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The Governess Affair

(Brothers Sinister #0.5)

Courtney Milan (Goodreads Author)

3.86 · Rating details · 15,621 ratings · 1,732 reviews

She will not give up…

Three months ago, governess Serena Barton was let go from her position. Unable to find new work, she’s demanding compensation from the man who got her sacked: a petty, selfish, swinish duke. But it’s not the duke she fears. It’s his merciless man of business—the man known as the Wolf of Clermont. The formidable former pugilist has a black reputation fo ...more

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ebook, 101 pages

Published April 21st 2012 by Courtney Milan

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A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley

2012 Historical Romance Novels

261 books — 683 voters

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Average rating 3.86 ·

Rating details

· 15,621 ratings · 1,732 reviews

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Start your review of The Governess Affair (Brothers Sinister, #0.5)

Jun 07, 2017 Jessica's Totally Over The Top Book Obsession rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2017, historical-romance

3.5 stars

***Spoilers***

Wow okay this story was different. The heroine Serena was raped by the hero's(Hugo) boss the Duke of Clermont. She was pregnant from said rape and Hugo marries her behind the boss's back to keep her child from being labeled a bastard. He plans it to be a married in name only to help her but they make love, which was really sweet, and they fall in love. I have to say I liked that this story was a little different as it started out with something horrid like rape(not tha ...more

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May 03, 2012 UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish rated it really liked it

Recommended to UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish by: Baba

Shelves: author-courtney-milan, historical-romance, format-kindle-or-kindle-compatible, ebook-own-have-read, series-brothers-sinister, 2012-reads, novella, own-have-read, reviewed-by-me, 4-stars

Courtney Milan has become one of my favorite historical romance authors and books like this, The Governess Affair, is why. This introduction to the Brothers Sinister series is a charming, beautiful tale that I simply couldn't put down. And surprisingly, while this is a novella, a short read, it lacks nothing. A powerful story, romance, passion... yes, this book has it all - including one of the sexiest, sweetest bedroom scenes ever!

I fell hard for both Serena and Hugo... their secrets, their tor ...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Shannon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, ebook, 2012, buddy-reads, color-orange, color-yellow, adult, historical-romance, regency, bought-2012

ETA on 4-24: Free on Amazon! Grab it!

Historical romance isn't my least liked genre though it's nowhere near my favorite, but every now and then I feel the need to read something that isn't YA or fantasy and I branch out into the world of corsets, cravats, and carriages. I generally don't enjoy the time I spend there, and I often find myself at odds with fans of the genre, but thankfully this short story has high ratings because it's a tale that people who don't automatically love the genre can s ETA on 4-24: Free on Amazon! Grab it!

Historical romance isn't my least liked genre though it's nowhere near my favorite, but every now and then I feel the need to read something that isn't YA or fantasy and I branch out into the world of corsets, cravats, and carriages. I generally don't enjoy the time I spend there, and I often find myself at odds with fans of the genre, but thankfully this short story has high ratings because it's a tale that people who don't automatically love the genre can still enjoy. Milan's characters are well-developed, the plot is intriguing, and she writes in an easy-to-digest and quickly moving manner that makes it difficult to stop reading. And let's not forget the incredibly hot sex! Thank you for the realistic scene, Milan.

Let me get this out of the way though; (view spoiler) Don't click the spoiler if you want to go into this blind, but you will learn that info early on. I think the most important thing to remember is that this is a story of damaged people who haven't been broken beyond repair.

The relationship between the heroine, Serena, and her shut-in sister, Freddy, was one I found particularly interesting, as they each see the other as having deficiencies while they themselves are living the "right" way.

"Do you not understand what happened to you?" Freddy glared at her. "You suffered a fate worse than death, and still you—"
"I am alive," Serena said. "My child is alive. I intend to carry on living. Can you say that much?"

...

"You always put things at risk. If you fell out of a tree as a child, I'd clean you up and bandage your knees, and next I looked you'd be out climbing again. You never learned your lesson."
Oh, she'd learned her lesson: Climb harder.

...

How could they be sisters? It seemed impossible that they should view the world with such fundamentally different eyes.

The conversations between these sisters added a dimension to this romance that I think really helped to flesh out Serena's character. I thought it was a clever way to develop the heroine when Milan didn't have that many pages to do so.

I enjoyed the witty banter between the hero, Hugo, and Serena very much, and their notes back and forth to each other were some of the highlights of the story. I also thought that what we got of Hugo's backstory was sufficient; sometimes I don't need someone's entire life spelled out for me. When he recounted his memory of his mother I even teared up a bit, though I think I'm just a softy when it comes to moms (I've felt emotional at parts that dealt with moms where others didn't.)

I also liked that Hugo wasn't some gorgeous, overly tall, enormously endowed man and that Serena wasn't a "plain Jane" that nobody but the hero paid attention to; they're just average people who fall in love in an albeit unaverage way.

This is a novella so it's obviously not going to be as developed as a full-length novel, but Milan uses her 100 or so pages masterfully. Many people enjoyed this romance for good reason, and I think if someone like me who doesn't typically like historicals found it entertaining I think others will as well, and I'm excited to see what else she has to offer. ...more

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Oct 26, 2015 ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommended to ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) by: Liz* Fashionably Late

Shelves: romance, historical-fiction, horrorrrrrr, my-friends-corrupted-my-soul, sounds-deliciously-crappy, 2017, i-must-be-mad, i-break-out-in-a-rash, machalo-tbr-cleaning-challenge-2017, unlikable-characters-r-us

Before you ask, I can tell you that NO, the Fluffy Siberian Bunnies (FSB™) have NOT hacked my account. This is really me non-reviewing this POC™. In my defense, I have to say that:

1/Liz forced me to do this.
2/This is the MacHalos' fault. Were it not for the bloody shrimping TBR Cleaning Challenge, I wouldn't have to get rid of all the ~~crap~~ stuff that's been sitting on my Kindle for centuries.
3/Being stuck on a ferry for 8+ hours has the strangest effect on one's sanity.
4/I'm innocent.

Were I my y ...more

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Sep 20, 2013 Navessa rated it it was ok

DNF @ 50%. I really expected to like this one. I enjoyed The Heiress Effect. But then, part of the reason that I enjoyed it was because none of the characters were fucking idiots.

So the premise of this book is a ruined governess seeking recompense from the man that ruined her, who happens to be a duke. He sends his man of business to handle it because he has better things to do. The first thing his servant does is ask what the female lead wants. The next five conversations that they have go som ...more

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Dec 13, 2011 ♡Karlyn P♡ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: novella, published-2012, genre-historical, read-2012, steam-hot, steam-warm

Loved it!!! Just when I thought I was getting burned out (ney, sick and tired!) of Euro/Regency historical romances, I pick up this Courtney Milan novella and realize my problem might have been something else. I was just bored. But Courtney Milan infuses such flavor into her writing I couldn't stop devouring it. which is simply refreshing among the glut of today's bland and formulaic offerings. I honestly haven't been this excited to read a Euro/Regency era historical in many months now, and I c ...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Jill rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012-4-5-5-stars, historical-romance-european

Hugo Marshall is determined and ambitious. As a former boxer Hugo has squared off against any number of opponents and won. But Hugo has met his match. Serena Barton is tenacious and optimistic. She'll fight until she gets what she's owed.

The Governess Affair is a novella and prequel to Courtney Milan's new series, Brothers Sinister. Set in 1835 a generation before the characters in the main series, this is an introduction to what looks like another impressive series from this talented author.

St ...more

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Dec 16, 2014 Mo rated it really liked it

3.75 stars.

I quite enjoyed this short read. First time reading this author but I will be checking out other books by her.

I liked both characters. She was strong and would not back down for anything!!

As you know, if I don't do a review straight away, they are usually short. Thank fuck, I hear some of you say!!!

...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Baba rated it really liked it

Shelves: novellas-or-short-stories, historicals

"You could make me say it again," he whispered. "Make me say it always. Make me say it so often that you never have cause to doubt. I love you."

Oh yes, again, I love it when a story turns from pretty good to amazingly good! 3 stars for the first half and 5 stars for the second half of the story.

"A perfect sunrise--seen once, remembered always. Never duplicated."

This was a first for me but certainly not my last read by Courtney Milan. I really loved the second half of the story. In hindsight I th "You could make me say it again," he whispered. "Make me say it always. Make me say it so often that you never have cause to doubt. I love you."

Oh yes, again, I love it when a story turns from pretty good to amazingly good! 3 stars for the first half and 5 stars for the second half of the story.

"A perfect sunrise--seen once, remembered always. Never duplicated."

This was a first for me but certainly not my last read by Courtney Milan. I really loved the second half of the story. In hindsight I think I wanted more interaction/dialogue between Hugo and Serena during the first half of The Governess Affair. I assume that writing engaging dialogue is one of Ms. Milan's strengths. I like her writing style--her prose is beautiful. It was fun to witness the H and h's exchange of "lovely" letters. My oh my...

These two gave one another a piece of their minds, that's for sure and their interaction was riveting and at times even amusing.

"Never hit a man with a closed fist," he told her.
He could feel her pulse.
"Why? Because it gives you an excuse to manhandle me?"
He let go. "Slap his face instead."
"Ha."
"It will make him take you less seriously, and then he won't be expecting it when you knee him in the groin."
She let out a surprised burst of laughter at that.
"That's better," Hugo heard himself say. "I spent my day flirting with a beautiful, maddening woman," he told her. "How was yours?"

The characters are well-drawn and complex. Ms. Milan packs quite a bit into this novella. With that said, I appreciated the fact that the reader gets a plot and on top of that, some interesting secondary characters as well. Hugo and Serena are nicely portrayed and you will even learn about their pasts and motivations. The love scene. Well, I totally adored the pins thingie! So thoughtful and lovely. The love scene was sweet and sensual and really well-written.

Hugo has one goal in his life. He wanted to be the richest coal miner's son in all of England. He thought that he had to prove himself with money and accomplishment. Ultimately it was wrong because you don't need to be wealthy to be somebody special. Hugo found love and a wonderful woman--the greatest gift. Now he is somebody.

"I've never pretended to be a good man, you know. It's just that…I'm yours."
...more

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Apr 30, 2016 Nenia ✨️ I yeet my books back and forth ✨️ Campbell rated it liked it

Shelves: kissing-books, victorian, historical-romance

Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || Pinterest

THE GOVERNESS AFFAIR is the fourth Courtney Milan book that I have plowed through this month. I regret nothing about this experiment, except for the fact that I have gone through all the books of hers that I already owned, so any further binges must be put on hold until I am able to obtain more books. Booooo.

GOVERNESS AFFAIR is the direct prequel to THE DUCHESS WAR. I think it could be read as a standalone, but reading it was also intere ...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Karla rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Karla by: Jill and Dhes

Shelves: funny, passionate, awesome-alpha, continuing-story, historical-romance, sensual, witty, scrumptious-hero, strong-willed-heroine, terrific-dialogue

5...I told you so Karla...Stars!!

Safe. Yes Serena, Hugo Marshall is...Safe, and the most honorable of men. One of the softest, sweetest stories, I've ever read! Never were two people more meant to be together.

I'm doing the Yippee Skippee and I can't stop smiling!

Thanks for the push Jill and Dhes, it was so worth dropping everything!

...more

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Dec 25, 2013 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it it was ok

Recommended to Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies by: Navessa

Shelves: uk, siblings, mental-illness, boring-main-character, romance

I blame myself. My disappointment with this book is partially my fault. I just set the bar too high. I built up my own hype. I gave myself unrealistic standards for this book.

I've resisted reading this novella since it was released, despite reading all the glowing reviews on it. I thought for sure it would be good, and that I would love it if I ever gained the courage to read it. Why? Because of the premise. The rape, the defilement of an innocent governess? Her strength in standing up for herse ...more

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Jul 21, 2014 Christina ~ Brunette Reader rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories-novellas, kindle, historical-romance-regency

3,5 Stars

Setting the stage for the following series about the next Victorian generation, Courtney Milan gives us a solid novella about two common people whose lives have been anything but common and who soon and poignantly recognise each other's hard-won inner strength, finding both healing from past hurts and hope for a brighter future in their love.

Hugo Marshall, a coal miner's son and an ex-pugilist, is now the Duke of Clermont's unscrupulous right-hand, the final step in a steady social 3,5 Stars

Setting the stage for the following series about the next Victorian generation, Courtney Milan gives us a solid novella about two common people whose lives have been anything but common and who soon and poignantly recognise each other's hard-won inner strength, finding both healing from past hurts and hope for a brighter future in their love.

Hugo Marshall, a coal miner's son and an ex-pugilist, is now the Duke of Clermont's unscrupulous right-hand, the final step in a steady social and financial climb. The last problem the contemptible and careless aristocrat has literally brought on his doorstep has a name, Serena Barton, and a truth to tell that could destroy everybody's plans.
Armed with his usual ruthlessness, Hugo confronts the young woman who has been carrying on her dignified and resilient siege from a public bench facing the ducal residence, waiting for her rightful recognition. What he discovers is that things are usually not as they seem and that a greater revenge can come from allowing oneself to be loved.

The writing is very good, surely a notch or two above average, and for the ability to convey deep emotions through revealing gestures without many superfluous words and leaving the reader some margin for interpretation, Milan reminds of Laura Kinsale at her usual mesmerizing self and of Connie Brockway at her best. And I always welcome a writer who doesn't spell me out the obvious, telling me what to think every step of the way.

My only quibble, hence the lower rating, is that the author tackles some "heavy" themes such as class differences, injustice, power abuse and women's disadvantaged condition which the shorter format cannot in no way support, allowing only a too superficial skimming, in my view. I know the genre's focus is supposed to be on the romance and Milan, thanks to her gifted storytelling, has indeed succeeded in making the falling in love believable forcedly rushed novella-pace notwithstanding (not a small feat), but I still see the initial choice as unwise and a little too ambitious. Those issues really needed a full book, romance genre or no.

On balance, a promising prologue to the ensuing quartet and even if not strictly necessary, I suggest you to enjoy this quick read to better understand how it all began.

...more

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Nov 06, 2017 Sam (AMNReader) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, best-heroine, oh-baby, to-be-reread, sexy-hairpins, favorite-series, favorite-author, favorite-romance, read-in-2017, romance

BR with Brian 1/3/2020.
Old review:
When I think of novellas that actually deliver, this is the first I think of. I'm surprised I gave it a 4 initially last November, maybe because before I didn't have all the context of the series.

But now I do. And it's that much sweeter, a quick and beautiful book that delivers swoons just when the hero just says "I solve problems." I'm a sucker for Sabrina and Hugo, and a bigger sucker for Robert's vulnerability so that epilogue is something else entirely to ...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Anna (Bobs Her Hair) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Romance readers

Recommended to Anna (Bobs Her Hair) by: Jill's review

Shelves: historical-romance, kindle, favorites

Grade: A+ or 5 brightly shining stars

Beautiful, poignant, and skillfully written novella! I absolutely loved it!

***updated to add full review****

The Story
Serena Barton is a ruined woman. Her dismissal as a governess position leads her to demand compensation from the Duke of Clermont. Serena will not leave empty-handed. She is prepared to fight for there is much at stake. She’s aware the duke employs an unmerciful man of business, yet she bravely resolves never to be weak again.

Hugo Marshall has ...more

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May 21, 2018 Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

Maybe this edition was expanded as it is showing on Goodreads as 154 pages whereas the editions with this cover

The Governess Affair (Brothers Sinister, #0.5) by Courtney Milan

are showing as 101 pages. Believe me, this one felt longer than a novella! I think Ms Milan may have expanded this slight story beyond what it could bear.

I really liked the original idea. I liked the opening scenes. I could overlook anachronisms such as duke wearing a coat with gold thread - in 1835.

But too many things were improbable, too many scenes were repetitive and this ...more

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Mar 23, 2016 Al George rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 03-historical-romance

Love, love, love this book

Setting / Time / Genre: Regency, I think.

Length: 201 pages.

Series: Yeppers and I am reading em all! This is the fist. An introductory novel if you will.

Sexy times: One or two scenes. All well done. There's a scene with hair pins. Just trust me on this. Hashtag worthit.

Plan on reading more by the author Hell to the yeas, my friends.

Synopsis in one sentence or slightly more: Hmmm, there's this governess, and this man of business and a sh!thead of a Duke, and an issue ...more

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Nov 05, 2013 Kaethe Douglas rated it it was amazing

Shelves: feminism, fiction, gender, history, ptsd, humor, sex-positive, realistic, strong-smart-female-protagonist, romance

March 20, 2015

This is what I love about Milan's historical work: she's created characters who are subject to the specific mores of their time and place but who rebel. We get to see people fighting the strictures of their lives using the tools of their times. Here, a governess who has been let go without a reference seeks justice. The modern reader knows the vulnerable position women of the time were in, unable to resist anything from seduction to rape because they had no rights or protections. M ...more

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Jun 15, 2017 Bubu rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2017, 4-stars, ocd, hr

4.5 stars

Despite my best intentions to start Nalini Singh's series, I simply didn't have the mindset and instead went for another novella whilst I'm still away from home.

Finally! Finally! Finally! After a very long time; after many of my GR friends telling me to read The Governess Affair already; and after reading two or three duds in a row, I went ahead and pulled this little beauty out of the depths of my Kindle and read it in one go. Not that it was a big thing (it's a novella after all), but ...more

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May 15, 2012 Susanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: perfect-for-me, genre-historical-romance, quality

"Are you flexing your muscles for me?" she asked.
"That", he said smoothly, "would be vanity".

What a romantic, inspiring, heartbreaking, heartwarming, wonderful, amazing tale.

"If you fell out of a tree as a child, I'd clean you up and bandage your knees, and next I looked you'd be out climbing again. You never learned your lesson."
Oh, she'd learned her lesson: Climb harder.
Somehow, Serena didn't think that was the lesson Freddy had expected her to learn.

I have a soft spot for rape-recovery tales ...more

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Apr 16, 2015 Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ rated it it was ok

Shelves: genre-romance, genre-historical, 2015-reads

❦ BR with the awesome Kat and Nenia ❦

So, The Governess Affair...

♬ ♪ Congratulations! ♬ ♪ You successfully entered my I don't care territory : no chemistry, not to mention that the rape issue isn't well-handled in my opinion. To be frank, the characters' behavior is incomprehensible to me. I. DON'T. GET. THEM. Add a complete and utter boredom, and what do you get? Certainly not a good romance.
...more

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May 05, 2020 Gavin rated it liked it

Shelves: romance

This was my first try of a Courtney Milan book and I have to admit I ended up a little bit underwhelmed. I think that is likely due to overly high expectations as my Goodreads friends have been recommending Milian to me for years! I felt like The Governess Affair was an OK romance story but nothing better than that. It had a strange mix of humour, romance, and a bit more realism than is typical in the genre in terms of characterisation and tone. The big negative for me was the fact that I never This was my first try of a Courtney Milan book and I have to admit I ended up a little bit underwhelmed. I think that is likely due to overly high expectations as my Goodreads friends have been recommending Milian to me for years! I felt like The Governess Affair was an OK romance story but nothing better than that. It had a strange mix of humour, romance, and a bit more realism than is typical in the genre in terms of characterisation and tone. The big negative for me was the fact that I never really connected with the writing so never got sucked into the story or emotionally invested in any of the characters or happenings.

The story was OK. Serena Barton was a governess before a scandal involving a petty, selfish, swinish duke saw her fired from her position with no prospect of a reference to find employment elsewhere. Serena intends to see the Duke pay for his crimes and seeks to cause a public scandal that will ruin the Duke's reputations, especially in the eyes of his Duchess who controls his purse strings! That brings Serena into opposition with the Duke's fixer, the ruthless Wolf of Clermont, as he is tasked with making her go away quietly. A task he needs to see achieved if he wants the funds he needs to finally break from the Duke and start his own business!

It is a shame I never enjoyed this one more as the story managed to feel comfortably familiar and unique at the same time. What I mean by that is that this did feel like a normal HR book but that it also managed to be quite different in style from the others I've been reading lately. I guess the fact that characters were not the typical stock mould character type paired with the fact that the hero and the heroine managed to avoid most of the usual toxic behaviour that can creep into other stories in the genre is why so many people are a fan of Courtney Milian. It was just a pity for me I never managed to get sucked into the story!

I might give the next full book in the series a chance at some future point but I fear this might be one of those times when I'm just never going to find Milian or her books to be more than 3 star quality.

Rating: 3 stars.

Audio Note: I'm usually a fan of Rosalyn Landor but I must admit to finding her male voices a little annoying while listening to this one. Perhaps she just had an off day while recording this or perhaps it just suffered from proximity to a bunch of excellently narrated books in the genre that I've listened to lately. ...more

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Sep 15, 2014 Karen rated it it was amazing

5 STARS!!!!!
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He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to answer any questions. He didn't know who he was or what he wanted or what dreams would come to fill his heart. He only knew that if he couldn't have her, nothing would ever be right again. And so he kissed her. He tasted her, sweet and steady against him, put his hand in the small of her back and drew her toward him.

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OH BOY!!!! I've got a new author!!! What a wonderful little gem this is. It's just a short ...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Mimi Smith rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Mimi by: InD'tale Magazine

Shelves: historical-romance

5 stars

Loved, loved, LOVED it. It's so hard to write a great, believable novella. It's too short, there's no time for the characters to feel real, or the relationships... But here, boy...

We have:

1. Serena Barton, a former governess, girl with big dreams and a grudge against the Duke of Clemont.
2. The Duke of Clement, a rather simple and shallow gentleman with little self-control, morals and a money problem, which led to his spouse problem.
3. Hugo Marshall, the Wolf of Clemont, a boy who has plan ...more

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Sep 16, 2014 Heather K (dentist in my spare time) rated it really liked it

Recommended to Heather K (dentist in my spare time) by: Jill

Shelves: free, m-f, audiobook, narrator-amazing, romance, historical, short-story-or-novella

*3.5 stars*

Lovely start to a new series. Narrator was good in the audio, and I immediately bought the next two in the series the moment I finished. ...more

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Jul 14, 2018 Riley rated it really liked it

this was so GOOD

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Jun 30, 2012 Caz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-other-time-period, audiobook, favourites, 4-stars, audiogals, romance-1850-1900s

Okay, so this is where the fact that Goodreads treats audiobooks as just another edition of a book is problematical, because I've already read and reviewed the ebook and can't create a separate review for the audio. So, instead, I've added it to the review of the book, so apologies to those of you who are seeing this on your feeds for the third or fourth time!

Anyway. This most definitely the review of the audiobook version which has appeared at Audiogals today.

Also - my original rating for the b ...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Ingie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-m-f-historical, books-i-read-2013, c-amazing-5-stars-2013, short-still-novel-75-150-pages

Written March 22, 2013

A little shiny genuine gem pearl, 4 1/2 Stars.

Book #0.5

A wonderful story, I loved it. Two nice a bit special characters, not the richest, no one is noble, not the prettiest or the most handsome, not the most innocent, not the nicest BUT with two really, really smart and cunning brains. I got mad (stupid and mean men), got hurt in the heart (... just choose her!), I smiled (over and over), laughed (the letters), and am very pleased at last.

A really good reading as so often ...more

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Dec 11, 2011 KatLynne rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013-reads, heroine-with-backbone-smart-strong, sensual-steamy, g-historical-romance, made-me-laugh, part-of-a-series, novella, kindle-lendable, prequel-to-series, kindle-owned

August, 2013 - Re-read

A perfect Novella to begin her new Brothers Sinister Series.

I always enjoy Milan's writing style and this short story doesn't disappoint. CM gives a strong sexy hero that I came to love along with a heroine who is persistent and smart. The banter between Hugo Marshall, aka Wolf of Clermont, and Serena Barton kept me invested and wanting more.

This author's talent shines through in this delightful read. There is a scene involving hair pins that I particularly liked. Who wou ...more

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Mar 15, 2019 Mirjana **DTR - Down to Read** rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: enemies-to-lovers, mo-money-mo-problems, 4-star, thumbs-up-leading-lady, paperbacks, historical

***4 Stars***

This was my first Courtney Milan book, but it certainly won't be my last!

Whoo boy was she able to pack a punch in a short number of pages.

The banter between Serena and Hugo was top knotch...and the building flirtation and chemistry had my fingers tingling.

"You understand perfectly well what is happening. We're attracted to one another, and it's inconvenient."

She sucked in a breath.

"Don't act so surprised."

"I wasn't acting surprised. But you're trying to unsettle me again,
...more

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About Courtney Milan

Courtney Milan

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Courtney Milan’s books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist. She is a New York Times and a USA Today Bestseller and a RITA® winner.

Courtney lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband, an exceptionally perfect dog, and an attack cat.

Before she started writing historical romance, Courtney got a graduate degree in theoretical physical chemistry from UC Berkeley. After th ...more

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Brothers Sinister (4 books)

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Quotes from The Governess Affair

“I will not be browbeaten, however nicely you do it. I am done with things happening to me. From here on out, I am going to happen to things.” — 49 likes

“Never hit a man with a closed fist," he told her. He could feel her pulse.

"Why? Because it gives you an excuse to manhandle me?"

He let go. "Slap his face instead."

"Ha."

"It will make him take you less seriously, and then he won't be expecting it when you knee him in the groin.” — 20 likes

More quotes…