Mr. Gardiner and the Governess

Title: Mr. Gardiner and the Governess

Series: Clairvoir Castle Romances #1

Author: Sally Britton

Narrator: Jessica Elisa Boyd

Genre: Regency, Historical Fiction, Audio book, Romance

Source: Hoopla

My review:

Mr. Gardiner and the Governess is the first book I have read by Sally Britton. Jessica Elisa Boyd is the narrator, and she did a good job.

This is a sweet, slow romance. While Alice and Rupert had a lot in common, their friendship turned relationship developed naturally over time. I struggled quite a bit with this story because not much happened. It just plodded along. I had heard fabulous things about the author, but this work did not live up to that expectation. The story did get more engaging toward the end, with a little humor thrown in as well. Had the story ended differently than it did, my rating would have been lower.

★★★/5

Synopsis (Goodreads): 

A duke’s governess, a gentleman entomologist, and a castle full of flowers is the perfect setting for a summer romance.
As the new governess to the duke's family, Alice Sharpe must learn to control her impulsiveness. Employment in the duke’s household is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and could mean living in comfort the rest of her days. Unfortunately, her first encounter with the duke's house guest, a handsome gentleman obsessed with insects, proves she may not be ready for the austere role of governess.

Rupert Gardiner has one goal: to have his work in entomology and botany published by the Royal Society. He is fortunate that the Duke of Montfort, believes in him and enlists Rupert to make a record of all the flora on the castle grounds. But Miss Sharpe’s spontaneity and continual appearance during his work is an annoying distraction. At least, that’s what he tells himself.

While Alice struggles to adapt to her new role, constantly striving to go unnoticed while still being herself, she cannot help but admire Rupert’s intelligence and focus. The more often they fall in together, the more her admiration deepens. But could a gentleman such as he ever fall in love with the governess?

As the first stand-alone novel in a new series by author Sally Britton, this story begins the Clairvoir Castle romances. This is a light-hearted series set in the Regency period.