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Title and Author: The Governess Affair
by Courtney MilanSeries: The Brothers Sinister, Book 0.5
Print Length: 201 Pages
Publication Date: April 2012
Language: English
Genre: Historical Romance, Series
Book Review:
Miss Serena Barton wanted nothing more than a small farm where she could grow lavender. She had toiled for years to achieve this dream when one day everything changed. Her exploitation at the hands of a duke left her without a job and a marred reputation. Determined to get justice and make the duke pay, Serena will not stop even if she has to bring to heel the “Wolf of Clermont” who is also the most feared man in London!
Hugo has earned the nickname of the “Wolf of Clermont” because of his ruthless ways of getting rid of all problems for the Duke of Clermont. Determined to achieve his dream which is the main reason why he works for the Duke, he will not stop even if the problem this time is the very alluring Miss Serena Barton!
Courtney Milan has made it to my list of favorite authors with her book, The Governess Affair. Beautifully pictured on the cover with a very intriguing blurb, I just loved her book. 🙂
A prequel to her The Brothers Sinister Series
, I loved just about everything in the book. The plot is well conceived and admirably executed with no loopholes. The story is well paced and it manages to keep the reader glued to the book until the very end. I just had to finish this book in one sitting, so engrossed was I in the story!The writing style is simple, elegant and the sentences well phrased to suit the era of the story. The settings are believable and I was able to picture every scene and event in the book like it was happening right in front of my own eyes. Courtney takes the readers on a ride to the Regency era England with wealthy and pompous Dukes, Marriages based on the dowry brought by the brides and a stringent social structure with no regard to the feelings and self esteem of the lower social strata people.
I admired and respected Serena for her perseverance and strength of endurance to all the difficulties she faced on the path to justice. In a time when women were considered fit just for dressing and looking beautiful, Serena is independent, opinionated and strong.
“I will not be browbeaten, however nicely you do it. I am done with things happening to me. From here on out, I am going to happen to things.”
Hugo is an enigma and a man damaged by his unhappy childhood. He is sometimes kind, considerate and seemingly “safe” while the next moment he is the “Wolf of Clermont”, ruthless and with no conscience. The romance between Serena and Hugo is both touching as well as sensuous. It is a romance that leaves you with a ear-to-ear smile on your face and a soaring heart. The character contrast between Serena and her sister is also very expertly portrayed and a message sent to the readers. Same is the case with Hugo’s traumatic past. A strong message is sent across by the author at the end which made this book more than just a good story. It came into the category of books that entertain as well as enlighten the reader.
Thoroughly enjoyable and a great start to a critically acclaimed series, I just cant wait to get my hands on the next books in the series. A full 5 on 5 to The Governess Affair and a strong recommendation that you go read this book.
Some quotes I liked:
1) “What is a husband, but the man who offers you support when all the world turns you away?”
2) “What is a wife, but a partner who will see through to your deepest wishes?
3) “I thought I had to prove myself with money and accomplishments. But those will always ring hollow. They will never be enough. I want to be somebody. Let me be your husband. Let me be the father of your child -of all your children.”
4) “You always put things at risk. If you fell out of a tree as a child, I’d clean you up and bandage your knees, and next I looked you’d be out climbing again. You never learned your lesson.”
Oh, she’d learned her lesson. Climb harder.”
5) “You could make me say it again,” he whispered. “Make me say it always. Make me say it so often that you never have cause to doubt. I love you.”
6) “I will not be browbeaten, however nicely you do it. I am done with things happening to me. From here on out, I am going to happen to things.”
Buy From:
Amazon.com: Paperback | Kindle Ebook
| Audio Book
Amazon.in: Kindle Ebook
Buy From:
Amazon.com: Paperback
| Kindle Ebook | Audio BookAmazon.in: Kindle Ebook
***The books in the Brothers Sinister series***
½. The Governess Affair (prequel novella)
1. The Duchess War
1½. A Kiss for Midwinter (a companion novella to The Duchess War)
2. The Heiress Effect
3. The Countess Conspiracy
***Coming soon***
4. The Suffragette Scandal
4½. Talk Sweetly to Me
Buy from Amazon.com: The Brothers Sinister Series
Buy from Amazon.in: The Brothers Sinister Series
Nice review.
Thank you so much Geeta..:)