After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud: duke’s heir in the streets and devil in the sheets. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart… without risking her own.
The infamous rake
Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to give her an education—in pleasure. That should prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling… and he’s in danger of falling, hard. (Pub Date: Aug 28, 2018)
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
I'm very into the tropes in historical romances but I've had a hard time finding authors I really like. So far, Sarah MacLean had been the only one who'd checked all the items on my list. Tessa Dare has probably become the second go-to for me in this genre.
But this was a 3.5 for me.
Alexandra spent her childhood on the water but now it's her biggest fear, and down the waters of the Thames went the main instrument for her work setting time for clocks in London. And it happens right after an unexpected proposal from Chase, to become the governess of two girls. She has no experience but the money is too good and might finally enable her to fulfill her dream of becoming an astronomer.
This is a quite funny romance between two characters with great chemistry, both in need of each other to overcome their past. The scenes of Alex with the girls are also super fluffy. And I loved how the psychological of the characters was explored, especially the story of the two girls. Poor things! From the beginning, the manner their pain was shown broke my heart.
But it's still mostly a light-hearted story, and that's what I loved the most.
What I didn't like is kind of hard to explain. There's a reason we like historical romance—it's not as easy for them to get together because of society. Considering everything we learn about Alex, this book could have explored more all the obstacles, which in truth were none in the end. Even Alex herself seemed to know a lot of things, though one could argue her life with merchants would have contributed. Still, I confess I was disappointed. I like these difficulties, they're what brings the excitement to the genre; without them this was a mere romantic comedy. A good one, but just a little above average.
Still, I'm curious about the author. I liked her writing, I liked the fun she brought to the scenes. I'm super glad I've finally found another one to look forward to.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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