emily finds herself in a governess position she is nowhere near qualified for to help her sister, amy, who was supposed to take the position but is unwell. emily doesn’t mean to start caring for the girls, and especially not the girls’ father, the handsome captain edwards, but the more time she spends there, the harder it is to hold onto the lies she entered with.

this was such a fun book, which further cements lex croucher as my favorite historical author. i really don’t read many historical fiction novels but i’ll read a bajillion more if they’re all written by them. emily was such a fun character that i couldn’t help but love. i loved emily’s relationship with the girls and with captain edwards.

i highly recommend this book and i can’t wait to read more from this author!

"It's just a hand sir."
"It's your hand."

"Captain Edwards took her hand. He wasn't wearing a glove. Emily wasn't wearing a glove...The feeling of his fingers on hers was more complicated than she expected...he was being gentle...careful... intimate."

Without a doubt the sassy swoony Trouble by regency romcom author Lex Croucher is my favorite of her uproarious romantic comedies that always leave me with a smile.

Emily is a really bad governess but a loyal sister. When her sister can't travel to her new governess job due to severe illness Emily secretly pretends to be the kind hearted Amy despite her own taciturn bitter personality. Her plan is to earn money, maybe steal some trinkets to sell from the rich Captain Edwards to help pay for Amy's medical care.

What Emily isn't prepared for is the startling handsomeness of the brooding captain, the found family of the estate's staff, the sweet youngest daughter Grace and oldest daughter, the witty, often rude, sarcastic Aster. Stealing, spying and refusing to be a part of this family Emily finds herself at a crossroads when her secrets, her emotions and frustrating stubbornness collide to force choices from her heart.

The magnificent voice actress Ell Potter
is perfectly subtly in the slow changes Emily goes through, the self acceptance from Aster and the revelations from the Captain.

As usual, the #lgbtqia representation is on point and this writer brings all the fun when getting into Trouble.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

In this novel, Emily is a young woman who needs to find a way to care for her ailing sister, Amy, and mother. Amy has been offered a governess position away from home in a residence with two teenage children living with their father. He is a widowed Captain Edwards.
From the start, Emily decides she will only be there to pilfer what she can possibly sell, to raise mo ey necessary for her sister's care. She plans to remain uninvolved with the residents of the estate and to leave as soon as possible. Obviously, her plans go awry.
It was an interesting plot, written from Emily's pov, but the first half was a little slow. The characters were well-defined and definitely colorful, but there were parts of the story that could have used more background for the reader.

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book, my first from the author, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was funny and pithy, endearing and quirky. Emily is such a lovable and sometimes hilarious mix of loyal and fiercely loving and then grumpy and stoic. And also not the most self-aware in a relatable way! The cast of characters and their wit and sarcasm, full of lovable ribbing, was just fantastic! I loved the representation of different peoples, as well as LGBTQ+ throughout and how well it was done. It was full of acceptance and understanding and it was very refreshing in this genre.

This may have been Emily’s story, the cast of characters from Amy, Ben, Grace, and Aster to Meera, Joe, Akia, Oliver, and even Mr. Khan, rounded out this group you just fell in love with right along with her. I love a good ribbing with an underlying and obvious to most show of caring, it was just such a lovely mix of people and situations that was a pleasure to read!

While there was definitely a lot of “trouble” afoot, the entire story of Emily’s adventure and her true loving nature coming through, both platonically and romantically was a read I couldn’t put down! I just loved it!

I enjoyed this story so very much! I’ve read three of Croucher’s books now (all but her YA), and while I liked the others greatly, I loved this one so much more - 4.5-stars for this one because it was so much more interesting and engaging than the previous!

Emily’s interaction with the Edwards family at Fairmont house as the new Governess was brilliant from the beginning - when she steps into the role as her unwell sister (pretending to be Amy) is perfectly imperfect… not being a fan of children but having to be governess to one who is suspicious and another who hates her, a widower who is disconnected but wife searching… the whole thing is just a comedy with a whole lot of heart and actually tackles some major topics as well (there’s an LGBTQ side-plot that I totally loved). The interactions between Captain Edwards (call me Ben), his children and the household staff, and Emily, throughout the book, and the character growth of everyone - chef’s kiss!

I absolutely recommend this to all - especially if you enjoyed Reputation and Infamous, but these are standalones so if you’re new to Croucher, you can start here and love this book and characters without needing to read anything else. Please, please read this beautiful book! And please get the audio - Ell Potter did a wonderful job!

I received an advance read and listen copy from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin), and Macmillan Audio, and this is my honest feedback.

Trouble is the first book I've read by Lex Croucher but it won't be the last!

Our fmc is Emily Laurence and I have to admit, I loved how standoffish / grumpy she was throughout the entire book. She has taken a position as a governess...well, to be honest, it wasn't actually offered to her. She is standing in for her sister who is definitely more suited for the role but unfortunately is too sick to take it but because they need the money, Emily decides she will make it work. Her goal is to make it work long enough to get some money to pay for a doctor for her sister and potentially even slip some trinkets into her pockets to create some padding.

The minute she steps into the carriage to get her to the Edwards family, things start to spin out of her control and once she is introduced to the family, she knows this won't be as easy as she was hoping. The family has a lot of drama and Emily is determined to keep her distance but as you can guess, she isn't very successful. From her interactions with Grace and Aster, her (begrudging) relationships with the other servants, and the brooding Captain Edwards always in her thoughts, she is doomed from the start.

I loved the build of all of these relationships and thought Croucher did a fantastic job with it. It wasn't easy (except for maybe with Grace) and as Emily starts to feel connections with everyone, she has to figure out how her actions and lies can be overcome.

If you're looking for a new historical romance to pick up, consider picking this one up. The characters are interesting, the story kept me engaged, and it has more to it than just a romantic relationship at the core.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 🌶️
netgalley arc

*regency romance
*lots of lgbt rep. Realistic for the time? I have no idea, but I liked it regardless.
*single dad who is a grumpy naval captain
*governess who doesn't actually know how to be a governess
*single POV

I had an enjoyable time reading this book because the whole cast of characters was great. That being said, I was never totally sold on the relationship between the two main characters. I DID like the tension between them leading up to their inevitable love affair. Holding hands with no gloves on! *gasp*

Emily Laurence is a liar. She is not polite, she's not polished, and she has never taught a child in her life. This position was meant to be her sister's––brilliant, kind Amy, who isn't perpetually angry, dangerously reckless, and who does (inexplicably) like children. She didn't think she liked children but it was a surprise to her when she finds that she likes them indeed. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

Excellent! I love everything Lex Croucher writes. Trouble is set against the backdrop of the stormy English sea side, with characters that are just as tempestuous. Emily Laurence is the perfect anti-hero, that you can't help but fall in love with by the end of the story. Captain Edwards is just as prickly on the outside but with a softer side. He is hot and sexy and broody but also kind, magnanimous, and honorable. His children, Aster and Grace are a delightful edition to this story. Aster is rough and witty, but you soon understand him better and come to realize that underneath the rough exterior is a deeply caring person. Grace is the sweetest, sun-shiniest cinnamon roll ever. I love her enthusiasm for life, her urgent care for everyone around her and the way she can talk herself into and out of trouble in equal measure. The rest of the cast is rendered equally well with rich detail and personality. Oliver in particular captured my heart. The romance between Emily and Ben is slow and subtle, but also hot and swoony once they finally come together. I like that Ben is the one who falls first. I also really like that Emily is a bit hardened and practical and not really looking for romance. I appreciate that Croucher created a romance for two people who are not in their early twenties. Emily is 29 and Ben is around 40. The inclusion of various LGBTQIA characters in Croucher's books are always refreshing, they are a master at creating nuanced characters where the first thing you notice about them isn't their gender or sexuality. You will find no token gays here. I really love Croucher's work and am ready for their next!

Trouble is the latest fantastic book from Lex Croucher. Emily is a mill worker and her sister Amy is a governess. When Amy falls ill, Emily must try and take Amy’s place to pay for her care. Emily does her best attempt at impersonating Amy, but finds herself challenged by the two girls in her care and their mysterious father. Aster and Grace could not be more unalike and Emily struggles to connect with them. Can she remain in her position long enough to support Amy?

Trouble is a hilarious, slow-burn historical romance. I really liked Emily as a character and how she will do anything to help her sister. Emily is straightforward and convinced that she is not enough, despite being an incredibly hard worker. Emily’s interactions with her charges are both funny and heartfelt. The romance is achingly slow-burn. I loved the ensemble cast of servants who connect with Emily and help care for the girls. Readers who enjoyed the sisterly bond from Little Women between Meg and Jo will appreciate the similar dynamic between Amy and Emily. I loved the LGBTQ+ rep and how Croucher shows queer people have always existed throughout history. I can’t wait to read what Lex Croucher writes next!

Thank you to Lex Croucher, St. Martin's Griffin, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Instagram, Storygraph, Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.

Another stunner from Lex Croucher. I think I may have found a new favorite author.

Trouble is a Regency-era rom-com featuring a broody ex-Captain of the Navy and a stubborn and taciturn (until she's not) governess, with many moments of quick wit, hilarious one-liners, and banter galore throughout . As with all of Lex Croucher's novels, the side characters have just as much oomph as the main characters, which makes for a seriously enjoyable read and a beautiful love story.

I loved everything about Trouble. Lex Croucher has a real talent for writing the voice of a character to be so realistic. Emily's inner monologue was hilarious, emotional, serious, and very true to life. As we learned more about her character, I really fell in love with her and loved the way the author wrote the other characters slowly falling in love with her too, and Emily falling in love with them. She was determined NOT to be embroiled in the Edwards' family drama, but she fell in love with every single one of them. I am completely here not just for the love story between Emily and Ben, but for the love story between Emily and the servants and Ben's children. I felt for every single one of these characters and felt like I knew each one of them on a deep level by the end of this book. I cannot say enough about how Lex Croucher writes character portrayals and development.

The plotline was very stereotypical Regency romance, governess falls in love with master of the house. But the sideplot in this story of Emily stealing trinkets and selling secrets in order to provide for her sister was very fun and had some stakes that made the novel more exciting. I also loved the banter and the funny situations all the characters got in.

The diversity rep in this was amazing and so well done. I loved the way it was handled within the story. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that.

The romance was beautiful. The slow-burn was so good. I loved how absolutely clueless Emily was almost the whole time, that made for some good angst near the end.

The conclusion was everything I could have asked for. The happiest of happy endings, in my opinion.

If you are looking for a hilarious and fluffy historical romance, this is the one for you. If you love found family and slow-burn romance with hilariously clueless characters and a little more plot than just the romance, please give this one a try.

*I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I loved the characters, and the friendship between Emily and the children is done really well. But the pacing was slow and off at parts.

I generally enjoy Lex Croucher's fun and vibrant historical romances. Her latest, Trouble, is not my favorite, in large part because its categorization as a romantic comedy is a misnomer. The romantic plotline doesn't emerge until over halfway through the book, and is a tertiary or secondary plot at best. Instead, I would classify this book as historical fiction with a romantic plotline. Since the romance is confined to the back half of the story, it feels underdeveloped. Other plot elements are somewhat scattershot, but as always, Croucher's characters are well written and leap off the page. The plotting and pacing is uneven at times, but I still had a good time.

Instead, more of this book is an ensemble comedy centering a found family, which gets me every time. The elements of this book that most closely mirror The Sound of Music (a headstrong, unexpected governess unexpectedly growing to love her charges and becoming a part of the household's larger family) really do shine. I love the richness of the other household staff characters. A cute and cozy read.

In “Trouble” by Lex Croucher the new governess is a liar, a thief and hates children. She mistakes her new boss for a member of the staff so she automatically starts off on the wrong foot. LOL. Enemies to lovers trope possible. Her new co-workers, the other servants of Fairmont House, would like to welcome Amy into their fold but she is slow to warm to them and her name isn’t Amy. Something shocking happens halfway through the book and also, one of the children comes out as transgender. There are gay, straight, BIPOC and chronically ill characters as well and they are all given the love and respect they deserve. Found family trope spotted. There’s some swearing in the text thanks to Oliver mainly. The romance is highlighted more in the second half. This is my second book I’ve read by Lex Croucher and I’m loving her queer characters and humor. I can’t wait to read more. ARC was provided by St. Martin’s Griffin via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Emily's sister Amy is sick, and Emily is desperate to make enough money to provide the care she needs. So desperate, that she pretends to be Amy and take the governess position her sister was hired for, despite the fact that Emily doesn't know the first thing about educating children. Despite her attempts to stay aloof, Emily gets pulled in further and further to the lives of the staff, the children, and Captain Edwards.

I love a regency romance that isn't about nobility. The romance was a very slow burn, and I loved the way the relationships between the characters developed.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this story! I loved the diversity of the cast of characters and their personalities. The dialogue between characters, as well as internal, was fun! It was refreshing to see a harden heroine who was rough around the edges. Emily was such an entertaining character to watch grow as the story progressed. Her romance with Ben progressed at a good pace and I loved how Emily was reluctant to accept love.

A fun, quick read.

Sometimes a book can have it all: in-depth characterization, high stakes plot, and a charming and diverse cast of characters and still fall flat. This is the unfortunate reality of this book, which I was immensely excited for. After reflecting as to why I did not absolutely love this book that has all the right bits for a good novel, I think it boils down to authorial choices for telling the story and how those parse up with genre expectations. This book uses a third person POV, which is fairly common in the world of historical romance. However, with this third-person POV, the story only follows the perspective of one of the characters which made everything else about this novel from the high stakes plot to diverse set of side characters to even the romance feel wholly disconnected and subsidiary to the novel. Are there romance novels in which only one character is followed and it works? Yes. That was just sadly not the case here. So in the end I think this novel would work well as an introspective historical fiction piece, but does not let us see enough into the other half of the love story happening to make it a success as a romance. I enjoyed the writing and characterization done in this novel so I will continue to pick up books by this author in the hopes their craft continues to develop.

Heat Factor: One non-explicit scene right at the end.

Character Chemistry: It’s that opaque hero, antagonism + confusing-tingles vibe.

Plot: Emily takes her sister’s place as a governess, even though she hates children.

Overall: I loved it.

Picture this: a widowed naval officer has two children who he doesn’t know how to talk to. He is in need of a governess because the last one was unsuitable. A governess arrives and settles in. She castigates the officer for ignoring his children. The officer is attracted to her, but she is oblivious. They dance together.

If you’re like, “Cool, that’s called the governess trope!” you would be correct. And all of those things happen in Trouble—but not exactly in the normal way. I think, though, what really makes this book stand out for me is the voice. It is dry and sarcastic *in the extreme* and I thought it was friggin hilarious.

Emily—impoverished gentry, former millworker, general misanthrope—has accepted a position as governess in her sister’s place. Amy is the only person in the entire world that Emily cares about, and Amy is ill, and this governess job pays better than working in the mill. Plus, she might have the opportunity to steal some stuff from those terrible rich people (they definitely won’t notice). (Emily is very much of the “eat the rich” school of philosophy.) Governesses in romance books are not always truthful about their background (and, like Emily, are frequently in desperate straits for one reason or another), but do not generally lie to the extent that Emily does. Emily lies about her name and about her background; she tries to lie about her disposition, but, let’s be real, she’s not all that successful. And she starts nicking trinkets as soon as she can.

"Her certainty about her own character meant that she very rarely experienced any kind of moral conundrum; the qualities of being both headstrong and never in any situation with the aim of making friends did not give rise to the need for much umming and ahhing about the path ahead."

I loved Emily as a heroine, but I do want to state, for the record, that she is not a nice person. There’s a scene where she gets into a screaming match with one of her charges (age 16) that involves some name calling. A lot of her interior thoughts are about how she doesn’t like people—and about how people don’t like her. (Even if she’s not a nice person, I would argue that she is a good person, but that doesn’t really become apparent until about halfway through the book.)

The settling in also does not go as it normally does in these books. I feel like, usually, the rest of the staff is either not important to the story, indifferent, or hostile to the governess. In this case, the staff is close-knit and works hard to befriend Emily (despite her best efforts to the contrary). In fact, Emily probably shares more page time and conversation with Meera (housekeeper), Akia (maid), Oliver (valet slash groom), and Joe (cook) than she does with Captain Edwards. This is a deeply unconventional household everyone supports each other and steps up to do what’s needed to keep things going and sees each other as equals, though the fact that this also applies to the boss eludes Emily somewhat until quite late in the book. Despite the fact that she mistakes him for a groom in Chapter 2.

Although Emily’s method’s in the classroom are somewhat unorthodox, she does bond with her charges, who are—luckily for both Emily and the reader—teenagers and well-developed characters in their own right. Governess books sometimes go over the top into the land of twee, but Aster and Grace successfully navigate the line between engaging and too cute. It helps that they have dramatically different responses to their situation: Aster is angry and aggressive and acting out, and Grace desperately wants Emily to like her. Aster declines to come to lessons and Grace is thrilled to get to sit in the classroom and tell Emily all about The Mysteries of Udolpho. Yes, Emily’s teaching method is to have Grace tell her about whatever horrid gothic she’s reading.

"Seven days after Aster returned to the schoolroom, she left a painting on the table instead of squirrelling it away in her room as she usually did. She had titled it Death of the Governess, and probably thought it very threatening. It depicted someone who looked suspiciously like Emily in the process of violently drowning. It was really rather good.

"Emily propped it up on her bedroom mantel, so that she could look at it every morning and remember how important it was that she survived."

Of course, we must talk about the romance. Now, we’ve definitely got a slow burn, “I’m not sure what he thinks of me” kind of romance, where the hero is aloof and we don’t see into his head. This makes for a very different kind of chemistry. You know, the kind where brief touches mean *everything.*

"“Oh,” he said affably. “No, I couldn’t possibly . . .”

"“It’s just a hand, sir,” said Emily.

"“It’s your hand,” said Captain Edwards.

"The best that could be said of this statement was that it was accurate. Emily was starting to get rather annoyed.

"“Well, if it is somehow repulsive to you, I will retract the offer and leave you here to—”

"Captain Edwards took her hand. He wasn’t wearing a glove. Emily wasn’t wearing a glove. After her insistence that it was just a hand, and that grasping it did not require extensive deliberation , the feeling of his fingers on hers was far more complex than she had anticipated.

"It was the way he did it. It wasn’t brusque and practical, as he usually was. He was being . . . gentler than he had any right to be. Careful, as if she should be handled delicately. It was the way someone might take your hand before they leaned over to press a kiss to the fine skin over your knuckles, or before they ducked their head and led you out on to the dance floor.

"It was horribly intimate, and Emily wanted to shake him off at once. Instead, she dug her heels in and helped pull him to a stand, trying not to notice the way he rested his weight on her for a second before he stepped away and released her, and very much noticing it anyway."

High heat romance is fun and all, but sometimes you just want that first brush of fingertips to make you swoon. At least I do.

Of course, Emily and Captain Edwards are both Bad At Feelings and Worse At Communication, so after the fateful brushing of hands (and subsequent familiar conundrum of “is it love or is it indigestion?”) they do a lot of dancing around each other and antagonistic conversations and not being honest with themselves or each other. It doesn’t help that Emily is acutely aware of the power imbalance between them and is predisposed to assuming the worst about people. So if you want to see the protagonists spend a lot of time together and not be oblivious, you may find this book extremely frustrating. But I thought it was delightful.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

All in all, this may be my favorite of Croucher's books, Croucher just simply gets better with every book she writes! This is my third book with Lex Croucher’s work and is my favorite of them all. Trouble is a romance like few others. Emily unexpectedly becomes a governess to provide for her struggling family. She gets shipped off to Edward’s household. She is tasked with educating Captain Edwards’s teen daughters.

Well, you can imagine the rest or not, but a good book to read, as always set in historical times.

Thank you to the publishing house NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. You will enjoy, and love this book.

This novel was a cute and easy read. Funny and engaging, I found Emily to be a refreshing character. Grumpy from beginning to end, she grew but her personality stayed true to who her experiences made her to be. Her obliviousness was often aggravating at times but I understand where it came from and why the author went that direction. I loved every character, they were well written and well developed and added to the story in their own ways. I enjoyed Emily’s connection to the children and the representation in the novel was consistently present and seamlessly integrated. Overall this novel is a solid choice and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to read it!