The Governess Game: Girl Meets Duke Series, Book 2

This is the sequel in Tessa Dare's new historical romance series, Girl meets duke :) I absolutely adored the first book in this series ("The duchess deal") so naturally soon after I inhaled it, I had to pick this one up :) mostly because my lovely sister J read it before me and kept telling me how amazing it is ;) now that I finished it, and loved it to pieces, I am in denial about how long I will have to wait for story #3... ;) because every amount of time is too long when you need a certain story in your hands immediately, right? ;) even though it's a sequel, it actually works perfectly well as a standalone, so if this story interests you more, you can pick it up first... and then once you fall in love with all the characters you can go back to the first one ;) ok, before I get into all the praises let me tell you a bit more what it's exactly about ;)Where do I start... :) on the one hand we have Chase :) recently he became a guardian to two young ladies... and being the notorious rake that he is... or so he claims ;) he's not really sure what to do with them... so naturally, he needs a governess... finding one is not a problem, making them stay is a much more complicated matter... because Chase's wards are very determined to not be tied down by regular lessons... ;) they managed to scare away quite a few of them... that all changes once Chase meets Alexandra... :) or to be more precise, meets her again (the first time being a very memorable encounter in a bookshop from the first novel) ;) now she appears at his doostep to offer her services in... I wanna say, managing his clocks... there is a more accurate word for it, but apparently it slipped my mind, so we are moving on ;) after he's careless and rake-ish with her, she gives him a very stern talking to, which instantly convinces him, she will be perfect for the job of the governess... since Alexandra needs the money, Chase's very lucrative offer is one she's not ready to refuse :) and since becuse of her new job she needs to move into the house, you can all see what an interesting mix they will create ;) ok, that is all I can say about the actual plot without spoiling you some little surprises that will happen along the way, so let's just jump into all the wonderful things I can say about this story :)Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adored the first book, but I think this one was even better :) the absolutely phenomenal writing style, full of witty banter and hilarious conversations, between all sorts of characters ;) I especially loved the connection between Chase and Alexandra, which is a bit surprising, because they have this push-and-pull chemistry between them... there are sparks and flriting, but also angst and tension... but it workd so well for these two :) Chase is posing as this notorious rake who's so distant from all the mushy entanglements of feelings... and yet he has a soft spot for quite a few of them :) and Alexandra... *sighs* I adored her... she's smart and brave and so resourceful and full of passion :) I mean, I liked her before but now she's definitely my favourite out of the group of friends she has ;) although... that may change when I read the next book in the series... :) there are a few teasers who might be the heroine and I can't wait to read it... who knows, maybe it will be even better than this one :) either way, if you haven't yet discovered the awesomeness that is Tessa Dare and her stories, definitely remedy that situation ASAP :) her novels are so heartwarming... at least the two I read so far ;) her characters so charming, they will immediately find their way into your heart... ;) I already have all her other novels on my #Wishlist... now it's just a matter of picking one in all the time I have till book #3 in this series will be released... because no matter how long it takes... even if it would be next month (and it's not) it would still be too long ;) I'm gonna need some of her wonderful writing style much sooner than that ;)

Alexandra Mountbattern has met THE ONE. He has marvelous taste in reading material; he is charming; and he is so very handsome. The only problem? She doesn't know his name. For now, she refers to him as the "Bookshop Rake" because that is where she encountered him about 6 months ago while she was balancing her friend's books and holding tightly to the only second hand copy of the book about astronomy she had been hoping to find. When they collided (literally - her books fell all over), he oozed all that was gentlemanly and charismatic... while Alex stood there shell shocked. When he finally said his goodbyes, she recovered enough to realize that she ended up with a book about children while he mistakenly left with her book. Since then, she has imagined all the ways they will encounter one another again, which will (of course) lead to their happy ever after. But when she does actually encounter him again, it's in his home where he is improperly dressed to receive polite company with a stocking dangling from antlers in a remodeled servant's quarters that he is in the process of converting into a "Cave of Carnality" (as Alex describes it), and he offers her a position as a governess for his young wards on the spot... except she is there to adjust his clocks which is how she has been making a living while dreaming of some day owning a cottage out in the open where she can view constellations and discover comets to her heart's content.Chase Reynaud has one hard and fast rule for himself in life: no attachments. That goes for romantic liaisons as well as friendships. And it certainly applies to the 2 young wards he has recently "inherited" as they were passed down with the duke title he is now 1st in line for once his incapacitated uncle passes. The girls, Rosamund (age 10) and Daisy (age 7) are holy terrors who have been passed around since their mother died, and they have already gone through several governesses - the last one didn't even last the full day! When Alexandra walks through his door and puts him in his place, he knows she is the right woman for the job of instilling discipline in his charges for the summer until he ships them off to boarding school and get on with his life of debauchery with no entanglements. Except that Alex lingers on his mind more than he wishes she would. Her take charge manner, her intelligence, and her big heart are all things he never thought he wanted... until he does. But aside from the fact that he does not dally with the hired help, he knows Alex would want much more of himself than he could ever give her, so he vows to stay away and tells her she should have no concerns about him attempting to seduce her.Alex cannot believe Chase just assured her that in no uncertain terms he would never attempt to seduce her - is she that repulsive?? Apparently "the moment" they had in the bookshop was not even a moment in his mind, but he doesn't even remember her! As mortified as she is, Alex cannot turn this job down - she needs the money, and Chase is offering a ridiculous sum just to keep a couple of young girls in line for the summer... how hard can it be? As she soon discovers, there is much more going on than meets the eye - with both her young charges and her employer. If they cross the line between business and pleasure, can Alex keep hold of her heart? And will Chase realize all that he has in his wards and Alex before it is too late?What I liked:--- So much humor! Daisy's doll (Millicent) succumbed to all varieties of conditions every night, and a funeral with mandatory attendance and participation by all was how everyone began their days -- the causes of death along with Chase's eulogies always made me chuckle!--- Both mcs were likeable characters who were both strong and damaged by events in their lives that shaped who they were at the time they met - great character and relationship development--- The plot was fast-moving, so I was glued to the pages until the end--- The reader had the chance to revisit the characters from the first book in the series, and the author set up future installments with further insights about Alex's friendsWhat I didn't like as much:--- Oh the angst! I am not a huge fan of what seems like forced/unnecessary angst, and it felt like Chase's issues were overly drawn out--- Not as much steamy goodness as I am used to with Tessa Dare booksOverall, a great story with some interesting plot points, funny moments, and (as always) a satisfying HEA.Plot --- 4.25/5Main Characters --- 4.5/5Supporting Cast --- 4.5/5Steam Level* --- 3.5/5Violence --- nothing graphicLanguage --- not egregiousPOV --- 3rd*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild; 2/5 - sensual but nothing descriptive; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere; 4/5 - yes please! ; 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all

esse livro me puxou igual um furacão! estava lendo ele só um pouquinho à noite e revezando com outras leituras, mas teve uma hora que não consegui largar e li o resto numa sentada só. queria dizer que o relacionamento dele com as meninas pareceu Meu Malvado Favorito e EU AMEI TUDO ISSO. para quem ama os livros da Tessa e ama romance histórico, recomendo demais!

Good read

Non regge il confronto con il primo romanzo della serie, The Duchess Deal, i protagonisti, presi singolarmente, non sono male, ma la storia d'amore non mi ha coinvolto molto, Non ho sentito la chimica tra i due.Le bimbe però sono un amore.

What a lovely continuation of an equally lovely series. I loved reading about the struggles of a working class heroine in the Regency era, a type that is sadly far too rare in this genre. Alex was so wonderfully relatable and Chase was so charmingly roguish and they were just so freaking perfect together 😍😍😍

It was enjoyable to read.