I hate the mistress trope

Okay. I’m a modern woman. I think as long as two (or more!) parties are adults and consenting, then knock yourself out.But I HAAAAAAAAAATE the mistress trope in historic romance. It’s like saying “you’re not good enough to marry, the only thing a woman was considered good enough for back in those days, but you are good enough to use, sleep with, “ruin” for a respectable marriage, and leave.”In today, it’s fine because everyone is on even/even-ish footing. But back then, men had all the control over a woman’s future, livelihood, health, safety, number of children, etc. so it just makes me so mad when an author tries to create a storyline where some jackass mistresses a virgin woman 10+ years younger than him, and then has them fall in love with each other. It’s not romantic, it’s borderline manipulative, isolating (couldn’t find another husband/good husband if your virginity is taken), and definitely uneven.Thank you for coming to my Ted talk. via /r/RomanceBooks https://ift.tt/36Lkl6a