Review: The Baron’s Governess Bride – Deborah Hale

Lord Rupert Steadwell is a widower, and four years after his wife passed away, he is still devastated by the loss. He is looking for a new governess for his three daughters, as the last one left to get married. This time, he is looking for a very plain woman, who wouldn't just up and leave him and the girls when a man in the village noticed her beauty. Grace, behind her father's glasses is squinting to try to see her new employer, and he is trying to figure out if she would be a good woman to teach his girls, and if she is plain enough to actually stay the course until his daughters are adults and leave their childhood home.

The Baron’s Governess Bride is a very sweet and innocent historical romance. A quick read, a little predictable, but still very enjoyable. Grace Ellersby is a young, beautiful governess and she hides her beauty so that the men who might be guests of the household will not try to seduce her. That’s a big problem she’s had in the past, and she has fled three prior employers to get away from too forward gentlemen.

Grace quickly falls in love with her charges, and quite possibly with her boss as well. However, she is trying her best to not read anything into the feelings she has for Rupert, as she has tried to stay away from any romantic entanglements her whole life. At the same time, Rupert is showing interest in a neighbour who is widowed as well, and he knows he needs a male heir to make sure the family estate stays with his children and not some cousin.

There is a lot of dancing around the subject, as Rupert and Grace get to know each other better, and even sometimes go on little evening strolls together when the girls are in bed. At the same time, Grace is afraid about Rupert wanting to marry another woman – her own childhood with a stepmother is the worst comparison she could use – and continues to read faery tales about orphans and evil step-mothers to the children.

The whole story is supposedly written in part to make sure nobody judges people solely based on their looks, and while Rupert certainly did appreciate Grace a great deal when she was hiding her beauty, once he saw how gorgeous she looked without her cap hiding her golden locks, and her father’s glasses obscuring her eyes, he fell in love with her even without realizing it was her. This is my one negative with this story – the whole premise seemed to be to get to know people and love them for their inner beauty, however, Rupert only succumbs completely to Grace when he discovers her outer beauty as well.

Both Grace and Rupert are very likeable characters, and it’s impossible not to cheer them on while they are both trying to hide their true feeling both from themselves and each other. All in all a very enjoyable read, and if you want a quick, romantic pick-me-up, I think this just might hit the spot!

About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.

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