Miss Dorothy Phillips took on the responsibility for her family at an early age and now that her father is dead she's heading to become a governess but fate gets in her way. As she's talking to the intended of a girl who suddenly swooned and reassuring him that she's fine, Tobias Spenlow bursts into the room and drags her off into his carriage intending to forestall the marriage and bring her home to her family.
He won't listen to her protests. And then he realises that he has compromised her and that the only way to fix things is to marry her. I liked both of them, they were well drawn and you could see him deciding that he needed to do better regularly and then when he realised that he loved her it was so well done.
Charming and fun read.
It was a fun read. ( )

This was fun, and I loved all the characters. I would have preferred more angst, of course, but the hero and heroine are far too sensible for that. This was funny, too, which I appreciate. (3.5 stars) ( )

Fun book, with two people who are used to being in charge and must learn when to give a little. Dora is the oldest of five siblings and ran the family after her mother's death when Dora was ten. After her vicar father's recent death, the only way to keep the family together was to use their inheritance to send the younger children to school while Dora takes up a governess post. She's on her way to her first post when her journey is rudely interrupted. While comforting a young runaway couple, the young man's guardian arrives, determined to stop the elopement. Lord Worsley grabs the woman he believes has led his ward astray and abducts her without stopping to check his facts.

Worsley is so intent in his purpose that he doesn't listen as both Geoffrey and Dora try to tell him he has the wrong woman. It isn't until the next morning, when he attempts to return the young woman to her parents that he discovers the truth. Worsley is naturally horrified and apologetic and tries to return her to her original location to resume her journey. Unfortunately, her reputation is thoroughly compromised by now, and he insists on marrying Dora to make it right.

The abduction is the first of many misunderstandings that are both funny and heartbreaking. Dora is a practical young woman who has frequently been accused of being "managing." She doesn't suffer fools gladly and has no trouble speaking her mind. I loved how she didn't get hysterical during the abduction; she simply settled down and waited for the truth to come out. That's not to say she didn't have some choice words for Worsley when the opportunity arose. Worsley, an earl, is used to saying what he wants and having people follow through. He rarely stops to think about the effect of his words.

I liked both Worsley and Dora though they also frequently frustrated me. Worsley doesn't relate well to people. He doesn't understand them and how they say one thing and do another. He'd much rather spend time with his horses. He's well aware of his failings but has never tried very hard to overcome them. However, it does affect Worsley's confidence in himself when dealing with women, and he spends a lot of time castigating himself for his words and actions.

Dora has zero confidence in herself as a woman. I blame this entirely on her father. She is taller than the average woman, and her father constantly told her that she wouldn't appeal to many men. He also told her to give up any ideas of marriage until all of her siblings were settled as they were her responsibility. She spends most of her time convincing herself that Worsley doesn't really want her.

I enjoyed most of their interactions. Both Worsley and Dora believe in honest speech, so they don't play silly games with each other. Unfortunately, Worsley is so verbally awkward that he seems to make matters worse every time he opens his mouth. He wants Dora to know how much he likes and admires her, but he frequently ends up insulting her instead. Meanwhile, because she refuses to believe that he could want her, Dora hesitates to make her feelings known. On those rare occasions she starts to feel something happens (usually Worsley putting his foot in his mouth) that makes her pull back again.

Things got a little better when Dora brought her siblings to live with her. Working together to deal with the children forced Dora and Worsley to talk to each other. When he instigated a move to another property, Worsley hoped that Dora would begin to feel more like his countess. I loved seeing Dora finally overcome some of her reticence and let him know that she wanted to be a real wife to him. At last, they seemed to be getting past some of their communication issues. I laughed out loud at the one scene where Worsley played the neglected lover.

Not everything is smooth-sailing, however. Gregory and his new wife have been living at this estate since their elopement. Pansy is a spoiled brat and managed to alienate most of the estate staff with her attitude. She is also a master of snide little digs that appear intent on making things difficult between Dora and Worsley. Matters come to a head when she does something that endangers Dora's life, and the kids witness it. It's an eye-opener for Worsley as he realizes his feelings for Dora, and I loved seeing him face her with those feelings. Dora's happiness, as she finally believed, was terrific. I loved when she told him: "Stop talking. You know that is not where you excel. Show me how you feel, instead. You are very good at that." I liked the solution they came up with for Gregory (who I did like) and Pansy (who I'm still on the fence about).

#netgalley ( )