Pursuing the Governess by Jane Charles

Pursuing the Governess (Love of a Governess #3)Pursuing the Governess by Jane Charles

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Love of a Governess, #3

Release Date: April 26, 2022

Once upon a time Miss Regina Rutledge and Alec Winters, the Earl of Harwich fell madly in love and wanted to marry. But Regina’s father had betrothed her to a vile man and refused Alec’s suit. Determined to be together, they planned to elope when Alec returned from his cousin’s funeral. But fate had other plans for our lovers and Alec returns to London to find his love perished in a fire that also killed her father and the family butler. Heartbroken, Alec returns to his cousin’s estate and tries to figure out how to go on with Regina. IT takes him almost a year to realize that he will never love again but owes his title an heir. He decides it is time to move on and find a wife and he plans to make his cousin help him!

Nearly a year later, Regina has recovered from the fire that nearly killed her, but she might never recover from witnessing her father’s murder and hearing the awful things Mr. Vickery threatened to do to her. Bow Street runner Lord Matthias believes Vickery poses a danger to Regina and helps her “die”. She decides that with her scars and the scandal she will create if Vickery finds her, that Alec is better off without her and takes a position as governess, but when that doesn’t work out, she agrees to take the position being offered by Viscount Melcombe, Alec’s cousin and hopes she can avoid him. But fate once again intervenes and brings our lovers together again, but with so much betrayal, guilt, and pain between them, is HEA even possible and the even bigger question, will Lord Melcombe ever find a governess?

This was another well-written, emotion-packed story with a couple of unexpected twists that give this second-chance romance an unusual storyline. The book is fast-paced, emotional, a little angsty, a little heartbreaking, a little spicy, and filled with wonderful characters and hard-won HEA with a nice setup for the next book. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problems. I really enjoyed this story and would happily recommend it.

Tempted by a Governess by Jane Charles

Tempted by a Governess (To Love a Governess, book 2)Tempted by a Governess by Jane Charles

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: To Love a Governess, #2

Release Date: March 22, 2022

When her father died, Katrina Carrick inherited his bookshop/lending library and his debts. It was with a sad heart that she realized that she would have to sell all the books to pay the debts and seek employment. Having worked as a governess before, she answered an advert from the Viscountess Melcombe in Willanton England. She then gets the news that Lord Timothy Strotham, the youngest son of the Marquess of Shomberg is interested in purchasing her stock. Katrina invites him to examine the books but is not prepared for her reaction to him.

Lord Timothy has been restless, he is not suited for the clergy or the army, but tutoring and teaching at Oxford brought him no joy, so he has decided to open a lending library in the town of Middleton where he owns a small estate. He learns of the book sale and travels to Scotland to meet the owner. He is shocked to learn that the owner is not only a woman but a young, single, and very attractive woman.

Over the next couple of weeks, these two get to know each other and the attraction intensifies, but neither of them is in a position to pursue a relationship and try to ignore the sexual tension that is growing stronger each day. Timothy is firm in his resolve to keep his dealings with Katrina strictly in the friend zone, but Katrina has other plans. When she learns his estate is near to Willanton and that he is traveling there as soon as their business is completed, she figures she can kill two birds with one stone, she will ask Timothy to give her a ride to her interview and since she never plans to marry, she hopes to seduce him and experience passion before settling into a life of servitude. What could go wrong?

This was a well-written, fun novel with very likable characters who share an undeniable attraction yet for whom HEA doesn’t seem to be in the cards. The book is filled with smoldering attraction, risque reading material, a handfasting gone wrong, some warm love scenes, great secondary characters, some surprising twists and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. This is the second book in the series, but it is loosely connected and this book could easily be read as a standalone title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*