Dangerous Lord, Innocent Governess
Grade : C-

Sometime over the last ten years, I have become more sensitive to historicals that have modern heroes and heroines with wallpaper historical background. It not that I can’t enjoy them, but the author needs to distract my attention with smart riposte and humor or I am pulled out of the story every time I come across present day conversation and mores. Except for the title and a few changes in mode of transportation and, clothing, Dangerous Lord, Innocent Governess could have easily been published as a contemporary romance. 

Daphne Collingham believes Lord Timothy Colton killed his wife, her cousin Clare, and that now his aristocratic friends are helping in the cover up. In a bit of luck, she meets the new prospective governess as she is traveling to Wales. With her pin money and two dresses, she arranges to take the woman's place and forges the references. After passing scrutiny from Lord Timothy’s neighbor, the Duchess of Bellston, she is offered the position of caring for her cousin’s three children.

Almost immediately the children and Lord Timothy sense a difference in this governess. Not only is she not a tyrant like the previous governess, she doesn’t lecture and allows the children to learn at their own pace. These acts of kindness soon break down the barriers between her and the difficult children.

Lord Timothy doesn’t want a governess because he feels that the children would be better served at school. However, after being threatened with house arrest by the Duchess, he acquiesces. Immediately upon meeting Daphne, he feels the pull of attraction, thinking she belongs more in his bedroom than the schoolroom. As Daphne eases the distance between Lord Timothy and his children, the attraction grows.

Daphne is a likeable character. In a way how could she not be? She could easily be a friend of mine. Even though she has never been around children, and in fact it is well known to her family that she dislikes them, she still wins over the three traumatized youngsters. Her lack of knowledge about the hierarchy of servants and governesses doesn't create any problems for her in the new household and she is easily accepted by all, even when it becomes apparent that her teaching methods are unorthodox.

However, Lord Timothy is difficult to understand and grow close to. He is tortured because he believes that he has committed a crime. In his mind he doesn't deserve his children and he doesn't deserve the protection of his friends, so what does it matter if he takes advantage of the young governess? He is estranged from his best friend, Adam, the Duke of Bellston, ostensibly because Adam as magistrate declared that his wife's death was an accident when in actuality he has a truly more valid reason to sever their relationship. After reading this portion of the book, I was completely flummoxed by his behavior. While his treatment of his children remains consistent, he wavers back and forth too much on his opinion of the heroine, and the amount of respect that she deserves.

Within the book the pacing itself is well done, but there are just too many scenarios that seem unrealistic. From the hero's treatment of an employee to the heroine's willingness to change their relationship to a sexual one to the way the relationship is consummated, the anachronistic modern child rearing practices and parent child relationship, and finally the heroine's family's lack of concern with her staying in a household headed by a single man and devoid of any type of chaperone. Toward the end, my willingness to suspend disbelief just reached a saturation point.

While this book is part of a series and I gather the first story is about the Duke of Bellston, this book is easily read as a standalone. During most of the book, my grade was in the C range, but taking into consideration the complete lack of any historical context, I dropped the rating down to C- .I do realize that some readers don’t have a problem with wallpaper historicals. If you are one of those readers, you might enjoy this book more than I did. If you buy historicals because you enjoy savoring the time period, then I recommend giving this book a pass as it has little sense of time and place.

Reviewed by Leigh Davis
Grade : C-

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : July 21, 2011

Publication Date: 2011/07

Review Tags: 

Recent Comments …

Leigh Davis

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
What's your opinion?x
()
x