Feeling just okay about this one. It went quickly but didn’t knock me off my feet or anything. Cute little forbidden romance but honestly felt a little drug our for what it was.

Emily is lying but for a good reason. She’s acting as a governess for a new house even though she herself is not prim and polished like she’s trying to fake. The reason she’s doing it? To help her sick sister Amy and she knows just how desperately Amy needs her to do this so she’s determined to succeed.
There is a lot of drama in the home though with one of the girls she watches over causing major disruptions. She finally tells Captain Edwards what she really thinks is going on and is sure she’s going to get fired. Before he can let her go Amy sends for her and just before she leaves the truth of who she really is comes out. Now she’s left to figure it all out including finding out how Captain Edwards really feels about her.

Read if you like:
🏳️‍⚧️ Transgender Rep
🩷 Historical Romances
🤫 Secret Identities
👩🏼‍🏫 Governess’s

I love the representation that Lex includes in all of her books! In this book, there is the inclusion of two transgender characters as well as a bisexual MMC.

For some reason, I’m not a huge historical romance reader, but whenever I see Lex has a new book out I just have to read it as a guilty pleasure & just truly a fun read!

For me personally this one took a bit longer for me to get invested into especially with the romance between Emily and the Captain taking a while to begin and truly being about all the relationships for a while longer than I was expecting, to then feeling like their romance was rushed a bit to happen before the end of the book.

All in all, though this was another one of Lex’s books I would recommend for a fluffy and inclusive read!

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Trouble is an additional novel by Lex Croucher set in the same era as her previous novels Reputation and Infamous. While all the novels are not part of an official series, they do all flow together as part of a nice collection. Emily Laurance has just started a new position as governess at Fairmont House only they believe she is her sister, Amy. Emily is impersonating her sister as Amy is sick. As a governess, she is tasked with taking care of Captain Ben Edward’s teen daughters, Grace, and Aster. Emily’s family also needs money so she plans to not only impersonate Amy, but also rob Edwards’s house of any small trinkets she can find.

As Emily gets to know the Edwards family, she not only becomes slightly less reluctant to have the position, but she gets to know the family. There is romance in this story, but I do feel that there is a large chunk missing from its development. Croucher does write banter very well and the chemistry between the characters is present; however, the actual connection needed more time. The concept of the novel was great as I enjoyed the deception. I do wish that there were more development of the characters and their relationship building over time. They all seem to have a lot of potential, but I just needed a little more. Overall, this was another great novel by Croucher and I look forward to reading more in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Lex Croucher has written 2 "historical romances" and one historical-inspired "YA." I put "historical romance" and "YA" in quotes, because I contend that all three of these books actually fall into the New Adult genre. Trouble does feel like an adult historical romance, but still keeps Croucher's writing style of a fixed 3rd person narrator (in this book, one character only!). While it gives readers the HEA we need, it also plays with the conventions of the genre. For example, if you squint your eyes, you can see this as a governess romance, with some callbacks to The Sound of Music. Except that Emily, our main character, isn't a nurturing, song-singing, cuddly governess like Maria; she's purposely prickly, does the absolute minimum she can get away with as a governess, steals things from the family to sell, and even agrees to gather information on Captain Edwards for blackmail purposes. (And note, she is definitely not the not FMC but the MC: this is a romance, but again, we get Emily's perspective and Emily's perspective ONLY.) The book, like Croucher's other novels, incorporates LGBTQIA+ themes: Captain Edwards and Emily are both bi+, and there are gay and trans characters who play important roles, as well.

Steam: this is not exactly a closed door romance, but it's not a titillating one, either. If you enjoyed Croucher's earlier books, you'll like this one. If you found those leaned a little too young but you liked the themes, this is probably one to check out.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

How many times can one book use the word surreptitiously?

I received this ebook from Netgalley to read and review. The cover is super cute and the premise seemed interesting but, unfortunately, the story fell flat for me.

I found the main character to be extremely unlikable and unrelatable, which makes it very difficult to read this book. The writing was also jarring in that it did not fit the time period it was supposed to be set in.

Overall a disappointing attempt at a historical fiction/romance. I'll stick with Jane Eyre 🙃

4.5
If there’s anything I can count on Croucher to deliver, it’s endless and effortless wit, humor, and charm. Even the most curmudgeonly characters (looking at you Emily and Aster) are lovable. I really do have the biggest soft spot for the bristly sort who play up their act as a defense mechanism, and there was no shortage of such characters here. Plus, I always adore a great found family and Croucher excels at writing the most endearing, complex characters who love each other despite everything.

I think part of the reason I enjoy historical romance has to do with the fact that every little glance and touch carries so much weight, and that was certainly present in this story (though just about everything else feels modern.) I do feel like the romance started to drag just a bit/become slightly repetitive. I’m not sure the relationship was developed enough to make all the continued pursuit make sense. I also would’ve loved to see more of Ben and get to know him a little more. I know the reticence was part of him and his grieving process but I think it goes back to just wanting a little more relationship development.

Nevertheless, I was utterly charmed. I had a smile on my face for most of the book and it just made my heart soar. Also, it has really great and casual queer and chronically ill rep.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Huge compliments to the author for an actual unlikeable heroine. I love reading stories that star women who aren't instantly likeable, but more often than not as the plot progresses, they're shown as misunderstood, or they go through half-baked character development that turns them into very demure and likeable people. That did not happen here and for that I'm really glad! The heroine remained true to herself for most of the book and even at the end of it she was a prickly woman. Love that for her! The romance felt a little far fetched given that the characters hadn't interacted much, but other than that, absolutely lovely!

Fairmont House welcomes new governess Emily, who’s secretly filling in for her sick sister. Inexperienced and unpolished, Emily has the deceitful intention of purloining neglected valuables to supplement her wages. As she awakens to the charms of her employer, Captain Edwards, her lies unravel, and she must make amends before it’s too late.

This hilarious historical romp has a strong voice that immediately immersed me in the story. Emily is a sympathetic and believable character doing her best to make her way in a world where women unattached to a man struggle to earn a living. The story is fast-paced and full of quirky characters.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I'll read anything Lex Croucher writes and I'll love it every. single. time.

I really came to adore Emily and her antics throughout this story. She's very relatable, in her chaotic bisexual ways.

Grumpy × Grumpy romance is something I never knew I needed until I read this book.

Emily Lawrence has a position as the new governess at Fairmount House. Unfortunately, it was her sister Amy that was actually hired but is too ill to accept the position. Their family is in desperate need of the money, however, and so even though Emily is not at all suited to be a governess, off she goes.
Emily is sort of horrible and not at all in the market for friends, but that is what she ends up getting. She also ends up loving her charges and falling for their father, Captain Edwards. Of course much drama ensues before these two can even think about getting together. There's a bit of "Sound of Music" vibe going on her but without the singing. And Emily is no delightful Fraulein Maria.
This novel was great fun as all Lex Croucher novels are. Love, forgiveness and found-family are amongst the themes.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

The romance in this book made my heart hurt so much by the end, and honestly that is all I need. It was very slow burn though, so it took a while to get there. The first two-thirds of the book was a slower read for me in general, and then after that I couldn't put it down and stayed up too late to finish it—because that's around when the romance really got going. Before that, the romantic leads were barely in the same room together. It had a definite Jane Eyre vibe with the whole governess and the gentleman of the house situation, but I promise there were no wives in the attic. Instead, there was a very cute, quirky household and staff, very much a found-family dynamic going on. I also really enjoyed how grouchy but secretly soft-hearted the FMC was. And Croucher is such a funny writer, it's a skill I envy so much. Overall, I really liked it. My only complaint is the pacing in the beginning.

Such a fun time!!!! I read it almost in one sitting. Like Croucher's other books, this is an extremely silly, witty, and delightful book. While I think some people might be disappointed that the romance isn't more prominent (it's a romantic comedy, with emphasis on the comedy), I had no disappointments.

I love Croucher's characters, and we got strong and endearing personalities with almost every character in this book, which made it almost impossible to put down. The cast of characters was diverse (bi MC's, trans rep, Black British rep, British Indian rep, gay rep, possible autistic rep?), which made the characters even more engaging.

I absolutely loved this latest installment from Croucher, and I plan to pre-order my own copy and to have my library do so as well.

3.5/5
The wit was quick. The cast diverse. And the story was a treat. Croucher delights with every line crafting the beauty of the regency era. They also leave enough room for swear jars and characters you can't forget. As a sworn lover of victorian literature (literally reading this in contingence with Middlemarch by George Elliot/Mary Ann Evans and Frankenstein (You know who this is by)) I loved catching the reference to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Jane Eyre and maybe the great film, Austenland. I even think I caught a Tennessee Williams reference, or maybe I'm too much of a nerd. Either way this was fantastic and I have been reading in my bed for like three straight hours. This was fun <3

Utterly charming enemies to lovers book that mixes class and sexuality against a backdrop of Victorian England. Definitely a slow bloom, this book captured my interest quickly with some compelling character work. Romantic, queer, and lightly spicy.

Lex Croucher is known for injecting modern language and sensibilities into historical romances, so I expected this Regency novel to be irreverent. But Trouble goes one step further: in addition to its characters' generally enlightened views about sex and gender, it features a lower-middle class main character, Emily, with anachronistic-seeming class consciousness.

Emily is furious about her (relative) poverty and the suffering to which it exposes her family, the work she has to do, and the luxury in which others live. This makes the story a bit less lighthearted than I expected at times - but by the halfway mark Emily softens, beginning to see her colleagues and employers as three-dimensional people with troubles of their own.

Although Emily's viewpoint definitely shifts from "eat the rich" it doesn't go all the way to "let them eat cake" - in fact, the conclusion of the story, in which the central couple must find a way to be together that respects their economic, moral, and social constraints, is one of its strongest and most original parts.

Trouble has some definite Jane Eyre vibes: Emily is a governess, and her love interest is her brooding, widowed employer. There's an old and empty house, windswept landscapes, and lots of consumption. However, the focus of the story is not the moral maturation of the characters but their emotional development; the problem with Captain Edwards is not that he is evil or untrustworthy but... sad.

In fact, all of the major characters are sad; all of them feel misunderstood by those they love; all of them are struggling with significant burdens. Watching them first push each other away and then, eventually, pull each other close is, in between the humor and the upstairs/downstairs romance, the great joy of this novel.

When the first scene in a book hooks you, you know it'll be a good one! Emily and I share quite a bit of similarities and I found myself really loving her more and more as the book progressed. I think there could've been more build-up of the romance overall, but I did love the way the characters interacted with each other. SUCH a different time and way things were handled and done back then truly intrigues me!

Definitely will recommend to those who love this era, want some romance, scheming and some laughs- while this is definitely a cute romp, there are heavier elements that create the back-story of the characters and why they are the way they are. Also a little coming of age, LGBTQ+ plot line that I really enjoyed with a character who constantly has the best sarcastic and snarky response to every. single. thing.

Amy Laurence is the perfect governess- kind clever, and good with children- of course she is the perfect choice for the Edwards family. But Amy is sick. So her sister Emily takes on the position. Emily is not the perfect governess-she is mean spirited and dislikes children on principal- she loathes the thought of serving some spoiled rich kids. But she will do anything for her sister, and frankly their family needs the money. When Emily arrives at Fairmont House the staff make the mistake of thinking she is Amy, and Emily does not correct them. Why bother? She would stay long enough until she has enough wages to find her sister a good doctor and then she is out of there. While the staff at Fairmont are determined to make her at home, her charges are another story. Young Grace Edwards is a cheerful but lonely girl, desperate for a friend. Aster Edwards is just as mean spirited as Emily and decidedly does not need a governess. Their father Captain Edwards, is distant and not at all what Emily expected her employer to be like. Despite her worst intentions, Emily finds herself warming to life at Fairmont House the longer she remains, but how long does she have until she is found out?
Trouble is like a regency Sound of Music but with less singing, less children and more hijinks. Another great book by Lex Croucher!

Lex Croucher is one of my favorite authors who writes in the genre of historical rom-coms. I love the modern twist she adds to a historical setting. In Trouble, we meet Emily Laurence who is, as the title reveals, trouble. Emily has had a hard life and it has made her tough, doing what she needs to survive and take care of her sick sister Amy. When Amy is too sick to start her governess job, Emily jumps in to secretly take her place. Of course, Amy dislikes children, is unmannered, and has no desire to get along with anyone. She hopes to quietly pocket a few things to slyly sell, and then leave. With some delightful servants, two compelling children, and a swoony father, Captain Edwards, Emily begins to see them all differently than just a paycheck.

Emily was hard to like for a bit of the book, but that just made her growth so much sweeter to enjoy. It was so fun to see Emily actively ignore her charges and shamelessly avoid trying to teach them. The dialogue is smart and insightful, The Edwards family's issues added layers and complexity to the story. Lex Croucher always includes LGBTQ characters in the best way. I think this is why I am drawn to her stories. This was a very satisfying read and by the end of the story, all the characters felt a little bit like family to me.

Thank you, St. Martin's Griffin, for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

If there are two things my bookish friends know about me it’s that I love 1) regency romances and 2) unlikeable female characters. And ‘Trouble’ by Lex Croucher has both!

Emily is a thoroughly disagreeable person. She’s simply one of those ‘glass half full’ people in every area of her life. The thing that made Emily different from other, also unlikeable, female main characters is that she never got particularly likable. She was prickly for the entirety of the book, just with more glimpses of her soft heart as the book went on. Eventually, she was from being just ‘very unlikeable’ to ‘mostly unlikeable but also endearing.’ I appreciated that the author was able to move the plot along without compromising Emily's character.

I really could have done without the back-and-forth between Emily and Captain Von Trap—I mean, Captain Edwards. They barely interacted throughout the first half of the book, then suddenly the last 1/4 of the book felt very dramatic for main characters who had consistently kept their wits about them.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my review.

Lex Croucher does it again with this gem! The cantankerous Emily takes on the job of governess for two teenagers, one of whom hates her on sight and proceeds to be horrid to Emily throughout the book. Besides the fact Emily does not know how to be a governess, she does not like children and she is a thief! How will she keep up the facade that she is innocent and qualified enough to keep the job? Although the book had a slow start, events came together later, making for a wonderful, tumultuous ride, complete with shenanigans, comedy, and romance. I just loved it! Thank you to NetGalley ad St. Martins for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.