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wildfaeriecaps's review against another edition
4.0
The story was good. It was cute and I enjoyed the governess/daughter thing and all the references to cats in corsets were very amusing. But I also felt like Marcus was kind of dumb. He claims to not know how to go about in society but knew enough to get a woman with child and pay her an annuity. Like, he had money and knowledge. So why is he "I think this man is my new bosom companion but I haven't decided?" It was jarring. But I didn't let that stop me from enjoying the book overall.
bookloverchelle's review
4.0
A sweet, fun, funny historical romance. Lily thought she would be a governess to a home that includes a dodgy old Duke but Marcus is anything but. She can't hide her attraction but knows that she has no place with a Duke. Marcus is a bit of a scoundrel and he knows messing around with his governess is wrong but there's just something about Lily. As their attraction grows can they find happiness when society wants to keep them apart? Fun, light read but enjoyable!
ameretet's review against another edition
2.0
This one was almost good. I found the romance lacking but the prose was great.
balletbookworm's review
3.0
I nearly quit before halfway through - the first half is a bit of a weird mix of historical romance set-up and Jane Eyre (minus the wife in the attic at least). While Marcus and Lily are both nice enough they seem more like stock characters, particularly Lily since we never figure out exactly where she comes from. And there are a few things needling me (Lily would have been Miss Russell, not Miss Lily, and the extremely correct butler would have known this). The back half finally picked up but it felt like we were skipping along without actually looking into the couple's development in depth (there's an over-engineered scene at the druggist's and when Lily is threatened Marcus doesn't even try to find out who saw her/threatened her...humph)
A note on the cover: it's a very pretty cover, but completely the wrong time period. The model is wearing an Empire gown but the novel is set after Queen Victoria's wedding. 1840. Waistlines had most definitely come back down to the natural waist by then.
A note on the cover: it's a very pretty cover, but completely the wrong time period. The model is wearing an Empire gown but the novel is set after Queen Victoria's wedding. 1840. Waistlines had most definitely come back down to the natural waist by then.
maggiemaggio's review against another edition
Tried to read this on a plane for a couple of hours and the writing was just awful. Like so bad I thought it was a joke. Very simplistic, awkward switches in POV and from scene to scene, and there were already contradictions in the first 20%. Stay away.
kayo32's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
a_verthandi's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. Perfectly acceptable, if not mind-blowingly good.
smithrachaelynn's review against another edition
3.5
Rose was so stinking cute! I absolutely loved her relationship with the Duke. I also really liked that he acknowledged he made a mistake and took care to show love to his daughter. There were great things about this, but especially toward the beginning some of the little jokes and banter seemed awkward to me. There also wasn’t a resolution to the whole issue at the end. And I would have liked to see how the ending affected the agency and her friends. It just seemed like an abrupt and unfinished ending.
brianaisgoingplaces's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A lot of self loathing (which we all (me) partake in a healthy dose of), but it was a bit much. I liked the FMC and the child. I think I liked the duke at times and tolerated him at other times. I don't think "smug" and "arrogant" are cute to me unless they can be backed up.
This book was longer than it needed to be, mostly due to the aforementioned self loathing. There wasn't really any will they won't they more like they will, and I'm tired of it. -_-
This book was longer than it needed to be, mostly due to the aforementioned self loathing. There wasn't really any will they won't they more like they will, and I'm tired of it. -_-