enough. In fact, there was a moment when I had to recharge my earphones and ooh boy, did I miss the sensuously aristocratic voice of narrator Dominic Thorburn. And Jessica O’Hara Baker did a very fine job indeed narrating the female protagonist’s feelings, her cadence and that of others. James has been very adventurous mixing Maxim Trevelyan’s thoughts in first-person and Alessia Demachi’s story in third and I won’t even start on the excellent character development!
The author’s combined two complete opposites from totally different walks of life and not just made it work, she nailed it! Another detail which grabbed my attention was the truncated sentences which for me, made a lot of sense since the young lady who would rock Maxim Trevelyan’s world has a couple of problems understanding our idioms and adages. James’ carefully-worded prose knitted together with an original plot put me at ease, seeing as I had no idea what to expect. I’m a glutton for the Fifty Shades series…but this book, well, apart from having a fairy tale ring to it, I can honestly say is it was beyond my expectations.
Fast-moving if not distressing, the prologue opened up my appetite for more. Then when they meet, I had to smile because the scenario was in effect, unusual. Maxim has it all. Or does he? A constant pleasure-seeker, he’d never had trouble finding female company and despite being sorely tempted to have his way with Alessa, he does have a moral compass. Nonetheless, he can’t take his eyes off this lass with a beguiling talent, and she rather likes what she sees, too.
But there are so many hurdles to overcome in this slow burn romance. Present-day subjects such as social class, wealth versus poverty and the protagonists’ cultural differences were told fittingly. But the illegal goings on…deary me, it’s harsh stuff to stomach. Also, reading about Alessa’s plight broke my heart in two. Talk about flipping the pages isn’t in it! 80% in and all I yearned for was getting to the end just to find out if they’d have their HEA.
On a lighter note, the banter’s fabulous. Of course, being the upper-crust Brit that he is, doesn’t stop Maxim from holding back with a few choice phrases, meaning he spends a good part of his time explaining the definitions to Alessa. It all felt very natural to me. Once I got to know him; his true feelings, I wouldn’t have expected less of him.
A pleasant surprise was the pieces of music chosen to accompany Maxim and Alessia’s journey of love and trust, and an even more gratifying experience was listening to preludes and piano concertos being played in the background while listening. Maxim’s eclectic taste in music comes forth so strongly that it made me want to investigate further. I didn’t have to though. One of the gals at KFF excitedly sent me the Spotify playlist link after copying the URL by hand, knowing I’d love it. Bless her.
Anyone who knows me well is aware that I’m a sucker for contemporary romance and James has delivered. The Mister is a passionate and angsty love story and albeit long, I didn’t want it to finish. Touches of the Brit wit were oh-so-very welcomed and watching her characters’ relationship grow was an utter joy. Her descriptive writing concerning London and its surroundings and the landscape in Cornwall, made me feel like I was there. And now for the finale! Hmm…Erika, could there be more where this came from? I sincerely hope so. Bravo and thank you for giving me hours of enjoyment.
I am a big fan of the 50 Shades books, and I was excited to read The Mister.
I’ve seen a lot of terrible reviews, and I think they miss the mark completely. This is one of those books where I slowed down near the middle because I didn’t want to finish it too quickly. I absolutely felt for these characters. Maxim, deeply mourning the loss of his brother and the loss of his footloose way of life. Alessia, who has known only abuse and fear since childhood and hoping now for a better life.
I appreciated the way the author shifts POV–she gives Maxim and Alessia their own voices.
The Mister is deeply heartfelt romance. Okay, it’s not Shakespeare, but who among us is actually reading Shakespeare? If you’re looking for a steamy romance that plucks at your heartstrings and tosses in a bit of suspense on the side, this is your book. Don’t listen to the haters. 5 stars!
Believe it or not, it was my first read of E.L James. It was well built up, suspenseful and had great love-scenes. Amicable persons. I’d love the Mister’s country hideaways as a vacation stay. I think I move on to her more famous books soon.
An Englishman and an Albanian woman are drawn to each other’s love of music. They are faced with the challenges of being from different cultures as well as not being economic equals.
Maxim just inherited a vast estate in Cornwall, an estate in Oxfordshire, another in Northumberland, and a small portion of London. He is the thirteenth Earl of Trevethick.
At twenty-one he had access to a healthy trust fund which means he never had to work or take on responsibilities. He dabbled in music, photography, modeling, and women, not holding down a stable job. He’s not ready for this new life of obligations. He wasn’t groomed for the role of Earl the same way his brother Kit was because he wasn’t meant for the role of Earl. In fact, Maxim preferred his lifestyle of living with no responsibilities. He enjoyed coasting through life having everything handed to him on a plate. Until he heard his daily playing the piano.
He fancies his housemaid whose a runaway from Albania. In Albania women are suppressed, it’s a hard life for women in Albania. She’s an undocumented immigrant living with another family while she works as a daily.
Tropes: virgin, womanizer, billionaire heir, Earl, instant love, and abuse.
Narrator:
The posh accent is Devine. I love the insertion of the musical notes played on the piano. It was a nice touch to the scenes. Speaking Italian and Albanian was an unexpected surprise and a delight.
Unabridged copy. Length: 16 hrs and 28 min. This is a dual point of view audiobook. I listened at 2.2x the speed.
Dominic Thorburn was the male performer for Maxim’s character.
Jessica O’Hara-Baker was the female performer for Alessia’s character.
Had it not been for these two narrators I would’ve ditched this book. They certainly enhanced my listening experience. They deserve an award for their individual performances. Rarely do I encounter an audiobook that surpasses my reading experience. In this case, the audiobook outperforms the book.
I’m enjoying the audiobook performance much more than the story itself. Both narrators brought this story to life in a way that I’m certain I wouldn’t have been able to.
Overall:
The Mister was driven by scenery, music, romance, and danger.
Written in the third person with alternating points of view about Alessia and Maxim. This is a stand-alone straightforward romance.
I wasn’t drawn to Maxim’s character nor did I find him appealing. I listened with indifference towards his motives and desires.
I had to see for myself if EL James could write another book that wasn’t FSOG. I’m pleased with the directional change. While this one still contained sex scenes it wasn’t as explicit or graphic.
If your hoping this book will read anything like FSOG you will be sadly disappointed. I liked that EL James went into an entirely different direction. But that’s where the excitement ends. Sadly the story nor the characters were entertaining. I just couldn’t relate or connect with Alessia or Maxim. It was a stretch to claim this as a slave trope because Alessia never got sold into slavery. She ran away from dangerous men who trafficked women.
The Mister takes you through the wild, rural town of Cornwall in the heart of England and the beautiful town of Balkans in Bulgaria. I could’ve done without the tour book journey through these locations.