An Unlikely Governess by Karen RanneyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Someday, when I have the time (LOL), I'm going to reread this book. When I started it I was incredibly busy and even when I could steal some short reading time, my concentration was poo. I also stopped and read a bodice ripper in the middle. So, this quickie review is going to probably sound scattered but I want to talk about this book.
He folded his arms, ignoring the cold as he watched the carriage begin the descent to the village. She was going to be a problem.
I don't know if the first half of this was boring, vague, and meandering or if the personal issues I mentioned played a bigger role but I almost gave up on this book. Going by the cover and title, I was shocked when I started reading and the vibe was completely Gothic, not expected. Our heroine Beatrice lost her parents and friends to a sickness epidemic (think it was cholera?) and she's been on her own for a while now. She's poor and starving trying to get any job when someone tells her the castle on the hill is looking for a governess. It's dark, gloomy, storming, and the castle feels haunted. We meet Gaston, a servant to the uncle of the seven year old duke (Robert) she's to be a governess to, Cameron the uncle, and the son of Cameron and cousin to Robert, Devlen. I'm not going to even lie and admit I spent a good portion of the beginning not really knowing who the heroine was going to be paired up with or knowing what the heck was going on. (Right before I read a book, I don't usually read the back cover so I'm not spoiled on stuff) It's dripping with Gothic mystery; Robert's parents died in a carriage accident that left his uncle Cameron in a wheelchair and now someone is trying to kill Robert. Maybe. The vast majority of the story doesn't really dive into that, it was simultaneously the focus and to the side. I'm sure that's clear as mud but that's how it felt to me.
He breathed against her ear. She turned her head and brushed her lips against his bristly cheek. He'd traveled all night to be with her. He traveled in the darkness like a demon, and in the dawn light, he offered her a hint of depravity. Dear God, she wanted it so.
Now, either my attention finally could be focused or the story improved but the second half of this, particularly the last 35%, was richly good and all because of the relationship between Beatrice and Devlen (yes, the hero was finally obvious to me).
"Do you believe in love at first sight, Miss Sinclair?"
"No."
He laughed softly. "Now who's the cynic?"
"Why fall in love with someone's appearance? People get sick, or grow old. The character matters more than looks, Mr. Gordon. Wit, intelligence, kindness, all matter more than appearance."
"So, you would have love come after a conversation?"
"Perhaps."
"How long would it take?"
"The conversation?"
His smile chided her. "Falling in love."
"How should I know if it's never happened to me?"
"Perhaps we should talk longer, Miss Sinclair, have a few more conversations."
He looked away, and it was just as well, because she didn't know how to answer him.
Y'all. I mean, this stopped me in my tracks. Our stoic contained Devlen, just dropped a huge emotional bomb in a way that delighted the hell out of me. This was a hidden depth moment that always make me sit-up and pay attention.
Neither of these two hold titles and their first sex scene was not enjoyable to Beatrice (she was a virgin and there was a good padded thread to them dealing with this and to her enjoying the next time), and along with the Gothic vibe, this felt very different for what is usually found in this subgenre.
The mystery of/if and who could be trying to kill Robert was pretty meh, not flushed or highlighted enough for me and then the resolution is left to the very very end and answers we get were convoluted eye-roll-y for me. But dang, Beatrice and Devlen really hit me in the second half. The other characters never were clear or filled in enough (what even was Devlen's relationship with his dad??), probably to keep the mystery going but it just made the first half hard for me to get into until the romance really started going.
I also want to put this moment up because I thought the writing was beautiful and made Beatrice's character shine more:
Her eyes tickled with unshed tears. An odd moment to cry. Or perhaps the best moment, after all. There was so much loveliness in the world, the same world in which there dwelt so much horror. A paradox, one in which they were forced to live. She wanted something at this moment, something she couldn't quite define or explain. Something that would answer the restlessness deep inside her. She was either hungry or lonely or distraught and more than a little curious as to why she couldn't identify the feelings completely. Perhaps it was because all this time, she'd cocooned herself, protecting herself from the grief and fear that were too painful to experience on a daily basis. Perhaps she was separated from her own discomfort, like stubbing her toe and not feeling the pain until hours later. Was she just now recognizing the full extent of her own loneliness?
It may be hard to see why I felt like this was beautiful and defining for Beatrice without having read previously to this point but Beatrice was stoic too and this cracked her shell and you feel her grief over losing so many and her endurance to survive when she had no money.
The beginning was slow for me but the ending had me sitting up and taking notice and some scenes and Beatrice and Devlen will be lingering in my mind.
I hope Robert gets/got his own book!
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