• Title:  When a Duke Loves a Governess
• Author:  Olivia Drake
• Genre:  Romance
• Rating: 4 out of 5

Tessa James has worked and planned tirelessly to open her own millinery shop. All she needs now is a loan from the lord who sired and abandoned her. The only problem is, she doesn’t even know his name. What’s a woman to do to find him but enter the aristocratic world by becoming a governess?

Guy Whitby, the new Duke of Carlin, has returned to London after years abroad to discover that his young daughter Sophy has become a wild-child known for scaring away every governess who’s crossed his doorstep. When Tessa James applies for the job, he hires her in desperation despite his misgivings that she’s too bold and beautiful–and that she might be fibbing about her qualifications.

Their blooming attraction leads them on a completely unexpected path to love that neither wants to deny. But when an old enemy threatens Guy’s family, their forbidden romance goes up in flames. Can they still learn to love and trust each other as forces try to tear them apart?

This was a quick, easy read. Sophy was quite the brat to start with, and Guy’s blindness to that was almost enough to make me put the book down, despite the accuracy of the situation (Wealthy absentee father now trying to be involved, thinks his daughter is an angel). This was a solid read, but not an unexpected one. If you’re looking for an HEA-ending, Tessa and her struggles are a good way to spend a few hours.

Olivia Drake is an award-winning author.  When a Duke Loves a Governess is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

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