The Governess by Christi Caldwell is the third book in the Wicked Wallflowers series, and I found out the hard way that this series really, really has to be read in order. I found myself confused by the first three chapters; as a reader unfamiliar with the world or the characters, I was dropped in without a lot of explanation. By chapter four I’d gotten my bearings, but the book never quite clicked with me.
Regina Spark has been working for years as the right hand to Broderick Killoran, the owner of the gaming hell The Devil’s Den. Broderick saved her from a life on the streets of the Dials, and she’s returned the favor by managing his affairs and supervising his younger siblings. She’s the perfect, efficient assistant and he’s the roguish boss, so of course they have both been pining for each other for awhile.
I have a feeling that a lot of that pining was developed in earlier books, but since I started in the middle BECAUSE I DO WHAT I WANT OKAY I had to take it on faith.
Even though she’s secretly in love with Broderick, Reggie doesn’t think he’ll ever return her affections. She knows her future is ultimately tied to his protection, which makes her vulnerable. She saves her money to start a business of her own, a music hall, where women of the Dials will have an alternative to prostitution.
Broderick finds out and he feels betrayed because she’ll be in competition with his business and because she’s planning on taking some of his employees with her (note: the women who work for him are not prostitutes, but again, only because they have his protection, so if something happened to him they’d be vulnerable). Broderick buys the building she wants out from under her and blackmails her in order for her to get it back.
Broderick wants to introduce his sister Gertrude to Society and help her find a good marriage that will secure her future. He knows that Reggie previously lived among the ton and he wants her to act as Gertrude’s chaperone, which she absolutely doesn’t want to do.
This is where all that backstory I needed becomes necessary for comprehension. I guess Broderick was part of an aristocratic family that got ruined? And I guess he has three sisters he’s making good matches for? And a brother Stephen, who might be the kidnapped son of a marquess?
I could suss enough out to move along with the book, but I felt like every few chapters I was getting slapped in the face with backstory and motivation for which I had no context.
Also this book has a lot of plot. A LOT. There is:
- Reggie’s secret backstory.
- Stephen’s apparent kidnapping.
- Gertrude needing to find a husband and not wanting one.
- Reggie opening the music hall.
- Broderick possibly hanging for the accidental kidnapping of Stephen.
That’s a lot for one book, although some of it is left to be fully resolved in the next book, which I believe is Gertrude’s story.
TW/CW: I do want to warn readers that when do get Reggie’s backstory, it includes sexual and domestic violence.
I couldn’t get into Reggie and Broderick’s romance because I was spending so much of my time keeping tack of plot threads in my head, which was a bummer because the two have some pretty genuine chemistry. The whole “working together, secretly pining for each other” thing has been my catnip since I started watching The X-Files as a youngin’, and I wanted more of that. I wanted more context for their relationship, other than just being told they’d always been making eyes at each other from afar.
I did appreciate that while the book periodically dealt with the ton, it more or less focused on people who didn’t live among the aristocracy. I also appreciated that Reggie understood that while she had a good thing going working for Broderick, if something happened to him, she’d be just as vulnerable to being preyed upon or being forced into prostitution as she was before she met him. It was a realistic assessment of her situation, and her desire to set herself up to be secure made total sense to me.
Also this book has a lot of cats in it, which made me happy because dogs sometimes seem like the romance pet go-to. #teamcat
But while there were elements about this story that I enjoyed, I could never fully immerse myself in it because it just doesn’t work as a standalone. I would advise readers who are interested in The Governess to read the series in order. Otherwise you may feel as periodically confused as I did.
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As someone who is terrible about reading series books out of order, I sympathize with your I DO WHAT I WANT plight—I’ve been in the same spot a number of times. However, your review makes me wonder if you would have graded this book a little higher if you’d read the series from the beginning and knew more of the backstories, plot threads, and supporting characters. I know sometimes in the book’s blurb it will say, “Can he read as a stand-alone” or “Recommend you read the series in order.” I know being frustrated by characters and plot points you know nothing about would seriously ding a book’s rating from me.
I am currently reading The Hellion wicked wallflowers book 1 and feel the exact same way as you do. So I’m not sure if reading these books out of order is the problem. I’m guessing there is a series prior to this that would have to be read as well to fully understand the plot.
He blackmails her to get her back? He buys the building out from under her? That is not what I call hero material. That sounds like a wife abuser to me. YMMV.
Second, count me in the “confused by this writer” camp too. I’ve tried two of her books and both were DNFs.
I’ve read The Hellion, but not The Vixen. I don’t recall any pining between Reggie and Broderick in the first book, but it’s been awhile. But Jen is right. There is an earlier series, Sinful Brides, and The Hellion basically picks up after that series ends. I wound up liking the book, but it did get confusing a bit.
@Jen I had the same problem with The Hellion because this series is apparently a spin-off of another series which I hadn’t read. I hear so many good things about the author but I can’t seem to figure out a good starting point to her books since they’re so interconnected. I guess I need to read in chronological order and start with her very first book.
I have to add… the more I see books with this type of set-up, the more I am inclined NOT to read that type of book, be it HR or Contemp. I’ve seen too much DV in my 53 years to know this type of behaviour is in no way romantic or sexy. Its violence against women at its most subtle. So, why authors, why??? Why Are you still writing stuff that, imo, supports misogynistic patriarchy? All right, ran’t over. And thanks SBTB for giving us a platform where we can rant freely without judgment.
Yeah, if I have to read not only all of the prior books in this series but all of the books in another series in order to get into this one, I’m not going to be reading it.
Caldwell’s been tragically mediocre for me forever, sadly. Nice, spot-on-review!
Gertrude? Really? Funny, I’ve been thinking lately about “B” names in Georgette Heyer: The moment you encounter a woman named Anna, or Louisa, or Theresa, or Gertrude, or Constance, or Susan, or–et cetera–you know that she will not be much more than a walk-on. I guess it’s time for someone to write Gertrude’s Story.
Team Confused by Christi Caldwell. Every time I’ve read one of her books I’ve been underwhelmed. She’s so prolific but so meh. Most of her books seem to always have an over abundance of stuff going on. Much of it nonsensical.
To really get the gist of all of Caldwell’s book you have to go back to the beginning when she started… Every book, every series has on going characters…
first series: Heart of a Duke Series-
1.In Need of a Duke–
and even then you will need to keep a record of each books characters. I have kept some of her earlier books and do re-read them sometimes.