I love the trope of an identity switch, and Amy/Emily is fantastic in her role as a governess for the Edwards children. She further steals my heart by being an undercover thief.

This is a sweet, endearing romance that is a slow burn with a headstrong FMC and a sweet heartthrob MMC.

I liked the story overall, but I didn't quite understand how Emily and Captain Edwards fit together as a couple. I loved Aster's journey.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC!! Lex Croucher NEVER fails to disappoint. I’ve been sitting on this book for entirely too long and finally decided to continue it this week - after the first half of Bridgerton, season 3 I needed all of the regency feelings! They never fail to disappoint with witty writing and hilarious scenes. I can’t wait for the next book of Lex’s to be released in November in the US! The entire character lineup will live rent-free in my head forever, as they have come to life by being written so well and fleshed out. Definitely recommend to anyone wanting something of this nature to read!

Lex Croucher did it again! I really enjoyed this book, which somehow managed to work as a mash-up of Jane Eyre, The Sound of Music, and Dickens' Hard TImes. Emily and her sister Amy are young unmarried women who have fallen into reduced circumstances after the death of their father. While the physically delicate Amy has found work as a governess, the more robust Emily has gone into the mills. When we meet them at the opening of the story, the harsh conditions have taken their toll on Emily. Her hands in particular are now those of the lower class and her spirit has become just as rough and bitter. Her sister is too ill to work, so Emily takes Amy's identity and place as the new governess at Fairmont Hall to the two daughters of the widowed naval Captain Edwards.

Something is mysterious about Captain Edwards and Fairmont Hall. He is on a break from the navy. His elder daughter keeps sneaking off. His younger daughter is determined to have a relationship with the standoffish new governess, and the staff notice that all is not as it should be with the governess, but accept her anyway. Meanwhile, Emily is determined not to like Captain Edwards. He's rich. He doesn't act or react like he's supposed to. Plus, he doesn't have to worry about going into a mill or falling even further in status. In her bitterness, Emily rashly makes a pact with a stranger at pub. If she finds out the secrets of Edwards and Fairmont Hall, she will be paid a liberating sum of money. Yet her time with the people of Fairmont eventually starts to heal Emily's spirit, and she's faced with the dilemma of being blackmailed by her partner in bringing Edwards down or betraying the people she has learned to love as a found family.

The Captain's elder daughter provides a bit of interesting actual history that I thought was just a bit anachronistic. Aster, the captain's eldest daughter, eventually begins living her life as a man with a desire to go to sea like his father. I learned from Philippa Gregory's Normal Women that this was actually accurate. Some women did openly live as men and even were something called "female husbands." One in particular dressed as a man and went to sea. I wonder if Aster was loosely based on her autobiography.

I read Trouble in two days. I could not put the book down to save my life. I think Lex's books are FUN, they're raw and emotional as well. However, after you're finished you're left with a profound happiness. As much as you get frustrated with Emily, she's acting as any older sister would (as the oldest of five girls, I can say this with so much confidence). Not only is Emily trying to protect her sister, she's trying to provide for her family. Anyone can relate to that. I also want to say, that even if you found Captain Edwards to be immediately cold and less-than-charming, you would also be lying if you said you didn't immediately like him. Lex gives us the best of the best, a queer MC, found family, betrayal, and love. I confidently will be picking up any book they write.

Emily Laurence's sister is very ill and cannot fulfill the position as a governess to
Captain Edwards at Fairmont Hall. They need the money, so Emily takes Amy's place. Confronted with a fourteen and sixteen year old, Emily's next dilemma is what does a governess do? Be clever! Unfortunately that doesn't extend to being blackmailed. Captain Edwards has secrets concerning his relationship with the Royal Navy and the blackmailer wants to know what they are. There in lies the trouble. Unexpected revelations may surprise you and leave you with more questions. An interesting read. Implied sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Once SMP get's it together, then I'll post my real and full review because I had many thoughts and opinions!!!!

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

Book 17 of 2024 - ☑️! Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin & Lex Croucher for the ARC of Trouble by Lex Croucher in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve seen Lex Croucher’s books at many book stores, and have always been intrigued by their covers. This Regency-era rom-com was inspired by The Sound of Music, with a feminist and queer spin + throw in some found family, forbidden romance (class differences) and a grumpy/grumpy relationship between the main characters. In an effort to help her sister Amy, who is chronically ill, Emily Laurence pretends to be Amy at Amy’s new job - the governess at Fairmont House. Emily also happens to be a thief, a liar and all-around unpleasant. In attempting to not get close to the family and do whatever it takes to get money & whatever she needs back to Amy, she continually finds herself in trouble - either directly in it, or surrounded by it. Despite her attempts to not get close to Edwards family, she does — and must figure out how to get out of trouble before it’s too late. The banter in the book between all of the characters is top-notch. Bonus points for representation - LGBTQIA+ (both the FMC & MMC + many of the supporting characters), race & ethnicity as well as chronic illness.

Croucher is a very vivid writer. As someone who doesn’t generally love slow-burn romances, I very much enjoyed this. 3/5 🌟 overall, and this was generally closed-door, save a scene toward the end of the book, so I’ll give a 1.5 on the 🌶️ scale. 🐎 💐 📚 #NetGalley #Trouble

I loved loved loved this book. The FMC is grumpy with an absolutely loyal marshmallow center and the MMC loves that about her. A fabulous supporting cast and an all-around fabulous read.

My favorite Lex Croucher book to date! I loved the cast of characters and how they all got on with one another. I was worried at first that the protagonist was a little too similar to a lot of Croucher’s characters from past books and while I think they do like to write to a specific type of person it didn’t take away at all from the story or my enjoyment of it. Overall a really exciting read and I can’t wait for their next book.

More in depth review to come on my site/goodreads.

Absolutely loved this one. Emily is a complicated protagonist to love, but I still found her endearing nonetheless and Captain Edwards was the perfect love interest. I loved this cast of characters, I loved the queer themes woven throughout, as well as thoughtful commentary on class that was important to this story. And what an absolute slow-burn of an enemies-to-lovers romance (my favorite). The character development that accompanies both of them through this story made it easy to root for their romance and for them as characters as the story continued and they grew as people. Lex Croucher continues to write witty historical fiction that captures the time and feels devastatingly modern all at once. Highly recommend this one to all.

**Many thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved Gwen and Art are not in love but this one by the same author was not as absorbing of a read and I found more characters to be unlike able.

Super super cute and fun! The regency era romance (Jane Austen and Bridgerton-eque books) is a sub-genre that I don't normally seek out but I'm now realizing that I should definitely be reading more like this because I love the vibes in this book so much! I loved the slow-burn romance and I loved all of the characters in this book so much. I loved both of the kids and I thought Aster's coming out story was so interesting and it was an aspect of the book I wasn't expecting. I also liked how as the book goes on you realize that this unassuming house by the ocean is nearly full of queer people which I thought was such a fun touch. This is my second book by Lex Croucher and I would definitely read more by them in the future. These romance books are very well done and have hints of silliness which I like. I also feel like the books don't take themselves too seriously when it comes to the historical accuracy of the setting. Like, could you poke some holes in the historical accuracy of the setting and behaviors in this book? Probably. But with it being a light-hearted romance, there is really no need to. I also really liked how Emily's main physical descriptor was her "big lampy eyes." I don't know why but I just feel like it is a very unique descriptor that I haven't really seen before that paints a very distinct picture of the protagonist. This was such an easy book to fall into and devour in a few sittings.
Also, one of my favorite lines in the book that I just have to share: "Captain Edwards, and the idea the he might feel anything beyond vaguely attracted to her as a person-shaped diversion was fanciful at best."
Overall, such a fun read!

Trouble is a Regency historical romance novel about Emily Laurence, who pretends to be her sister, Amy, in a new governess position when her sister is too unwell to take the job. Amy is mild mannered, has experience as a governess, and loves children. Emily is anything but. After arriving at her new post, she meets the handsome and mysterious Captain Edwards, former naval captain and the father of her charges. Although they do not like each other upon meeting, they end up realizing that they have more common ground than previously expected. My favorite Jane Austen novel is Persuasion, so I LOVE a good slow burn, pining, thousand-yard-stare, and a handsome captain, so I was excited to read this book!

It definitely did not disappoint! It did remind me a lot of Persuasion (in a really good way) and reminded me why I like slow burn romances, particularly in historical time periods. The romantic tension really worked for me! The overall spice levels are pretty low, but the tension!!!! I love it. I really liked Emily, Captain Edwards, the rest of the staff, and the children. This is the second book that I have read by the author and the humorous/slightly modern writing style worked really well here. There is also some great queer and chronic illness representation, which I really liked. There's also a shipwreck! A shipwreck!!! I need more naval action in my Regency novels from now on because it's apparently the key to my heart!

If you're at all interested in historical romance, I highly recommend this book! 4.5 stars from me rounded up to 5 from me. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC of this book, my thoughts are my own!

I have previously really enjoyed Lex Croucher's novels, but this was just a dissapointement to me. I mean, it wasn't a bad book, don't get me wrong. It just didn't really work for me. I do have to say that I really enjoyed the cast of side characters. They were a lot of fun, and honeslty quite funny as well. I also really like the discussions around chronic illness within the book as well. I thought it was done with a lot of care, and love.
However, I just wasn't a huge fan of our main character, Emily. I do love how much she loves her sister, and how her love for her family really drove her actions throughout the novel. However, I just thought she was a bit too prickly of a main character. The way she kept herself deattached from everyone in this novel was really annoying, and just lasted a bit too long for me. I think I could have liked this more if we saw her open up before the third act conflict, but that just didn't happen. She also could be incredibly stupid at times, and it just made it a bit annoying to read at times.
I also wasn't a fan of the romance. It just came a bit out of nowhere. Emily and her love interest had barely any scenes together, and most of them were spend arguing. I truly do not understand how we are supposed to believe they are actually in love. I mean, they did have a few cute moments together. That actually makes things worse for me. That means this could have been a great romance, if there was just a bit more effort put into developing it. However, that just sadly wasn't the case. I also thought Captain Edwards was a bit of an ass, and I just wish we got to see him develop a bit more throughout the novel as well. So yeah, I didn't hate this but it also didn't work for me.

I normally consider myself a Lex Croucher stan. I have read all of Croucher's novels, and I was excited to read another regency novel after adoring Reputation and Infamous. Croucher's humor with regency hijinks is a combination I usually love so I was so ecited to read Trouble.

I do have to say I was very disappointed in this novel. While Croucher's humor was still apparent, I quickly found myself bored. I started by thinking Emily (our female main character) hilarious but then she just became boring. Her two charges as a governess seemed like they would cause some promising hijinks, but they were also boring. Emily also seemed to not have that much chemistry with her love interest, the girls' father. I just couldn't find myself liking the characters, interested in their hijinks, or buying the love story. There was a lot of promise and there was still come of Croucher's humor but it just did not work in this book in my opinion.

Did I like this book? No not really. Will I continue to read Lex Croucher books? Absolutely, I still think Croucher is a great author but not every book has to be a banger.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I hadn’t heard of Lex Croucher until Gwen and Art, but they blew up on tiktok and I saw there was a chance to review this book. With the popularity of regency books and stories (which is a common thread thanks to the Austen and Brontë tales, as well as the resurgence of Brigerton), I feel like ones like this would be lost. But that would be a travesty, as this story was so fast paced, easy to read, light hearted, and had great representation to it. I borrowed one of Lex’s books recently from the library because I had such a great time reading this one! I hope this helps others fine their books as well!

Lex's writing is always so smooth and the characters so likable. I loved all the found family vibes and how everyone's differences are no big deal. If you like books that are cute, and fun, and easy pick this up.

Miss Emily Laurence has agreed to take a position as governess in her sister, Amy’s, place when the girl becomes ill. Although Emily has little interest in caring for children, she does it for her sister. When the sisters and their mother lost their father, they had to scramble for any way to make money to support themselves. With the thought of stealing items from her place of employment and selling them for money to help Amy, Emily is ready to go.

Fairmont House is the home of the widowed Captain Edwards and his daughters, Aster and Grace. Aster is a real pill and Grace is a sweet girl who is also frequently ill.

The staff members are all a mixed lot and Emily, despite her tendency to be standoff, does her best to fit in until Amy is well and able to take over the job.

As I read this book, I became more and more bored and totally uninterested in the characters and the plot. So, unfortunately., as I did when I read this author’s book “Reputation,” I have to again give this book one-star. So sorry. Just not my cup of tea.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.