Set in 1817.
Alexandra Mountbatten reluctantly accepts the post of governess to the two wards of the devilishly charming, Charles Reynauds. Alex has to win over her reluctant wards while fighting her attraction to her employer.
I’ve read books by Tessa Dare before but this is the first one I’ve read for a few years and I had forgotten about the humorous nature to her stories. It makes them feel real. One of the funniest scenes is when Alex voices her arguments for and against allowing Charles to kiss her:
““And you must have accumulated some talent for kissing, considering your history. So I suppose I could do worse.”
Hold a moment. Worse? He couldn’t let that pass unchallenged.
He lowered his voice to a seductive drawl. “Sweeting, you’d be hard-pressed to do better.”
“Precisely,” she agreed, matter-of-fact. “I may as well have a pleasant experience for my first kiss.””
There is also a hilarious skirmish towards the end with threats involving a violent and sadistic cat which also had me in stitches.
The female lead and her friends in this story were unconventional and very likeable but I’m not sure if they are authentic to the time period.
This book was enjoyable, it was lifted by the humour, but not one of Dare’s best. The plot felt a little thrown together and while the heroine claims to want to fight off the attraction for her employer, she doesn’t really fight very hard in my opinion.
Plot: ⭐️ ⭐️
Feels: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Sensuality: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Overall: ⭐️ ⭐️ and a half
