In Vanessa Kelly’s enchanting series, three young women descended from royalty overcome their scandalous beginnings to win the hearts of the ton’s most eligible men . . . The illegitimate daughter of the Prince Regent might be expected to pursue various dubious professions. Actress, perhaps, or artist’s model. Even courtesan. Victoria Knight, however, has become a governess—a respectable … however, has become a governess—a respectable choice, until she travels to Scotland to meet her new charges. The younger brothers of Nicholas Kendrick, Earl of Arnprior, aren’t children at all. They’re brawny, wild Highland men. As for the Earl, he’s handsome, guarded, and far too
compelling . . . especially for a woman hiding a dark secret.
Nick needs a proper teacher to transform his unmarriageable brothers—and a sensible, straight-laced wife for himself. Miss Knight seems to fit the bill on both counts. But he soon discovers there is more to Victoria than he thought. It’s not just her notorious origins, or the danger that’s followed her all the way to Scotland. It’s the fiery loyalty beneath that sedate façade. This, the real Victoria, is the woman Nick is starting to desire so desperately. And what an earl wants, he’ll use every seductive means to get . . .
Praise for Vanessa Kelly’s Renegade Royals series
“Will definitely resonate with fans of Mary Jo Putney and Joanne Bourne.” —Booklist
“Kelly combines diverting dialogue, delightful surprises and finely tuned pacing to make this a winner.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“ Her own experience had taught her that cruelty lurked everywhere even among the highest ranks of society. Victoria could almost believe that wealthy, powerful men like Thomas Fletcher were the worst, because they used their privilege to abuse others.”
Victoria Knight is in enough trouble to have her family want to get her out from under the scrutiny of the ton after her former employer attacked her, resulting in his demise. A governess by trade, she accepts a challenge that takes her to the wilds of Scotland to help “tame” the brothers of the Earl of Arnprior. However, first she has to hide her secrets where no one can find her.
A bunch of unruly half grown men, Nicholas Kendrick’s brother don’t feel they need a governess but she is drawn into the family and becomes as protective of them as they are of her… and they don’t know half of her story. Will they still accept her after the past comes looking for her?
I have now read a couple of Vanessa Kelly’s Improper Princesses series, having won them in different contests. I really like them, in part, because they are a bit of a “poke” at Regency romances with a soupçon of the “Princess trope” that seems, at times, to permeate culture. I highly recommend this book and other books by this author. 5/5
New author for me…Loved the story…totally different romance! The main characters were enchanting. This is a must read for those that read for shear enjoyment!
What a delightfully delicious end to the Improper Princesses series and hopefully an intriguing set-up for Vanessa Kelly’s next series. I mean – surely she couldn’t be so cruel as to introduce us to six tall, handsome highlanders and then not do a series for them. While this book is part of a series, you can easily read it as a stand-alone – although I can’t imagine why you would want to since the entire series is wonderful.
Victoria Knight is the natural daughter of the Prince Regent and the daughter of a tavern owner. She grew up knowing that her mother’s family loved her, but were shamed to have her around. Her mother was a shameless flirt and Victoria did everything she could to assure that she was nothing like her mother. She fought for, and got, a placement at a school for young ladies and learned to be a governess. She was calm, dignified and prim, but she also had a calming effect on those with whom she came into contact.
Victoria became a governess at the age of eighteen and worked through a series of placements – all with sterling recommendations. Imagine her dismay when she took a placement that her half-brother Aden advised her against – and ended up in serious trouble. What was she to do? Since she had no other options she ended up in London at the home of Sir Dominic (you met him in earlier books) and his wife Chloe. Sir Dominic’s advice was to let him handle the issue for her and she should lay low at a placement in Scotland until the scandal died down.
When she arrives in the Scottish Highlands, accompanied by her cousin Alec she is horrified to learn what her expected duties will be. Her inclination is to decline and flea back to Glasgow with Alec.
Nicholas Kendrick, Earl of Arnprior, has a house full of unruly, unkempt, immature brothers who need to learn how to interact with proper society. He’s also plagued by a crusty old grandfather who is always causing trouble for Nick. The problem with these brothers needing lessons in decorum and manners is that they are not children. The youngest is fifteen and the oldest is twenty-five. They are appalled that Nick is hiring a governess – for them. So, you can imagine the welcome that Victoria gets when she arrives.
Nick is a troubled hero (of course). He is riddled with guilt for leaving his family basically unsupervised while he went to war – and even for the injury his brother Royal received after following him to war. Nick has other secrets as well.
Nick barely manages to convince Victoria to stay, but once she reluctantly agrees she quickly worms her way into the hearts of all of them. Then, as she and Nick work through problems with the brothers they become closer and closer until she unravels all of Nick’s secrets – but she keeps her own. Just imagine Nick’s shock and dismay when they come to light. Can their relationship survive it? Can they survive the villain who arrives from Victoria’s past? You’ll just have to read this delightful book to see.
Now – for what bothered me about the book. First and foremost is Angus MacDonald, Nick’s grandfather. From the way the book is written, I’m supposed to chuckle at his antics and think he’s delightful. I did not. The things he did were spiteful, hateful, mean, disrespectful and downright dangerous. He nearly got Nick killed, caused another grandson a broken leg and undermined Nick at every turn. So – no, I didn’t like him in the least. Second are the twin brothers, Graeme and Grant. They are twenty-two but act more like they are fifteen (or even younger). They giggle and snicker and are led into any number of mischievous acts by their grandfather. I didn’t find any redeeming qualities about them. Maybe if they are included in a future series Ms. Kelly will find a way to redeem and mature them.
All-in-all, it is a delightful book and I just know you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”
I absolutely loved this installment of The Improper Princesses!
Victoria Knight is and governess and the natural daughter of the Prince Regent and Aden’s half-sister, after landing herself in a bit of trouble at her last post, she turned to Sir Dominick for help.
Sir Dominick suggests that Victoria take a position in Scotland while he and her brother straighten out her problem. But he recommends that Victoria keep her reason for taking a post in Scotland to herself. Upon arriving at the Kendrick’s castle, Victoria is not sure that she is better off in Scotland and that maybe it would be better to return to London and face the consequences her actions.
Nicholas Kendrick, Earl of Arnprior needs help, he has returned home after years of war to complete chaos. His estate needs attention, his grandfather is a menace and his brothers have been running wild. When Sir Dominick recommends Victoria to him, he jumps at the chance to hire her.
After a very rocky start, Victoria settles in to life with the Kendricks and starts to feel at home with the rough and rowdy bunch of highlanders, especially Nick. When Victoria begins to unravel Nick’s secrets, they grow closer and end up being caught in a compromising position. Nick immediately suggests they marry, but Victoria has secrets of her own and tries her best to keep Nick at an arm’s length.
Nick is not the sort of man that will take no for an answer, he wants Victoria, she is light and joy in a life that has known too much grief, betrayal, pain and darkness. He sets out to woo her and in doing so, shares his deepest, darkest secrets. When Victoria finally agrees to marry him and it appears that they will get their HEA, everything goes wrong. Nick learns Victoria’s secret and is deeply hurt and lashes out at her. For her part, Victoria accepts his vitriol and breaks their engagement. But before she can return to London, problems arise and someone from Victoria’s past is determined to see her dead.
This was a great story, it is well written and flows wonderfully. The story is chock full of emotion and humor, as well as steamy loves scenes and tense life or death moments. This story takes off at a gallop and doesn’t slow down until the very last page. It was truly the best book in the series and I highly recommend it. It could be read as a stand alone title, but I recommend reading the books in order for maximum reader enjoyment.
I certainly hope Ms. Kelly is planning a series for the Kendrick brothers, because it would be vastly unfair to introduce me to 6 handsome highlanders and then leaving me hanging!!
*I am voluntarily leaving a review of an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*
Ms. Kelly is one of my favorite historical romance authors and this book does not disappoint. The reader is plunged into a situation involving governess Victoria Knight that will change the course of her life and not for the better. When she is shipped off to the Highlands of Scotland to be a music teacher to a young Kendrick boy, she can’t imagine accepting the post. His oldest brother, Nick Kendrick is a solemn and scowling Earl and there’s nothing inviting about Castle Kinglas. Victoria has worked for difficult employers in the past, but nothing can prepare her for the rowdy household of so many undisciplined Kendrick brothers.
There were so many twists and turns in this book that propels the reader to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. There is plenty of mystery, witty dialogue and smoldering looks in this story. It was my favorite book of the series so far. I hope Ms. Kelly gives Royal Kendrick his own story. He’s another Kendrick brother who is hiding so many secrets of his own!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Governess Victoria flees to Scotland to escape a scandal and attempt to improve the manners of Nick’s brothers. Chaos and mayhem ensue as Nick and Victoria try to get to know each other while Nick’s family tries to drive her away. This was a delightfully fun read with a happy ending. Highly recommended.
A good story with some good main characters. And some really wild Scots. I really enjoyed it. The book blurb wasn’t kidding about that. Also add in one wily, often unpleasant grandfather who has no time with Englishmen or women. Too bad, Victoria is one. But she may be slight in physical body she is but she is strong in determination. And she’s willing to go toe to toe with Nick’s grandfather. All the while still being the perfect lady, sort of.
The scrapes that the men of the family get into has Nick almost pulling his hair out. And the chaos is wearing him down. There is plenty of chaos and plenty of men to deal with. There is also plenty of emotion and some yelling going on. Also quite a bit of humor as well.
The romance between Nick and Victoria develops in a believable way. It happens over time as they begin to see the good things in each other. Of course Victoria is trying to stay on the sidelines because of her station in life and the secret that she has been told to keep. Yes, that will bite her in the butt and it does later..for a while at least.
There were plenty of interesting people in the book and that included, the 2 younger brothers of Nick’s. There is also some looks into problems of several of the other brothers as well.
I will say that a time or two the story seemed to slow down a bit but it still kept me reading.
There is a surprise and twist at towards the end and a H.E.A. Epilogue. But of course there will be danger and a near miss before we get there.
I also want to say what an attractive eBook cover this is.
Di not hold my intetest
Good read, again it was a bit predictable but good characters.
loved the book.
The final book in the Improper Princesses series is a treasure. Victoria Knight, illegitimate and unrecognized daughter of the Prince Regent, works as a governess for a respectable family. However, the brother of the wife, continues to make unwanted advances until he attempts to rape her and she accidentally pushed him down the stairs, killing him. His sister and father want her to hang. Her dream has been to start her own school for girls, but this scandal could destroy any chance of that. Protected by her equally illegitimate but royal relatives, she is sent to Scotland to Nicholas Kendrick, Earl of Arnprior, to act as governess for his younger brothers, only one who is still a child. Nicholas is desperately in need of help with this brawny brood, but he didn’t expect to fall in love. There is adventure, intrigue, bride kidnapping, an avalanche… the book keeps the reader hooked. The characters are well developed and as the cover says there is a HEA. However, there is a mystery left unsolved. Another series in the making?
I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this story set in a remote castle in the Scottish Highlands. Vanessa Kelly does a great job of describing the Scottish countryside, the aging castle, and the wild bunch of Highlanders that is the Kendrick brothers. I felt that I could almost see the mountains, feel the brisk breeze off the loch, and hear the uproarious arguments of the brothers.
Despite being a Scottish earl and the daughter of the future king, Nick and Victoria have not led charmed lives. Nick has known devastating grief, guilt, and the burden of responsibility for his entire family. He’s at his wit’s end about how to deal with his brothers, some of whom are troublemakers, others who just want to be left along, and the youngest who needs some tender care and a good governess. Victoria is an excellent governess, and due to a tragedy of her own, finds that time in the wilds of Scotland might be just what she needs. Having never known any benefits from being the Prince Regent’s illegitimate daughter, she’s no pampered miss. However, she’s not sure she’s up to the challenge of civilizing the earl’s unruly brothers.
There is a lot of humor in the story, as the brothers and Grandda Angus get into one scrape after another. But there are serious themes as well. Nick and Victoria have to grow to trust each other as they fall in love and share sizzling passion, and they have to learn to forgive when they feel that trust is broken. Danger is also lurking, and there is a good bit of action in the end.
I’m also looking forward to more stories for the rest of the brothers.
Things are not always as they seem! Victoria Knight, illegitimate daughter of the Prince Regent wants to become respectable. So she travels to Scotland to become a governess after being accused of a wrongdoing that was an accident. Little does she know that the “children” are not children but the younger brothers of Nicholas Kendrick, Earl of Arnprior! Nicholas needs Victoria to bring his brothers in line and transform them into respectable lads. Of course, Nicholas needs to find a wife of his own, but has suffered a lot of tragedy and just wants peace in his life. He finds that Victoria is able to tame his brothers and find respect from his family. Of course, attraction blooms but each is weary of the other finding out their own secrets.
This story has many humorous moments and there are a lot of characters from previous stories.This book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. This was really an enjoyable read and I cannot wait to ready more by Vanessa Kelly!
There’s something about a guy with an accent that makes him swoon worthy. Add in the brooding attitude, scandalous behavior and a wildfire in the making and you get a hotblooded romance that wickedly entertains. The Highlander’s Princess Bride is a journey into the past where titles are key and illegitimacy is a curse. Victoria is a source of courage to women from any age. She doesn’t let the burden of her birth or the opinions of others take away her strength of character. She always stays true to herself, even in the worst of times. Vanessa Kelly continues to create courageous characters that tempt the imagination as they claw their way into the soul.