Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Battling the Bluestocking

 


Great minds do NOT always think alike.
Phineas Donovan is possessed of a sharp intellect. Fresh from Cambridge, he obtains a generous live-in position as tutor for the son of the wealthy Lord Bettencourt. If he can prove his value, he has hopes of being given the patronage of his employer, allowing him to take up a position as vicar. There, he can pursue his intellectual endeavors in peace and relative financial comfort.

In her humble but informed opinion, Lady Sarah Danneville is possessed of an even sharper intellect. If anyone should be tutoring her younger brother, it is she, not the reserved, bespectacled gentleman her father has employed to do the job. He is not fit to instruct a Danneville of Bettencourt Court.

But as Sarah works to undermine him, Mr. Donovan shows more pluck than she expects, not to mention harboring a secret hobby that would be laughable if it weren’t so dreadfully unsophisticated. If she can use this secret against him, she can finally persuade her father she is more than bait to lure a prosperous match.

Now, if only she can avoid being drawn into the unsophistication—and Mr. Donovan’s eyes—herself.



My thoughts: I have adored this whole series, but this book might be my favorite of them all, since I could relate to Sarah and her bookish ways. This story brought up some interesting themes, with Sarah not really wanting to get married, since she is afraid that she won't be allowed to be herself in a marriage or might lose herself, as she feels she has seen with her parents. I love how she and her brother play a few pranks on Phineas, hoping to drive him away and give her the job to tutor her brother. The path is rarely smooth, or goes the way one wishes. This is a delightful story of what happens when everything goes off the rails and comes back together in a far more beautiful picture than one could have ever imagined. I highly recommend picking this book up, as well as the others in the series! While it can work as a stand alone, it is more fun to get to know the other siblings before diving into this story.

I received this book from the author. This is my honest review.

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