Dear Potential Reader,

I am writing you today to explain why I could not finish this book and to urge you to think long and hard before you pick it up. I must warn you, I have a lot of feelings about this, but I'll try to be clear and rational.

*deep breaths* Okay. Let my objective brain first tell you that there are... some... decent bones to this story. A restless governess and a reserved accoucheur embark on a fling that grows into something more as they work through their personal histories and hangups together. Throw in a counterfeit money plot, and it should be right up my alley.

But. Oh dear, the way it's all put together and plays out. The writing. *CRINGE*

First up, the characters are grating. They overthink EVERYTHING and then overthink it again, just in case the reader missed something. They have no charm to overcome these faults, though the hero's anxieties are sympathetic, at least. I don't want to HEAR about them so much, but I still sympathize.

What finally made me set aside the book in disgust, however, was the depiction of desire and sexual intimacy. Let me be clear: I like these things in romance novel. I love to see characters embracing their sexuality and figuring out what brings themselves and each other comfort, satisfaction, whatever they need. This is part of why I read romance novels! And I appreciate that Grant is showing a unique perspective on that — a sexually confident woman and a man who feels physical desire but needs a personal connection before engaging in penetrative intercourse. It's the language and the scenarios that bother me. The erotic scenes read like bad porn, including seductive games of "doctor" that read much more uncomfortable than sexy.

[Here I digress to address our confused hero: My good man, I would like to inform you that even if they didn't have stethoscopes in the Regency era, you could simply take a woman's pulse by feeling pulse points on her neck or wrist. Mashing your head up against her bountiful breasts, as horny as it may make you, is not required.]

As for the descriptions... I can only imagine that this author has only ever read sex scenes written by straight men. You know those "her boobs bounced boobily" and "like Zorro" passages that get passed around on social media every few months because WHY ARE YOU MAKING SEX SOUND SO UNPLEASANT? This is that. I didn't get beyond the male lead giving the heroine a hand job, in large part because I feared what I'd read when they finally escalated their activities. Also, I just don't want to read about clenching bowels in my sexy romance, thankyouverymuch.

There is more I could talk about (and I only made it 30% in, mind!), but honestly, these are the most offensive parts of the book, and after you've heard about the clenching bowels and the coy breast (did I not mention that? it's a shy little thing — the other is, apparently, a bullseye that stares a man in the face, what the heck), any other issues seem irrelevant, don't they? On the other hand, if those things can appeal to you... well, go forth and read with my blessing, I suppose, as long as I don't have to read it.

You've been warned by yours truly,
An Extremely Concerned Reviewer

My thanks to NetGalley and BookBuzz.net for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about a governess named Sophia Preston who lives what she feels is a painfully boring life at Robin Abbey, working as a governess for three little girls. That changes once a man-midwife, John Anderson, moves in to help care for Lady Wildake during her pregnancy and help deliver her 7th child. John and Sophia have instant chemistry, but don't confuse chemistry for a struggle-free romance. They work through a lot of feelings and struggles.

This book had a little bit of everything: politics, history, mystery, an overbearing mother-in-law, and counterfeit money…Yup. If you're a fan of more wholesome romances, this book may not be for you. It was a bit erotic at times, but that shouldn't come as a surprise with books like this. If you're down for that stuff, then you may find yourself at home here. I want this to be spoiler-free, but I will say the conclusion to the mystery was satisfying and had me a bit surprised, which is really kind of rare.

I should add that Sophia is a very stubborn, somewhat outspoken, and selfish character; interestingly, she finds her selfishness to be one of her best qualities. I feel like she is a character that most people would either love or hate, but I was somewhat indifferent towards her. I think I would've hated her if the book didn't draw attention to the fact these are her flaws, but since it did and played off them, she was a pretty realistic character. One thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was that it drew a lot of attention to the fact that Sophia wasn’t like the other governesses. While it’s true, she isn’t, I find this kind of trope in media somewhat overused when attention is drawn to it as it was here. But since it was only mentioned a few times, I find it forgivable.

Overall, I give it 4/5 stars — if it catches your attention and you’re a fan of this genre, then give it a go! You probably won’t be disappointed.