Review: A Governess for the Brooding Duke by Bridget Barton

Print Length: 442 pages

Publisher: Bridget Barton (May 10, 2017)

From Goodreads.com: When Georgette Darrington’s father dies suddenly and with serious debts, she imagines things cannot get any worse. But when her attorney tells her that the family home must be sold to pay the debts, leaving her penniless and without a home, her only choice is to become a governess.

In no time at all, Georgette finds herself in the grand mansion of the Duke of Draycott, teaching his delightful, orphaned nieces. But, the more time Georgette spends with the little girls, the more she realizes they are missing their home and life in Wales, not to mention their own language. Georgette must find a way to convince the Duke to take an interest in the girls’ lives, and she must also find a way to keep their native language alive despite his determined instructions to the contrary.

As the tragic tale of the Duke’s sister and her forbidden love unfolds, Georgette must struggle with the deprivations of her lowered status, not to mention the spiteful plots and schemes of a jealous housekeeper and nurse. As her loneliness threatens to overwhelm her, Georgette must find a way put the splintered family back together, even as she battles her own feelings of love for the handsome, taciturn Duke.

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

This was a solid and interesting concept, however I felt that the author simply took too much time leaving her characters stuck in the same place. I would have liked to have seen more of Georgette and Hamilton developing a romance and less of "I despise him" this minute and "I love him" the next. 

Hamilton was probably my least favorite character as he was nothing like I feel a Duke should be, even when they disagreed for the most part, he ended up capitulating to her, and that was annoying. I also find it very hard to believe that a duke would be so uninterested in the things happening under his own roof that he had to keep hiring new Governesses (and paying for their travels to his estate), and he never bothered to figure out why that was. It was also a bit hard to believe that the housekeeper, the butler and the nurse would have been able to carry on the way that they did without being dismissed without reference. 

Overall, I do think there are some fans of the historical romance genre that would enjoy this story, and I would give this author another chance. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                  A Governess for the Brooding Duke is available from Amazon.com