I have been waiting to find out how this series would resolve itself as although each of the novels is a standalone, they are also interlinked. As such one needs to read the whole series to understand the background. Of the three books, I have enjoyed this one the most as Rory is forced to face up to his responsibilities. With a Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, Rory is fearful of allowing his daughter and her governess to get too close to him, but inevitably, he cannot help himself as he finds in Genevieve a down-to-earth and warm-hearted woman who reaches out to father and daughter with compassion. Rory and Genevieve make a wonderful couple and although Frances starts out as a bewildered and rebellious child, she quickly responds to Genevieve's steadying hand. The plot culminates with Rory and his friends returning to the source of all their problems, only to discover that they have in fact found what they needed to break the hold of the witch's curse. I received a copy of this enjoyable romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

I really enjoyed reading this book by one of my favorite authors. Ms Galen has written a winner with the newest in the series of Misfortune Favorites. This book had me at first chapter and never let go. The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own. I like how the story flows with lots of surprises.
Rory Lumley , the younger son of Duke of Tralee, has been cursed since he was thirteen years old. He and friends thought to steal something from a woman who was a Scottish witch. She said they would all be doomed at the age of thirty. Each of the young men did indeed suffer from her curse.
Rory lost his wife and child in an accident and he left the country leaving his small daughter abandoned.
When he returns after a year, he finds his daughter is a brat and has no way to control her actions.
Rory hires another governess but she leaves after his daughter pranks her. Finally he hires a woman who seems to help his daughter and forges a bond between them.
Genevieve Brooking is the governess who senses the grief of Frances Lumley the daughter who only wants to be loved. The father is also trying to be what his daughter needs, but doesn't know how. Rory asks Genevieve to marry to give his daughter a mother. When she says yes, Rory wants a marriage of convenience, so she intends to show his that her love is unconditional.
Will they defeat the curse and get their happy ever after? You will just have to read and find out.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

This story was so good, I had a hard time putting it down once I started reading it. I have to admit that a few times I had tears in my eyes, the emotions coming across the pages were so heartfelt. Having not read the first two books, I now have them in my Kindle and will be reading them pronto!!

Between the curse and the tragedy, one can't help but feel heartsick for Rory but when Genevieve comes into his and his daughter Frances' lives, hope and love becomes a true possibility. I loved Genevieve's character and how she handled Frances with so much care. As for the very handsome Rory, the walls around his heart are soon breaking down. Their love will be tested, by a witch, no less, and my heart was in my throat when Rory had to make a decision!!

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

As a historical romance this book is very enjoyable (although I'm not really ever a fan of the governess-turned-wife plots), but as a conclusion to what has been a really interesting series it falls a little flat. The first two books in the series followed a certain pattern - the men come to their 30th birthdays, have a vision of the witch, and then have everything fall apart. Since the events that took Rory's family occurred prior to the events of the first book they are told to us rather than being their own event in the novel. Did he have a vision of the witch? And why did it take so long for the witch's sister to approach him? Does she only appear once the men have fallen in love? As you can tell, rather than resolving a lot of the aspects of the curse plot it just left me with more questions. That and I found the whole counter-curse part of the story a bit of a letdown. It might have been better had the epilogue gotten more into what was going on with the characters from the first two books - did and King and Violet create a successful new business? did Henry and Katie make a success of their new land? I felt more invested in knowing what happened to them after the last trip to Scotland than about Rory and Genevieve. So, as I said as a final story to the series it fell a bit flat, but as just another historical romance it was pretty good. Also as I said previously, I'm not a fan of the whole falling in love with the governess plot. It's just a bit icky (for lack of a better word) to have an employer get involved with one of his employees. In this case, there could have been other ways to get Genevieve involved with Rory and Frances other than being the actual governess. My favorite part of their relationship actually occurred toward the end when there was a chance they would have to be separated forever. It showed just how far Rory had come and how in love they were.

Rory is the last of the boys in this series. The three of them have been cursed due to a childhood act. Rory is now a widower and needs a governess for his daughter. Genevieve has been a governess for 14 years. Together they must undo the curse placed on him. A fully engaging plot with great character depth. A few places that are a bit repetitive which is fine but it lengths the story. Beautifully wrapped up with all three friends in an ending filled with love and hope.

3 stars,

Much more somber than the previous stories, Rory, the MMC, is a widowed father of a grieving young child, having lost his wife and infant son in a carriage accident. The story is well written with sensitivity and empathy for the characters. It could be read as a stand-alone but you’d be missing out on the basis of the plot.

Genevieve is a great character - she’s wonderful with Rory’s young daughter and when he decides that his daughter needs a supportive, kind, and loving mother figure, he looks no further than her governess.

In spite of a marriage of convenience, I really liked how this wasn’t an insta-love - there was a nice build-up with character growth and evolution.

I didn’t love the ending, but I did enjoy the story.


*An issue with this story was referring to Genevieve as “a servant” when, historically, nannies and governesses were considered, and treated, of a better class than servants.


I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Ms Galen’s work 🙂



Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

I would like to thank netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was entertaining, but the ending wasn't completely satisfying. I liked the class difference element, but there were inconsistencies throughout the book.

Curses, Guilt, Favors, Romance:
My first time reading these authors writings and I absolutely would give this book more than 5 stars if I could. I will definitely have her on my read another book list.
I had not read the first 2 books of the series and I was not lost at all. This is a story about finding true love and second chances in more ways than one.
The characters were very intriguing and the desirous charisma between them had me drooling more than once. I certainly needed my lady's fan for this passionate love story.
Rory and Geneveive were delightful, caring, and just plain enjoyable to follow through many up and downhill situations only to bring them to an ultimate decision which brought this story to a very rewarding and shocking ending.
💋Favorite Character: Rory for his caring treatment on the wedding night. Swoon worthy
💖Special Mention: Admiral the dog🐕 that added so much joy for a little girl.
📚Mature Advisory🔥🔥🔥

The final book in the Misfortunes Favorites series, this one is of Rory who has lost the most of all. After his estranged wife and baby son are killed in a carriage accident, Rory heads to the Continent. When he is back his young daughter given to him to raise requiring a governess. Genevieve works wonders on the still grieving child and her father as well. When the witch’s sister appears to give all three men a way to clear the spell, they learn they must sacrifice all. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

We have come to the end of the Misfortunes Favorites series and find out how the curse is broken. It has been a long journey and this book is sad in a way but also redeeming. Rory is so melancholy and needs someone to pick him up and Geneieve is that person along with Frances, his daughter. I feel that Shana really stepped out of her box to bring us this story of redemption, true love, responsibility and unfailing love. Yes, she has written other heartbreaking stories but I think this one really stands out as one that was especially hard to read. Just fabulous!

Sometimes you just want to relax and read for pure enjoyment. Not deep thoughts or complicated plot, just what I call fluff. This is such a book. A romp with a small twist which I think readers of historical romance will enjoy. It moves quickly and the characters are enjoyable.

A great story . Rory is still grieving for the passing of his wife and infant son . He believes it is because of the curse of the witch when he was thirteen . Now his mother in law brings him his daughter and he must finally take care of her . Little Frances is very wild and needs a governess but he never thought that Genevieve Brooking will make her a happy and easy going child with her love . Rory wants his daughter to have a mother who loves her and asks Genevieve to marry him . Will she make him stop feeling responsible for the passing of his late wife and son and have a happy life with her and his daughter ?
I received this book from netgalley and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

Emory Lumley, younger son of the Duke of Tralee & his two friends were cursed at the age of thirteen by a Scottish witch. As preordained by the witch, on their thirtieth birthdays tragedy strikes each one. Rory is riddled with guilt & flees to the Continent, abandoning his young daughter Frances. A half year later, he returns to find his once-docile daughter is now a willful, spoiled child prone to tantrums. At thirty, Genevieve Brooking has been a governess almost half her life Genevieve takes the position of governess to Frances Lumlee at nearby Lilacfall Abbey. Frances is a challenge, but Genevieve knows how to manage wayward, grieving children. What she isn’t prepared for is the wayward, grieving master of the house. Rory & his friends are given a counter-spell. With his family and friends, Rory returns to the scene of the crime, where the witch’s sister appears again. She tells Rory what he’s always feared, he can reverse the curse but only by offering a sacrifice.
The third & final book in the trilogy. Another well written book from the author, the pace is good & the characters have depth. I loved Genevieve who was wonderful, a caring but strict governess who knew how to handle Frances without causing strife. I also loved Frances who was one sad & grieving little girl – I loved how she was led into the light. I loved Rory & also loved the way he also started to let go of his guilt & opened his heart. I loved the chemistry between Rory & Genevieve & how their relationship grew & deepened. Then there was the journey to Scotland & Rory totally surprised me & not in a good way. In fact I read the final part of the book twice just to make sure I’d read it correctly & for me this soured the book for me so hence four stars & not the five it was heading to. The epilogue was lovely & rounded of the series beautifully
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

The last in the series but certainly not the least. You can't help but feel sympathy for the hero and his losses and you can't help but admire the heroine her understanding of child psychology as well as her loving care. The child is mischievous and adorable she almost steals the show. Emotional and heart wrenching when he faces an impossible choice. This book kept me emotionally invested all the way through!

Having read the other two books in the series, I was so excited about this one; especially since it is the last one.

This one has a more somber tone than the previous books since it deals with grief and trauma of losing loved ones. It was not a romcom as much as the other books were. However, I still enjoyed the characters, plot and setting here. Genevieve is by far the best heroine. I really admired her and adored her from the moment she is introduced. Rory I had to grow to like. He makes some questionable judgements (the whole impossible decision bit) but overall I could sympathize with him.

The plot was interesting and I think the topic of grief was handled well.

Would recommend.

An intriguing story and lovely romance to read. I liked Rory and Genevieve, wonderful characters finding love with a curse hanging over their heads, love wins in the end.

4.5

What a wonderful conclusion to the series.

Rory has suffered a lot of loss during his life. His first marriage was a loveless marriage. He lost so very much. During his life. Genevieve came into his life and restored happiness and love. Their love story was one of understanding and renewal.

The curse was finally lifted.

I really enjoyed All About Genevieve by Shana Galen. This was the third installment of Misfortune Favorites. Having not read the first two, I can confirm this can be a standalone, although I look forward to going back and reading the first two in the series.
Genevieve is the Mary Poppins of governesses. She has a bag of tricks up her sleeve to deal with an abandoned child who’s acting out as well as a sharp-whip to deal with the stubborn, yet very handsome father.
Rory, is done running from his problems and the curse that struck him with immense tragedy on his 30th birthday.
The one thing Rory and Genevieve have in common is protecting Frances. I loved the emotions this story was able to strongly convey— hurt, loss, betrayal, loyalty, and love. It was so enjoyable envisioning their adventures at the lovely Lilacfall Abbey. This was a story of love, healing and trust. Throw in a mix of supernatural with some witches to curses for some extra excitement. I highly recommend this!


Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing for offering me the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rory was cursed at thirteen by a witch and his wife and son died as a result. He's consumed with guilt and leaves his young daughter with governesses. Genevieve is the only governess who can manage his daughter but she can't manage him....

Love the magical element in the story. Love how Rory and Genevieve learn to disocver each other. A very romantic story. Really enjoy it.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I loved this book so, so much! It’s beautifully written, the characters are vivid and the plot is really intriguing. Genevieve is undoubtedly the most beautiful and interesting of the book’s characters, a strong, smart and capable woman, but I loved poor Rory as well, who just wanted to be loved! And the child’s POV is a gorgeous addition and particularly touching!
The entire series is really wonderful and I liked that Galen created three male characters who are somewhat hateful at the beginning, but then reveal inner depths and a painful past. And of course they find true love! The ending is really very satisfying and just what I pictured for all three couples. I was sorry when I turned the last page!