The Earl and the Governessby Sarah Elliottreviewed by Cybil SolynDecember 2009, 288 pages, Publisher: Harlequin Historical, ISBN: 0373295774 Back Cover Blurb: Impoverished, alone and on the run, Isabelle Thomas needs help. So when William Stanton, Earl of Lennox, offers her a job as governess to his ward, she can't refuse. But Isabelle soon discovers that working for tall, broad-shouldered William, with his disheveled hair and intense green eyes, is more of a challenge than she expected! When the attraction between them culminates in a bone-melting kiss, Isabelle knows she must leave. Only, the earl has other plans for his innocent governess….
This is my first book by Sarah Elliott and I look forward to reading more. As a lover of Traditional Regency novels I'm always happy to discover an author who can still write them with humor and passion. The Earl and the Governess, while not a Keeper for me, was a surprisingly good book with more depth than flaws.
With the recent death of her father, Isabelle Thomas, has fallen upon hard times. It seems her father, a well known and knighted antiquarian, sold forgeries during the war and one of his customers has found out. Now Isabelle is being blackmailed for the money and unless she can pay, a blot on her father's good name will be the least of her problems. Although she has sold off everything she has it isn't enough. She needs a job, but who wants to hire a book smart beauty with no references?
Enter William Stanton, Earl of Lennox. From the first moment he talks with Isabelle he knows he wants her in his life. What better way than to have her take care of his new ward? That way he can slowly indoctrinate her in the ways of love and ultimately make her his mistress. The only problem he faces is that he didn't take into account that once she was hired he'd have to protect her - even if that mean protecting her from his own base needs. Ah, it's so hard being a gentleman!
I enjoyed this novel very much for two main reasons. The first is that Isabelle and William have wonderful chemistry. Elliott does a stellar job of explaining why these two would fall in love, and how each of their backgrounds have contributed to the person they are now. The second reason is that the pacing is wonderful. One of my favorite aspects of a Traditional Regency is that even though the read is quick, so much is revealed. This allows for a lot more emotion and less filler - something I see a lot of in Historical novels these days.
William and Isabelle are passionate, good people. So good in fact that at one point I wondered why we had such a villainous villain since both these characters are so wonderful at castigating themselves! William is a "good" person who really cares about those around him. Isabelle seems to genuinely care that her father duped and therefore "stole" from so many people.
The most interesting part of The Earl and the Governess was watching both our "good" characters war with their morals. Isabelle's morals fight against her survival. You could see that she wants to do the right thing and pay everyone back, but at some point that ideal became flimsy because she needs to have shelter and to eat. William desires Isabelle above all else, but to take her will be to admit he is no gentleman. This struggle makes their ultimate union all the more sweet and satisfying.
Bottom Line: A read that will pass the time and leave you happy and content.
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Cybil Solyn, csolyn@rakehell.com
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