When A Duke Loves A Governess by Olivia Drake

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When A Duke Loves A Governess is a lovingly written story.  It weaves a romance full of intrigue, mystery, and passion.  The vivid, rich characters populate a vibrant world.  From forbidden love, mysterious heritage, and a supposed family curse, this book delights the reader.

Tessa has survived the slums of London with grit and determination.  Her past is a mystery; her deceased mother’s clue is her only key to her past.  Her dream is to own a hat shop.  To find her sire, she becomes a governess to a recalcitrant child.  Guy is a scientist and explorer.  He falls into the title of Duke when five of his predecessors die, all suddenly.  Having been gone for most of his daughter’s life, he hires Tessa out of desperation to help reign in his unruly daughter.  The couple must battle deception, mystery, and danger to unlock the truth and find unconditional love.  

I thought Tessa was an intelligent, scrappy character.  Her ability to adjust to whatever life threw at her was endearing.  In many ways, Tessa was a Cinderella.  I had to warm to Guy’s character.  He practically abandoned his daughter to explore the world and is flabbergasted when he brings her to his home and discovers she is a terror.  He is clueless as a father, but his desire to help and love his daughter endeared him to me.  Guy is much more a scholar than a duke.  There are similarities in Guy and Tessa’s personalities.  Both are oddities and somewhat misfits.

The secondary characters were lush and complemented and strengthened the plot.  As spoiled as she was, Guy’s daughter was a scene-stealer!  The tragic circumstances of her short life resonated with me.  The story handled the theme of class differences in a plethora of intelligent ways.  The storyline had direction and sped by.  It was a lovingly, carefully written romance.

When A Duke Loves A Governess is book three in the Unlikely Duchesses series.  This could very much be a stand-alone novel.  However, I feel that we were introduced to the next couple in this novel.  I was enamored with Guy and Tessa’s beautiful, delicate love story.  This was an eye-catching, heart-warming romance.!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.