Nice view from out the window!
Sophia has become a governess and is checking off her boxes. All is well, if a little boring. Lo and behold, she lays eyes on Dr. John and things are looking up. Some trouble comes their way as counterfeit money starts to show up in town. Accusations fly and these 2 need to stick together. Love their story!

The mystery is pleasantly twisty and I loved the romance.
Many thanks to BookBuzz and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Katherine Grant is just a breath of fresh air in HR. She writes modern heroines and cinnamon roll heroes, in a extremely well researched way.
This book was no exception. Though I did not connect with the heroine and the storyline, I really see where she wants to go and cannot wait to read her next works.

This books was shallow, poorly-written and overall boring. There was no chemistry between any of the characters.

Unfortunately, this book was really terrible in both writing and plot - I did get a lot of enjoyment from it, but sadly only from seeing just how bad the metaphors and sex scenes could get (at one point the hero gets dress and describes himself as 'entombed' in his shirt. I was really intrigued by a governess romance that didn't involve her falling in love with one of the family who employed her, but John, the male midwife hero, was a very strange choice. I didn't find his constant anatomical thoughts during sex scenes very appealing at all, and although I thought at one point the book was making strides towards him being demisexual, this was resoundingly ignored after a while and never came to anything. There was a bizarre focus on bowel movements being thrown into descriptive passages - perhaps that was symptomatic of the book as a whole just being way too focused on the physical workings of bodies, to an off-putting and weirdly scientific level. The writing as a whole veers between overblown description and strangely mundane. Not one line of dialogue was believable - especially not the "sexy" ones.

The plot was a messy vehicle for the sex scenes (Why have John be half-Indian to completely ignore it? How on earth had Sophia not been fired, since she never does her job and quite openly sleeps around? What was with the counterfeiting mystery?) This book could have been so great - I still would like to read the sunny governess/reserved doctor romance I was expecting - but it's badly let down by the execution.

I have read a few books by Ms. Grant and have enjoyed them and this one also did not disappoint. This was an intriguing romance with a bit of suspense and mystery mixed in. Sophia is the governess in the Cosgrove home. She longs for a life with more excitement and adventure, and when handsome accoucheur John comes to Robin Abbey to assist with the birth of Lady Wiidlake's newest addition, Sophia sees this as her chance to have some fun. While the sparks definitely fly on both ends, they must deal with the mystery of a crime, of which they are both suspected of being involved in. They work together to solve the mystery and clear their names and in the process just might find true love.
An entertaining Regency romp with an element of mystery that added a good dose of suspense and kept my interest till the end. Glad to have had the opportunity to read it!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Sophia is a governess more out of the need to rebel against society and her family than the need to make a living. She has always done what she pleases and now finds her current position boring. Upon the arrival of a male midwife to help with the Lady of the house's upcoming childbirth, Sophia sees her chance at some excitement and sets out to seduce the man. As John tries to dodge her seductive overtures forces behind the scene are at work and an appearance of a man from the bank of London looking for a counterfeiter and finding counterfeit money in Sophia's possession puts her in a place to lose everything, her freedom and maybe even her life.
I am not one for mushy romances, but this one is very straightforward, Sophia is brazen, outspoken, knows what or who she wants and goes for it. The mystery in the story added the right amount of suspense to keep the reader entertained and their attention held. All in all I recommend this one for a fast entertaining regency romp, a very well written escapade.
Thank you to author Katherine Grant and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

Our main character of this historical romance is a Governess, although more out of a desire to rebel from her family and avoid marriage than out of any particular financial need. As the lady of the house is pregnant, a male midwife joins the household to attend to her who is then our male main character. Which means there's no titles.involved from either side, which makes a change from a lot of historical romances for this period!

The twist in this one is that she is very interested in sex and doesn't want to be in a relationship or fall in love, whereas he only wants to be intimate with someone he has a connection with.

Interestingly, I think I enjoyed the plot element more than the romance in this. It's all about counterfeit money, she gets framed and they need to work together to figure out who's behind it all. My enjoyment of the romance was impacted by the fact I didn't like the female main character very much - "likes sex" was kind of her whole personality, so the male main character would be trying to have a conversation with her and she's either referencing or grabbing certain body parts.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

Lady rake.

Sophia is a lady rake, but also for her profession, is a governess.
John is the male equivalent to a midwife. Katherine Grant has done her research on this profession, which I totally appreciate. I think I really wanted a connection between John and Sophia which was distinctly absent. Their roles are reversed, in that Sophia is the rake and John needs to be infatuated to do the deed. In fact, even in their professions, their roles are reversed, as Sophia is the educator and John is the accoucheur (male midwife who sees to an aristocrats birth). There's a bit of a mystery to solve (fake money).

3.5

Katherine Grant is an incredibly talented writer who is willing to take risks. Anyone who is academically interested in romance novels should read this book. It is not escapist, but we are really glad that she is willing to take on these challenges as a writer, because it engages and challenges us as readers.

What is this book about? Well, Sophia is kind of like a lady rake, while John needs a deeper connection before they can engage in physical intimacy. But Sophia doesn’t change her opinions on lady-raking when she meets John and she doesn’t actually care about him other than being hot and not being repugnant. It's almost a sort of "friends-with-benefits" situation except that Sophia's only making friends to get to the benefits part.

Which leads to Sophia's primary character trait: selfishness. Sophia self-identifies as selfish and seems to have made it her defining character trait. For a large part of the book, there was a lack of connection between John and Sophia. Other than their initial physical attraction, what else drew them together?

We are really interested in what Katherine Grant is doing with the romance genre, and even if this book didn't quite connect for us, we are excited to see where she goes next.

The Governess Without Guilt by Katherine Grant is the second book of the Prestons. Sophia Preston is a governess who wants adventure and excitement. She doesn’t want to live by the rules of the Cosgroves. When John Anderson arrives as accoucheur ahead of the birth of Lady Widlake’s new baby, Sophia believes he will be her source of excitement. John enjoys flirting with Sophia, but not at the expense of his reputation. He can’t deny his attraction to her, though. Counterfeit banknotes have begun circulating around town, and someone at Robin Abbey may be responsible. Sophia and John join forces to find the real culprit.

This is a unique historical romance. Sophia is a heroine unlike any other I’ve read, while John is unlike any other hero I’ve read. I did find it difficult to connect with both Sophia and John, though.

Sophia Preston, the daughter of Lord Preston, the Baron of Ashforth, has decided to live her life on her terms and thus had become a governess. John Anderson has been called to the home of Lord and Lake Widlake to be their accoucheur for their birth of their child. John is the illegitimate son of a man who though married to someone else, sent him to medical school and his mother is a housekeeper. What a difference environment Sophia and John have come from. There is a sexual attraction between these two. However when Sophia is accused of using fake money in the town to buy items, their relationship takes a new turn. Can these two work together to find out who has planted the fake money in Sophia's room before it is too late. Does the fact that Sophia's father is a radical leader in the House of Lords have anything to do with it? There is a little rough language that I do not feel goes well with this time in history.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I expected to like this book as I do love a bit of mystery with my romance however the mystery is the only bit than raises this to 2.5 stars. The premise of how a governess would act and it being something to choose to be independent is just wrong. She would be sacked for behaving like this as a bad example and there would be no independence just being a child minder 24/7. Also I didn't like the heroine at all the hero was a bit better but seemed a bit weak willed. I found there was just too much information in the love seems that made it uncomfortable rather than interesting (clenching bowels??) If not for the mystery I wouldn't have finished it. 2.5 stars. My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This story is steamy and seductive with a healthy dose of action to keep you coming back for more. I am in love with this series, and will follow it for sure.

I did not know what to expect with this book, a heroine confident with her body knowing what she wants is great, but Sophia was not a character I loved much in the previous book.
And here it did not change much.

She is the feminine version of a rake, surveying any new visitor for some potential few-nights stands. Quite pushy with her next prey when he is a man rather reserved, looking for more in a dalliance than physical attraction.
She also rejected most of the idealism she grew up with, selfish in her regard for comfort, dismissing her siblings and father’s letters as only merely boring.

John was able despite his differences to make his way in his father’s country, but to establish himself with certainties, more is expected from him than any other physician.
And while he is attracted to Sophia, he needs more than a superficial pull to open the door to a more intimate relationship.

English is not my native language but the way “bowels” was used here seems a strong word with a very definite image in my mind, not very pretty for a romance to express the hero’s stress.
After I wonder why the heartbeats were not measured by surveying the pulse?
The sex scenes were a bit too detailed and fleshy to be romantic, they lacked of “poesy”.
This was not a story for me but if it is an interesting journey for a selfish woman to understand the world does not turn around herself and her pull to satisfy her every need.
3 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen foreplays and lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

A governess with a difference indeed. One with female emancipation at her fingertips, or at least in her discreet stationery box...
I would love to read a story about her family and upbringing as they are clearly eccentric and forward thinking.
Overall, i enjoyed the book butt found it a little long for the content, which focused on the romance and birth / health without enough detail about the crime. And why was the mother in law so determined in her actions?
So, nice language, good style and grammar. But plotting needed a little more thought.

Whoo, this is definitely not your normal romance.
Spoiler alerts.
So, the heroine is a governess, not because she needs the income, but because she feels she needs the independence over making her own life decisions. Her father is a Baron who is popular with his tenants, because he refuses any imports, items made by or dependent on the slave trade, and he gives the tenants a share of the profits on his estate for their work. He runs his estate like a modern day employee owned business. This is quite controversial. The heroine dearly loves her family, but hates the idea that she has to get married like every other woman her age. She refuses marriage and chooses to become a governess so she can have her freedom. She had been a governess for family members and this particular assignment, with 3 girls age 15 to 11, is soul sucking. She feels stifled and is looking forward to arrival of the man-midwife who was hired to assist in her employers seventh pregnancy. Her employer lost one baby, but has a set of twins age 3 and a one year old infant. There are a total of six children, but the heroine only has to teach the older girls. She is intrigued by the man-midwife. He is half English and half Indian. His mother was the mistress to his father and he was raised in England for the most part. He arrives and is entranced by the heroine, but fights his attraction, because he cannot lose his reputation.
The story is semi-normal ip to this point. The heroine is insistent upon having an affair with the hero. She has been in intimate relationships before and is having problems reading the hero. They meet and talk and discuss the possibility of a physical relationship. But she is adamant that she doesn't believe in love. Which I felt was odd, since her parents were a love match, even past her mother's death and her sister is in a love match also.
Super spoiler. The last epilogue of the story confirms that they are married for over 30 years, but that they have a relationship where they are apart for months at a time. I do not think they ever have children, and if the hero is not away at a job, where he arrives near the end of the pregnancy and has to wait months for delivery, then the heroine is traveling/visiting with friends or family. They claim to love each other, but even in today's technology of cell phones, I do not want to be separated from my husband for extended time periods. I don't understand it, but I still give this book 4 stars. It was well written and I enjoyed reading it. I was immerses in the story, and I liked the characters. I just think this was a more modern take than I was used to. And the intrigue and action was spot on. I recommend reading this book with 4 stars.

I liked the bones of this story and the plot was intriguing.

Sophia Preston is a self-absorbed heroine who chose to become a governess instead of following the path of her radical aristocratic family. She is a heroine like none I have seen before, which made her unique. Her confidence and convictions were admirable, even if I could not fully understand her reasoning.

John Anderson is an accoucheur or male midwife. I am speculating here, but from the details about John, I came to the conclusion that he would identify as a demisexual. I found this intriguing in that you don't see such a combination in any heroes I have come across. It made him interesting and it was a fantastic foil to Sophia's lusty nature.

The juxtaposition of a female character who is very present in her physicality and earthy versus a male character who is very emotionally in tune and cerebral in nature made for an interesting pairing.

The aspect of the book that threw me for a loop was when the descriptions of lovemaking and a birth scene were earthy to the extreme- to the point where the love scenes were not titillating. Some of the language was a bit off-putting and really stood out during my reading of the story. It was surprising and not in a favorable way.

I did like the two epilogues at the end of the story. They showed just how independent and unique these characters are. You don't get the typical happily ever after for these two, and that was refreshing.

Would I recommend this book to someone reading Grant for the first time? I'm not sure, since this was my first read of her work. But I don't tend to judge an author on one book alone, and I would give Grant one more shot. Perhaps some of the wording issues were applicable to these characters alone? Perhaps not? I am willing to find out.

I voluntarily read and reviewed and advanced copy of this eARC thanks to the author via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#TheGovernessWithoutGuilt #NetGalley

One bored governess, one handsome doctor, and unlimited unchaperoned nighttime activities. What could possibly go wrong?
Sophia Preston wants adventure, excitement, and self-determination. She hired herself out as a governess to gain independence, and now she has it at Robin Abbey: every day, she gets to mind the Cosgrove children, eat the Cosgrove’s food, and live by Cosgrove’s rules.
When John Anderson arrives as accoucheur ahead of Lady Widlake’s next baby, Sophia immediately sees the potential for excitement. Who wouldn’t want to seduce the handsome young doctor who is guaranteed to move on once Lady Widlake’s baby is born?
John doesn’t mind flirting with the intriguing governess - as long as they aren’t caught. He has goals, and they don’t include ruining his reputation. Still, he must admit that Miss Preston is everything he ever wanted in a woman: smart, beautiful, unlike anyone else he has ever met…
When counterfeit bank notes surface in town, the authorities suspect someone at Robin Abbey is the criminal. Suddenly, both Sophia and John are put under the microscope. They have no choice but to band together to find the true culprit. The only question is: will they find true love, too?
This is a mystery about counterfeiting.
I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I will not lie here. I struggled with this book, at times not wanting to finish. I did so to figure out the real villain. I found the rakish heroine to be so self absorbed, I had trouble liking her at all. I liked John, though I sensed a lack of backbone and found it hard to believe they would fall for each other. I DESPERATELY wish authors didn’t feel the need to use the f- bomb in their stories. I am not even sure that word was around back then. The story itself had a good mystery to it, and that was delightful.