Definitely a no.
The main problem is that I hated the hero: Alfred doesn’t know his mind, he seems uninterested in everything regarding his dukedom, including his stepbrother; he doesn’t want to force himself on a servant, but when Meredith says so he doesn’t listen, he wants to continue their affair; he says he loves her, but doesn’t trust her; he wants her for her mistress, no, his bride, no, his mistress or… what?
And of course there’s the small issue of the election, which of course it’s historically inaccurate and frankly a boring topic…
The writing is good, but the book is too long and repetitive. How many times we are told that Meredith has great talents? How many times Alfred has to repeat that he doesn’t want to be elected?
I’ll give it 3 star only because the author is usually good and she can write.

The plot summary sounded so exciting. The Governess Bureau, an uncontrollable 8-year-old, a little mystery, and a secret past. Too bad the books was so dull. The Duke's mind constantly wanders when someone is speaking to him. To an election he doesn't want to win (Isn't a Duke already a member of Parliament?), to an estate he has no interest in managing, to wondering what the governess, Meredith, is doing. For an uncontrollable eight-year-old, Archibald is the epitome of politeness and manners, capable of understanding algebra well above most adults. Meredith is constantly thinking how she shouldn't find the Duke attractive. Don't think above her station. It's extremely slow moving, never living up the potential.

This book had so many problems with it that I stopped counting. First off, Alfred is a jerk and I could not find any redeeming qualities about him. Second, the story in mainly about an election that shouldn't be taking place...he is a duke and didn't need to be elected! Third, the way he is spoken to by his servants should have gotten them fired. There are many more problems with the story that bothered me but maybe they won't bother you.

When the nobility and gentility of England are at their wits end, they send a discrete note to Miss Vivienne Clarke’s Governess Bureau. Only accepting the very best clients, their governesses are coveted by minor royalty, with every governess following three rules:

1. You must have an impeccable record.
2. You must bring a special skill to the table.
3. You must never fall in love…

Welcome to The Governess Bureau where you will find high a quality governess to welcome into your home, she will educate and teach your children, she will become a fixture in your daily life, but you must never fall in love.

Remember that saying about rules are meant to be broken — well the never falling in love rule is like waving a red flag at a bull, it’s going to be obliterated!! This story is full of emotions so don’t be surprised if you need to pull out the Kleenex.

There were times in this story that I wanted to smack our hero, Alfred Carmichael, Duke of Rochdale, — however he finally does gain a brain. Miss Meredith Hubert Is a complex character and one I liked from the start of the book. The passion that builds between these two is pretty hot and their love is what helps to heal both them and Archibald.

While I enjoyed Meredith’s character, I had a difficult time feeling any empathy for Alfred. His ongoing reluctance in being a member of Parliament was tiresome. Then there was his lack of interest in his duties towards his estate and staff with the paperwork and bills. It seemed he only wanted to enjoy his days riding, walking and reading a good book. I lost any affinity to him when he told the new governess, Meredith, that one rule of the house was that his young step brother was not to be seen or heard since Alfred was a busy man. I lost interest after that scene.

There is no doubt the writing in this book is very good within itself. This is a lighthearted Wallpaper historical romance and does not portray peerage, servants, or life back in 1812 England as accurately as it could. A duke would have left the running of the household to his housekeeper and butler and taken no part in it or gossip. I found the H/h likeable though and the story quite entertaining on a surface level; especially Archibald. Naturally there was insta-attraction re the romance There was a big elephant in the room, however. THE ELECTION.

The whole story-line of this English historical romance is based around Alfred, (the vague and harried hero), having to campaign to be re-elected as an MP and his need for a super governess, (aka the feisty heroine), to look after his eight year old half brother whilst doing so. However, he's a DUKE! Full Stop. Therefore, according to English history, he's automatically a member of the House of Lords by birthright. 🤦‍♀️ Therefore, No need to be elected to the House of commons because his was a small dukedom. What is a small dukedom? What is a minor duke? Alfred slept in the backbenches?

From what I've read, Tutors were usually employed to teach older boys of the peerage for the few years before they went away to boarding school - not Governesses, so I questioned that. The women always taught the smaller children and the older girls.

Please suspend disbelief when reading this book if you like your historical novels to have some accuracy. eg - The housekeeper chastises the duke for not being home to greet the new governess. Later, Meredith asks the duke why he wasn't there to greet her. It's full of modern dialogue and attitude - not a real take on historical English 1812 life by a long shot. I'd like to point out that the name Meredith, while pretty, is a modern girl's name. It is originally a Welsh surname and was also used as a boy's first name up until the early 20th century. The summer in 1812 England was colder than normal. A simple google search told me that. Google shouldn't be my friend whilst reading.

My take on this book:- Entertaining and okay, but not realistic and if you love realism like I do in my historical romances, then you should proceed with caution. Lots of readers loved this book, so don't let my opinion sway you away from reading it. My thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in return for my opinion.

A Governess with Secrets

She might be a governess of great talents, but she is also a governess with secrets. If those secrets are ever discovered, they could be the end of her vocation. Falling in love with her employer is against the rules of the Governess Bureau, and it also complicates her life. Items are disappearing, and the evidence point to Meredith. What is the truth, and what happens when Meredith’s secrets are revealed?

I was uncertain about the idea of a duke getting elected to Parliament. I thought dukes were appointed to the House of Lords. I noticed other reviewers were puzzled by this, so I contacted the author. She said that she “hinted at it in the book, but I thought I would include her response in this review since many of us missed that tidbit. The author wrote to me that, “Rochdale is such a tiny duchy, he’s the one Duke that doesn’t automatically get a seat there. So, he’s the only Duke not in parliament! That’s one of the reasons he feels like he has to win.”

I would have liked this story better if it were a little bit shorter with more focus on the romance, but I still enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next book. One thing I would have liked to see was Alfred’s opponent getting his comeuppance. The man left a lot to be desired, and there were no consequences for his actions. This might be reality since many people in power did, and still do, get away with a great deal without any repercussions.

When the nobility and gentility of England are at their wits end, they send a discrete note to Miss Vivienne Clarke’s Governess Bureau. She only accepts the very best clients & her governesses are coveted
Miss Meredith Hubert had worked so hard to gain her place there. After leaving the Earl of Marnmouth's home with a glowing reference, she is about to be given her next assignment with Alfred Carmichael the Duke of Rochdale’s eight year old half-brother Archibald.
The start of a new series, a well written book with likeable characters. I loved Meredith who was a woman of many talents but she had secrets. I lied Alfred but found him to be a bit wishy washy, he was a Duke so could pave his own way. I adored Archibald who totally stole the book. I did love the attraction between Alfred & Meredith but I felt they never got to know each other & so lack of trust nearly scuppered their budding romance.

This was a first time author for me. I’m so glad I was given this book to read! It was wonderful, sweet, & the chemistry was top notch! I’m a big fan of gentlemen falling for their governess. Alfred is our Duke hero who works hard and is a good man. Alfred is in a small town & apart of Parliament even though he doesn’t really want to be. Meredith is our hard working governess, who’s hiding a secret! When working for Alfred she learns Archibald, Alfred’s young half brother, just wants love and attention. Meredith & Alfred also find themselves fighting an attraction to one another. I love that these two are a slow burn & how they learn to get to love. All in all a great read & not that steamy.

Meredith, a woman with a secret scandalous past, goes to work as a governess for the 8 year-old brother of a Duke. Her charge, Archibald, a rambunctious child, takes to her almost immediately. She brings a certain calm to him that he had been previously lacking. Although, Meredith and Alfred, the Duke, have chemistry, they fight it due to the social class issue that society says stands between them. There is a little too much political aspect to the story, but all-in-all it was a very enjoyable read.
Thank you Emily E K Murdoch, Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

I was so excited for a new series by Emily EK Murdoch, because I've really enjoyed the books I've read in her Always series.

Unfortunately, this book did not leave me wanting more.

Meredith Hubert is a governess extraordinaire! She has a criminal / scandalous past, which just doesn't come to light in this book. I wish the author would have explored this deeper. Alfred Carmichael is the Duke of Rochdale. He has a rambunctious 8 year old brother who, according to him, is ruining his chances of getting elected to parliament. So that's why the governess extraordinaire with a past is called in to save the day.

The best character here was the little boy, Archibald. He was written as wise beyond his years, though no one ever noticed before governess extraordinaire came to the rescue. I wish we had seen some of his naughty antics so we could see how he changes. So much character development was written off the page, lots of telling instead of showing.

Alfred, the Duke was a very hard character to know or like. He wanted to do the right thing for his lineage and keep his seat in parliament (more on that later.) There were way too many scenes of Alfred's advisors speaking to him about important issues and he was completely zoned out, thinking of the governess extraordinaire, of course.

The book was slow, the plot flimsy, the romance was head scratching, just what made these people attracted to each other, besides the physical? For those that care, very low steam. So now back to parliament.

I've never read any book where the Duke, who has been Duke for generations, had to campaign and go through an election to maintain a seat in Parliament. My understanding is that Dukes (at this time in 1812) were given the seat in Parliament as a courtesy. They did not campaign, like the Duke in this story (who campaigns against a neighboring mister, no less).

So I emailed the author my questions about this (she was very lovely about answering my questions and very quick to respond), wondering if she purposely created an "alt-history" for this book or if this was a true scenario that she could shed some light on to educate me.

She said that "When I created the Dukedom of Rochdale (which is a real place!) I purposefully created it to be small enough that he would have to go through an election." Soooo, I'm still confused as to if she chose to re-write the rules or is misinformed, because to my knowledge, Dukes weren't given seats based on how large or small their Dukedom was. The campaign and the election was such a huge plot point, and what was the driving motivation for the hero, it's hard not to think of this in historical terms and to suspend disbelief. Because being a Duke in historical romance has perks, and this poor Duke didn't seem to have any!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. The thoughts and opinions (and any historical inaccuracies) are my own and freely given.

1.5 stars

I like this author and many of her other books, but this book just wasn't my cup of tea.

The first chapter of A Governess of Great Talents was really promising, but after that chapter, it was downhill for me (with a slight-but-short-lived bump around three quarters of the way in).

Meredith is a governess with a sketchy past. We know this because she occasionally thinks about her estranged family and vaguely worries that her past will catch up with her. It doesn't. I don't consider this fact a spoiler because it doesn't seem like the author ever intended for it to be a real issue. Instead, the main issues are the usual governess/duke "we aren't of the same social status" variety.

Alfred, said duke, is really hard to like. He is incredibly self-absorbed, though we're meant to think well of him from the occasional incidental comments about all he's done for the community in the past. He's running for Parliament, which I never knew was a thing, but he couldn't care less about winning, apart from not wanting to be the first Duke of Rochdale not to win. But because he's running and it's important to many, we get to sit through pages of political preparation. Alfred is bored, and his mind wanders... and so did mine. I skimmed those parts.

Meredith is actually all but perfect, a Mary Poppins-meets-MacGuyver type person who can do anything. It's somewhat unclear how her criminal past prepared her to be governess extraordinare, but I decided to go with it. Her charge, Archie, is also a good character.

But Alfred, ugh. Her attraction to him is a great mystery. For me, it's not enough for a book to tell me that a character is a good guy. I need to see it in the character myself. And I didn't.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

I liked the start of this series.

I thought Meredith and Alfred had chemistry, but I can’t really remember when exactly they fell for each other. It was more in their heads than actions or words between them.

Archibald for an 8-year old seemed very immature, but I guess not learning or playing with kids his age was the reason for it.
I do believe that hiring/securing a governess would have been done by the father before he passed.

All in all though this story was sweet.

Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing for an advanced copy of the eBook in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting story. There is a bit of intrigue, a good dose of politics, a tense family situation, secrets, theft, and, thankfully, a governess of great talents. Alfred Carmichael and his younger brother need all of Miss Meredith Hubert’s talents. Meredith is a wonderful character. Archie, who is quite a rambunctious eight-year-old, responds readily to her calm, caring, and firm demeanor. Alfred is tied in knots over the election, and even though he and Meredith are attracted, their romance is a slow burn. There are a lot of potential problems and a misunderstanding or two along the way. This is a very busy story with a wide variety of characters. A good read.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Miss Meredith Hubert a governess for hire has many talents and a secret she’s trying to keep hidden. She’s been hired sight unseen by Alfred Carmichael, Duke of Rochdale, to help educate and control his eight year old half-brother Archibald. Alfred is too busy with trying to win an election to keep track of his brother. Meredith knows the first things children need is love, attention and time in which she has ample to give. She just needs to remember the one the rules of being a governance never fall in love with your client! This is an enchanting story of Meredith and Archie coming to terms with him having new person in his life, a brother who doesn’t have time for him and then we have the attraction growing between Alfred and Meredith, but she needs to keep her distance incase her secrets comes to light. I love the interaction between all three, its make an excellent story I’m voluntarily reviewing.

Miss Meredith Hubert has been given a new assignment, to the Duke of Rochdale, Alfred Carmichael. Alfred needs some assistance with his eight-year-old half-brother as he prepares to win his seat in Parliament. Nothing can undermine his efforts to be re-elected, yet he finds his desire for Meredith, might be his undoing. Yet Meredith has a secret to hide and there are many events happenings at Rochdale Abbey, that seem to be threatening Alfred’s chance of success.
Meredith is such an enjoyable character and her ability to understand both Alfred and his brother, Archie, endears her to them both. Alfred grew on me, as at first his determination, meant that he was at times narrow minded. Yet, his feelings make him a ‘better man’, making for an enjoyable storyline.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A great new series from this author. I really enjoyed hearing little tidbits about characters from her previous series, and with this one she has introduced new ones ready to fall in love. The idea of these rules, and lastly being that you can control falling in love, is pretty entertaining. I thought the main characters both learned a lot about trust and about faith in the one you profess to love. #netgalley #agovernessofgreattalents

3.5 stars

Not a bad story. I liked Meredith though I was reminded of Meghan's idea of "don't worry about heritage/obligation just do your own thing". Alfred was a duke heavily influenced by the idea of letting his father and his parliamentary colleagues down. Alfred ran hot and cold throughout the story and this is what I found frustrating.

Like other reviewers I had to suspend belief as a Duke would not be put up for election as an MP as he wouldn't be allowed to take his seat. In recent history, Viscount Stansgate was only allowed to take his seat as a MP because he'd renouced his heriditary peerage under the 1963 Peerage Act.

I did like Alfred's younger brother Archie. He was well wriiten as was Meredith's relationship with him. This book is the first in the series and I will look out for the next one. I believe we briefly met the next heroine at the end of this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What an interesting tale. Alfred was a bit of a stuffed shirt, and it took me a while to like him. Meredith is a bit of a Mary Poppins...there's nothing she can't do.

No spoiler here. Good plot, interesting secondary characters...but still think Alfred is a bore.

Sweet story with likable characters

Meredith has a bit of a scandalous past, one she endeavors to rise above by fashioning herself as a top-notch governess. Her first having gone very well, she embarks on her second assignment which leads her to Alfred, a young, somewhat reluctant duke, and his eight-year-old half-brother.

Alfred is preoccupied with a local election which will determine if he will continue representing the area in Parliament. It's an election he feels duty-bound to win, even though he personally does not wish to continue as an MP. His attraction to Meredith can only hurt his chances in the election.

Meredith is quickly proven to be a governess of "great talents" (as the characters remind us, perhaps a few too many times) and is seamlessly accepted into the household and into young Archibald's heart. Her complicated relationship with Alfred can only end in her ruin, so she attempts to keep her distance and focus on her duties.

It's impossible not to like Meredith, as she has nary a flaw in sight. Alfred, on the other hand, comes across as a bit of a jerk on more than once occasion, a misogynist typical of his day, and not as honorable as one would hope. However, he does come around in time to secure a satisfying HEA for himself and Meredith, even if the final bit of news was far too premature to be believable.

The timeline and pronoun usage could have used the help of a good editor, but those are easily overlooked in order to enjoy the escape into the story. It's a sweet story with a bit of steam, an enjoyable afternoon's read for those who love historical romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.