The Governess Next Door (The Brontë Brothers #1)

Nina
Mason
Genre: 
Historical

Raphael Brontë fled his proper English home in search of the freedom to become an important painter. Years later, the French Countess he sold his body to in return for patronage is dead, and with her his chance for love, as her will states that if he marries he must forfeit her fortune and thus the freedom to paint. Prudence Middleton hates being a governess to spoiled children with lustful fathers. A chance meeting with Raphael sparks a part of her she thought had long died. However, her willful charge has set her sights on Raphael and his fortune, and even while Prudence falls for the painter, she remains ignorant of his secret.  Forced to choose between his pride and his passion, Raphael risks losing everything, for Prudence cannot abandon her family and if Raphael makes her decide, more than one heart will break. 

An historical romance set in the time of the Brontë sisters and their famous stories, “The Governess Next Door” is a play on those classics with more steam and lust wrapped up in poetic and artistic trimmings than a regency ball. The characters have depth and jump off the page with emotion. However, Raphael is hard to like at times, and some of the side character’s attitudes and actions don’t really make sense. Further, the connections to “Jane Eyre” are so blatant as to make the story predictable and unoriginal in parts. Still, lovers of the classics will find the passion of this tale unforgettable.

Sarah E Bradley