I’m so excited to be on the blog tour for A Laird for the Governess by Catherine Tinley. This is a wonderful historical romance with great characters and a fantastic love story. Let’s check it out!
About the Book:
Title: A Laird for the Governess
Author: Catherine Tinley
Page Length: 288
Publication Date: Feb. 22, 2022
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Synopsis: A penniless governess
And the dour Laird of Ardmore
Lydia Farnham must travel to a remote Scottish island to work for widower Alasdair MacDonald, who doesn’t trust her or her unconventional teaching methods! Yet as his daughter flourishes, so, too, does the intense connection between Lydia and Alasdair. Only she should know better than to fall for the handsome laird when it could leave her without a job, or a home…
Purchase Link – https://books2read.com/lairdgoverness
My Review:
I loved A Laird for the Governess! It’s a wonderful historical romance with layered and interesting characters, a beautiful setting, a found family like no other, and a fantastic love story. The story takes place on a remote Scottish island, which is new for Lydia Farnham, a governess from England. It sounds beautiful and so different from the hustle and bustle of city life that Lydia knows. The author does a fantastic job of immersing the reader in this remote and vivid world where Lydia finds more than just employment.
The people who live on the island all know each other and form an amazing community and support system. They treat each other like extended family, and the care, support, and love they show each other is so heartwarming. These are people who will do anything for each other, and it is the first time that Lydia feels a sense of belonging. I love how they bring Lydia into their fold and welcome this young, independent woman with no ties. They definitely show her what it feels like to belong.
Lydia is such a wonderful protagonist, as is Alasdair, and I enjoyed their stories both individually and as a couple. Lydia is brave and intelligent, and she is an amazing teacher! She’s the type of educator who gets to know the student and understands that there are so many strategies to help a learner excel. She is patient and understanding, and that extends past the schoolroom. I love the scenes where she is working with Alasdair’s daughter. She uses teaching strategies that are clever and fun and feel more like play than work.
Alasdair is a fair and kind leader who is burdened by events that happened in the past. He loves deeply and has a strong sense of duty to his people and his land. He’s the type of person that puts everyone else’s needs ahead of his own. Both Lydia and Alasdair learn a lot about themselves throughout the story, and I like how their growing relationship helps both of them face their fears and insecurities and learn to open themselves up to love.
The romance between Lydia and Alasdair is slow-building and lovely. Both have reservations, secrets, and fears that hold them back, and they really fight their feelings. Lydia doesn’t want to risk her job, and past employment issues keep her wary, and Alasdair’s previous marriage scarred him. However, their growing feelings for each other are clear, and the more time they spend together, the more difficult it is for them to ignore it. I like how they slowly grow to respect and trust each other and that they develop a friendship before it turns into more. They spend so much time getting to know each other, and I think it is a great foundation for their relationship, especially since they are both so skittish.
Alasdair’s daughter is absolutely delightful, and her loving, sweet, and curious nature is infectious. She is also so determined and rambunctious, and the scenes between her and Lydia are darling. I also really enjoyed the scenes with them and Alasdair. He loves his daughter so much, as does everyone, and they all dote on her. I would too! She’s adorable.
A Laird for the Governess is a great book for readers who like historical romance. It’s a character-driven story with strong themes about acceptance, belonging, healing, and finding love, and the romance is swoon-tastic!! Special thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and the author for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Rating:
Favorite Parts:
- The romance!
- The character development.
Favorite Lines:
For these few moments he was hers and she was his, and the notion made her feel as though she were flying.
Grief could burn a person and leave them as ashes. Or freeze them, if they did not allow it to run its course.
About the Author:
Catherine Tinley is an award winning author of historical romance. She writes witty, heartwarming Regency love stories for Harlequin Mills & Boon. Her first book, Waltzing with the Earl, won the Rita Award for Best Historical Romance 2018, while Rags-to-Riches Wife won the RoNA Award for Best Historical Romance 2021 as well as the 2021 HOLT Medallion for Best Historical Romance.
She has loved reading and writing since childhood, and has a particular fondness for love, romance, and happy endings. After a career encompassing speech & language therapy, Sure Start, maternity campaigning and being President of a charity, she now manages a maternity hospital. She lives in Ireland with her husband, children, cats, and dog and can be reached at catherinetinley.com, on facebook, twitter, and instagram.
Social Media Links – https://linktr.ee/CTinley
Giveaway:
Win Two signed copies of A Laird for the Governess (1 x UK/Ireland Winner, 1 INT Winner)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494477/?
Ah, I guess I have to add this to my TBR now. It sounds *so* good! I love when communities have a strong presence in books and of course, found family is always a win 😍 The H/h sound great and their romance does as well. Great review, Julie!
Thanks, Dini! It was a great read!