As Regency Romances go, Cathy Maxwell's TEMPTATION OF A PROPER GOVERNESS is different. Her hero and heroine aren't meeting at the height of the season amongst the ton, nor are they traipsing across the county from estate to estate looking for the next meaningless to do. Instead, Ms. Maxwell has written a story that is set in Regency England, adheres to the conventions of the time period, and explores the setting as a part of the love story, but it isn't the reason for the love story. Ms. Maxwell has written a timeless love story infused with a good mystery.

Isabel didn't trust anyone. She had been protecting her heart for a long time. She watched her mother die of unrequited love to her real father, an earl, and her stepfather moon over her mother though she never truly loved him. Isabel's strong spirit refused to mark her life the same way and so she made her own way in the world as a governess. She was working for a family of disreputable ethics whose daughter was a spoiled, fast girl. Isabel, whose sense of morality and righteousness was all she had, made sure to keep the daughter in check, but on the night in which the story opened, Isabel had to save not only the daughter's reputation from irreparable damage, but also the man whom the girl had set her sights to marry.

Michael was controlled. After being charged with the murder of his lover ten years prior and having the case dismissed due to lack of evidence, Michael left the whispers in England behind. He returned to England after ten years spent in Canada fighting a war that was not his to fight with the goal to discover who committed the crime he was charged with and clearing his name. His goal led him into the path of the family for whom Isabel worked. When he discovered Isabel in his room, sparks flew and passion ignited something that ever-controlled Michael hadn't experienced in a long time. Then he discovered that Isabel might be the key to finding out who framed him for murder, so he asked her to marry him.

The story followed the love story of Isabel and Michael and their discovery of each other and a love that neither knew they could feel. While Isabel had held her defenses for so long, Michael could demolish those defenses with a look. Michael had denied love for so long that his deep attachment to Isabel took him by surprise. As they fell into love with one another, their commitment was tested time and again as the murder mystery unfolded. Did Michael truly commit the act? Or was he framed?

Ms. Maxwell wrote a story that is just right. The love story is satisfying and told beautifully. The mystery is weaved perfectly through the narrative so that the reader continues to long for tied loose ends and is satisfied by the outcome by the end of the story. TEMPTATION OF A PROPER GOVERNESS is a great story that allows the reader to enjoy the setting of Regency England but still enjoy a love story that could take place in any time period.

Maci Walker
2004