By Josi Kilpack
Lord Elliott Mayfield's family has, for the most part, lived scandalous lives, and Elliott hopes that he can rectify that situation by offering his nieces and nephews certain enticements if they marry successfully and live more circumspect lives. Elliott's oldest nephew, Peter Mayfield, is one family who has always lived a respectable life and wants no part in Elliott's plan. As a widower, he doesn't plan to marry again--but what he does need is to find a governess for his two daughters. When he interviews candidates, he immediately knows he will not hire Julia Hollingsworth. While she's well-qualified, she's too young and too attractive. However, when his other options fall through, he does hire her, and while she's a great fit for his household, he soon finds that Julia's mother, Amelia, objects to Julia working for the Mayfield family and, having had her heart broken by Elliott years ago, will do all that she can to break Julia's connection with the Mayfield family.
I wasn't sure how much I'd like a book with essentially four main characters (I like delving deep into the characters and wasn't sure there'd be enough depth with that many voices), but it worked really well. I liked seeing all of them, with their stubbornness and flaws and their goodness and their growth, too. I don't think there were really any big surprises, but there were unique and interesting elements to the plot (like Peter breeding dogs). Great choice for those who really like character-driven stories. I'm really interested to meet more of the Mayfield family in upcoming books!
4.5 stars.
I read an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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