I love Bertie so much! Generally I don't enjoy romancing the governess books, but this one was so great that didn't bother me. The mystery was interesting and I like how it was solved. ( )

Nice historical romance. Liked the hero being a lawyer rather than a lord and also liked him taking in his illegitimate children. The feisty heroine was nice. Here I accepted the sexual relationship as she was not a member of the ton and was taking her happiness where she could. ( )

Listened to audio narrated well by Angela Dawe. Sinclair is a Barrister and a widower with two wild children. They are all still in mourning. Bertie has grown up on the seedier side of London and gets caught after she pickpocketed Sinclair. She becomes the children's governess after the children's unruly behavior causes their current governess to abandon them to her. Sinclair's faces threat from his wife's brother, from a suitor from Bertie's old life and a mystery person sending threatening letters. This is a light hearted read, at the same time dealing with serious issues. I loved these characters, the heartbreak over the family's loss felt very real, and I was cheering Bertie on as she brought life back to this family.
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Rules for a Proper Governess
4.5 Stars

Since the death of his wife, Sinclair McBride has lost his spark and struggles through the trials and tribulations of raising two equally damaged children. That is until the day he literally stumbles into beautiful pick-pocket, Bertie Frasier, who steals both his watch and his heart. Suddenly things are looking up for Sinclair, but someone out there has it in for him and is not above using Bertie to destroy his life …

After the disappointment of Daniel and Violet’s book, I have to admit that my expectations weren’t high for this installment in the Mackenzies & McBrides (formerly Highland Pleasures) series. While readers who require more realism in their historical romance might find the lack of credibility in Sinclair and Bertie’s story problematic, for me, their romance more than meets expectations; it exceeds them and then some.

Bertie is a wonderfully original and engaging heroine able to charm the pants of Sinclair and bewitch his two hell-on-wheels children. The subtle allusions to Eliza Doolittle and her My Fair Lady make-over only add to her appeal. Sinclair is the perfect, tortured hero fighting his incomprehensible attraction to a Cockney pick-pocket and failing miserably. Their witty banter leads to an inevitable emotional connection and their romance is sweet and angst free.

The suspense plot revolves around the mystery of who is sending threatening letters to Sinclair and the dangerous escalation in this person’s intentions once Bertie arrives on the scene. The identity of the villain is quite obvious once certain facts of Sinclair’s past emerge, but the climax and resolution are action packed and exciting. Definitely one of the better mysteries in the series.

The cameo appearances by the rest of the MacKenzie and McBrides clans add a real sense of family to the story and it was great catching up with some of my favorite characters.

One small quibble is that the timeline is slightly off with the events in this book preceding those in The Wicked Deeds of Daniel MacKenzie, but this does not detract from the story at all.

All in all, a lovely addition to the series and it looks like Ashley will be going in a different direction with the series by investigating the Mackenzie family roots. Looking forward to it.
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