The Earl and the Governess : All About Romance

The Earl and the Governess

Grade : C+

The Earl and the Governess is better than many Regency-set romances published currently, but despite pleasant prose and likable characters, it is still eminently forgettable.

William Stanton, Earl of Lennox, has just acquired a ward. His late friend’s daughter has been permanently dismissed from school and, until he can find another one, Will is stuck with her. He has coasted through the shallows of life very nicely, thank you very much, but really doesn’t know what to do with her. However, as luck would have it, he happens upon an attractive young woman about to be mugged, and offers her the position of governess to his ward.

Isabelle Thomas is on the run. She discovered only recently that her late antiquarian father forged all the Roman busts he sold to collectors, and now someone is blackmailing her in exchange for, well, you know. She runs into Will on the way back from the pawnbroker and, left with no options, takes up his offer. Will, of course, wants to seduce her from the beginning, but his tune quickly changes when he realizes he has come to relish their gentle bantering.

The book’s strength and weakness lie in the same area. The very ordinariness of the characters and situation makes them virtually indecipherable from the hundreds, or even thousands, of Regencies on bookshelves. Rake Will with a newly acquired ward – ordinary. Impoverished Isabelle who becomes the governess – ordinary.

Now on the positive side, no spies crawl out of the woodwork, all secondary characters are functional and unobtrusive, and Will and Isabelle are nice, no-nonsense characters who go about the business of falling in love with no more fuss than their situation warrants. The ward’s personal issues are settled after a suitable period of time, the troublemakers drift out of view realistically after providing the necessary catalyst, and there are some gentle moments of humor that made me smile.

However, while there is nothing to berate or castigate in Ms.Elliott’s latest book, there is also nothing to prompt ecstasy or enthusiasm – I found it equally easy to lay the book down as pick it up again. By no means was it a waste of time to read. But there are certainly better books to choose.

Reviewed by Enya Young

Grade : C+

Book type : European Historical Romance | Historical Romance

Sensuality : Warm

Review Date : January 19, 2010

Published On : 2010

Enya Young

I'm a teacher who's been fortunate to live in a few places; currently I'm in England. And if you give me a choice between savoury and sweet, I'll go for savoury every time.

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