The Missus

The follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Mister, a passionate and thrilling love story from E L James, author of the phenomenal bestselling Fifty Shades Trilogies.

Alessia regards her husband through heavy-lidded eyes.

You’ll have to fight for him. Her mother’s words from their call this morning ring through her head. And fight, she will. Using every available weapon she has.

She loves him. She knows this. She wants him.

And she wants him to want her.

What happens once the glass slipper fits…?

Maxim Trevelyan, reluctant Earl of Trevethick, has pursued the woman he loves to the wilds of Albania. Having fought for and won her, he now has to wed her, at the sharp end of a shotgun.

But can a reformed rake like Maxim ever make a good husband — or will his own notorious reputation and the scandalous secrets of his aristocratic family destroy his newfound happiness?

Alessia Demachi has defied and outwitted kidnappers and traffickers, and won the heart of the man she loves, but can she make this marriage work? Confronted by Maxim’s lurid past, his forbidding family, and the looks and whispers of London’s elite, will she ever be seen as Maxim’s countess — or will she always be his former cleaner?

From the majestic mountains of Albania, through the rural idyll of the English countryside, to the shady glamour of contemporary London, The Missus is a spellbinding journey of love, longing, acceptance, and redemption.

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Bloom Books, an imprint of Sourcebooks.

Book club questions for The Missus by E L James

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

The Missus opens where The Mister left us: Alessia Demachi and Maxim Trevelyan, Earl of Trevethick, are in Albania; on the eve of their wedding. Maxim has searched for the woman he loves across the continent, in the face of the danger that haunts her. And yet, what preceded their union only sets the stage for the further unfolding of this Cinderella romance. How has extreme duress affected the couple, and made them stronger for the more domestic trials to come?

Albanian women, especially from the Northern region in and around Kukës, are brought up in a conservative, male-dominated culture. How has Alessia’s upbringing here, and the travails she has faced in her journeys to England, shaped the resolute, stoic woman she has become?

Human trafficking. Sexual slavery. Economic refugees. Wealth imbalance. In reading The Mister and The Missus, readers are afforded rare perspective into some of the most daunting issues bridging the E.U. and U.K. Let’s discuss fiction as a lens for current events, how it opens our perspectives beyond our own borders.

From refugee, to housekeeper, to Countess. This is a true Cinderella tale…but one could easily argue that Alessia was born to be an Earl’s equal mate, and her presence in Maxim’s life makes him a better man, an empathetic and insightful steward of his family’s proprietary holdings…and a stronger member of the peerage. Do you agree?

During the writing of this tale, Europe was experiencing a refugee crisis, with Ukrainians fleeing their homeland for safe harbor across the continent. The Missus incites such gravitas, such compassion for those seeking safety and economic stability. What emotions pulled at you when Alessia’s friend entered Maxim’s and Alessia’s flat? Did you react to her instinctive distrust of the man who welcomed her into his home?

The Missus provides readers with a rich travelogue, journeying through the heart of London to wind-swept Cornwall, and through ruggedly beautiful landscape of Albania. Does reading this type of book go beyond escapism, and inspire readers to travel to places they’ve only just imagined?

Music continues to play an important role in The Missus, as well as in all of E L James’ work. How does the score of a book affect your own reading cadence; are you inspired to download and enjoy the author’s book-themed playlist?

The Missus Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the The Missus discussion questions