Both Abby and Elliott are strong characters and they fall in love easily enough. He considers himself dumb and unlearnable because he can't read or write, although how he can pursue his "investments" without being able to read is beyond me. He is dyslexic and so is his son. Abby is hired as his son's governess and tries to help the boy with his letters. There was no sort of resolution to this "unlearnability" problem because no one knew what dyslexia was back then. It wasn't a bad story it just took too long.
I'm not sure what it is about this author's writing style, but there seemed to be a strange disconnection throughout this story, which I've noticed in her previous two in the series. Clare can write lusty yet emotional love scenes, but when Elliott and Abby were not in the bedroom, their interaction was weirdly wooden. I enjoyed the various dark and forbidden similarities to Jane Eyre, but I was disappointed that Clare didn't further pursue the dyslexia angle or the relationship/friendship between Abby and young Master Jacob. On the other hand, there's no question that Elliot's and Abby's reunion was "swoon-worthy" romantic, if just a tad unbelievable, but that's the stuff of romance; besides, don't we all want to be swept off our feet if only for a few minutes?
Once again, Clare created a strong and intriguing plot, and her stories have improved with each installment. Unfortunately, she didn't push my romantic sensibilities as much as I'd like for me to give The Secret Desires of a Governess a higher rating. 3.5 stars.
