A Waltz with the Outspoken Governess by Catherine Tinley – Blog Tour

A Waltz with the Outspoken Governess

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A Waltz with the Outspoken Governess

A quiet governess…
An unruly heart
Sir Nicholas Denny is desperate to find a governess to care for his boisterous nieces and nephews. Demure vicar’s daughter Mary Smith seems ideal—at first. All too soon Nicholas discovers a different side to her… She’s a beautiful, vivacious woman, even if she infuriates him with her strong opinions! When he waltzes with Mary at a party he knows he’s in trouble—the spark between them is so tempting, but she challenges everything he thought he wanted in a wife!

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The Earl's Runaway Governess Tinley 6 dog
Author Bio

Catherine Tinley is an award winning author who writes witty, heartwarming, Regency love stories for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She has loved reading and writing since childhood, and has a particular fondness for love, romance, and happy endings. After a career encompassing speech & language therapy, NHS management, maternity campaigning and being President of a charity, she now manages a maternity hospital. She lives in Ireland with her husband, children, and dog and can be reached at http://www.catherinetinley.com, as well as http://www.facebook.com/CatherineTinleyWriter and @CatherineTinley on twitter.

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Tracy’s Review

A Waltz with the Outspoken GovernessA Waltz with the Outspoken Governess by Catherine Tinley

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Release Date: January 1, 2021

After years of being raised solely by her studious father, Vicar Smith, and being encouraged to speak her mind, he decides that Mary needs a more formal ladies’ education and sends her off to the Plumpton Academy for Young Ladies. Mary is miserable there but agrees to stay for a year to make her father happy. But she has only been there for 3 months when she gets the terrible news that her father has been arrested for treason! She is promptly turned out of school and needs to find a way to get to Norfolk where her father is being held. In a rare show of kindness, the headmistress recommends Mary to Mrs. Gray’s employment agency and as luck would have it, Mrs. Gray has a temporary governess position available in Norfolk, very close to the Brightwell prison where her father is being held. She offers Mary the position but warns her to remember that her behavior reflects on the agency and that she must keep her opinions to herself.

Sir Nicholas Denny is preparing for an invasion, his sister is coming to Stiffkey Hall for a long visit and is bringing her five unruly children. Nicholas loves his family, but as a bachelor, he is unused to the noise children generate and as a scholar, he desires peace and quiet, so in an effort to keep things as normal as possible, he instructs his secretary to hire additional help, including a governess. He is not prepared for his reaction to Mary, he is immediately attracted to her, but is a bit disappointed that she is so demure and reserved.

For her part, Mary struggles to control herself and to conform to her new lower station in life. She doesn’t tell anyone about her father, but wonders if she can trust Sir Nicholas with the truth. Slowly Nicholas is able to bring the real Mary out of hiding, but this just ends up causing him more grief when she speaks her mind about him and makes him examine his life and what possible place she could have in it. After Nicholas has a rather nasty confrontation with his sister’s governess, everything goes wrong for Mary and she loses her position and leaves. Nicholas is beside himself when he learns she is gone –can he find her and tell her his true feelings or is it too late for him?

This was an interesting story; it is definitely not your run-of-the-mill historical romance and Mary is certainly not your average heroine. While the writing was good, the story did drag a bit in the middle and the ending was a bit of a mad dash to the finish. Overall, it was a good read, different and out of the ordinary. I don’t know if I would call Mary “outspoken” as much as I would say she is quick to judge and condemn and doesn’t always think before she speaks, she is, however, usually sorry for her words and is not above asking for forgiveness. The romance in the story is very subdued and the love scenes are nothing more than a couple of kisses. So, if you are looking for something with no steam that is a bit off of the norm – this book is for you!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher.*

 

The Worst Duke in the World by Lisa Berne

The Worst Duke in the World (The Penhallow Dynasty, #5)The Worst Duke in the World by Lisa Berne

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Penhallow Dynasty, #5

Release Date: January 12, 2021

When Jane Kent finds an old letter in a book, she has no idea how much her life is going to change. She travels to Surmont Hall to see Harriet Penhallow – the woman she believes to be her great-grandmother. Her reception at Surmont Hall is beyond her wildest dreams, the family accepts her immediately and for the first time in her life, Jane is pampered and spoiled. Old Mrs. Penhallow is ecstatic to have Jane living with her and sets out to give her the life she should have had, complete with a room of her own, a new wardrobe, and lessons with the local vicar. She is settling in and is introduced to several neighbors, including Anthony Farr, the Duke of Radcliffe. Jane has never met a duke and honestly, she is not impressed. But later when she meets his son Wakefield and visits the duke’s home – her feelings start to change and soon she is falling for him.

Anthony was born the spare to the dukedom and never thought he would inherit not only the title but his brother’s betrothed. His five-year marriage to Selina was a nightmare and the only good thing to come out of it was his son Wakefield. And despite his nasty sister Margaret’s non-stop attempts to find him a new bride, he has no plans to remarry and is content to spend his time in the country with his son, his studies, and his pig – Duchess. But then he meets Jane and for the first time in his life, he is falling in love – but as much as he enjoys Jane and her company, he holds firm to his vow to never remarry. However, when Jane leaves for a season in London he is miserable, and when he hears that she is a success and will probably marry one of the many men vying for her hand, will he finally admit his feelings and win her heart, or will it be too little, too late?

This was a quick read; it is light and fluffy and at times a bit silly. At first, I enjoyed the lightness of the book, but as the story went on, it began to annoy me. I liked Anthony and Jane and I have to agree with other reviews – they were both portrayed as very immature and almost juvenile in their interactions. I loved Wakefield and his “That’s what I said” line – truly, he was my favorite character in the book. I felt the book was going well, even with the ridiculous/annoying dialogue, until the end – then it was like the author just gave up and the last couple of chapters had a lot of narrative, but very little dialogue. I can’t say I really enjoyed the book, but I didn’t hate it, and if you are looking for a fun/silly read with likable characters, no steam love scenes, and a happy ever after – this book is for you. This is the fifth book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title with no problems.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. *