A Mysterious Governess for the Reluctant Earl

Abby Ayles you are pulling my heart strings with this story!! I fell in love with that handsome Lord Grimshaw. His two precious lovable little girls are his whole life since his wife, Ann died. He wants them to have a mother who will love and nuture them, and treat them as if they are her own. He has a hard time letting a new woman in that special place in his heart. Hannah, the new Governess is beautiful and so kind hearted. She adores his two little girls. Lord Grimshaw wants to tell Hannah how he really feels about her , but is struggling with some guilt. What Hannah doesn’t know is Lord Grimshaw has set his eyes on her to be his new wife. Loved this story from the first page to the end. Definitely A Must Read!!

Touching story of young woman, Hannah Jacobson, growing up in Great Britain in the 1800’s. We see how difficult life was for young girls from large, poor families in the 1800’s. Unless they had a sponsor to send them for training, they seemed doomed to repeat the cycle of poverty in which Hannah’s parents are trapped. From the first pages, we become attached to this courageous young woman who has survived a cruel upbringing in a girl’s aschool which does not believe in spoiling their students with such extravagances as heat in their rooms and sufficient food to stave off their hunger. Despite such treatment, she has become a kind, loving young woman who is grateful to her aunt and uncle for providing the funds for her training, which her parents, encumbered by 11 other children, could not afford. She has developed appreciation for the hard life of the servants and tries to not further burden them.
Life is difficult even after the training, as attractive young women can be the victims of unwanted attentions from males in the household in which they work. Threats from the perpetrators make these young women fearful of reporting these offenses, as well as the very real possibility that the girl will be blamed for enticing males, rather than being understood to be the victim. It is into such a situation that Hannah had been placed at her first place of employment. She left that situation, but without a recommendation, but with the determination to hide beneath a large hat and glasses to mask her beauty. She thus hoped to escape men’s unwanted attentions.
Her new employer, Sebastian Blackburn, the Earl of Grimshaw, has 2 young daughter he loves dearly. The first impression we gain of the Hero, Sebastian Blackburn, the Earl of Grimshaw, is one of a harsh, opinionated man with great authority who does not always exercise it kindly. As we come to see his interactions with his children, his suffering from the death of his wife which has led to the need of a governess, we begin caring for him as well. He hires Hannah as her drab garb, hidden face with unbecoming glasses, convinces him she will not likely be marrying and leaving his employ, as did the first governess.
We watch as yet again, Hannah becomes the intended victim of an unscrupulous man, despite the disguises she has made. This man, an employee of the earl, physically threatens her as well as taunts her by saying ‘who will the earl believe- someone who has worked for him for years, or a new governess, about whom they yet know nothing.’ Hannah finds herself in a position where she feels she can’t talk to anyone in the house, especially the earl, and must fight off this lecherous man on her own. Situation after situation brings her to the brink of disaster with this man, yet she must carry on with her duties without complaint.
We hold our breath as suspicion after suspicion falls upon Hannah, praying she will not be sent penniless away, again without a reference. When Hannah IS finally dismissed by the Earl, with no possible job opportunities in sight, we grieve for Hannah. Will Hannah also become the victim of the stalker? Where will Hannah now go, in the middle of winter? Will the earl ever see the upright, virtuous young woman under the disguise, and be willing to trust her, and forgive her mistakes? Will Sebastien and Hannah find their way to each other despite the gulf between their social status?
Your heart, too, will become entangled in this wonderful book, which is clean and has a HEA ending. The life lessons Hannah’s behavior teaches us makes her a good role model for young ones. Readers of Regency Romances will not be disappointed.

To no avail, poor governess Hannah tries so hard to stay unnoticed and out of trouble. Earl Grimshaw just wants a good long-term governess for his precious daughters and he’s going to make sure he gets it even if he has to hire a troll and imprison her on his property! Of course, the heart has a way of interfering with the even best laid plans … Good solid writing, crisp, natural dialogue, a believable pl

I quite enjoyed this sweet novel.
I liked the heroine and fell in love with her determination and sweet heart.
The hero I liked less. Although I admired his devotion to his girls, I thought that his treatment of Hannah was rather harsh for the majority of the novel. Although he became more likeable in the end, he still wasn’t my favourite character ever.
The plot was pretty good, but I thought that some of the problems could’ve been easily solved by better communication.
I enjoyed the setting, and although there were some historical inaccuracies, the overall novel was filled with good lessons and sweet romance.
All in all, an enjoyable clean read!

A good read (Mills & Boone). with dickensian interests.

Sebastian Blackburn, Earl of Girmshaw, is perturbed at the loss of his last governess for his two motherless girls. It seems the previous one only used her employment as a means of securing a desirable match. He used a solicitor to hire the last one, but he will hire this one himself. Miss Hannah Jacobson is desperate for any employment. A baron shamefully harasses Hannah and dismisses her without references when she refuses his advances. Hannah is blackballed from any governess position in all of London. She must earn her own living and help financially her impoverished parents and many siblings. Hannah is not sure she can suffer all the outlandish and controlling rules the Earl suggests. Then the Earl’s footman begins stalking Hannah. – I liked the Earl and Hannah. His daughters were sweet and made the story better. Hannah helped lighten the Earl’s worry and was great with the children. This is a good historical romance. You have to sign up to get emails from the author to get an extended epilogue. A letter referenced in the book is included in that epilogue. This appears to be the latest thing with authors, but I do not like it. Include epilogues with the books!

Good story and no yukky sex!

Wonderful story of overcoming predjudice and the less physical side of love. I’m not opposed to lusty romances, but I think there’s something extra noteworthy in a story that can be endearing without relying on the physical appearance as the sole focus for love. That doesn’t besmirch attraction or laud morality, skirting and hinting at the desires, but instead focuses on a development of intimacy outside of sexual intimacy.

The premise was different for the historical format, I really enjoying reading it.