A
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
I never thought I’d recommend a book because the hero grudgingly performs eulogies at doll funerals, but here we are.
My life is weird sometimes.
The Governess Game by Tessa Dare is so absolutely delightful that this review will consist almost entirely of squee.
It will be laden with GIFs.
I am basically incapable of talking about this book without my voice getting really high and squeaky.
It’s like when I talk about puppies.
That’s right, this book is as good as puppies.
It’s also very, very funny. So funny in fact that I read a lot of it while in bed while my husband was sleeping and was (politely) banished from the room because my giggle-snorts were waking him up.
If you read The Duchess Deal ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) then you’ve met our heroine Alexandra Mountbatten, a woman who makes her living setting clocks using her chronometer. When the book opens, she’s trying to get business setting the clocks in the home of Chase Reynaud, heir to the Belvoir dukedom. Chase thinks Alexandra is there to apply for a job as a governess, a position he desperately needs to fill as he is now also the guardian to two young wards who have driven away all the governesses he’s managed to procure so far.
Which brings me to the first thing I loved so much about this book: Rosamund and Daisy. These two adorable moppets (who are the exact opposite of “plot moppets”) are tired of being passed from relation to relation and they are not excited about going to boarding school. So naturally their solution is to terrorize every potential governess and make them quit in tears because Child Logic.
And the thing is, as exasperated as he is with them, Chase also really loves them. It’s obvious from the beginning of the book. He just doesn’t know what to do with them.
Daisy is this wonderful little Wednesday Adams who is obsessed with disease and kills her doll Millicent off every day (I suspect she’s working through her own understanding of death and dying–or she’s a future doctor). Chase stoically gives Millicent’s eulogy every single day, even though the whole thing is ridiculous, because it’s important to Daisy:
Daisy reached for his hand and bowed her head. After leading them in a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, she poked Chase in the ribs. “Mr. Reynaud, kindly say a few words.”
Chase looked to heavens. God help him.
“Almighty Father,” he continued in a dispirited tone, “we commit to your safekeeping the soul of Millicent. Ashes to ashes. Sawdust to sawdust. She was a doll of few words and yet fewer autonomous movements, yet she will be remembered for the ever-present–some might say permanently painted–smile on her face. By the grace of our Redeemer, we know she will be resurrected, perhaps as soon as luncheon.” He added under his breath, “Unfortunately.”
Anyway, Alexandra is not there to apply to be a governess, but when an accident sends her chronometer to the bottom of a river (and her livelihood with it) she reconsiders.
Part of the delight of this book is watching Alexandra and Chase fall in love by slow degrees, and part of it is watching Alexandra connect with two little girls who have felt alone and hurt. As much as this is a romance, it’s also a book about a family forming, and that made me so happy.
I also appreciated that while Chase’s character was a rake, he was a self-aware one. Chase never expected to a be a future duke (there was a tragic accident, you see), and he doesn’t think he deserves to be one. He’s working through his own issues, namely he had a Feeling once and it hurt so he doesn’t want to have them anymore.
While he’s unrepentant in his love of women (carnal and otherwise) he’s not a predator and he’s not a boner-led hero. He’s attracted to Alexandra, but he understands that to pursue her would be to leverage his power over her in a way that’s toxic and wrong:
He was not–absolutely not–going to pursue his governess. Yes, he was a rake. But for a gentleman, chasing after the house staff wasn’t rakish behavior. It was repulsive.
Chase occupies this rare space in the rake-duke hero world where he can be cheeky and sexy and roguish without being unaware of the consequences of his behavior to the women near him. It’s so refreshing. It also means that Alexandra is responsible for taking the lead in their relationship.
Chase has also decided never to have children (that Feeling, you see) so he doesn’t engage in actual intercourse. He’s not a virgin, but if virgin heroes are your thing, there’s a bit of an intersection here.
Chase and Alexandra tantalize and tease and infatuate each other, and it’s sweet and funny and wonderful. The dialogue between them is witty and crackling. Slowly they create a tiny dysfunctional family with Rosamund and Daisy.
I loved The Sound of Music as a kid (although Christopher Plummer’s sexiness was lost on me until much later; I thought he was terrifying as a kid) and this book made me feel so nostalgic for it.
No scene is wasted in this book. Every moment brings Chase and Alexandra closer together. Every scene with Rosamund and Daisy helps solidify them as integral to Chase and Alexandra’s life.
At one point Chase takes them on an outing to the Tower of London, and I giggle-snorted my way downstairs to the couch so Rich could sleep:
“Yes. And pirates. A few hundred years ago, you’d have been brought in through the river entrance, dragged up to one of these cells, and left to rot for a year or five. Only straw for your bed. Crust and weak soup, no meat. You’d have been crammed in with other unwashed prisoners. Covered in filth, lice, rats, disease,” [Chase said].
“Disease!” Daisy cheered. “Which ones?”
“Very, very boring ones,” he said. “And don’t cheer. It was misery. Now if all that wasn’t bad enough, once you were convicted in court?” He few a finger across his neck in a throat-slicing gesture.
“Beheading,” Daisy said, awed.
If all of that wasn’t enough to love this book, Alexandra is also an amateur astronomer on the hunt for new comets. There are many innuendo-laden conversations about binary stars and moments spent lying in the grass with Chase, staring up the sky.
Penelope, Emma and Nicola from The Duchess Deal also feature heavily in this book because Alexandra doesn’t exist in a vacuum. She has solid female friendships that help her navigate her world, and her relationship with Chase. If you haven’t read The Duchess Deal that’s okay, too (although I recommend it).
Alexandra also isn’t your typical Regency heroine. She’s the daughter of an American sea captain and Spanish/Mestiza woman. She’s baptized Catholic. She spent much of her childhood at sea, and she gets the girls to do their lessons by convincing they’re learning piracy.
So yeah, if all those words of squee aren’t enough to get you to pick up this book, I don’t know what will be. It’s one of the best, if not the best, book I’ve read this year and it was worth all the hours I spent reading that should have been spent sleeping.
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I am SO SO MAD that Amazon screwed up my delivery of this book. I can’t wait to read it!
I started reading this last night so I skimmed the second half of your review to avoid too many spoilers. Therefore all I can say is yes the eulogies are so amazing! (Being only roughly 20% into the book)
SAWDUST TO SAWDUST. I have to read this!
Amazon messed up my delivery of the final Kate Daniels installment this week. I literally re-arranged my kids’ carpools to their evening practices in the hopes of sinking happily into that world on the day the book was released. I even made our poor postman check his van again for the parcel. It didn’t show up until the next day, which rather makes me wonder why I bothered pre-ordering the hardback. (The nearest bookshop is a forty-minute drive away now that the Borders and the Barnes&Noble have gone…)
This downloaded onto my Kindle on release day. I leave for vacation next weekend. I am saving this for the plane ride. This review is making me look forward to it even more.
I loved this one so much. So much I loved it!
I LOVED the first book. Can’t wait to get my hands on this one!
I went straight to Audible on this one because of Mary Jane Wells’ narration of The Duchess Deal (which I’ve listened to three times, it’s just that good and MJW’s mastery of characters and their accents is off the chart). I can’t wait to pick up where TDD left off.
I have been saving The Governess Game for the holiday weekend and will really enjoy it after a rugged week!
Wonderful! I am sooo looking forward to reading this (snorting and laugh-crying and all!
Enjoyed your review … just wish it had Puppies!
I agree 100% with everything you said. The cherry on the sundae for me was the cameo by Ash. Swearing in Shakespeare and threatening Chase with Breeches the cat:
“Before departing, he addressed Chase. “If you hurt her, in even the slightest way, I will eviscerate you.” “Understood.” “I mean it, Reynaud. In fact, gutting would be too good for you. I will subject you to my cat.” “Your cat?” Chase laughed. “To mewl at me, I suppose.” “Trust me. We’re not speaking of the average cat.” Followed by Chases attempt at reconciliation resulting in wrestling on the ground with Ash and I surely do not want to spoil that scene for anyone who hasn’t yet devoured this book. Suffice it to say there was very, very late night giggling.
If someone doesn’t make a movie of these books I may literally explode.
I’d preordered The Governess Game on Kindle & stayed up reading it the day it was delivered. It’s excellent, sharp and funny – & yes, the doll eulogies are adorable. I’ve never been a doll person, but I just neglected, never killed, the ones people gave me, so my hat’s off to Daisy on that one.
I can’t pick a favorite between this & The Duchess Deal (they’re both in my Favorites Collection), but I recommend reading them in order, with Duchess being first; it’s an excellent introduction to the solid group of friends that are at the heart of these books. Will holding my breath until I turn blue help get the rest of their stories published any sooner? Will Breeches the cat & Millicent the doll make appearances in other stories? Please make it so!
I LOVED this book. It took me two sittings to finish. It would have been one , but life. I can’t recommend it enough!! The girls are so wonderful , I’m hoping Tessa Dare writes books about them too!
got notification from Amazon that my copy is in the mail, so hoping to have it for the holiday weekend!
“The Duchess Deal” is on sale on Amazon – might as well make a two-fer and give myself the perfect birthday gift a bit early!
I started this last night at 9:30, which was a terrible idea because I also stayed up too late next to my sleeping husband. I had a terrible case of “ok one more chapter”. Totally agree about no scene being wasted. Ok off to finish it!
Well, my HTML didn’t work. Delete that last? Why is there no preview button?
I LOOOOOOOVED this book so much. Delightful doesn’t even begin to describe it.
And to think I was in danger of heading into a holiday weekend without a binge-read lined up. PROBLEM SOLVED. Thank you, Elyse!
I liked ‘Duchess Deal’ significantly better – the dialogue was snappier, the chemistry was hotter, just overall it was a better book. But this is good too, and I was thrilled when I realized it was release day (I’d preordered the Kindle). Read it in one sitting.
“Alexandra also isn’t your typical Regency heroine. She’s the daughter of an American sea captain and Spanish/Mestiza woman. She’s baptized Catholic. She spent much of her childhood at sea, and she gets the girls to do their lessons by convincing they’re learning piracy.”
C’mon guys, an Asian American heroine in a historical! And from a not-usually-mentioned part of Asia at that.
Speaking as a Filipino, it’s immensely important to me that she’s NOT JUST Spanish, but of Philippine descent. The term itself (mestiza) is to denote those Filipinos who have Spanish (or, in modern connotation any Caucasian) blood. I did a happy dance when it was revealed because MAN you never see us represented as unfetishized objects of desire, at least in this historical context.
Anyway stepping of the soapbox to say read this book! It’s everything Elyse says. 🙂
And while we’re squeeing over this new release… Pippa Grant’s “Hot Heir” got delivered to my Kindle this morning! Now the eternal question: do I go to work, or call in sick so I can play hooky and read it?!
The content sounds brilliant, but I want to point out that while the name Chase and the cover model’s haircut may go together, neither of them seems to fit an English Regency-era duke. I can’t do links, but the UK covers of this and the previous book are much better. Do take a look.
Yeah, well nobody ever read Tessa Dare for historical accuracy… Is it just me or are those cover models meant to look like Meghan and Harry?
After an excessively eye-rolling experience with Any Duchess Will Do, I swore off Tessa Dare. However this one sounds funny enough to give her another try.
Whilst it was great for all the reasons mentioned Duchess Deal was better and has just stood a very enjoyable re-read
I LOVED it! Very good dialogue-this is a very enjoyable series, and I can’t wait to read more of it.
@Hazel-totally agree with your reservations about this cover. I checked out the UK cover and it is much better than this one. I have an old style kindle so I don’t see the cover art-and for this book, I’m glad! Chase looks like an actor from one of the teenage CW shows. WAY too young and boyish. A rake? Looks like he is barely old enough for junior prom!
So excited to read this one!!
Tessa Dare is the Goddess’s gift to romance. <3
Sucha good read! Now, I can’t wait for Penelope’s book!
Yep, this one was as delightful as anticipated!
I read this yesterday as well and as with all Tessa Dare, loved the writing, the conversations and just about everything else which made me rate it 5 stars and an A. However – there was one thing that constantly threw me of stride – that the future Ducal heir was referred to as “Mr. Maynard”.
Correct me if wrong – but should he not have had a courtesy title if he was to become a Duke the moment his uncle called it quits? I mean a Duke was next to Kings and Queens in the hierarchy of those times, right?
There were a few other inconsistencies such as Alex answering the door of the house in her night clothes when Ash came by? (or did I imagine that one?) Or even Chase himself answering the door on occasion?
I think he looks more like Colin Jost from SNL.
Thoroughly enjoyed it, but didn’t love it as much as The a Duchess Deal.
Finished reading The Governess Game early this morning and will be yawning through conference calls all day. Totally worth it.
Is a grumpy cattle farming duke in Penelope’s future?
I loved this book! It was wonderful to have a Filipina heroine in an English historical romance.
@Karenza that’s a good question about titles! As I understand it, Chase is heir presumptive — presumably he’ll inherit the title, but he could be displaced if the old duke, his uncle, has another son. That son, like Anthony the dead heir (an actual son of the current duke), would then become heir apparent. The heir apparent (son of the current title holder) gets a courtesy title if there is one available, which for a dukedom there certainly would be. But Chase is only the current duke’s nephew. He never has access to the courtesy title. Even though the current duke is old and infirm, the law considers he could have another son to displace Chase, hence Chase remaining an heir presumptive and not an heir apparent.
Chase does answer the door sometimes, but I think only the door to the room he’s renovating into a rakish man cave. (I could be misremembering that.) It used to be the housekeeper’s room and is apparently right by the servant’s entrance. So people who knock on that door expect to get a servant, and instead get the duke’s heir, but he’s in an odd part of the house for a gentleman. The whole situation is weird, since Chase is also doing most of the construction himself. I wished there had been more time spent on his youth before Anthony died. How did a gentleman from a ducal family, even one from a random line that wasn’t supposed to inherit the title, learn those carpentry skills?
Could not agree with your review more. Tessa Dare is just so fantastic, and one of my all-time favorite authors. I usually dislike or feel indifferent towards kids portrayed in these books because they’re either just unrealistic cardboard characters or annoying plot devices. In this one they were full rounded out characters and in addition to that were so funny on their own and in their relationship to the hero and heroine. And I second every single point you had on Alexandra and Chase – what a fantastic couple.
I whole-heartedly agree. I laughed out loud several times and was banished to the living room. This book is exactly why Tessa Dare is one of my go-to authors – her characters are genuine. She is one of the few historical romance authors who successfully crafts uncoventional for their time, yet believable and relatable, heroines.