Janice -
I had mixed feelings about this book - the first by this author that I've read.
Hero West is a duke and has the iron self control useful in fulfilling his responsibilities (which he does feel), mostly in reaction to his relationship with his father (not a nice guy). He is a widower with three young children; he had loved his first wife, who died in childbirth with the third, a boy. He wants nothing to do with the infant she left; he sees that the boy has care assigned to him, but nothing more.
Heroine Mary, a Scottish girl, is hired as an experienced governess. She is to report daily to him on the progress of the two older children. She is also very beautiful and has a painful past which she has avoided essentially by constructing a new identity as Mary Smith. Sparks are immediately struck and they become lovers - on his terms.
The emotion in this novel is strongly felt and strongly conveyed to the reader, but the sexual politix and maneuvering for position of the characters felt much too modern to me. It's all very intense and it did hold my interest, but I was left feeling that this was a book about 21st century people dressed up in funny old clothes. However, this author has that rare intensity and I will look for future books from her.
Hero West is a duke and has the iron self control useful in fulfilling his responsibilities (which he does feel), mostly in reaction to his relationship with his father (not a nice guy). He is a widower with three young children; he had loved his first wife, who died in childbirth with the third, a boy. He wants nothing to do with the infant she left; he sees that the boy has care assigned to him, but nothing more.
Heroine Mary, a Scottish girl, is hired as an experienced governess. She is to report daily to him on the progress of the two older children. She is also very beautiful and has a painful past which she has avoided essentially by constructing a new identity as Mary Smith. Sparks are immediately struck and they become lovers - on his terms.
The emotion in this novel is strongly felt and strongly conveyed to the reader, but the sexual politix and maneuvering for position of the characters felt much too modern to me. It's all very intense and it did hold my interest, but I was left feeling that this was a book about 21st century people dressed up in funny old clothes. However, this author has that rare intensity and I will look for future books from her.
