The Governess Game by Tessa Dare is the second book in her Girl Meets Duke series, and it was great. The only reason I can figure it wasn't better than great, was because I read it almost immediately after reading The Duchess Deal. And I LOVED The Duchess Deal! It was a hard act to follow.
Chase is in desperate need of a governess for his two wards. The young girls have driven several away. He just needs them to be ready to go off to school in the summer. Chase is a recalcitrant rake and knows living in his home is probably not the best environment for the girls to grow up in.
Alexandra Mountbatten has a unique profession of setting clocks for the aristocracy to maintain accuracy with the time in Greenwich. She is soliciting new clients and (to her embarrassment), her next prospective client opens the door to reveal Chase Reynaud. The man she has essentially been crushing on since she bumped into him at a bookshop weeks prior. She had been such a stammering fool when they met, she is relieved (and a little disheartened) he doesn't remember her.
As far as connecting to characters, I liked Alex. She was nerdy and sweet, but sometimes her straightforwardness bugged me. It interrupted the flirtatious wordplay I enjoy. I struggled getting to know Chase and empathizing his situation. He had low self esteem with an overconfident outwards persona. He was trying to do the best he could through his perspective though. He was extremely witty and charming when dealing with his wards, which was very funny and sweet. I absolutely adored Chase's two wards, Rosamund and Daisy. They were unique, smart, witty, and just adorable. I completely fell in love with them, and my heart ached when they were in pain.
The romance didn't effectively stick with me. Like I said before though, I believe I just couldn't help comparing it to its predecessor. I will say there were several really good quotes that this book gave which really caught my attention. Tessa Dare is a wonderful writer. I am excited to see what comes next! From a small tidbit at the end, my money is that Penny's book comes next! I can only hope!
**ARC provided by Publisher**
I'm reading this now! I read The Duchess Deal twice & loved that one, too! Thanks for the review!
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