4.5 stars
Bran Crowther, now the Earl of Knighton left England as a young man to pursue independence and adventure. He never expected to inherit the title and when duty calls him home, he still finds Society’s codes constricting and others’ expectations oppressive. Difficult and defiant as a child, he was always belittled & taunted by his older brothers & mother. Nevertheless, he needs a wife to be a mother to his young daughter Evie, preferably a woman of intelligence and warmth who is, above all, immune to his idiosyncrasies which include disliking being touched & wearing an abundance of clothing.
Widow Joanna Shaw isn’t interested in a second marriage, not after being made to feel half a woman by he vicar husband. She’d much rather dote on her young niece Becky and nephew Christopher since they will likely be the only children in her life that is until she meets a precocious girl Evie, in desperate need of a mother. Bran & Jo are immediately attracted to each other & Jo agrees to become Evie’s governess, this also gives the pair a chance to explore their attraction & relationship.
A very entertaining & page turning read which I read in under a day – a true indication as to how much I’m enjoying a book. The plot is straight forward two people who are attracted to each other & ripe for love but past history means they each have bridges to cross. Jo is recovering from an abusive & unhappy marriage & thinks of herself as only half a woman as she believes herself to be barren. Bran was the third son so never expected to inherit the title, his childhood was unhappy as he was excluded from his older brothers activities & taunted by them & disapproved of by his mother. So he left, took the first ship available & found himself in Barbados where he forged a life & a fortune. The characters are well developed & it was good to catch up with characters from previous books in the series. Jo & Bran are very likeable but it’s Evie that steals the book & tries her hardest to bring the pair together. This is the fifth in the series but could be read by itself however I would recommend reading the other books in the series.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.  This book is pure romance and is very well written.  Joanna, a widow, whose husband was a vile clergyman who accused her of being barren and of her inability as a woman to please her husband caused him to turn to men.  He managed to destroy her self-esteem.  Into her life comes Bran, new to his Earl title, and his young daughter Evie.  He is interested in her and eventually they form a sexual relationship in which he makes Jo realize that she is highly desirable.  The sexual encounters in the book are hot and sexy and there are several in the book.  They are well written and add a great  deal to the book.  There is a HEA.  I would highly recommend this book.

I've really enjoyed the Untouchables series. Bran can't stand to have people touch him or to dress in tight clothing. So becoming the Earl is a form of torture for him. Jo wants a family, children of her own. All of her friends are expecting, so it's just like rubbing salt in an open wound since she can't have any. 
I liked the way that Jo let's Bran know what is proper without belittling him. And Brans daughter Evie fell in love with her at their first meeting. This was a heart warming book.