Paperback
(ISBN: 0-8217-7525-1)

"Wonderfully Crafted... Highly recommended... 5 stars"

By Detra Fitch
Huntress Book Reviews

George Pembroke, Lord Sedgewick, lost his beloved wife, Dianna, as she gave birth to his son and heir, Sam. Blaming the son, George did his best to ignore him. Yet he still adored his two-year-old daughter, Georgette.

TWO YEARS PASSED.

Miss Sally Spenser had loved George half her life. Even though he married lovely Dianna and never even glanced at plain her, Sally still adored Sam and Georgette. Being the best friend of Glee (George's sister), Sally knew the children very well and visited them almost daily. Georgette was now four and seemed to have unlimited energy. Sam was now two and though intelligent, he did not speak as yet and was shy.

Glee and Felicity, his sisters, explained to George that enough was enough! Even though George vowed never to love another and remain true to Dianna, it was time to cease his self-destructive ways and think about the children who needed a mother figure in their lives. When George found out that Sally visited the nursery often and the children loved her more than ANYBODY, he offered Sally a marriage in name only.

Of course Sally was shocked, but jumped at the chance to marry the man she loved. Even better, she would become the mother of the children she so adored. Sally and George knew that they would clash, and often. Sally always blurted out whatever she was thinking and had an opinion on everything. (And it galled George that Sally was always logical — and right.) But her level head was just what he and the children needed. Sally was determined to help George and Sam become closer, help bring the estate back up to par.

***** Wonderfully crafted and a few sub-plots to keep the story moving along at a good pace. I never got bored with this story! There is even a wonderful villainess that you can not help but hate, which shows the true talent of the author! Not many authors can make a reader hate the bad guy. Highly recommended! *****

"Bolen's writing... creates the perfect atmosphere for her enchanting romances."
By Kathe Robin
Romantic Times BOOKClub

It’s been two years since the beloved wife of George Pembroke, Lord Sedgewick, died giving birth to his son. He has barely looked at his son since then and has buried himself in what his sisters, Felicity and Glee, feel is a useless life.

When Glee’s friend, the vicar’s daughter Sally Spencer, comes for a visit, Glee decides she is the ideal governess for George’s son and his older sister. Sally is kind, caring and adores the children. She also hides a secret crush on George that developed when she and Glee were schoolmates.

George realizes that Sally would be wonderful for the children, and when he protects her from a vicious woman’s barbs and sly innuendoes, he realizes he must marry Sally to preserve her reputation. But there is only one master bedroom in the small townhouse. How can they share a bed and not realize they are falling in love?

This is a sweet, charming love story peopled with delightful characters. The addition of a ruthless villainess supplies a satisfying conflict for the newlyweds to resolve. Bolen’s writing has a certain elegance that lends itself to the era and creates the perfect atmosphere for her enchanting romance. 

"Bolen does a wonderful job building simmering sexual tension"

By John Charles
Booklist
American Library Association

To avoid betrothal to an old man she doesn't love, Sally Spenser decides to become a schoolteacher. Meanwhile, George Pembroke, Viscount Sedgewick, has struggled for two years with the loss of his wife, Dianna, and emotionally neglected his young children, Georgette and Sam. Finally his sister, and Sally's friend, Glee, persuades George that the children need a governess, and George realizes that Sally, who already knows and adores his children, would be perfect for the job. The only problem is that to respectably secure her services, George will need to propose to Sally, and Sally, who has been secretly in love with George for years, isn't sure that marriage, even one in name only, with George would be wise. Bolen brings in a few characters from her previous Brides of Bath books in her latest historical Regency and does a wonderful job building simmering sexual tension between her opinionated, outspoken heroine and deliciously tortured, conflicted hero, whose new marriage is threatened by a devious, jealous villain.