A bit of Mary Poopins, and a bit of Victorian romances, with magic thrown in and the ability to communicate with birds, is the main theme of this romance, in which Queen Victoria has given her royal seal to a school for nannies, after one of them saves her life, as well as those of her children.

Emmeline Chase, a recent widow, whose mother trained at this same school, gets a scholarship to go there to be trained. For this is not just regular nannies, but in addition to having the royal seal, they also have Queen Mob’s approval too, the queen of the fae, and all of them have access to fae magic.

It is a fun little romp, with a neurodivergent duke, who can not stand the feeling of anything but silk on his body, and has trouble reading people, except for Nanny Chase.

He employs her after he becomes the guardian for three distant cousins, who have lost both their parents, and he is the only relative who can take them.

It is a cute historical romance, although the author takes a bit of artistic license with police boxes, which weren’t around in the 1850s, but who cares, since they are one of the spots that Nanny Chase can tel-lay-port to (using fae lay lines).

The romance is a nice slow burn, the dialogue is witty, the mystery of who is trying to sabotage the duke keeps us guessing, and the children are delightful, not cloyingly sweet, nor overly stupid. In fact, the little 9-year-old girl is more interested in science than playing with dolls.

I miss them all, now that I am done. I’m hoping the author does more books in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is being published on the 30th of September 2025.

I really wanted to like this and it all the elements that I love and a heroine you should root for but amy rose bennett's decision to turn the whimsy up to eleven slowed down the pacing and it just didn't work for me. Emmeline was more Amelia Bedalia than leading protagonist and Xavier lacked dimension that by the time the book found it's footing, it lost me.

While this is a charming story, it took much too long to become invested in it, and was often repetitive. I became fully engaged around the half way mark, and it therefore took me much longer to read than normal. But I still couldn’t help but enjoy the story. Thanks to Kensington for the ARC.

A delightful beginning to a new series from Amy Rose Bennett. Young widow, Mrs. Emmeline Chase has just graduated from The Parasol Academy for Exceptional Nannies and Governesses. Duke of St Lawrence, Xavier Mason, has three young three wards (Harry, Gary and Barry). His wards are always causing trouble and he can't keep a nanny. Their initial meet-cute is unique and so very fitting for Bennett's storyline.

Emmeline's father is in Newgate for her brother Freddy's debts. Her unfaithful husband, Jeremy and a brother that appears to show no remorse for his part in their father's imprisonment. Xavier has a ruthless family and competition to create the Westminster Palace clock. A twist or two of the unexpected and expected variety with multiple storylines in progress, but everything is brought together in the end for a well deserved happily ever after.

There are trigger warnings at beginning of book and a heartfelt explanation at the end.

Tropes include: Class difference, magic & mayhem, Virgin H and a meddling raven, Horatio instead of the typical butler, grandmother or aunt.

I loved the magic pockets, because what mom wouldn't want things you need to magically appear.
Thank you to NetGally for proving the ARC. All opinions are my own.

While the premise was intriguing and full of potential, I had a hard time connecting with the writing style, which made it difficult to stay engaged. I really wanted to love this, but it didn’t quite work for me.

Enjoyed the book. It was cute and I enjoyed reading the magical elements too…..I do hope this is the first part in a new series…..

This book was a sheer delight! Within 2 pages I was completely enthralled and stayed that way for the rest of the book. It's a marvelous blend of minor magic and found family and I will certainly read it more than once!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Oh I loved this so much! It was the perfect cozy romcom, very Mary Poppins meets Bridgerton with a hint of mystery. The chemistry and banter between Emmeline and Xavier was sweet, and quirky, and I adored them together. The children were great characters, and I really loved that Xavier was excited to share his knowledge with his niece in a time when women were mostly relegated to being less than. The found family was done so well, and I loved how they supported and recognized each other’s strengths and skills and quirks. I hope the author goes back to this world because I would love more with the Parasol Academy for Exceptional Nannies and Governesses.

'The Nanny's Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes' is a delightful and amusing historical romance. It’s exactly what I would expect of something that merges Mary Poppins with Bridgerton.

The romance between Emmeline and Xavier is a slow burn that starts with trust. It’s sweet, soft, and gentle. They’re both considered strange by their society and that becomes the foundation of their friendship. For most of the story they struggle with an adorable amount of shy yearning. I loved that Emmeline was the one with more relationship experience. And I enjoyed seeing Xavier realize that his neurodivergence doesn’t mean he’s undeserving of love and kindness.

This book is a little too long, which affects the pacing. Scenes were often stretched out across two to three chapters. So, it makes it feel like everything is moving at a snail’s pace. The slowness is a bit of an illusion because the plot has quite a bit going on. But it doesn’t change the fact that certain sections were unengaging.

The strongest part of this book was the found family dynamics. The children were wonderful characters with lots of personality. It was fantastic to see Emmeline and Xavier bond with them at the same time as each other. All in all, this is a charming story about five lonely people finding the support they need.

This book might be of interest to fans of India Holton and Heather Fawcett.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story was a delight from start to finish. The main characters are interesting and have well developed back stories. It has a very Mary Poppins mood about it, but in all the best ways.

This was such a cute and feel good read! I loved the characters and their relationships. Emmeline is such a beautiful human to root for, inside and out. She wears her heart on her sleeve and loves people so fiercely. I also loved the autism rep through Xavier, who is an amazing MMC.

The romance is quite sweet and lovely. I love how the two grow to respect and love each other. Xavier was so thoughtful about his position of power over her and not wanting to take advantage. I also loved that he was the virgin and she was experienced!! That never happens and it was great.

The only thing that took me out is the third POV being written with so many character monologues that it really felt like it should have been first person. And sometimes these monologues felt a bit rambling without adding much to the story.

But overall, this was a wonderful read! Very unique and fun.

I didn’t love this nor did I hate it. It was cute for the most part. I enjoyed the magical elements of the story. Emmy’s ability to do some small magical stuff and her ability to talk to animals. The Duke was ok. I get that he has autism, but he didn’t endear to me. I also loved the children. What I didn’t like was the romance. I thought it was lacking and I didn’t see any chemistry between them. For the first half we were told they got together in the evening to talk but we only got a couple instances of that, so I never experienced them falling in love. Just told they were.

(I will not be sharing a review of this book as I do not post reviews of books with explicit scenes. Had I known these were included, I would not have applied for the book. My apologies.)
Mrs Emmeline Chase has just graduated from the Parasol Academy for Exceptional Nannies and Governesses, and needs a job. She is not the best graduate of the acadmy, having a spot of trouble with her teleportation and the occasional improper turn-of-phrase. On the way to her first interview, she accidentally appears on a roof, and has to be rescued by Duke Xavier Mason and his charming raven Horatio. Following their initial unstated attraction, Emmeline later comes to be employed in the household to care for his three wards, in a house where mysterious events continue to take place. As Nanny Chase settles into her role, the relationship between her and Xavier continues to develop, despite apprehension and other commitments on both sides.
The romance is gradual (not slow burn) despite the early attraction, and includes a neurodivergent single-dad-esque male lead. It is very heteronormative, despite Xavier never clearly feeling attraction before meeting Emmeline. There are a couple of explicit scenes included that feel more or less appropriately placed within the escalating relationship. Both recognise and respect the strengths and skills of the other, and support the oddness exhibited by their partner.

The Nanny's Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes is a cozy, magical historical romance, perfect for fans of India Holton. The premise of the book (nanny with special powers meets misunderstood ND duke, cares for his charming wards while horological drama ensues) is original and creative, and the characters are likable, with good chemistry. My only complaint is that the spicy scenes felt somewhat inauthentic to the quirky Emmeline and Xavier we got to know in the rest of the book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a delightful and charming read! The concept of a nanny academy and a magical handbook had me grinning from the start, it was so clever and fun. I especially appreciated the creativity behind the chapter titles and spell details, which added a lot of flair. The romance was heartfelt and satisfying, with the characters building a beautiful sense of trust and connection. Overall, it’s an irresistibly sweet blend of Regency romance and light magic, that’s cozy, witty, and full of heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! This was cute but doesn’t manage to outdo Manda Collins who has a similar series of historical romance plus hijinks

This is a cute whimsical romance with magic! Victorian era with a magical Mary Poppins. The characters are fun especially the Raven Horatio. This did have some slow moments but it was enjoyable. Definitely a must read if you enjoy the witchy nanny stories like Nanny McPhee and Mary Poppins.

Thank you Kensington books and NetGalley for the arc.

A cozy Regency-era romcom with a touch of magic - perfect for fans of Bridgerton and Mary Poppins. A full cast of charming side characters and magical creatures, with an easy-to-follow plot and a delightfully fun premise.

I was swept up in this story by the end of chapter one. With a mixture of magic, humor, a touch of mystery and some romance, I was enjoying A wonderful story. I felt the treatment of Xavier's character was done perfectly with a subject matter usually not broached. Definitely would recommend this book.

Thank you Kensington Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Where to start with this magical, romantic, swoon-worthy book? I adored the main character, Mrs Chase. The children sounded just the right amount of clever, endearing, and precocious. The MMC, Xavier, was a wonderfully interesting choice - neurodivergent, kind, and thoughtful. The story moved well enough, with some side plots to keep things from going flat.

The whole premise of the book was already interesting to me - forbidden relationship (nanny/boss), but toss in the magic and this became an even more charming read.

Loved it! Hope to see more in this world.