After reading the synopsis of this installment of Emily E. K. Murdoch's The Governess Bureau Series, I knew I had to pick it up. I absolutely love an amnesia, governess romance and Emily E.K. Murdoch has done a wonderful job crafting this sweet and sensual romance laced with mystery around the heroine's identity and how her and the hero fully connect. Murdoch's writing is well paced and interesting creating a nice layer of intrigue as the heroine's understanding the the past ten years starts to expand.

Rachel has found herself in a bind after she wakes up with no memories of the last ten years and the only hint of what she has been doing in that time is that it appears she was employed with The Governess Bureau. So the patroness of the bureau decides to send her to a manor house with one charge in the hopes that rest and work will help her memory come back. Little is Rachel aware that her charge is the niece of Timothy, who appears to know her. Timothy and Rachel know each other through illegal adventures in France where they both fell in love with each other. Now two years after Timothy thought her dead he is confronted with the woman he loves more than anything and trying to make her fall in love with him again.

This novel is a charming and endearing read. Watching Timothy pine for his love and work towards making her love him again is adorably sweet. Timothy is caring and gentle when he comes to Rachel, he does not want to disrupt her healing so he is cautious around what he will reveal from their past. But Timothy is also swept up in his feels for Rachel that he has a hard time staying away from her. Watching Rachel be drawn to Timothy is delightful as she learns to trust someone as well as open herself up to sensual experiences. Murdoch balances Rachel's work with her charge, Rachel's growing love and Rachel's exploration of who she is in a very lovely way. Keeping the growing second chance romance between Rachel and Timothy at the heart of the novel while creating an experience for Rachel and her charge to learn and grow from each other as well. Murdoch also does a wonderful job of creating a steamy, consensual and sensual exploration of Rachel's and Timothy's romantic feels toward each other. Timothy never presses Rachel too quickly as they relearn each other and learn to trust each other again.

I definitely recommend this novel it has a wonderful blend of tropes that create such a delightful romance between two people who are meant to be together.

I would like to thank netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy this series, but the love story in this one was a little too quick for me.

Miss Rachel Herriot is hoping to start her life over, because the last ten years have disappeared from her memory. Only her employer from the Governess Bureau seems to even know her.
Mr Timothy Astor normally works as a spy for the Crown in France. Now however he's comforting his sister after the death of her husband. He can't believe his eyes when the new governess turns up.
The characters in this story have a lot of very scattered thoughts. It makes them unusual as hero and heroine.
Our poor Mrs Clarke who runs the Governess Bureau is not having much luck in this series. So many of her employees are breaking her rules and falling in love.
Each book can be read on it's own, and they are all good fun.

This was my first Emily Murdoch historical romance and I really enjoyed it!

Rachel wakes up to realize she doesn’t remember anything from the last 10 years of her life. With no clue what to do next, she throws herself into the Governess Bureau, a job agency for governess placement. Arriving at a quiet manor house to look over her charge, Violet, Rachel begins to suspect that Timothy Astor, the owner of the manor house may know more about her and her past than she could ever imagine. He might just be the key to unlocking her memory.

Having an H that’s an agent for the Crown isn’t a trope I’ve read but maybe once or twice before, but it was so cool and I loved it! Timothy was so patient with Rachel. After his initial shock of seeing the woman he thought he lost turn up as his niece’s governess, alive and well, Timothy becomes determined to make Rachel fall back in love with him. I don’t usually like amnesia plots, but there was something so sweet about seeing Rachel fall in love for a second time with Timothy. His refusal to tell her anything about her past and their shared history is full of angst and heartache. My heart hurt so many times for these two. We really see him pining for her, which is one of my favorite tropes on earth. This is a slow burn, which typically aren’t my favorite. However, I felt like it made sense with Rachel’s lack of memory and I ended up really enjoying the journey on this one. The conclusion is so satisfying once they finally end up with their HEA after so much angst and pining. Timothy and Rachel really were characters I rooted for. Really enjoyed this one!

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and Dragonblade publishing! All thoughts and opinions are voluntary, honest, and wholly my own.

Rachel Herriot wakes up not remembering the last ten years. Her only connection is to the Governess Bureau. She does not remember her qualifications as a governess, but Miss Clarke assigns her Moira Quintrell's fourteen year daughter, Violet. On her arrival she is passionately kissed by Moira's brother , Timothy. He kisses her as if her knows her, but then pretends he kissed her by mistake. Rachel does not believe him. Timothy Astor has many secrets and revealing the past to Rachel may not be a good idea.
Timothy's wishy washy thinking really slowed the pace of the book.
Holding back secrets that would help Rachel remember her past was very frustrating to read. Not my favorite book in the series, but I still give it 4*STARS.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

This was a very interesting and original story about a governess who loses her memory -the last 10 years of her life. Her struggle to remember, her desire to take care for herself , her courage to move on with her life is a testament to her strength. Finding a position as a governess in a quiet, one child home seems to be the place to start, until she faced with the child’s uncle, who will not leave her alone AND knows her past that he refuses to share. This story had a lot of twists and turns, one was a complete surprise! I did think the middle of the book dragged a bit as it kept going on and on about his not sharing and her frustration. But overall a very entertaining and enjoyable read!

Discovering that the woman he loved and lost is now his niece's governess, Timothy is appalled to find that Rachel not only has no recall of the past ten years, but he is a total stranger to her. Nevertheless, the attraction they experienced as operatives for the Crown is still strong, and Timothy discovers that he needs to woo Rachel all over again. Although a sweet romance, Rachel's confusion is evident throughout the book as flashes of memory come to her. The plot is good and comes to a successful conclusion, however, I did find this romance slow-moving and at times the storyline got lost in long passages of memories and dialogue. I received a copy of this book as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Rachel has lost 10 years of her memories after an illness. Luckily, she has been allowed back into the Governess Bureau and is given what should be an easy assignment. Timothy visits his sister in her time of grief, only to find that the woman he loved and lost is alive - and she's now his niece's governess! But she has no memory of him. And that might be for the best, because he betrayed her...

What a fascinating concept. I really enjoyed this, even if it did take a bit too long to get where it needed to go. And I'll admit that I was expecting a bit more danger, considering what Rachel and Timothy used to get up to, but I wasn't too disappointed in the end. The romance was certainly satisfying. The best part of this book, however? The supporting characters! They were fantastic.

What a whirlwind! I love a good heart-clenching, angst driven novel. From start to finish, angst is the only word to describe this story. I could not stop the racing of my heart, yearning for remembrance.
Miss Rachel Herriot awoke from a fever to have lost 10 years of memory. Finding her way back to the Governess Bureau she takes a quiet position in the country as the governess to a widows daughter. Only to find she has a connection to the girls uncle. Without knowing why she is continually drawn to him. He cannot believe the woman he thought he lost is here, only to find out she has forgotten him entirely. Not wanting to bring her any painful memories he refuses to tell her anything it cannot keep away. As the fall back in love, I felt pulled in every direction with every emotion. I have never longed for a Happily Ever After more than for Rachel and Timothy.

Rachel is a governess who is recovering from amnesia. She doesn’t remember the past 10 years. On her new assignment she meets the uncle of her charge and discovers he knows her very well. Timothy is not about to tell Rachel that she was much more than a governess, especially to him! I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

A delightfully well written romance with a wonderful happily ever after. I enjoyed the plot and how Timothy and Rachel find their way back to each other, the love and adventure once shared found again.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Style/Trope: Regency Romance, Lord and Governess, Memory Loss

Rachel wakes up after losing 10 years worth of memory and then gets placed as a governess in the house with her former lover, Timothy, who she doesn’t recognize. Overall, I didn’t feel their connection though the author kept saying time and time again how they were distracted when the other was around. It’s fine, but ultimately would not reread.