I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. It sounded interesting, but what a sweet surprise this one was. It’s a clean romance with a bit of the mystical thrown in. The main character is Penelope Thornton who loses her magic (flying) at the beginning of the story, and despite her desperate attempts to reclaim it, she cannot find it anywhere. She receives an inkling that she should travel to Scotland as a governess, so she takes the identity of her former governess Miss Starling, lies to her parents, and travels alone to Coille na Cyarlin to take on the responsibility of teaching three young children for a widower. It’s a cold and harsh environment in which she finds herself. In fact, her reception from Mrs. Stuart, the mother of Malcolm’s deceased wife, is icy cold. She “gave the same smile Death might wear as he swung his scythe.”

Malcolm Ross is still young, having lost his wife only 4 years earlier due to illness. He expected a much older woman, but Penny insists she is already 19 and has plenty of experience. He agrees to give her a chance, but the children have no such intention. Once she has met the children, Malcolm asks what she thinks of them and she responds: “‘I have never failed to bring my charges around,’ she said, walking a narrow path of truth, brushing against lies and stirring their scent.” While he observes Penny interact with the children, he gains respect and admiration for her. He represses the feelings of affection that are growing because he is her employer and it wouldn’t be proper. “Malcolm cut the thoughts out as though he wielded a knife, cold reason sharpening the blade. The girl was English. She held no love for Scotland, his children, or him.”

It’s no use, though. When he turns to see her standing in a doorway: “She wore her fair hair in a knot, contrasting with the deep blue of her gown, and it seemed a wildly inspired choice. Blue wool and fair hair. Alert the presses. Someone tell Brummell.” This is particularly amusing because she only brought three dresses and this is one of them.

It’s a wonder anyone tells lies about who they are because it inevitably leads to betrayal, and often, heartache. Surely, this is a trope that no one of any intelligence would believe and yet, we do—when the storyteller is skilled enough to convince us of its veracity. So, while we understand Penelope has sincere reasons for her fabrications, we know that the hurt feelings that will result will not be easily dismissed. They WILL cause pain.

Malcolm has fallen in love with Miss Starling and is devastated when Penny’s lies are laid bare. She can offer no explanation for why she came since her magic has not returned. He contacts her parents and asks them to come retrieve their wayward daughter. Naturally, now Penny is heartbroken because not only has she come to love Malcolm, but she also loves his children, Mrs. Elspeth Stuart, and the land itself. Still, she feels undeserving of forgiveness and vows to treasure the time she has left before she leaves for a certain life of misery without him.

When I say that Penny is the main character, that’s because she’s the one who has the growing to do. She initially goes on a physical journey, to a place she’s never been before, enduring hardships along the way. When she reaches her destination, she embarks on a journey within herself. She comes to understand herself and what’s really most important to her. She has found the life she wishes to live, but she will lose it because she lied. Unless Malcolm puts aside his wounded pride and admits he doesn’t want her to leave. Even though we know there will eventually be a happy ending, we really don’t know how far things will go before they find it.

I really loved this book, and if the rest of her writing is this good, I’d love to read more from Keira Dominguez. I highly recommend this one.

this was a wonderfully done fantasy novel, I really enjoyed the use of magic and how it's used. The characters were great and it was a fun read.

This was truly a wonderful read. I loved the characters, the dry wit, and the magic. The historical setting was beautifully written and atmospheric. I didn’t want it to end.
Many thanks to Boroughs Publishing Group and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

One of the best romantic novels I have read in along while!
I loved everything about this book, the plot, the characters, the writing - it is all so very good. Even some twists and turns in there!
There is a reason Keira Dominguez books get 5 stars- they earn every one. I've found a new favorite author!
Aside from some minor grammatical and spelling errors, it is solid, I cannot find anything negative here.
Highly recommend!

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Fantasy and Regency Romance combined, sign me up!

Due to an unexpected accident, Penny Thornton has lost her magic. She used to have the power to fly into the air, but now she’s earthbound and at a loss. When a letter from her old governess comes laden with magic, Penny is determined to find the source to try to restore her own. Stealing her governess’s identity, Penny heads off to the wilds of Scotland to try to find a way to reclaim her lost magic and finds a broken family in need of more than she is prepared to give, instead.

I was prepared for this to be far more gothic in nature than it was, but it actually has the pacing and lightness of a novel from the Regency era. If you like Jane Austen and want more of the same gentle sort of story only with modern language and writing style, this book is for you. It’s most like Persuasion in that it is very reflective and focused on small details that add up to something larger, small incidents and small kindnesses or slights that seem very important and strongly felt. It also reminded me a bit of both Anne Bronte’s Agnes Grey (a story about another governess facing extreme challenges) and Charlotte Bronte’s Villette in tone, but again, with totally modern language.

I would actually classify this far more like sweet romance than the fantasy and SF that it came up with as a category on NetGalley. The magic is a major driver of the plot, but the relationships among the characters are what make this book work so well. And people who are here for magic shouldn’t be driven away by the romance aspects because there are a couple of smooches and that’s it. It’s all slow-burn unresolved sexual tension and well done at that.

Dominguez is wonderful at characterization. The relationships in this story seem earned. Nobody is an obvious stereotype, even the person who turns out to be the villain of the piece, and it’s a wonderfully subtle sort of villainy, too. Kudos. The children, who are often grating in this sort of story, are actually well-rounded human beings and not just plot devices. They are all given moments to shine as individuals and reasons for us to care for them.

I’ve read a lot of books and I saw a lot of the plot of this coming a mile away, but I still enjoyed the journey to get to the dénouement and that speaks to the author’s skill. Penny is very young and you enjoy watching her figure it out even if you already have.

The one thing that is really bad about this book is the editing. There are egregious errors in the text, including continuity errors with character names, spelling, punctuation, paragraphs, and other really obvious things that should have been caught by any competent editor. Things that would have been caught by spellcheck or a run through any online editing tool. Just pony up for the pro version of Grammarly and you wouldn’t have had 90% of this. If your publisher doesn’t have your back or doesn’t employ editors with the skill set to find comma errors, spelling errors, and continuity errors, it’s up to you as author to give them a completely clean manuscript. The issues were so frequent that it kept pulling me out of the story and that’s a shame because the story is terrific.

If you’re not a former English teacher like me, you probably will be less annoyed with the errors and will enjoy this book even more than I did. I will look for more of this author’s work.

Sweet story, clean romance, light on magical realism. I didn't realize this was part of a series, which may explain why I initially felt like the narrative lacked in set-up exposition. Unfortunately, it didn't really hold my attention throughout and I'm not likely to read more by this author.

I have absolutely no idea why I requested this book from NetGalley but I’m so glad I did. It was a sweet historical romance in a fabulous Scottish setting with subtle, understated magic which charmed me down to my toes. I’ve already bought Dominguez’s two other novels, set in the same universe, and I can’t wait to read them.

----'Crusty Scots Widower Requires English Governess with a View to Matrimony.'----

The year is 1816 and Penny Thornton is eighteen. She describes herself as an Englishwoman, a traveler, a wearer of silks and a wielder of sky magic. After an accident, though, her magic is lost and she’d do anything to get it back, including assuming her governess’ identity and jumping on the next boat to dreary Scotland. It’s unfortunate that she doesn’t really like children, but needs must and magic promises.

----"I’m in hell.” “No, miss. You’re in Scotland.”----

Malcolm Ross is twenty-nine, four years widowed, and father to three children: Ewan, eight, Robbie, seven, and Kathleen, four. Master of Coille na Cyarlin, he does his best for his land and his dependents, but both seem to be suffering no matter his efforts.

----"You didn’t pack enough twine or tea to be prepared for our wild ways.” “No one could be prepared,” she said, turning her neck and glaring at the schoolroom door. “Have the children put you off teaching?” Her look was direct. “I’m not sure they haven’t put me off children.”----

After a rocky start, Penny finds herself alone, shunned by her charges and distanced from both the masters and the servants of the household. The weather is dreary (it isScotland after all) and there’s barely a hint of magic to be found. But children have a magic of their own, particularly children who tells stories like Robbie, and Malcolm, with his easy smile and his propensity to act play-frame, is hard for even the hardest of hearts to resist.

----"You must be prepared to step into my shoes if my energy flags. You’ll be my…What’s the word I want, Malcolm? Proxy? Secretary?” “With that look on your face?” he chuckled. “The word is victim.”----

Charming children and handsome masters aside, I adored the historic, rural, Scottish setting and the frequent reference to the uneasy alliance between Scotland and England. I, myself, hadn’t fully appreciated the stark differences between the countries until I spent four years at university there and fell in love with the Scottish brogue and the Gaelic culture. I laughed every time Robbie made up a new ‘Scots Gaelic’ word or pretended to spit at the mere mention of England and the English. We really are a lot of pansies by comparison.

----'Robbie had her transcribe what he claimed was an old Scots proverb, Sasse hour vestige ur a mslain Sasse, which he declared meant, “An Englishman fried in butter is still an Englishman.”’----

The magic included in the story was…well…magical. It was a small and subtle thing, as magic tends to be in magical realist books, and perfectly suited the historic setting and the characters involved. In this world, few know of magic or can wield it. Penny’s sister has magic and so does she. Hers allowed her to rise, rise, rise into the sky - not to fly, but merely to float and to wallow in the simple pleasure of doing so. Without it, she feels lost - not herself. Penny’s search for her magic, as though it were a corporeal thing, reminded me fondly of Peter Pan’s search in Wendy’s drawers for his shadow - a slightly ludicrous image but utterly compelling.

----”’Welcome to the village of Slinch Bickey. Cottages to let.’ Lord, I’ll be a laughingstock.”----

My one disappointment/frustration was that Penny was rather blind when it came to the antagonist and her motives but that’s a minor thing really and can be forgive in the grand scheme of things.

Would I recommend this book to others? Absolutely, though I would warn that it’s more historical romance than fantasy. Would I read it again? Yes, whenever I needed something warm and comforting. Would I read more by Keira Dominguez? Well, I’ve already bought her other books so I guess that’s a solid yes.

Despite the books not being linked as a series, I think they'll be better understood when read in order.

This is Penny's story, who was introduced in the first book, Her Caprice. Following a fire accident, she loses her powers, and is desperate to get them back. When she accidentally touches a letter from Scotland, she becomes convinced she must go there to retrieve her magic.

When she meets Malcom, she mistakes him for her an employee when in fact he's her employer. He's the widower with three children in need of a governess, and his late wife's mother lives with them too.

At first, the children and their grandmother don't want to like Penny since she's English, but they slowly learn to like her when they see who devoted she is. Penny fumbles a lot, as she doesn't any training, but she learns to love the children and genuinely wants the best for them .

As for Malcom, he holds back from trusting her, but the more he sees how she cares for his children, the closer he wants to get to her.

It's a clean Regency with subtle magic. The historical and geographic setting are very well done, and the villain was truly perfidious.

Very sweet ending.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and his is my honest opinion.