my-brown-eyed-earl

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 352

Expected publication: October 4th 2016 by St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Summary: NEVER SEND A DEBUTANTE

William Ryder, Earl of Castleton, is at the end of his noble rope. Not only has he broken ties with his longtime mistress, his mother has publicly announced her wish for him to marry a suitable young lady―if only to help him raise the twins left in his care. Hiring a governess should solve some of Will’s problems…but when he meets the candidate in question, he finds himself in an entirely new predicament.

TO DO A WALLFLOWER’S JOB

Miss Margaret Lacey is brainy, beautiful, and, once upon a time, Will’s betrothed. But she bowed out of the engagement―and, since then, has never been the same. A tragic accident robbed her of everything, and now, at age twenty-three, her marital prospects are slim to none. Penniless but not without pride, Meg convinces the vexingly handsome Will to hire her for the job. What neither of them could have expected from this arrangement, however, is an attraction that burns stronger than ever. Are these two lost souls finally ready to be schooled in the art of love?

crownfullrating

There are so few times that romance makes me squeal or laugh out loud, or even make me feel anything more than sighing or rolling my eyes. This book managed to make me laugh, squeal, and very little to no eye rolling at all! The only sighing that came from me was as I batted my lashes at William Ryder.

Margaret “Meg” Pryce is the Vicar’s daughter and has a past with William Ryder [Lord Castleton.] They were once neighbors and it was decided between their fathers that William would marry Meg, it was unknown at the time that it was purely to clear up a debt between the families. Still, eight years younger, William proposed only to be denied by a spirited Meg.

Eight years later, Meg finds herself in quite the predicament, her eccentric Uncle Alistair is running out of funds, Meg needs to support him as well as her two sisters and so she decides to take on the task of becoming a governess. Lo, and behold she finds herself employed by none other than William Ryder and she is to care for his twin cousins.

This was such a pleasant reading experience for me! I enjoyed all of the characters, they each had their own personalities, with their own prerogatives. It truly offered depth as well as a heartwarming effect later on.

William Ryder made me grin on more than one occasion, he was flirtatious and commanding without being overbearing and that typical “alpha male” that seems to be running rampant in romance still.

Meg was a strong female lead, who knew what she wanted and knew what she would protect at all costs – even if it shamed her, which in this society was rather easy to do. At times she grew tiresome because she was so quick to flee from her issues rather than face them head on. And of course, toward the end, the conflict that arises and why she flees again made little to no sense to me, due to an issue that Will had no idea about in the first place and she feels betrayed by him. It’s senseless, dramatic and unfounded in my opinion, but heeey!

All in all, this was a fun, quick, heartwarming read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

4 crown rating!