The Game and the Governess

Starred review from April 28, 2014
Noble’s Regency series opener woos readers as a bored aristocrat meets his match in a clever governess. When the Earl of Ashby, Ned Granville, and his secretary, John Turner, travel to the small town of Hollyhock to examine Ned’s deceased mother’s property, they wager that if Ned poses as John he’ll be unable to seduce a lady within two weeks. While staying at the home of Sir Nathan and Lady Widcoate, the deceivers meet a houseful of marriageable women, and Ned quickly learns how unimportant he appears as a mere secretary. He becomes intrigued by the governess, Phoebe Baker, initially seeing her as a means to win the bet but soon realizing that he is completely enamored of her. Readers will adore Phoebe, a once wealthy woman who has learned to put the past behind and find happiness in everyday life. The subtle development of romance between the devil-may-care earl and the proper governess is the impetus behind this winning novel, complete with rich characters and a multi-dimensional plotline.

Starred review from July 1, 2014
Ned Granville, Earl of Ashby, is really starting to get on his friend John Turner's nerves. John knows it is the fortuitous combination of Ned's title and bank account that ensures there is always a steady stream of women eager to make his acquaintance. Ned, however, maintains that it is his captivating personality and infinite charm that make him a hit with the ladies, and he is more than willing to prove it. For the next two weeks, Ned will trade places with John, who will play the part of the earl while Ned poses as his secretary. If Ned can't win the heart of a young lady within that same time period, he loses. What starts out as a simple wager turns into something much more complex when Ned sets out to woo governess Phoebe Baker only to find that the lady is surprisingly resistant to his charms. Noble's buoyant sense of wit gracefully propels the plot of her latest Regency-set historical to its immensely entertaining and eminently satisfying conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)