A Precious Jewel

A Precious Jewel had a few precious moments and overall was a sweet and simple romance with an emphasis on the simple. Some of the things I appreciate about Balogh's style of writing is her more nuanced world. Her books tend to have some symbolism and are a bit more "literary", for lack of a better term. The plot of this was fairly straightforward, but it was intriguing and fun. I like the idea of a mistress turned wife. Since her stories are simple, so are her characters, but this is where she falls short. While they do have layers, there's an over-arching dimness to them that doesn't dissipate, mainly because there's no great trial to rid them of it.

Take the hero Gerald: we are immediately told that he's not particularly strong or show more handsome. Just average looking. Later on, we learn he's not particularly smart, quick, a good dancer, athletic, nor brave or generous. Normally, I like reading about realistic characters, and there's nothing more realistic than an average person all too aware of their shortcomings and who are self-conscious of them. But when I read romance, I want the exciting fantasy. I don't need a hero who's both Hercules and Prince Charming, but I want someone with redeeming qualities. Gerald has none. Just a tale of woe that should make me pity him but doesn't. It doesn't help that he continually sees the heroine as his property, an object, and refuses to see her as a human being with a past and feelings.

Which brings me to the manic pixie dream girl heroine. Priscilla Wentworth certainly has a past, hobbies, a personality, desires, fears, strengths and weaknesses. She can play the piano and can balance accounts. She's a very compelling character. I like her, but I can't for the life of me understand why she falls for Gerald. The only reason I can think of is that he's easy to please in bed. She literally just lies there. After a few sessions of this, she falls in love. Even after he's rude and dismissive towards her, she still loves him. It's beyond my comprehension.

This book is a missed opportunity. With Balogh's style of writing and world-building, this should've been a home run. Instead, we have a male wish-fullfillment fantasy novel, which has no place in the romance industry. Sorry not sorry. There are already enough of those out in the world. show less

I know a lot of people think that Mary Balogh's romances are bleak, and there's some truth to that. It's one of the reasons I like them. This book was good, I thought, although it had a lot of similarities to her later books, especially the "More than a Mistress" series.

I bought the reissue as an ebook, rather than try to find a used copy of the original, and it was well worth it, despite paying a MMPB price for a category length story.

A Precious Jewel is unlike any historical I've read. The heroine is a prostitute working in a brothel, the hero a beta of average intelligence and looks, and, get this, the sex is initially quite uneventful for her.

"What?" you say, "The heroine isn't a virtuous maiden pretending to be a prostitute? Neither is the hero a take-charge Adonis determined to rescue her?" I'm not sure a story like this could be published today. It's rather honest for a historical.

Sir Gerald Stapleton is our rather average hero, and he visits Miss Blyth's brothel for predictable, no-drama sex show more with as much passion as someone visiting a chiropractor. When he first visits fallen gentlewoman Priscilla Wentworth he tells her:

I don't like any tricks...None of the little arts you girls know to make things proceed faster. I like to take it slowly at my own speed. All I want you to do is lie still.

And lie still she does. There are no fireworks, no "treacherous bodies" reacting to the heat of the other's touch, just safe, passionless missionary. So pleased by her acquiescence, Gerald becomes her regular client for months before setting her up as his mistress.

As awful as this sounds, I was compelled by the honesty of it. In truth, they use each other in the beginning. Gerald gets his safe, passionless sex, and Priss gets her independence and the ability to be Priscilla the lady again. From this sturdy, amicable partnership grows a romance. That it builds so slowly makes the eventual HEA much more palatable.

Gerald has been ill-used by the women in his life. His mother left him when he was quite young and his step-mother was a less than savory character. He has understandable issues with relating to and trusting women. Unlike an embittered rake with woman troubles, however, Gerald is awkward and naive, rather than selfish and dismissive.

Priss, on the other hand, had wonderful relationships with her father and brother before they died. Her reluctance stems from her refusal to hope for something more. She has weathered her fall with grace and good spirits, but she's not sure she could do it again. Her facade of professional distance between them, that the sex is just a business transaction, is to keep her own sanity.

Despite both their efforts to the contrary, these two form a tight bond. They offset each other's weaknesses and strengths. Priss finds herself hoping for more and Gerald begins to trust her and place her pleasure and happiness before his own.

A Precious Jewel is a slow moving book. Those who prefer passion and desperate declarations of love would probably be bored with this book. It's a gradual joining of two souls who are too afraid to lay themselves open and become vulnerable, but eventually must do just that. show less

Ms. Balogh's back catalog is hit or miss, but this book is a gem. Sir Gerald regularly visits a brothel for his needs. Priss is a gentlewoman whose circumstances have forced her here. The two form a bond though Priss tries to maintain a distance.
It's an unusual romance, but actually very sweet. I really enjoyed it. Both characters are nicely drawn; Gerald is not the usual Regency hero by any means, and Priss has a spine of steel. Their romance is very believable.

Sir Gerald Stapleton visits Priss, when his regular prostitute is ill. She is just the kind of accommodating girl that he wants and decides to continue with her until one time he finds she has been abused by her earlier visitor and he decides to set her up as his mistress. Priss is a down on her luck gently born lady who has been at Miss Blyth's for 2 months. She likes Sir Gerald for his undemanding ways and gentleness. They bumble along getting more connected until things conspire to force their hand and Priss to leave. This was a frank look at the hard side of life for women with no connections as well as a look at life for a gentleman with limited intellect and insecurity. Very well done.

I am glad I read A Precious Jewel. There was so much from the Balogh catalogue to choose from since she has been writing for a few decades and what made me choose A Precious Jewel was that in the blurb the two main characters are described as an “unlikeliest pair of lovers”. I am a sucker for unconventional love stories. I love it when the couples have to work for their love, it makes it worthwhile, just like in this particular story.

Priscilla Wentworth comes from a nice family and is a refined lady but she finds herself alone after her father and then her brother pass away from illness. Her mother died when she was young. Her brother did not leave a will so she contacts her former governess Mrs. Blyth and asks if she can stay with show more her at her finishing school until she turns 30 and is awarded her mother’s inheritance. Mrs. Blyth takes Priscilla in but confesses to her that her ‘finishing school’ is actually a house of prostitution. Priscilla finds herself in a horrible situation but decides to start working there as a courtesan. She knows it is not what she wants for herself but she also knows how much worse it could be since Mrs. Blyth thinks of her as a daughter and treats her well. She figures she will work a few years and save what she can until she gets her mother’s inheritance.

Enter Sir Gerald Stapleton who frequents Mrs. Blyth’s establishment and happens to book an appointment with Priscilla one day and starts seeing her three times a week from then on. A few months after this he decides to ask her if she would like to be his personal mistress. See how the story is channeling a Pretty Woman theme a little bit?

Priscilla agrees because although it is work Gerald is the kindest man she has ever met and she has feelings for him. Gerald rents a house for Priscilla with a small staff for her as well for an entire year. Priscilla is on cloud nine because she will only have to see Gerald and she cares about already. He also promises to give her an allowance after the year is up or if she chooses to leave before the year is out. Gerald is happy because the thought of another man with Priscilla upsets him and he is falling in love with her despite himself.

Priscilla is known in town for working for Mrs. Blyth and Gerald knows they two of them could never actually be together. What he doesn’t know is that Priscilla is actually a refined lady who just happened to be in a nightmare situation with no family, no money and nearly homeless.

I fell for the forbidden love/knight in shining armor trope immediately. Gerard is a beta hero, he’s more the quiet type but it works here. Priss loves him but she is prepared for it not to last. Both of them are prepared for this not to last and that thought is always on their minds which makes their time together bittersweet. Gerald was irritating at times and clueless even, but finally things dawn on him and when they do he goes all out to win the woman he loves.

A Precious Jewel is apart of a series but works fine as a stand alone read. There are a few characters here which I am assuming are in the other books and this story resolves itself at the end so you don’t need to read the others in the series unless you want to.

I recommend it if you enjoy unconventional romance and a beta-hero.

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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I purchased my copy of A Precious Jewel by Mary Balogh. show less

One of the most boring romances Ive ever read. The blurb was more interesting.

It would have been better if it had bit grittier and darker in tone.

But no,lets make the heroine a saint instead.

The heroine tries to convince the reader that while she sells her body for money the place where she works is nice and all the other girls in residence are treated with respect and taken care of. Why sometimes she even enjoys the bedding.

.....

Face the truth, its a brothel and youre a prostitute. Simple as that.



The heroine went on to grate on my nerves further with her holier-than-thou airs and her favorite word. Wich is "lovely"

You could make a drinking game out of the number of time the heroine says the word "lovely"


"Sir Gerald",she said "How show more lovely to see you again" p 50

"But Hyde park was quite lovely too" p 51

"How lovely it is to see you again" "Lovely indeed" he said.

"It was a lovely day again,and Priscilla had looked several times from the window and sighed" p 73

"She was able to return to her book that evening and concentrating on the story. It had been a lovely afternoon.p 75

The hero is no better...while hes described as having a nice but plain face and not being overly tall(something unusual in regencies where the man usually is insanely handsome and 6 ft) wich I would have liked better if he had any personality to speak of.

He had a dramatic backstory but thats not the same thing.

Only read if youre a Balogh-fan who has to read all her works. show less