Governess Gone Rogue

February 1, 2019

With an education and upbringing to rival a man's, thanks to her university professor father's progressive ideas, Amanda Leighton's path in academia seemed secure. Then she took a lover, lost her girl's academy teaching position and her reputation, and became unemployable as a governess. Still, she needs a job and has the skills. She learns that widowed James St. Clair, heir to the Marquess of Rolleston, is desperately seeking a teacher for his carrot-topped ten-year-old twin boys, infamous for chasing away nannies, and she "becomes" young Adam Seton, tutor. Thrilled and a bit surprised at getting the position, she sets about winning her charges over, knowing that convincing their too busy MP sire to spend more time with them won't be as easy. As well, it's only a matter of time before he sees through her ruse and her past returns to haunt her. An unconventional heroine with an effervescent approach to life and a worthy hero work to keep their feelings at bay in a story enhanced by two young hellions and an especially spiteful villain. VERDICT Witty, sensual, and just plain fun, Guhrke's latest foray into the late Victorian world of "Lady Truelove" cleverly refreshes the classic cross-dressing heroine trope; highlights the cruel disparity between opportunities for men and women; and gives a deserving pair their happy ending. A thoroughly engrossing read. Guhrke (The Trouble with True Love) lives in the Northwest.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2019
A ruined lady dresses as a man to be hired as a tutor and falls in love with her employer and his two sons--but her past casts a long shadow.Before being notoriously seduced and maligned by an aristocrat, Amanda Leighton loved being a teacher. Unable to find another position, she is piqued to hear a nobleman claim that "no woman can prepare a boy for Harrow and Cambridge." Desperate, she disguises herself as a man to apply to tutor the gentleman's infamously naughty twin sons despite the unwritten rule that "women, alas, could not be tutors, not to boys. It wasn't done." Amanda, as "Mr. Seton," soon has the boys settled into a routine and engaged in her lively lessons, but it's not too long before their father, Jamie, realizes she's a woman. The boys are already attached to her, though, and convince him to let her stay as their governess "Miss Seton." Jamie and Amanda are attracted to each other, but Amanda realizes her sordid past would threaten his position as a Member of Parliament. She also believes he's still devoted to his dead wife. Jamie knows Amanda has suffered unwelcome attention from previous employers, plus he's acutely aware that Amanda has brought order and joy to his household, so he doesn't want to jeopardize the status quo despite his growing feelings. However, when Amanda's past threatens everyone's happiness, it forces Jamie and the boys to clarify their feelings and stand up for her in unexpected, heartwarming ways. Guhrke continues her delightful Lady Truelove series with similar charm, creating another irrepressible heroine and making another nod to the frightful historical disparity between women's and men's freedoms but adding two adorable kids and a gentleman who needs to be reminded of what's important--à la Mary Poppins--to the mix.A clever, sexy, and endearing historical romance.

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The listener feels immersed in late-nineteenth-century London as the twin 10-year-old sons of James St. Clair, the Earl of Kenyon, seek a new wife for their widowed father. Narrator Justine Eyre gives the voices of the boys, who have driven off many nannies, a mischievous quality. Amanda Leighton knows she has the ability to tutor them and disguises herself as a man in order to do so. Eyre uses deeper tones when Amanda pretends to be a man. Eyre is successful in providing a variety of accents and tonal shadings for a range of characters from the lower-class servants to the smarmy man from Amanda's past. The richness of Eyre's voice, coupled with a delightful romance, brings listeners hours of pleasure. S.B. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Starred review from January 1, 2019
On paper, Amanda Leighton has every quality necessary to be the perfect tutor for widowed and overwhelmed James St. Clair's twin sons, Owen and Colin. Amanda has exemplary academic qualifications and several years of teaching experience, and she is convinced that with the right mix of kindness and firmness, she can turn the boys from unmitigated hellions into model students. There is just one problem: everyone in society?James included?believes that only men can be tutors. However, Amanda desperately needs this job, and she is nothing if not a problem-solver. So, when Adam Seton turns up at the St. Clair residence to interview for the tutor position, is it really all that surprising when James begins to think there is something a bit different about him? Writing with her customary exquisite grace, RITA Award-winning Guhrke gifts readers with a delightfully amusing addition to her Victorian-era Dear Lady Truelove series, a romance that delivers a perfectly calibrated mix of deliciously dry wit, charming characters, and just the right amount of potently passionate sensuality.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)