The Governess

Sisters of Woodside Mysteries, Book 1

By: Mary Kingswood

Narrated by: Joanna Stephens

The first of a brand-new series by the author of Sons of the Marquess.

When Mr. Edmund Winterton of Woodside dies, his daughters find themselves penniless and homeless. What can they do? Unless they wish to live on charity, they will have to find genteel employment for themselves.

Annabelle becomes governess to the daughters of the recently bereaved Earl of Brackenwood. She has no idea how to teach, but her pupils can learn all they need from books, so how difficult can it be? She’ll need all her ingenuity to cope with the rebelliousness of her charges and the unwanted attentions of their father. But when her past returns to haunt her, she has to make a difficult decision.

Allan is slowly getting used to life as a widower, but his mother is determined that he must marry again and produce an heir. He is determined that he won’t, although the new governess is just the sort of woman he could fall in love with. But when a face from long ago reappears and stirs up suspicion, he has to consider the possibility that his wife’s death was not natural. What is worse, he himself is the obvious suspect. If he can’t prove his innocence, he may lose everything - his home, his new love, and even his life.

A traditional Regency romance, drawing room rather than bedroom.

Book 1 of the 5-book Sisters of Woodside Mysteries series, each a complete story with a HEA, but listen to all of them to find out all the family secrets!

©2018, 2019 Mary Kingswood (P)2019 Mary Kingswood

Nicely Done!

Once again I enjoyed this author’s clean, interesting story. I liked the character of the two main characters. The few times it lagged a bit with internal pondering, I simply put it on higher speed until action or dialogue resumed. As usual, I loved the narrator, though the lawyer’s voice was one to simply get through. Thankfully he played only a small part. Keep these coming.

Enchanting Love Story

This is the first thing I’ve read by this author and I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.
The story centers around a family of five sisters who have unexpectedly lost their home and livelihood after the death of their father. There is a novella available to download for those readers who subscribe to the author’s website. It’s actually the first book. This story is about Annabelle who takes a position as a governess to three daughters of an earl. The earl’s wife had died several months before.
The book moves at a measured pace, although it seemed a little slow to me. There aren’t any down times where it was boring but it was never what I would describe as action-packed. I would describe it as a flower slowly blooming. The characters are well-developed and relatable. I liked that their thoughts were available to me. Overall it’s a beautiful romance.

Unlikable Main Characters

I wanted to love this story and it started out with such promise but I found the male character so weak and hen pecked and lacking in any kind of self confidence and the governess was so "Wishy Washy" (good Southern term) that I was so disgusted I was ready to hold her under the water. Story just brushed across the surface with no real depth. I hope the quality increased as the author gained more experience but I wouldn't pay to buy another one in the series. Story was so predictable with no real turns and twists that was surprising.