Charlotte’s Control by Maggie Sims
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

William Stanton was hoping he would not have to attend formal society events until he was finished with school in Oxford. William was trying to make connections with people to rebuild his estate since he was the heir to the Earl of Harrington. His father had left the estate in disrepair and was constantly squandering their money through his drunken, bad investments. He was with his cousin, Percy, and his friend Luke “South” Lynwood when he noticed a woman sitting alone in a plum dress. They made eye contact, and he asked Percy and South if they knew who she was. They didn’t know her, but when Wiliam looks in the same direction again, she is no longer there.

Charlotte was the widow of Charles Peterborough, which made her the Dowager Countess since her brother-in-law, Edward, had married Sophia. Edward was kind enough to give her the house in London. However, Sophia had taken over managing the rest of the estate, which left Charlotte with a lot of time. She was good at investing and had a sizeable fortune. She laments that she is too old to be a debutante, yet she is too old to be a matron since she has no children. Her best friend, Isabelle, advises Charlotte to attend her friend’s ball and see if the man is there. The sultry courtesan tells Charlotte to ignore society’s opinion and to start living again. Evan “Cheltie” was the Earl of Cheltenhelm and had been friends with Charlotte and Charlie.

While at Cheltie’s party, he introduces William to Charlotte as the Countess of Peterborough. Mistaking her for the wife of the Earl, William introduces himself and states that his mother had requested that he speak to her husband. Insulted, Charlotte tells William that her husband died two years prior, and she did not find him funny. She runs from the party into the garden to compose herself. She realizes that she had been harsh to the young man because of Cheltie’s faux pas. William follows her, ignoring propriety, and apologizes to her. When he attempts to touch her hand, Charlotte tells him to remove his cravat and ties his hands. She intentionally makes sure he has a full view of her cleavage before telling him he is to call her Mistress P, and then leaves him and the ball. Shocked, William has to see the beguiling woman again.

Maggie Sims introduces the world of domination and submission in Charlotte’s Control. She tastefully sets the multiple “sessions” in detail that build the tension between the 19-year-old heir and the 28-year-old widow. Charlotte’s boundaries and time limit do little to dissuade Wiiliam from pursuing her in secret. When he followed his tip of climbing a trellis to see Charlotte, I had to laugh. His friend, Nate, had told him about what women’s romance novels involved; he didn’t realize William took him literally.

Sims shows how society views older women who marry younger men. I was able to relate to Charlotte, as I am 9 years older than my significant other. William’s disregard for the age difference is identical to how my husband views it; it is insignificant. She conveys the perspective that the age difference shouldn’t matter, within reason, since if the man were older, nobody would care. The double standards are made apparent throughout the book.

Charlotte’s Control will appeal to fans of forbidden romance novels with alternating views of the protagonists. Isabelle’s advice and William’s desperate letters to Charlotte add depth to this intriguing tale. The steamy scenes make this book appropriate for adult readers, and the details make it easy to envision the encounters. The plot is unpredictable, with engaging conversations outside the bedroom scenes. The first book in the Control series deserves five stars, and I am eager to read the sequels.

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