Reeling from the death of her parents, eldest daughter Octavia strives to be a source of strength for her sisters. She defies their grandfather’s high-handed meddling—and his desire to see the Staunton girls married. She forges her own path to independence, which leads to the gates of Caswell Hall. There, the governess has just quit her post, leaving a vacant spot in the local lord’s household.… household.
Simon, Viscount Althorne, is impressed by the sensible, dark-haired beauty, and hires her to teach his wayward young niece. He resents the loss of his carefree bachelor days, and longs to see the child settled so that he may return to London. But one perfect English summer turns their plans upside down, and he becomes inexplicably drawn to the one woman he cannot have—the governess.
Can Simon convince her that he is a gentleman worth loving? Will Octavia allow herself to fall for a man beyond her reach? Or will class and duty separate them forever?
Romance Heat Level: Warm (3.5 out of 5)
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This is without a doubt one of the best historical romance novels I’ve ever read! Allyson Jeleyne does a superb job setting the scene and crafting the characters. The English countryside, the everyday toil of regular people contrasted against the splendor of Caswell Hall, is accomplished with poetic ease and perfection. Furthermore, there was no angst, no lies or secrets, just two people trying to make their budding romance work. By the time I reached the end, I was relieved by the originality – by the lack of some awful villain who so often threatens to ruin it all before our hero and heroine reach their happily ever after. There was none of that, and as a result, In the Viscount’s Arms is simply a beautifully told love story. If you haven’t read it already, I highly recommend you do. You won’t be sorry. This book is a treat – a happy gift tied with a bow – and on top of all that it’s currently FREE!!! So grab it, read it, and once you’re done I’m sure you’ll do as I will and purchase the sequels 🙂
Octavia needs to earn money to support herself and her sisters and talks herself into a governess job — she wins the heart of her charge and the Viscount and is also mature enough to let her sisters follow their dreams. Wonderful characters ad setting.
I enjoyed the book.
Good story.
It was a good read.
A building of a tender love story. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
It’s better than the book description makes it out to be. It’s very realistic and the characters are rich.
Enjoyed reading. Very well written. Although predictable, as most of these romances are, it was a very relaxing read. Wonderful love story without being too mushy.
Enjoyed the story.
A beautiful, lovely and elegant nostalgic story of a kind, bold, strong, sensible and righteous woman finding the right person of her life; full of admiration and adoration!
Wow, I enjoyed reading this book! A great one!
An uplifting story as the eldest of three sisters forges ahead to help herself and her sisters following the death of both parents. In a time period that offered few opportunities for women, cheer as the heroine asserts her independence and finds a love that defies the cultural norms.
I liked this book so much I bought the second in the series
A tad predictable but a good pass time overall
Sweet, yet seductive story! Well done!
The characters in this novel were so well-developed, they seemed to be very real! As it continued, each character was given their moment in the spotlight and this development of personalities was a main element of the “realness” of the people. Good, easy read!
Loved the characters, especially the strong women. Simon was a sweetheart!
Well written/edited and kept my interest.
A gentle book, has well written episodes (many); enjoyed seeing characters build and develop nicely.
Good Sunday afternoon book to read and enjoy