Sweet story with likable characters

Meredith has a bit of a scandalous past, one she endeavors to rise above by fashioning herself as a top-notch governess. Her first having gone very well, she embarks on her second assignment which leads her to Alfred, a young, somewhat reluctant duke, and his eight-year-old half-brother.

Alfred is preoccupied with a local election which will determine if he will continue representing the area in Parliament. It's an election he feels duty-bound to win, even though he personally does not wish to continue as an MP. His attraction to Meredith can only hurt his chances in the election.

Meredith is quickly proven to be a governess of "great talents" (as the characters remind us, perhaps a few too many times) and is seamlessly accepted into the household and into young Archibald's heart. Her complicated relationship with Alfred can only end in her ruin, so she attempts to keep her distance and focus on her duties.

It's impossible not to like Meredith, as she has nary a flaw in sight. Alfred, on the other hand, comes across as a bit of a jerk on more than once occasion, a misogynist typical of his day, and not as honorable as one would hope. However, he does come around in time to secure a satisfying HEA for himself and Meredith, even if the final bit of news was far too premature to be believable.

The timeline and pronoun usage could have used the help of a good editor, but those are easily overlooked in order to enjoy the escape into the story. It's a sweet story with a bit of steam, an enjoyable afternoon's read for those who love historical romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I love this author. When I see her name, I know that this is going to be an interesting book, with a novel approach to a historical romance. This author's books usually have intriguing characters, in a plot that seems normal, but is slightly skewed in a good way. This author has tasteful and endearing plots that put the characters in situations where they can really mess up or they can really rise to the top. An example is this book. The heroine is an experienced governess who works for the most elite governess agency in London. Her most recent charges are too old for a governess and the family has left to travel the continent for a year before the children are enrolled into schools. She is given her new assignment and travels to a duke's property. She is to teach the younger brother of the duke. She arrives at the duke's home when he is trying to leave a meeting for the next Parlimentary vote. But the duke HATES taking his seat in Parliment and doesn't want to win the election. The governess is very talented at her job and has his younger brother participating in his lessons and in learning to ride a pony. The hero, the duke, is still going to the hated meetings for the hated position in Parliment. He has most of the village pushing him to win the election because he is the fourth consecutive generation to fill the seat. This is an original spin of a typical scenario. But it is different and fresh. In what other historical romance, has a duke hated his seat in Parliment? The only ones that I know of have hired people to do their work.
This author creates a seamless story that just draws the reader into the story. It is hard to put down. There are descriptive scenes and the characters develop and fall in love. There are no spelling or grammatical errors to complicate the read. It is smooth and continuous, and would be great for a day at the beach. I recommend this book as an excellent read. I give it 5 stars.

A Governess of Great Talents follows Meredith, a woman with a secret past who has reinvented herself as a governess working for The Governess Bureau. She gets placed with a Duke who's taken in his young half brother.

I did enjoy the story. However it was very inconsistent. Like Alfred's character kept switching from a very dignified, by the books person, to hitting on Meredith and pushing her even though she told him no.

We also get a lot of Meredith thinking about how she distanced herself from her family and she's not going back to that life, but we never get any details or background. Even when Alfred finds out the truth, we get no backstory whatsoever.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.

This book is MEH for me. The hero is annoyingly stupid throughout the whole book and how tf the heroine even fall for him???
The plot = misunderstandings between the main characters
I'm annoyed with this book...it's weird when the premise sounds pretty good and promising.
what a huge let down

A governess with many talents, the Governess Bureau had no idea just how talented Miss Meredith Hubert is. I found this Regency romance to be sweet but very slow-moving and in some parts it almost stalled to a halt. Nevertheless, the attraction between the Duke of Rochdale and Meredith is obvious from the beginning, but the love that develops for her charge is even more endearing. I felt for the little boy who had been orphaned at a young age and even though he is surrounded by luxury, he is missing the one thing every lad needs, namely love and attention. I enjoyed Meredith's character, her insights, and understanding of human nature, and although somewhat obtuse at times, the Duke of Rochdale is a charming hero who needed Meredith's insights to understand his own obligations. I received a copy of this romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishers and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

A delightful, enjoyable and engaging regency romance. A Governess of Great Talents is book 1 in Emily Murdoch's new Governess Bureau series and off to a great start.

This was wonderfully written and the characters of Meredith, Alfred and Archie made the story of a child within a romance lovely to capture your attention. A Duke and a Governess always makes for an interesting arrangement especially in this case where the Duke is not perfect and the Governess has a dubious criminal past/family. All wrapped up nicely for a happily ever after they deserve.

A young woman who is governess with a criminal history and a Duke who does not want to have anything with the Parliament . He has a young brother who needs attention and to stay away from him . A happy ever after .
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Governess of Great Talents is the beginning of a new series by Emily EK Murdoch, the Governess Bureau. The Governess Bureau is the strictest of the bureaus used by the nobility to employ a governess for the offspring. Meredith Hubert was speaking to the proprietress about a new posting, as her last one had been successfully completed. Reluctantly, she was assigned to go north, to the home of the Duke of Rochdale, Albert Carmichael. His half-brother, Archibald, was rumored to be wild and difficult. She might blossom in this situation. It was not long before all of her talents were being put to use on this eight-year-old, but she was having difficulty with his brother, her master. He was just as difficult as Archie had been, but was not longer. Plus, he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. The third rule of the Governess Bureau was "You must never fall in love." This would be a problem if she were not careful. She needed this job, and the next one. She could no return to her previous life, no matter what.

Alfred was a good man, if lacking in self-control. He was in the middle of his campaign to be re-elected to represent Rochdale in parliament, but he could not focus on the meetings with his supporters. He did not really want to be in parliament. He did not like London. He did not like being away from Rochdale. But, it was his duty. Just as it was his duty to marry. He could not marry a governess: a servant. It was not done. But this woman who had come into his life for Archie moved him more than any he had ever known, not to mention what his body wanted. What a terrific story. Both of them completely reluctant, for all the right reasons. But the tow of them being in close proximity was explosive, as was the entire story. This duke did not behave like a duke, but he lived a happy life, as did his governess.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of A Governess of Great Talents by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #agovernessofgreattalents

The Governess Bureau 1812
Meredith had completed her first assignment and now was being appointed to another for Alfred, the Duke of Rochdale's, younger brother Archibald. Her previous employer had been past fifty and in love with his wife. But she knew from her first meeting with Alfred, it would be different.

"This Duke of Rochdale was... handsome. Sparks seemed to fly between them as he slammed the door behind hem and glared, sparks, she could not see but certainly feel. Dressed in a well cut frock coat, tall riding boots.... he had that brooding, frustrated look of a man who was accustomed to getting his way and had not done so."

To say the Duke was no nonsense and seemed totally rude at their first meeting is an understatement. He with his mind on the Parliamentary election and not his half brother. He wanted to neither see nor hear her or her charge.

But as they say, what one says they want and what they truly want can be two different things because he could not stop thinking about her!

An entertaining foray into hidden secrets, trying to resist a strong attraction, and what will happen if they give in. Looking forward to more in this new series!

Loved this book! The characters are strong and fun! Meredith Hubert is a governess from the most prestigious Governess Bureau. Her next posting is for the illustrious Duke Alfred Carmichaels eight year old half brother. It seems that his brother is a holy terror and his household has refused to watch him.
The Duke and Meredith seemed to have friction at the beginning and the Duke is always concerned about reputation.
There is definitely secrets in this household not only from within, but Meredith has her own.

The storyline is very fluid and Emily Murdoch has written another winner! This book has it all great descriptive writing, romance, mystery, and humor, and wonderful characters!
I would definitely recommend this book.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Meredith is an excellent governess who is hiding a criminal past. Alfred is a duke who hires her to take care of his much younger brother so he can devote his time to being re-elected. They are attracted to each other, but, when tested, have trust issues. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

Will their differences and her secrets keep them apart...

This is a different story than I have the habit with the author, much more on the slow-burn side with a lot of introspection. Even if for a time, it was rather repetitive, their continuing obsessive thoughts about one another.
Meredith is more, much more than the mask she presents to the world, she shaped herself to be the best governess ever with some other surprising talents on the side. And while she instantly falls her new employer, she is torn between her dreams and what she knows can’t be.
Alfred is a peer doing his duty, even if it is far from what he truly wants. But it is what he is expected too. Yet by doing so, he also neglects his much younger brother. Thus his need of a governess.
He becomes from there rather obsessed with his new employee, struggling to decide where he wants to lead their relationship. Conscious of their differences, he is torn between his wants and duties.

Both are ambivalent characters they know what they want or do not and what they could or could not have, still they can not stop themselves for trying to get a taste of the forbidden until their trust is chartered and they are left with a broken heart and their faith in the other in tatters.
I confess I would have liked a bit more groveling from Alfred, and from some side characters.

I was wondering during my reading, I am no historian but I would have thought that a Duke, even from a minor branch would have had a reserved seat at the House of Lords.
I tried to google some informations but my English history knowledge is rather limited so I just found what I already knew that the peers were automatically gifted a seat by progeny.
So why did he need to compete for a MP seat in the House of Commons, a heir of a peer or a second son would have cause to but a peer.

In all, I liked how Meredith’s personality full of ressources, a bit less her musing. Yet she is a great teacher, capturing her charge’s persona to adapt her method. Alfred lacks a bit of ducal sternness, I would have thought as a Duke, he would be more if not haughty, domineering and high-handed when it is quite the other way around.
4 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 kisses and an onscreen foreplays scene.

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Dragonblade Publishing, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋

Romantic and sweet, but a slow burn.
It’s not as fast moving as some others of Emily’s for example the Always series, but if you stick with it it’s quite endearing.

Love Meredith as a character, she had a wonderful way with children and of course that’s with Archie too, he’s the Dukes brother.

The Duke was not one of my favourite characters, for some reason I just couldn’t bring myself to like him, I won’t ruin the story by telling you more.

If you enjoy slow romance with a sweet edge , this ones right up your street.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

Miss Meredith Hubert has just ended a successful employment as a governess for an Earl's family and is back in The Governess Bureau to hopefully get her next. The owner of the bureau is very strict and expects extremely high standards from the ladies she places in some of the highest households in the land.

If the woman knew just who Meredith really is, she would never represent her. Our heroine's special talents make caring for difficult children easy for her.

Alfred Carmichael the Duke of Rochdale needs someone to teach his half-brother while he concentrates on winning his seat in Parliament. As his is only a small duchy he has no automatic seat in the House of Lords.

Our hero is following a longstanding family tradition, even though the very idea of sitting in boring parliament instead of riding his grounds drives him to distraction. Keeping his mind on what he should be doing only gets harder in the coming weeks.

This is an unlikely, but very amusing story with fabulous characters. A governess is a very important part in the lives of many children and provides more than just education. If the rest of them from this new series do the same as this one, the owner of the bureau is not going to be happy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and look forward to the next book.

Good fun.