Sweet Sara Collins is one of the founding members of the Governess Club. But she has a secret: She doesn't love teaching. She'd much prefer to be a vicar's wife and help the local community. But this quiet mouse doesn't want to upset her friends, and she resolves to help in whatever ways she can.

Nathan Grant is the embodiment of everything that frightens Sara. Which is why she can't understand why the handsome but reclusive and gruff man is so fascinating to her. When Sara decides it's time to take a chance and experience all that life has to offer, Nathan is the first person she thinks of.

Will Sara's walk on the wild side ruin her chances at a simple, happy life? Or has she just opened the door to a once-in-a-lifetime chance at passion?

Sara was and remains my favorite Governess Club member. I am acutely aware of what it is like to become so overwhelmed by anxious thoughts that the mere act of breathing is impossible.  To hear that voice in your head constantly condemning you over and over again, desperately wondering why its you that is always punished, but no one else seems to be.  Its really hard to overcome that, even with support from your friends.

So when she realizes that she no longer had to let some spectre dictate to her how to live, that she didn't like the person she saw in the mirror and wanted to change that, I gave a little squeal of joy.  Its not always the big moments that make a person change, it can sometimes be smaller moments that make you realize you can be more.

There was a double edged sword here.  Even as she grabbed the reins of her own life I felt this nagging feeling that she wouldn't have enough time to really grow into that feeling.  And to a point I was proven right.  The pacing got more awkward as she experienced more of life.  Not because of how she was taking that control, it was mores due to the length of the story.  There wasn't enough room to watch her grow into the changes.  

This led to a sudden shift in her relationship with the pastor and a quickly abbreviated account of the time directly thereafter.  In the end, when Sara finally voices her opinion on how she really felt about teaching I wanted there to be a bit more time spent.  Of the three books in the Governess Club so far I think that Sara's has hit the nail on the head perfectly for this group--even though they knew each other they didn't know each other.  Louisa remarks that Sara basically was a go along to get a long sort--she let her decisions be made for her and just went with whatever was decided.  Later Sara realizes that she knew absolutely nothing about Louisa and much of what she thought she knew was assumptions on her part.

I did appreciate that Nathan, for all his selfish words, genuinely wanted her to get the most out of her new attitude about life.  He didn't want her thinking that only large up heavels were "adventures", the smallest thing (rolling down a hill or walking barefoot) could also be a heady experience.  And while I judge him (and her) a little for his inability to see past his own stubbornness I found their resolution to be satisfactory.  And humorous.  And just so cute.


Of course now this means its time for Louisa's story and I just can't get excited.  She was kind of mean in this story and almost cruel towards Sara.  There's a line between bluntness and cruelty that Louisa just barely stayed on the right side of at times.  So let's hope her story softens that tongue at least a little bit.