Hello, friends! I hope you’re hanging in there during this rough time.

Today I’m sharing a review of a book I loved.

Let’s get right to it!

The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke #2) by Tessa Dare

August 28th 2018 from Avon

Buy: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Alexandra Mountbatten makes her living setting clocks when she finds herself having to accept a post as governess to two unruly orphans. Their guardian is Chase Reynaud, the heir to a dukedom and the man Alex refers to as the “Bookshop Rake,” after they literally run into each other at a book shop called Hatchard’s.

I adored this book. The Governess Game is delightful and funny, with a touch of angst and a cast of wonderfully drawn and wonderfully endearing characters. One or two scenes made me laugh aloud–a rare occurrence when I’m reading.

Alex is one of my favorite heroines that I’ve read so far this year. She’s intelligent, independent, ambitious, determined, and refuses to put up with disrespect from Chase. Her goal is to turn her love of astronomy into her profession, and she shows herself to possess savvy in how to go about it.

The witty banter between Alex and Chase is always on point. The two of them make for a very ahem interesting dynamic on page. The tension between them is fire, and the sexy scenes are steamy and so well rendered.

I also enjoyed how much Chase’s two wards Rosamund and Daisy brought to the story. They are precocious, but in a believable way, due to what they went through prior to landing with Chase. Their scenes with Chase and Alex are the ones that made me laugh aloud. And, without Rosamund and Daisy, the book’s overarching theme of found family wouldn’t resonate as well as it does.

I gave the book 4.5 stars on Goodreads. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because the pacing felt a little off to me, particularly in the latter half of the novel. Part of it was Chase’s sometimes immature and self-sabotaging behavior. (Thankfully, he eventually pulls his head out of his own rear end.)

I listened to most of the audiobook–narrated by the fantastic voice actor Mary Jane Wells–in one night and then stayed up late the next night to finish it. It was exactly what I needed to read earlier this week, considering all of the upsetting headlines coming out daily.

With The Governess Game, Tessa Dare has become a go-to author for me, and I plan to check out the rest of her backlist ASAP.

---

Have you read this book? What did you think?

I hope you’re staying safe. Until next time, friends.

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Goodreads