Series: Unlikely Duchesses, #3
Traits & Tropes: governess/employer; titled hero; class difference; hidden identity; widower; single dad
Publication Date: 07.27.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England
Heat Level: 2
Rating: 3.5/5
Hatmaker Tessa James has worked hard in hopes of opening her own millinery shop but having lost her job and her means of saving money for her own premises, she decides she must try to obtain a loan from the lord who fathered her and then abandoned her and her mother. Unfortunately, she doesn’t even know who he is, her only clue to his identity being a necklace with a noble coat of arms on it. When she overhears two society ladies gossiping about a duke desperate to find a governess he can keep for his unruly daughter, Tessa decides this is the answer to her monetary woes.
Guy Whitby, newly minted Duke of Carlin, has only recently returned to London after spending years sailing around the world researching coastal plants. In his absence his young daughter, Sophy, has been allowed to run wild and now he can’t keep a governess for more than a few days, sometimes only hours. When Tessa applies for the position, Guy decides to give her a chance despite his suspicions of her lack of references and the beauty that he notices entirely too much.
The growing attraction between Guy and Tessa leads to feelings that neither wants to give up but which are wholly inappropriate and impossible given their disparate stations. When an enemy surfaces to threaten Guy and his family, their romance is all but lost and each must decide if they can trust one another or allow difficult circumstances to pull them apart.
It took quite awhile for me to get into this book as much of the plot initially focused on Sophy and her wild antics as Tessa tried to improve her behavior. In fact, for much of the book, the relationship between Guy and Tessa is one of mistrust and suspicion. This gives way to lust soon enough, but that didn’t really convince me of true feelings. The romance was believable enough here by the end, but it was a long time in coming I think, with Guy and Tessa both bumbling around with their communication with one another and various villains coming between them in the meantime. I love steamy scenes and thought the ones here might be the key to solidifying this relationship, but somehow, they felt rather flat and unemotional, so I still didn’t get the connection I craved between the MCs. I enjoyed the slight aspect of mystery we got here and would’ve actually liked to see more of that. The villain was fairly easy to peg, but the plotting was skillful and sealed the relationship between Tessa and Guy into something that felt real. There were a few aspects of the plot that were left open and unfinished, such as Tessa’s friend from her old life, but for the most part I found the ending to be satisfying as a whole. Now I’m wondering if we’ll get a book for Avis and her earl, but if we do, I will likely read it as well.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2452996526
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3308638940
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