The Governess Wears Scarlet [Mass Market Paperback]

Under the cloak of darkness, within the alleyways of London, roams the masked vigilante. He is a Sentinel, one of the band of brothers that keep the country safe from outlaws, prepared to take justice into his own hands.
But tonight even he is in for a bit of a surprise.

Veiled and dressed in widow's weeds, a young woman proceeds cautiously through the dark streets, seeking information about her missing brother. But information usually comes with a price and this one may be more than she's willing to pay. After being saved from a harrowing attack, she retreats. Something about the masked man scares and intrigues her. Best be getting away before more ill befalls her.

Blessedly the night only lasts so long.

And when to sun comes up, off come the disguises. Miss Abigail West is in desperate need of employment. Following a rather scandalous episode at a former employer, she's surprised to be given an interview. But Viscount Steele, Solicitor-General of England, needs a governess for his nephews and Abigail prepares to put her best foot forward. Only no one could ever prepare her for the site of this handsome aristocrat. And neither could anyone predict the surging emotions that the pretty little governess soon brings out in the guarded gentleman.

Keeping a tight reign on their attraction to each other by day becomes more difficult. Only at night do they indulge in their wicked thoughts and desires but with whom? Because neither knows the others identity. But as the ever increasing threat of danger strikes close to home, who will be the first to lose their disguise and trust the other before its too late?

This book just didn't work for me. I think that the plot is brilliant and unique. My problem falls with the believability and likability of the characters. And the editing is just horrible. But first the good stuff; the hero is divine. I loved how he is portrayed as a sexy-pseudo aristocrat who haunts the streets as a masked crusader. LOL! I'd love him to come and rescue me! And these clandestine meetings (although kind of mild for me) with the widow are the highlight of the whole book -sadly there are too few. The little nephews are little darlings and their scenes were too cute. But unfortunately that is all I really liked in this book.

The problem I have stems mostly from the heroine. What *proper* woman in their right mind would engage in sex in alleyways with a masked man she BARELY knows? (perhaps if there was more more meetings and more of a buildup I would have liked it better) And with no thought (practically anyway) to getting pregnant? And she is supposed to be a proper governess? I can see a lady doing this but a governess? What if she was caught? What would become of her? And who would hire a governess with so many holes in her references? Would you allow someone like that for your kids -especially when its not clear that their parents deaths were an accident? All these things lack credibility in my opinion.

Also I found that it was a little creepy for both the H/H to be thinking about the upcoming evenings rendezvous when they were clearly falling of each other (and they didn't know the others identity at this point). That sort of tarnished the romance for me. *semispoiler* I didn't like that there is no love scene where they weren't masked.

And I would have liked the supposedly sleazy family who caused Abigail all these problems in the first place to get their just due, but that didn't happen. The end was too abrupt as well, perhaps an epilogue would have helped.

A promising book that just falls flat. I'll try one more of Robins books before calling it quits.

This book was very, very hard to get through. It could have been a good story. But the plot was very mixed up and confusing. The hero and heroine were likable. But there was too much missing to the story. The dialec between characters was not good at all. The author goes on and on about absolutlely nothing. Trust me on this...you will be very dissappointed.

Two strangers, Abigail West and Jason Steele, each hiding their true face for reasons of their own, meet in a dark alley when he rescues her from thugs. The intensity of the situation and an immediate attraction lead them to a one night stand. Not even when they meet again, this time with their true faces revealed, do they know each other. Now, she is a proper young woman seeking employment as a governess for the Viscount's two nephews, a job she is able to attain. What she can not do is deny the attraction to her boss. However, secrets and their stations keep them apart. She is on a quest to discover the truth behind her brother's fate, and he is part of a group of masked vigilantes that keeps London safe by night. It seems to be a doomed affair, but as we all know, love can find a way where there is none.

**** If it were not for the rapidity of Jason and Abigail's romantic encounter, this would be a wholly credible story. Ignoring that, Ms. Robbins has successfully combined the classic governess/employer romance with the intrigue of the Scarlet Pimpernel type adventure, making for something sure to win her fans among historical romance aficionados. ****

Amanda Killgore

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