TITLE: The Governess Gamble
AUTHOR: Tracy Sumner
SERIES: The Duchess Society
SERIES ORDER: Storyline: #1.5; Published: #3.5
PUBLISHED: (as a part of the Naughty or Nice: A Regency Holiday Anthology) 10/18/22;
(on it’s own) 12/03/22
AVAILABLE IN KU: Yes
GENRE: Holiday Romance, Regency Romance
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
BLURB:
He’s a devil of a rake. Can an accidental governess teach him life’s most important lesson?
To repair her scandalous reputation, American heiress Franny Shaw flees to London in search of a desperate nobleman with a title for sale. An impulsive decision places her in the path of lonely libertine, Chance Allerton, at Christmastide.
Can a make-believe governess teach a wicked viscount a sizzling lesson in love or will it take a holiday miracle?
MY REVIEW:
DISCLAIMER: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
NOTE: You can read this story in the anthology, Naughty or Nice, which is out now, or you can read it on it’s own when it releases December 3.
This was really cute, and steamy, addition to The Duchess Society series that I’ve fallen in love with, and it’s a perfect holiday read!
Chance Allerton (or Viscount Remington) has a problem. He’s found out that he’s the recent guardian/charge of a little girl, and he needs a governess. He calls upon his good friend, Hildy Streeter (from The Brazen Bluestocking) and asks for her help.
Francine Shaw is an American governess with a problem. She’s in England, escaping a scandal back in America, and she needs a title. She also loves her artwork, and when she sees Viscount Remington at a ball, she knows she MUST sketch him! When she overhears his need for a governess, she begs Hildy to send her. Which Hildy reluctantly does, but only for two weeks! What can happen between Chance and Franny in two weeks?
Things I loved about this story:
Francine/Franny and Chance are two lonely people, who are looking for temporary solutions to their problems, but find so much more!
The chemistry between Franny and Chance!! 🔥🔥🔥
Favorite scene: when they are in his workshop (or office) and he begs her to leave before he takes her against the door! (Que fainting!)
I love Franny’s relationship with Kat (her ward) and Ada (her chaperone/maid.)
Franny is a strong, independent woman. She knows she made a mistake back in America and needs to marry for a title to save her reputation, but she’s not going to let that man control her.
While it’s the fourth book in this series, the story actually takes place between books 1 and 2 (The Brazen Bluestocking and The Scandalous Vixen) and I loved the Easter eggs in this book regarding Philippa and Xander, who were the couple for the third book in this series, The Wicked Wallflower.
Thank you Tracy and WOLF Publishing for the advanced copy.
Interested in buying the book? I don’t have a link yet for the book itself, but below you can find the link to the anthology. Did I mention that you can also read this in KU?