Reviewer: Tracy My Brown-Eyed Earl by Anna Bennett
Series: The Wayward Wallflowers #1
Also in this series: The Rogue Is Back in Town
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: October 4th 2016
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating:
NEVER SEND A DEBUTANTE
William Ryder, Earl of Castleton, is at the end of his noble rope. Not only has he broken ties with his longtime mistress, his mother has publicly announced her wish for him to marry a suitable young lady―if only to help him raise the twins left in his care. Hiring a governess should solve some of Will’s problems…but when he meets the candidate in question, he finds himself in an entirely new predicament.
TO DO A WALLFLOWER’S JOB
Miss Margaret Lacey is brainy, beautiful, and, once upon a time, Will’s betrothed. But she bowed out of the engagement―and, since then, has never been the same. A tragic accident robbed her of everything, and now, at age twenty-three, her marital prospects are slim to none. Penniless but not without pride, Meg convinces the vexingly handsome Will to hire her for the job. What neither of them could have expected from this arrangement, however, is an attraction that burns stronger than ever. Are these two lost souls finally ready to be schooled in the art of love?
Meg Lacey is the daughter of a vicar and when she was 15 years old was introduced to the boy next door – who would one day be an earl – and told that he was her betrothed. The boy, Will, didn’t look all that thrilled to be marrying her so Meg stated that she would never marry (in a much harsher way). Now it’s eight years later and Meg is going for a job interview to be a governess. When she finds out that the man she’ll be interviewing with is her old betrothed she tries to get out of the interview but doesn’t succeed. She ends up getting the job and decides to stay out of Will’s way as much as possible.
Will was always intrigued with Meg and could never understand why she didn’t want to marry him. Now that she’s older and he spends more time with her he likes her even more. He’s also thrilled that she’s taking care of the twins that were the daughters of his deceased cousin as he had no idea what he was doing. As time passes Will falls in love with Meg – and she with him – but Meg won’t ever marry him and he’s not sure he’ll ever talk her into it.
This was a cute story. It was pretty predictable but in a good way. There weren’t too many surprises but sometimes it’s nice to read a book that is easy-going and makes you smile.
Meg was trying to save her family as her parents had died and her uncle had taken her and her sisters in. He had no money and Meg was trying to help. She was a good person but had some pretty deep guilt about her parents’ death – thinking that she was the cause of it. This guilt, in a roundabout way, had to do with Will and that’s why she would never marry him. I was happy that she finally changed her mind about it all in the end.
Will was a great hero and one that fell hard and fast for Meg. I appreciated the fact that when he realized he was falling for her he didn’t get upset at himself or try to deny his feelings – he just went for it. I also liked the fact that he was so good with his cousin’s twins. Diana and Valerie were definitely a handful and even though he had no idea what to do with children he was still patient and kind with them.
There was a portion of the story that had to do with a marriage hungry debutante and her family. I didn’t care for this portion of the story at all and really thought it could have been left out – but that’s just me (maybe). 🙂
Overall it was a cute romance and one I’d recommend if you don’t like a lot of angst in your historical romances.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Leave a Reply