I thought Elle Potter’s narration for this historical romance was well done. I thought her more harsh English accent was a good fit for Emily’s character. As for the story I thought the pace was a bit slow and the two main characters not super likable. As for the supporting characters, I absolutely adored and loved them. They brought some much needed humor to the story!

Thank you so very much NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC.

I LOVED this story and Ell Potter’s performance.

Emily was a splendid FMC. Complicated and doing what she felt needed done.

Grace was simply charming and I want to adopt her.

Oliver freaking stole the show in my eyes (or rather, ears). I love him. He made me laugh out loud so much.

Sweet story. Emily is a strong character willing to do what she needs to for her mother and sister! She takes on a job she is not really interested in when her sister falls ill and must bite her tongue in many situations. Enjoyed it very much.

Do you love Hallmark channel romance movies but wish they were a bit more...,. queer? Then you should already know that Lex Croucher's romances are exactly what you are looking for. These are fairly typical regency-era romances but with queer twists.
In this one, we follow Emily as she takes her ill (and much better-mannered) sister's place as a governess in the unconventional Fairmont House. Von Trapp vibes abound, but with much more reasonable numbers of children, including precocious and loving Grace and taciturn and contrary Aster. We might think we know what to expect in this story, and we would be completely correct, but the story is a fun romp with a few small surprises that make it a whip-smart romantic comedy of sorts that fits in perfectly with Croucher's other novels. I do want to remark that this book includes a character who comes out as trans mid-novel and is immediately accepted and flawlessly and immediately gendered correctly for the rest of the novel, and that makes my heart so happy.
As to the audio, Ell Potter does a wonderful job breathing life into the characters and making them feel distinct and lived-in.

This book was a super fun read. There were multiple LGBTQ+ characters with storylines that do not surround their gender or sexuality. There is mild enemies to lovers, found family, and forgiveness. It is a very well written book that warms the heart. The narration was also very well done. The narrators voice fit Emily perfectly, and she showed emotion very well through her voice acting. The pacing and writing style of this book also translated very well to an audiobook. The characters were well developed, and we were able to understand the background and motivation for all the characters actions. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a historical style feel good romance.

I was not a big fan of the main girl, her internal monologue was a bit grating and very repetitive. After the tenth time of her putting down every single trait she possesses I was over it. It seemed like they wanted the main struggle for her decision making to be endearing but it honestly made me like her even less. The final choice being to out someone’s sexuality, knowing it would result in him being hanged and his children orphaned, should not have taken as much internal debate. Especially so late in the story when she’d made seemingly genuine connections with everyone involved.

This book was unfortunately just a miss for me, but I’m open to other books by this author as I’ve heard very good things.

It took me a while to get into this book partially because of the narrator, I’m not entirely sure what didn’t work for me but the accent was off, maybe too posh.

I really enjoyed this book. There was such a natural flow to the way the story developed and the way you got to know the characters. I liked the way that Emily grew friendships with not only the staff of Fairmont House but also the children she was charged with. As much as she fought getting attached to any of them, she couldn't help but find herself forming relationships. She thought she wasn't likable and definitely not lovable - - they all proved her wrong.

I love regency romances and find them even more enjoyable when they have a touch of uniqueness. Trouble definitely has its own original feel and it truly made this an even richer and more engaging story.

Audiobook: In addition to the ebook, I was also gifted an early copy of the audiobook. I loved the audio. It was so easy to listen to and I found myself falling into the story and truly losing track of everything going on around me. That's the sign of a solid audiobook. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

I was lucky enough to get an advance audio of this title (I had no idea that was a thing so yay for that!)
The narration was top notch & I loved the snarkiness of the main character & one of the 2 students she was governess to & laughed lots. I loved the seaside location.
There was lots of LGBTQ representation in this story, which was also great.
The things I has issue with were that the time period felt (for me) very indistinct and some back-story concerning the main character & her family but tiny quibbles compared to how much I enjoyed this overall.

"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.

**Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5**
I was an instant fan of Lex Croucher’s after being introduced to their work last year when I read their YA novel, *Gwen & Art Are Not in Love.* So when I saw *Trouble,* their latest in a series of adult Regency-era romantic comedies was available to read, I couldn’t wait!

*Trouble* centers on the tenacious Emily Laurence—a brash and hardworking woman supporting her family, including her aimless mother and kind but increasingly ailing sister, after their father dies and leaves them penniless. When her sister becomes too ill to take on the position of a governess at a wealthy estate, Emily goes undercover to take on the job—how hard can it be? Despite Emily’s refusal to make any connections at Fairmont House, the odd and endearing cast of characters at the house increasingly wiggles their way into Emily’s life—especially the confusing and attractive Captain Edwards and his children. As Emily’s lies and games begin to unravel, she is faced with a choice: can she fix the mistakes she’s made? Or will she have to leave Fairmount House—and her new, found family—forever?

>>What I loved: *Trouble* carries all of the great hallmarks of Croucher’s works: complicated but frustratingly-lovable FMC, a fun and quirky set of supporting characters, exceptional dialogue, and surprisingly high stakes. Writing queerness in historical romance is not an easy feat, and Croucher continues to show how to do this in ways that feel honest without being harmful. Excellent reading in the audiobook by Ell Potter really complimented the excellent writing here as well.

>>What I didn’t love: As is typical with Croucher’s books, the romance does not develop much until the later half of the book. I am always wishing we could get a little more romance a little sooner—a stylistic choice which is both effective and appropriately agonizing (Will they? Won’t they?), but it doesn’t mean I have to like it 😋

*Trouble* represents another great success in the genre from Croucher. Fans of historical romantic comedies will find a lot to love here, especially in worlds that do not ignore more diverse identities. I hope they continue to write more in this space, and I will continue to be a devoted reader of anything they put out.

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Lex Croucher, and Macmillan Audio, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

This sweet romance was a fun audiobook to listen to. The narrator did an excellent job with all of the characters. I enjoyed the nod to The Sound of Music in the way Emily slowly started to care about the children in her care and Captain Edwards. Her desire to be able to care for her ailing sister is admirable even if the way she goes about it is not. I also appreciated the acceptance of love, self-discovery, and self-awareness in all forms. What a fun read!

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.

I absolutely love Lex Croucher’s writing style and humor, and this book was no different.

Emily is very much an ‘unlikeable character’, but the more the book goes on the more you love her and, if I’m being honest, agree with her! She is grumpy and petty, and way too serious, and stubborn to a fault. I loved her.

The friends she made at the house were all fun characters who brought something different to the table, and I would have loved to learn more about them and see them a little more. Akia is my favorite with her propensity to tell stories—whether you want to hear them or not. Not to mention the children that Emily had to watch over being a governess and all. Aster’s biting insults and Grace’s sweetness were a great compliment and mirror to Emily and her own sister Amy.

I laughed aloud with this book, became angry when it was called for, and even experienced some second hand embarrassment which is a compliment to the writing style.

I also love how the author always manages to squeeze in a quip about accepting people, and how it isn’t hard to love people for who they are. It’s a message more and more people need to see in this day and age.

There was an instance where miscommunication or lack of communication at all came in to add a little more tension to the plot that I did not enjoy, however, it lasted for such a short amount of time that it was not a deal breaker. I did wish I saw more of the Captain. I felt like I didn’t get enough time to truly get to know him as a character.

This historical rom-com is an absolute delight, with a diverse cast of characters and hilarious, whipsmart dialogue. This was the first book I've read/listened to that featured a trans character, and I thought that the way he was portrayed was so touching. I loved how the romance developed between Emily and the captain, and the relationships she formed with the children and the other staff in the house. The narration was very engaging.

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 by Lex Croucher
Historical romance. Diverse LGBTQ+.
Emily Laurence will do whatever she must to keep her mother and sister fed and housed. When Amy falls ill and can’t accept the governess job she was hired for, Emily decides to impersonate her sister to earn a few months wages. True, she doesn’t like children, and has no clue how to teach them anything, but she can fake it for a few months. Meanwhile, she’ll scope out the house and steal a few trinkets to sell and see if there are other options to earn a few coins while she’s there. What could possibly go wrong? A little spying, a missing broach, children spending the day reading….its all on a days work.

🎧 I listened to a audiobook version of this book, narrated by Ell Porter. The performance is point on with Emily’s personality leaking through her ill fitting disguise of governess. She’s harsh and sarcastic with little patience or time beyond her goal of money. Until she becomes just a little too attached to her own surprise. Various voices of the children, servants and Captain Edwards add to the depth of both the performance and character building of Emily.
I listened to this at a speed of 1.5 for the best audio comfort.

Entertaining, amusing and spirited. Although I didn’t like Emily or the premise of lying and stealing, as she started to like the family, my own feelings started to switch as well. I was glad she had regrets and subsequently fixed things. The other household help defined neighborhood and mutual benefits.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.

Rating: 4/5
I received an audio eARC for my honest opinion.

I thought this book was cute, it did however start out really slow and really focused on Emily’s negative side. I did think about stopping and not continuing to listen to the book, but I am happy that I continued to listen because the book ended up being good.

Emily is having to take a job as a governess for her sister Amy, because she is having a flare up of her condition and is not able to make it. Their family is not able to get the treatments, food, and other supplies that they need without the money they would make from this job. So, Emily goes and acts like her sister, but she might not be the right person to do the job. Emily doesn’t like children or wealthy families and she plans on taking as much as she can from them before she leaves the family. Well, that was the case until things changed.

This book is a historical romance that features LGBTQ+, I did like that the main female character was not like your normal lady in distress, but she was like an old person who just hated people and things. I really didn’t like her character at first but the more you get to know her and understand her it does help you start liking her character and to see her character growth in the book was great. You can see that she does start to change how she feels about the “rich” and see how she starts to understand that just because she is in a house that needs a governess doesn’t mean that they always have it better.

I did receive the audio of this book; I loved Ell Porter for the narrator. She did an amazing job with bringing this character to life, I really could feel Emily’s personality coming through. The snobby, I’m better than you, the disgust of having to be in that house, everything. I know that it was because of Ell Porter that I gave this book a chance and thank you for that because I ended up loving it.

This book is entertaining with the banter that Emily throws to everyone, romance, the gift of understanding and compassion, with a little bit of spy work in there too.

I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book.

I had a really difficult time rating this one. I feel like the first 2/3 of the book was a 3 star, the last 1/3 was a 5 star, so I guess I'm going to split the difference and give it 4 stars.

Overall, I really found the first part of the book to be very boring. Not a lot happening, no chemistry between the MCs. I liked the premise of the book, but then it just didn't quite work for me. I think probably because I didn't really like the FMC, Emily. She was just really unlikable, and by the time she became likeable, the book was nearly done.

I did really like how Emily and Captain Edwards talked about their identities; that it's just how they are and there's nothing wrong with that. I also loved Aster's storyline and how Emily and Captain Edwards handled it. So lovely.

I do really like it when historical stories just leave out the homophobia. I mean, you're writing fiction, why would you include those terrible things for your MCs. Obviously there are laws and society to be concerned about, but there is no overt homophobia/transphobia in this book, and it is great.

So, not my favourite of Crouchers, but still a good one.

So this one was not at all what I expected!

We are back in the late 1800's (I think, but I'm not sure it was mentioned in the book...) and Amy and Emily are sisters. They live with their Mom, but they support the home. When Amy applies for a new job as a governess, and gets it, she is disheartened when she becomes sick and cannot go!
But, no worries, Emily is going to take her place.

Where Amy is soft spoken, kind hearted and loves children, Emily is loud, outspoken, and has never met a child she did like!

So...we are off to a good start!! LOL!!! 🤣🤣

As Emily meets the staff, children, widowed man of the house, and the neighborhood people, she cannot wait to make some money and get out of there!

Strange thing happens though... Seems the more time she spends there, the more she starts to like it!

Add to this some shady characters, and the fact that Emily is a bit shady herself, and you have the makings of a great story!

Made me LOL multiple times!!
Light and Sweet!!
And the pure fact that Emily is TRYING so hard to be an actual governess, it’s hysterical!!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which released yesterday, 3/5/24.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

#Trouble by #LexCroucher and narrated nicely by #EllPotter.

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Thanks so much for reading!📚⭐️📖

This was...fine.

I was really enjoying the intrigue and finding out if she'll get away with everything, but then she got really insecure and really in her own head and it got really annoying. An incredible supporting cast, but Emily just really bothered me. I liked her! And then she decided it was better to just make decisions for everyone else instead of just communicating and letting them make up their own minds. Like when Grace goes missing and she spills all of this information to her and Grace says, I already knew most of that. COOL, that would have taken away so much of the nonsense I read!

It was a good story, but I wish the main character weren't so annoying.