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    Mistress of My Fate
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    Mistress of My Fate
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    Mistress of My Fate
    Audiobook17 hours

    Mistress of My Fate

    Written by Hallie Rubenhold

    Narrated by Moira Quirk

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Set during a period of revolution and turmoil, Mistress of My Fate is the first audiobook in a trilogy about Henrietta Lightfoot, a young woman who was abandoned as a baby and raised alongside her cousins, noble children of a lord and lady. At just sixteen years old, circumstance and a passionate love affair tear Henrietta away from everything she knows, leading to a new life fending for herself on the streets of 18th century London as a courtesan, gambler, and spirited intellect of the city.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateJan 8, 2013
    ISBN9781611137576
    Unavailable
    Mistress of My Fate
    Author

    Hallie Rubenhold

    HALLIE RUBENHOLD is a social historian whose expertise lies in rediscovering the stories of previously unknown women and episodes in history. The Five is the first full-length biography of the victims of Jack the Ripper to be published since 1888. By drawing upon a wealth of previously unseen archival material and adding a much-needed historical context to the victims’ lives, The Five promises to change the narrative of these murders forever.  

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    Reviews for Mistress of My Fate

    4/5

    85 ratings16 reviews

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    • 4/5
      there is so much more i want to know!!!! what happened with her son? guess i'll just have to be patient and wait for the next book......
    • 4/5
      A page turner about a young upper class woman in Georgian England who, driven by love, chooses to make her own way in the world as a member of the demimonde. Filled with rogues, descriptions of gorgeous clothes and jewelry, and the ring of historical accuracy about women's lives at the time. The British author pursued a PhD in history.
    • 4/5
      Mistress of My Fate is written as a confessional memoir by Miss Henrietta (Ingerton) Lightfoot as she tries to set straight the rumors swirling about her and her actions. The book is written in the first person so you almost feel as if you are sitting with Ms. Lightfoot, sipping a cup of tea and listening to her tell you her sometimes sordid story. But what was a young girl to do? It was a time period when women had no rights, they had no way of making a place in the world without the protection of a family name or a husband. Miss Lightfoot was brought up in a noble household but as the child of a second son, long dead she had no prospects for a good marriage and is being groomed to be a lady in waiting to her cousin. Her cousin is a rather spoiled, unpleasant woman and used people only when she thinks they can serve her needs.While on vacation in Bath both girls meet a young man and unfortunately they both fall in love. He too falls in love but societal demands and the needs of his estate cause him to pursue Henrietta's cousin while making plans to have all three of them live together. They think that this is better than never seeing each other again. But alas, it is not to be and a series of revelations and circumstances cause Henrietta to feel she must flee the only home she has ever known.But as she writes in her book - there are no instructions for a young girl out on her own. She barely knows how to dress herself let alone how to get along in the world. She soon finds out that nothing is free and it takes her many hard lessons to effectively learn how to survive.This is the first of three books detailing Ms. Lightfoot's life and loves and I can say that I'll be very much looking forward to the next installments. I found myself drawn into this very sad tale of a young girl who was quite wronged by people who should have cared for her. She was very naive as she ran away from home and despite many chances for her to learn from mistakes or from people trying to help her she, like most young people, thought she knew best. It was hard at times to read of her stupidity and not want to slap her face to wake her up! As I have written - I love a book that engenders that kind of emotion. (So far this year has been a good one for books - I hope it continues!) It takes Henrietta a while to figure out that she has to start thinking for herself and that sometimes she does need to listen to those that have come before and once she does a stronger woman emerges.The book ends with lots and lots of questions that need answering. That bodes well for the next installment. Ms. Rubenhold brings the time period to life with all the grit and danger of a woman with nowhere to turn and nothing to use but her wits and her body to survive. France is about to explode into war and it is impacting the lives of the people in Henrietta's life and that sense of impending trouble underlies the story. The characters so far introduced are well developed and with our heroine you know that there is a lot more to know about her and her love to come in the next volumes. It's not going to be all sunshine and roses for these two, not at all. But I can't wait to see how it all plays out.Rating:4
    • 5/5
      A very well written. i really enjoyed this book. the story line was great . good book
    • 5/5
      Great book , loved it , looking forward to more of her books
    • 3/5
      Read like a guilty pleasure. Fun, but definitely not challenging or with much depth. Reminds me of Phillipa Gregory's historical fiction novels.
    • 3/5
      It's not a bad book but I'm left with no idea what anyone in the story looked like really, The men blurred into pretty much one lecherous lout and the women were all sisterhood rocks. While she was in peril occasionally it didn't feel all that urgent and honestly she occasionally came across as being a bit thoughtless.Henrietta is the illegitimate daughter of the household, brought in as a charity case and aware of this from very young. So is her cousin, Catherine, whom she is expected to attend to as a companion for the rest of her life. Her cousin is spoilt and mean behind the backs of everyone in charge and encourages servants to treat Henrietta badly. Basically she has no friends in the world and her life is miserable. Until Allenham starts courting Catherine but is distracted by Henrietta. When Catherine suddenly dies and somehow Henrietta is blamed because Catherine had found letters between Allenham and Henrietta which upset her things go from bad to worse. Henrietta flees to Allenham and becomes his lover. When he leaves for London she follows but things are complicated.I really didn't care. I should have been drawn in and interested becuase this is my sort of thing but it just left me cold and wondering why bother. I may at some stage read any sequels but I have no really impulse to do so.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      The basics: Mistress of My Fate, the first in a planned trilogy, is the story of Henrietta Lightfoot. From the publisher: "a young woman who was abandoned as a baby and raised alongside her cousins, noble children of a lord and lady. At just sixteen years old, circumstance and a passionate love affair tear Henrietta away from everything she knows, leading to a new life fending for herself on the streets of 18th century London as a courtesan, gambler, and spirited intellect of the city."My thoughts: The premise sounds great, right? I love a feisty historical heroine and meandering life stories. Yet, I still can't quite put my finger on why this novel didn't work for me. I liked it enough to read all of its 450+ pages in three days, but I never felt truly immersed in the story. Henrietta directly addresses the reader in her retelling of her life, and while I got the impression Rubenhold intended for Henrietta to appear to be trying to hard, it also felt like Rubenhold was trying to hard to make Henrietta precocious. Still, throughout the novel, I kept reminding myself Henrietta was fictional because she felt so real. Strong characterization is a promising start for a trilogy, and I may well revisit the antics of Henrietta when the second volume comes out.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Henrietta Lightfoot gives the reader her confessions of her early life and how very suddenly it can alll go very wrong. 1782 is when the story opens. I liked Henrietta and enjoyed her narrative. She weaves her tale of her life been bought up with her cousin, and then how her life changes and circumstances force her to become a mistress. This book I found intersting from a historical point of view. How some womens lives meant very little and how they were treated. This book was for me a type of fairytale with the young maiden forced into a life beyond what seemed her control. The ending being sugary ending well.What I didnt enjoy was the length of the book. At times Hetty and tale was becoming laborious and I was becoming bored. Then along comes another change in her life and it grabs my attention. There were a few incidents in the book which I felt were unfinished but I do believe Hetty will be back. So then perhaps some of the loose ends may be tied up in the next installment. The book for me was a little overlong historical romo, but not a full on bodice ripper. I enjoyed most of it but perhsps am in no rush to see what Hetty does next.
    • 4/5
      Fun reading about a young woman's adventures in 18th-century England. Henrietta grows up the poor relation of an earl, but her fate forever changes when she falls in love with her cousin's fiance. As death and misfortune intervene, Henrietta finds herself left to forge her own path in life as best she can. A fun look at the 18th-century.
    • 3/5
      Well, I stopped reading it. I liked parts of it but found it too feminine and apologetic. I enjoyed the references to Rousseau and Goethe but not enough description or action for my taste.
    • 4/5
      A really lively, fun read full of likable characters set in 18th century London, England. Wickedly humorous account of a girl's coming of age through twists of fate. I really like the main character and found myself cheering her along in her journeys.
    • 4/5
      This was a delightful novel, the first I have ever read by Hallie Rubenhold. The first in a trilogy. This story introduces us to our main character Henrietta Ingerton. Henrietta, has led a privileged life with her aunt, uncle and cousins. She is a 'poor' relation and thus, although living in luxury she is not, considered a true lady and really has no prospects for her future. As such, Hetty then makes a rather rash and impetuous decision to leave the comforts she has known to escape an arranged marriage. Thus begins her great adventure into a life of promiscuity, debauchery and licentiousness. The author has written this novel in a first person format. Hetty herself begins the novel with 'My dear reader'. It's this breaking of the fourth wall which drew me to the novel. I felt I was personally hearing the true events of Hetty's life. Her words conveyed to me how she was not proud of what she did but did what she had to, which was a recurring theme within the novel. Ms. Rubenhold used descriptive prose with particular attention to details. Hetty's character was portrayed extremely well. You felt her despair and anguish and utter sense of hopelessness in a society that valued women no more than a prized possession.Hetty's character is rounded out by other rich characters all with differing temperaments and personalities. They are not the best class of people to be around but they are all instrumental in making Hetty the strong character she turns out to be.I would definitely read other of Ms. Rubenhold's works.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of Henrietta Lightfoot. She is a historical fiction character who falls in love with the man who her half- sister is to marry. She has been led to believe that Lady Catherine was her cousin, but actually finds out that she is her half-sister. Your right this is definitely going to cause some problems! When her half-sister, Lady Catherine dies, Henrietta is haunted by her ghost. Henrietta is unable to give up her love for Lord Allenham. This is a tale of lies, deception and debauchery. The book takes place in 18th century England. I felt like I was right there with her through her experiences. This is a sad tale of Henrietta and her unfortunate adventures as she becomes a victim of fate. The book gives us beautiful descriptions of the gowns and jewels and settings. It is an interesting look at the shady, less desirable characters of London. The prostitutes, the gamblers, the thieves that take advantage of women and the people of the stage are presented to us as Henrietta encounters them. Henrietta is at first naïve, but along the way learns how to wise up and work things to her advantage and becomes a manipulative woman. Through out her struggles, Henrietta remains in love with Lord Allenham and despite her marriages of convenience remains true to him in her heart.My favorite part:Mrs. Jordan speaking to Henrietta before she goes on stage says “The world has kept a great secret from you madam, when a lady loses her respectability, she gains all the liberty she might wish for. She is free to do as she pleases to follow whatever mode of life amuses her. She may go upon the stage, travel abroad, or chose a lover to suit her heart.” pg. 409.I thought that this book was a little long, but I enjoyed it. It is hefty at 452 pages. It was well written and the historical background of the book was great. It reminded me of Charles Dickenson’s descriptions of London and it’s characters. I will definitely look for the second book of the series. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. There were well-developed distinctive characters and a great sense of both the time period and background of London.
    • 4/5
      The book was written from the persepctive of a young lady going by the alias of Henrietta Lightfoot. Henrietta, a respectable young lady who has been thrown into some difficult circumstances, although she has tried to make some choices to control her own fate. Written in almost a diary format, Hetty has a strong voice although maybe not as innocent has she lets on.SPOILER ALERT!!! Henrietta is being raised by her uncle (later revealed as her father). She has the misfortune of falling in love with her cousin's fiance and he with her. When her cousin passes away, they are revealed through a series of letters that he has written her. Her father tries to marry her off to a man she despises and Hetty runs away to be with her love. Later, her love must leave her (although why is not revealed - mystery for the future of the trilogy) and she is forced to live as the mistress to a couple of wealthy men. Hetty makes many mistakes and through her head strong will, she continues to get herself into unfortunate circumstances and ruins her reputation. The story has a good sense of time and place. Hetty and her family are entirely fictional, while many of the society members described are real characters. Overall, an enjoyable read.Reader received a complimentary copy from Good Reads First Reads.
    • 5/5
      Mistress of My Fate is the first book in a series of memoirs, narrated by Henrietta Lightfoot, and set in Georgian England, 1789. When her mother abandons her, Henrietta was raised by her uncle and aunt, Lord and Lady Stavourley along with her cousins, Lady Catherine, Lord Dennington, and Master Edwin. At the age of sixteen, Henrietta falls in love with the dashing Lord Allenham, who is, however, betrothed to Lady Catherine. One week before her wedding, Lady Catherine becomes ill and dies. Everyone blames Henrietta for her death. As the household mourns, Lord Stavourley reveals to Henrietta that she is his illegitimate daughter, and that because she has no dowry, she must marry Reverend John Pease. But Henrietta does not accept this fate and she flees her Melmouth home with her essential possessions and a few coins to Lord Allenham’s estate. After a blissful and short period of enjoying their forbidden love, Lord Allenham leaves Henrietta for unknown reasons. In a desperate quest to find him, Henrietta embarks on a long trip, and she becomes a courtesan to support herself and her unborn child, while all along, she plans her courageous escape from her keepers. The story is told from Henrietta’s point of view who wishes her readers to know the truth about her life, and not believe all the public accusations they hear. In her era, men monopolize the government and the law, and women have no individual rights, no property of their own, no financial independence. They are literally property of men. In order to survive and to secure wealth and independence, Henrietta has to use her feminine charms, even steal and lie, and enter into sexual relationships with Sir John St. John and Philip Quindell. She lives comfortably, she has servants, she possesses a rich wardrobe and expensive jewelry (which later she will trade for money), she owns a carriage, and all her material needs are satisfied. She also makes good friendships with other courtesans who care for her and guide her through her problems. By the end of the story, Henrietta is no longer the innocent teenager who fled her home penniless, but a courageous, strong young woman who has learned from her mistakes and who has compromised her moral codes to find true happiness. What happens after Henrietta reunites with her beloved Allenham is the subject of the second novel in the series. Funs of historical fiction will love this novel.