This book simply did not work for me. The entire setup of two identical women, one a governess and the other a highborn lady, meeting accidentally on a packet boat is outlandish. Their decision to switch places is childish and outlandish. And the lady who is now a governess behaves so un-governess-like right from the get go. She makes no effort whatsoever to behave in a manner that is proper. And she throws herself at her employer from day one. Perhaps if you are able to completely suspend your disbelief so far, the romance will work for me. This book failed for me from the start.

In this latest offering from Diane Gaston, two women from very different stations in life swap roles and, as promised by the book’s title, The Lady Becomes a Governess . The premise intrigued me, but misgivings set in early on when the two ladies, Lady Rebecca Pierce and Miss Claire Tilson, who meet while on a voyage from Ireland to England, discover their uncanny (and hugely convenient) resemblance to one another. As I read on, I was confronted by a series of contrivances, unlikely circumstances and clichés; the characters were dull as ditchwater, the romance non-existent, and the only spark of life in the whole novel was provided by the hero’s horrid fiancée, a stereotypical evil-other-woman type whose machinations, while predictable and ridiculously hackneyed, did at least provoke a reaction other than boredom.

Lady Rebecca is being forced by her half-brother, the Earl of Keneagle, to marry the elderly Lord Stonecroft and is en route to England for her wedding. Needless to say, she’s not looking forward to her life as the wife of an elderly baron who only wants a young brood-mare, but the earl wants his half-sister off his hands and marrying her off is the easiest way to do it. As a caper to take their minds off the fates awaiting them, she and Clare – who is travelling to England in order to take up a post as a governess – swap clothes and pretend to be each other, even going so far as to fool Rebecca’s starchy maid (who is laid low by mal de mer) into believing that Claire is Rebecca. What larks!

Until, that is, the ship is hit by a terrible storm. Around three-quarters of the passengers are lost, and Claire is one of them. Rebecca remembers getting into a small rowing boat and then falling into the sea, but nothing more when she awakens in a soft bed in an unfamiliar room to find an equally unfamiliar gentleman sitting at her bedside. Assailed by guilt that she survived where others did not, Rebecca is at first not at all sure what to do, and then realises she has been presented with an opportunity to escape her unwanted marriage. Learning that the gentleman at her side is Garret, Viscount Brookmore, who had engaged Claire as governess to his two recently orphaned nieces, Rebecca decides to continue the deception she and Claire had practiced aboard ship. After all, she’s doing the poor little girls a kindness by not being yet another person supposed to look after them who has abandoned them by dying.

Rebecca has no idea how to be a governess, of course, not only because she doesn’t know what she should teach the girls, but also because she has no idea how a governess is supposed to act. (Which, seeing she must have had a governess herself at some point, seems odd). Fortunately for her, Garret obviously has no idea either, which the author tries to excuse because he’s been away at war. Well, that doesn’t wash; he might not have had a governess, but a man born into the aristocracy would surely have at least some idea about how servants should speak and act.

A few days later, Garret and Rebecca arrive at his estate in the Lake District and she is introduced to nine-year-old Pamela and seven-year-old Ellen, who have been left to his care following the deaths of their parents in an accident. Needless to say, Rebecca very soon gains the affections and respect of the motherless girls and the lustful admiration of her employer – who is, of course, completely captivated by her.

Garret hadn’t expected to inherit a viscountcy. A younger son, he served in the army and fought against Napoléon until the death of his older brother, and he is foundering, not having been brought up to manage estates and a title, and guilty that he had to abandon his men in order to step into his late brother’s shoes. His intention had been to bring back the governess and then leave for London to take his seat in Parliament and marry Lady Agnes, a coolly poised and polished earl’s daughter to whom he had proposed, believing she had all the qualities he would require in a viscountess. However, upon discovering that his brother – whom Garret had always known was the preferred son – was not such a good master and that the estate is in difficulty, he is persuaded to stay longer in order to put things to rights. Naturally, this makes his decision to stay away from ‘Claire’ more difficult, especially as spending time with his nieces means spending time with the governess – but the girls are flourishing in her care and that’s more important than his own growing desire for a woman he can’t allow himself to want.

There are some good points to be found in the story. Garrett’s desire to provide a stable environment for his nieces is admirable, and his insecurity over his ability to fulfil his responsibilities is a nice touch. But Rebecca is completely unbelievable as a governess, and Garret’s behaviour towards her is equally unlikely. From the start, they act and converse together like equals; he provides her with a horse during their journey, he buys clothes and bolts of cloth for her (okay, so she needs clothes, but it’s still something he would have left to another servant), they dine together every night, she asks him about his life in the army and about estate business; and when, one evening after dinner, Garret has a glass of brandy and Rebecca asks for one, too, my credulity, which had already been precariously stretched, finally broke. Rebecca is selfish, naïve and silly, impersonating someone with no thought for how the deception will affect others; and when, near the end, she insists that in pretending to be Claire, she had not used her, but had lived life for her, I didn’t know whether to laugh or vomit at such a self-serving, self-righteous platitude.

The writing is simplistic and often choppy, the characters, as I said earlier, are bland, and there is no romantic chemistry between them whatsoever; Pamela and Ellen are a pair of plot-moppets who seem hardly bothered by their parents’ deaths and Lady Agnes is a crafty, manipulative bitch – although she is at least entertaining, But it’s a sorry state of affairs when a walking cliché is more interesting than the too-good-to-be-true hero and heroine in a romance, and when her escapades are more entertaining than that romance. The Lady Becomes a Governess isn’t a book I can recommend.

Although there were moments when the direction this story took was almost too obvious, I couldn't help but enjoy it. The interactions between Rebecca and Lord Brookmore's nieces were heart warming and exactly what those little girls needed. Even though it should have been obvious that she had no idea how a governess should act, I enjoyed how Brookmore continued to give her the benefit of the doubt after he saw the improvement in his nieces. I also enjoyed the way she was able to bring him out of his apparent loneliness - bringing him closer to his nieces in a way I doubt he would have been able to achieve on his own.

I do believe the issues of Brookmore's betrothed and Claire's former employer as well as the dram surrounding each could have been handled a bit differently, but overall I am curious to see how everything is going to play out in the rest of this series. Now that Brookmore and Rebecca seem to have gotten their happily-ever-after, what is next?

Overall, I believe this story will appeal to those who love a good historical romance with a twist. I can't wait to read more from this author!

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.

~Reviewed by AnnMarie~~

A Lady Becomes a Governess is the first book in The Governess Swap series by Diane Gaston.

Lady Rebecca Pierce is on a ship bound for England where she is to wed a man she despises. Her parents are both dead, and her half-brother wants to be rid of her hence arranging her marriage. Whether she marries the man or not he is cutting all ties with her which leaves Rebecca no choice but to go ahead with the wedding.

On board the ship she meets Claire Tilson, a governess on her way to a job with Lord Garret Brookmore, looking after his two young nieces whom he is the guardian of since their parents died. Claire and Rebecca do a double take when they meet because they could be identical twins. They talk and decide that they can’t be related which makes their likeness even stranger. They quickly become firm friends and have a heart to heart about their lives, then, for a laugh, they decide to wear each other’s clothes to see if they can make people on the ship believe that Claire is Rebecca. Before they have a chance to change into the correct clothes a storm hits and the ship is sunk. Claire is lost at sea, and Rebecca only just survives. Dressed as she is, it is believed that she is Claire. All of a sudden Rebecca sees an opportunity open to her to escape her old life and a marriage she doesn’t want. She happily lets people believe she is indeed Claire Tilson.

Brookmore arrives at the Inn Rebecca has been taken to, and when she is well enough to travel they make their way to his home. There is an immediate attraction between them, one that they both know nothing can come of. Rebecca is no longer in his class, being just a governess, and Brookmore is betrothed. He doesn’t want to marry but knows he must for the sake of producing an heir, and more importantly to give his nieces some stability.

The more time that Rebecca spends as governess to the girls the more she comes to care for them, and their uncle. She worries that she isn’t being a proper governess to them, but does her best, and most importantly she makes them happy. Brookmore thinks her way of teaching is odd, but he sees how much happier the girls are so doesn’t question her at all.

The story goes on to show us how the relationships develop between Brookmore, the girls and their governess. Throw into the mix a jealous fiance come to claim her man, an ex-besotted employee come to claim back his children’s governess, and the threat of Rebecca’s secret coming out and you have an exciting story that will keep you reading as quickly as possible to see how it will work out. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I suppose if I were to be critical I would wonder how Rebecca could make anybody believe that she is anything less than a lady, especially as she struggles to act subservient. BUT, I enjoyed the story so much I don’t care about that. I loved the twins and how they changed from sad little cherubs into much happier girls under Rebecca’s care. I didn’t know how they would all end up with their happy ever after but rest assured that they do have one, and it will make you smile.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

1816

Lady Rebecca Pierce is about to embark on a ship that will take her to London to marry Baron Stonecraft of Gillford, whom she loathes. A maid named Nolan is hired by her half-brother, the Earl of Keneagle, to accompany her.

When Nolan is overcome with seasickness, Rebecca heads up to the deck. On the way, she meets a woman who looks remarkably like her. The young woman is Miss Claire Wilson, a governess, who is journeying to care for two little girls, Pamela, 9, and Ellen, 7, whose parents were killed in an accident. Now, they are under the care of their uncle, Viscount Garrett Brookmore.

Claire and Rebecca spend time getting to know one another and saying again how remarkable it is how alike they are. When a storm hits and they must abandon ship, Rebecca hands her reticule with all of her money in it to Claire as she is going to try and rescue Nolan. But then the ship cracks apart and they are all thrown into the ocean.

Rebecca is rescued and awakens to find Viscount Brookmore by her side at an inn where he addresses her as Claire Wilson. Now, Rebecca is ready to undertake her new role as Claire, the governess. Having never been a governess, she is not sure where to start. She takes the girls on nature walks and teaches them about animals and trees. She also has them keep a journal of what they had done each day. Rebecca also enjoy riding early in the morning often with Brookmore.

Viscount Brookmore knows he needs to get married and produce an heir. He is currently betrothed to Lady Agnes, daughter of the Earl of Trowbridge. He had thought to spend time in town with her but realizes that his home and tenants need his attention. So he pitches in to help them.

When Lady Agnes decides to make a surprise visit him at his home, he is not pleased. She is critical of his home, the girls and the governess. But when one of her schemes goes awry, danger lurks.

This is a relatively clean book and I enjoyed it. Rebecca and Brookmore are strong characters and even the character of the obnoxious Lady Agnes is well written. I know readers will enjoy this book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Lady Rebecca Pierce is trapped in an unwanted marriage arranged by her brother. She sadly boards a boat to her fate and discovers another female passenger, one who looks almost exactly like her. They swap places on the boat for something new to do, her finery for Claire's plain clothes and room.
It gave Rebecca a much needed taste of freedom and Claire a little luxury...until the boat sank.
Rebecca decided to live as Governess Claire rather than be forced into marriage when she was told Claire didn't make it. The switch became a double edged sword as she escaped the marriage, but couldn't tell her handsome employer, she was an Earl's daughter.
Add in two adorable girls, a witchy fiancee for her employer and Claire's old employer for a engaging tale.
I requested and received a NetGalley Arc to offer my honest opinion on......Great read

Lady Rebecca Pierce’s brother has sent her from Ireland to marry an English lord. She is not at all happy about marrying this man. On the ship, she meets Claire Tilson, a governess on the way to a new job, who looks exactly like her. When a storm sinks the ship Rebecca survives, but she can’t find Claire. Deciding she’d rather be a governess, how hard could it be, she takes Claire’s name.

Garret was a soldier, but unexpectantly now Viscount Brookmore. He has 2 nieces, 7 and 9, to care for. He was to meet the new governess but is informed the ship wrecked, but there are survivors. He discovers her at an inn and was surprised to find his governess is a lovely young woman.

His nieces, Pamela and Ellen, took to the new governess immediately as she does fun things with them. Garret is engaged, but when his fiancée shows up he realizes she might not be who he wants, and the girls need. There are more things going at the mansion and I will not spoil them. There is a happy ever after and a surprise in the London paper. Another female survivor of the wreck has been found. I’m looking forward to that book.