Widower Simon Montclair, Earl of Eastlington is desperate for help with his daughter. She moves about the house as if she's scared of her own shadow. He suspects his mother in law is to blame, but can't prove it.

Miss Vivienne Alcott has been trained as a governess by the Darrow school. Her character is exactly the strength needed to help bring joy back to a troubled child.

This is an emotional and exciting historical romance that will draw you straight into the lives of our characters. There are tears and danger for them all to face.

This is part of a series. You don't have to have read the others to enjoy this one but there are links to the previous books in the series.

Good fun.

JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER!!!! When an Earl Loves a Governess by Chasity Bowlin is the last book in the The Hellion Club series and what an ending. Though in a series this book can be read as a standalone. I ended up reading this book in one sitting as every time I put it down I would pick it back up and say to myself just one more chapter until I finished it. This tragic story of child abuse was at times so horrific that I did cry. I don’t cry in books very often. This book is extremely well written. I am in awe and this is also one of those books I will never forget. I am a huge fan of Chasity’s writing and this book will tell you why. She never disappoints. I just can’t say enough about her incredible books. Her description are so vivid, you get the real feel of the regency era and you fall in love with her characters except for the evil ones, those you truly hate. AMAZING!!! This story has a father that is also an earl who knows something is wrong with his daughter who needs help, a sweet 6 yr old little girl, a hired governess, an evil grandmother, manipulation, greed, guilt, death, schemes, abuse, kindness, caring, blaming one’s self, injuries, an evil butler, running away, revenge and falling in love. This book has it all and I am so highly recommending you read this book or any of Chasity Bowlin’s books… as I said she never disappoints.

***This book was gifted to me and I am voluntarily reviewing.

Although suspenseful, I also found this novel fairly dark in that The Earl of Estlington's household is being manipulated according to the whims of his mother-in-law. Insinuating her way into his home, firstly upon his marriage to her daughter, Mercy Milthorpe has twisted and turned every good thing against the Earl and will go to any lengths to keep him just where she wants him. With Mercy in charge. It takes some time, but Simon is beginning to get a clearer view of things since the morbid death of his wife and feels it is time to turn the tide, win his daughter back and create a new culture of joy and happiness in his household. Employing Vivienne as Emily's governess is the first step in the new direction, but despite his earlier experiences with the malicious Mercy, he does not fully anticipate the lengths to which she will go to thwart him. When Vivienne's life is threatened, Simon does not lose a minute in going after her and at Emily's urging, finally manages to bring her back to the only place they can call home. The romance ends on a good note although there is still a cloud hanging over the small principality of The Hellion Club. I received a copy of this novel as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

The fifth book in the Hellion Club series by Chasity Bowlin is about an Earl who is at his wits end as to help his daughter and decides to employ a governess. Emily is withdrawn, sad child since the loss of her mother. Vivienne, having lost her own mother young and mistreated by her father’s wife and legitimate children, can relate to Emily. As Simon and Vivienne work to allay Emily’s fears to allow her to be a child, a sinister force is all around them trying to maintain the status quo and eliminating anything or one who stands in their way.

When an Earl loves a Governess is a fascinating premise – the bastard daughter of a lord is given the opportunity to be a governess and shape the life of the daughter of an earl. Sparks fly between Simon and Vivienne from the start – which is fun to watch/read. Watching Emily grow and become the carefree child that she should have been all along, is a joy. The characters are interesting and I truly enjoyed the love story. The story overall is darker than I enjoy reading, which made part difficult to read. This is a good/interesting story and will be greatly enjoyed by many. Please be aware that there are potential triggers in this book and are mentioned below.

Trigger warnings:
- The story is about emotional abuse of a child; there is a scene depicted on page of an adult being directly involved in a child being injured
- There is a suicide depicted on page

Simon, the Earl of Eastlington, a widower for a year and a half, seeks help to bring smiles and laughter back into his daughter's life. He seeks a governess from the Darrow School in London. Vivienne Alcott is his choice for her spark of life, wit and smile. Having her as his Emily's governess is his last hope. Conflict with his mother-in-law, Mercy Milthorpe, always leaves him in turmoil. Vivienne sees how unhappy and fearful his daughter is of her grandmother who is manipulative and lies. It is not long before Mercy tries to get rid of Vivienne and not just to get her to return to London. Her added ammunition is the attraction between Simon and Vivienne. Terror reins as Mercy puts her plans in motion. This could almost be considered a Gothic romance considering it takes place near the ocean in a creepy house and the ruins of an abbey. Only the villians in this book are not ghosts, but a bitter woman and equally scary butler.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Simon, the Earl of Eastlington, needs a governess for his daughter Emily after his wife’s death, so he goes looking at Effie Darrow’s school for one. Vivienne ends up being the perfect woman to come into Simon’s and Emily’s lives, especially since she and Emily start to bond after Emily has become withdrawn. Simon’s mother-in-law has been able to manipulate Emily, and Simon and Vivienne realize just how perfect they are for each other as they’re working against this villain who has made his daughter’s life miserable. While Simon and Vivienne were perfect for each other, I actually really enjoyed how Chasity Bowin was able to convincingly write Vivienne and Emily’s relationship.

Also, we get a tiny bit of movement on the Effie and Highcliff side of things with a complication that’s put some distance between them, but we also get a hint at what some of Highcliff’s past was and why he doesn’t want Effie near any of that past damage.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the books in this series!

This is the first book from the series that I have read, but I found that I didn't need to know what had happened in the previous books in order to enjoy this one. Events and characters from some of the previous books are mentioned, but not so much that it ruins the previous books (in case I wanted to go back and read those) or made me feel like there was an inside joke I wasn't a part of. I only recent discovered Chasity Bowlin, but so far I have liked everything from her that I have read.

For this book I found I was just as invested in seeing the relationship develop between Vivienne and Emily as I was in seeing what happened between Vivienne and Simon - and that love story is a good one. They are so sweet together and, although there is a lot of sexual attraction between the two of them, their love comes from a mutual respect and care for each other as people.

The villain of the story is very well crafted and not so awful and over-the-top that it calls the believability of the story into question. I loved seeing Simon stand up to her - the final confrontation between them is a good one - I always love to see the bad guy get what they deserve (and Mercy definitely gets what she deserves).

The only parts of the book that require you to have read the previous books were the scenes and mentions of Effie and Highcliff. It's not an overly complicated plot so it wasn't difficult to figure out what was going on, but I didn't care as much about them because I hadn't developed a connection with them.

I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye out for the next book in the series and hoping to get a quick glimpse into what happens in the future with these characters!

When Simon Montclair, the Earl of Eastlington, seeks help from the Darrow School, so as to help him raise his daughter after the death of his wife, he does not realise what lies ahead. Battling guilt over his wife’s death and the actions of his mother-in-law, Mercy Milthorpe, Simon begins to realise that Mercy may be poisoning his relationship with his daughter. The governess, Miss Vivienne Alcott seems to be his saviour when they both appear to enjoy each other’s company. But Emily still appears haunted by her mother’s death and Vivienne soon realises that Mercy, is a threat to everyone, including herself. As Vivienne and Simon spend time together, they realise that their feelings may not be enough to resolve the issues caused by Mercy.

This was an engaging story and the pain felt by Emily was evident from the start. Both Simon and Vivienne are two people engaged in a battle to win against the evil nature of Mercy. At times, I wondered whether they stood a chance, but the intensity of their feelings for each other and for Emily, were evident and made for a convincing read. This was definitely a great addition to the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A whirlwind adventure from start to finish! After losing his wife, the Earl of Eastlington allowed guilt and self doubt to overtake him. This left the opening for his mother in law to manipulate his daughter, who retreated into herself out of fear. She became quiet, withdrawn and achingly sad all the time. Desperate to help his daughter, he turned to The Hellion Club to get a governess who could hopefully help his daughter find her joy. He could not have prepared for Vivienne Atwood. The attraction between these two was instant and thus poses the challenge of maintaining propriety and keeping focused on his daughter. Add to that, the meddling and villainous attempts of his mother-in-law and it equals a quick paced story of excitement, romance & selfless love. Watching this family come together was a true delight!

A widower earl, Simon, lets his mother-in-law take over the raising of his little girl after her mother’s illness and death. He notices a drastic decline in his daughter. Simon decides to hire a governess who might be able to reach out to the desolate girl and also see why she is so afraid. He is immediately attracted to the kind and beautiful Vivienne and starts to rethink the idea of having her live out in the country with them. Vivienne makes progress with the girl and discovers the abuse the grandmother is subjecting her to. Together they try to correct all the wrong that has been done. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.