Book Review #bookreview #dragonbladepublishing #agovernessofunusualexperience #emilyekmurdoch #historicalromance
After reading the synopsis of this installment of Emily E. K. Murdoch's The Governess Bureau Series, I knew I had to pick it up. I absolutely love an amnesia, governess romance and Emily E.K. Murdoch has done a wonderful job crafting this sweet and sensual romance laced with mystery around the heroine's identity and how her and the hero fully connect. Murdoch's writing is well paced and interesting creating a nice layer of intrigue as the heroine's understanding the the past ten years starts to expand.
Rachel has found herself in a bind after she wakes up with no memories of the last ten years and the only hint of what she has been doing in that time is that it appears she was employed with The Governess Bureau. So the patroness of the bureau decides to send her to a manor house with one charge in the hopes that rest and work will help her memory come back. Little is Rachel aware that her charge is the niece of Timothy, who appears to know her. Timothy and Rachel know each other through illegal adventures in France where they both fell in love with each other. Now two years after Timothy thought her dead he is confronted with the woman he loves more than anything and trying to make her fall in love with him again.
This novel is a charming and endearing read. Watching Timothy pine for his love and work towards making her love him again is adorably sweet. Timothy is caring and gentle when he comes to Rachel, he does not want to disrupt her healing so he is cautious around what he will reveal from their past. But Timothy is also swept up in his feels for Rachel that he has a hard time staying away from her. Watching Rachel be drawn to Timothy is delightful as she learns to trust someone as well as open herself up to sensual experiences. Murdoch balances Rachel's work with her charge, Rachel's growing love and Rachel's exploration of who she is in a very lovely way. Keeping the growing second chance romance between Rachel and Timothy at the heart of the novel while creating an experience for Rachel and her charge to learn and grow from each other as well. Murdoch also does a wonderful job of creating a steamy, consensual and sensual exploration of Rachel's and Timothy's romantic feels toward each other. Timothy never presses Rachel too quickly as they relearn each other and learn to trust each other again.
I definitely recommend this novel it has a wonderful blend of tropes that create such a delightful romance between two people who are meant to be together.
OUT January 14, 2022
Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.