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Sunday, October 6, 2013

eBook Review: The Governess Club: Bonnie


Miss Bonnie Hodges, governess to the Darrow family, is desperately trying to hold it together. Tragedy has struck, and she is the sole person left to be strong for the two little boys in her care. When the new guardian arrives, she hopes that things will get better. She wasn't expecting her new employer to be the most frustrating, overbearing, and…handsome man she's ever seen.

Sir Stephen Montgomery is utterly distracted. He should be trying to figure out how his two best friends were killed in a suspicious accident and why the new young viscount seems destined to be the next victim. But he can't concentrate on anything but his growing infatuation with the beautiful, mysterious, and utterly captivating governess.

Together they're doing their best to save the two boys, but will Stephen's feelings for Bonnie get in the way of their search for a killer?


The second novella in MacDonald's "Governess Club" series features Bonnie, who as the beginning letters to Claire (the heroine of the first novella) explain, has remained with her charges after their parents' untimely deaths a couple months previously. She's worked with the two boys for almost three years and after witnessing their parents' deaths decides to stay on until their Guardian arrives and hopefully is able to help the boys in their grief.

Whereas Claire's novella set up an unlikely scenario, Bonnie's is more realistic in its portrayal. With the eldest now the Viscount at merely 8 years old, the youngest all but mute and both unwilling to leave Bonnie's side for more then a few minutes at a time, it made sense for Bonnie to stay on until they grew accustomed to their guardian (a friend of their parents').

I liked that Bonnie didn't let their guardian, Sir Stephen (a landless baron), push her around in regards to what the boys needed. While he may have had his heart in the right place, he doesn't understand what they needed to feel comfortable with him or their new circumstances.

The underlying mystery of who killed the children's parents is a good one, though MacDonald played her hand too quickly with who it could be. Stephen and Bonnie work through the possibilities and attack the question intelligently, relying on evidence and a bit of history digging.

As for the romance its a slow build, like Claire's was. I did get a bit annoyed with Bonnie's constant 'Sir Sir Sir'ing. It started to sound less then respectful at one point in fact.

Oh! And it was a rather amusing conversation Stephen had with the young viscount. In child like innocence all the kid wants is to keep Bonnie with them forever, but he understands she can't stay on. So his solution would be to marry her, but he feels he might be a bit young for that so wouldn't Stephen please marry Bonnie just to keep her around? Out of the mouths of babes and all that.