I have a weakness for governess heroines. I love seeing children in stories, and watching as the governess transforms both the children and their guardian/parent. In historical romance, there seem to be literally thousands of such heroines. Luckily for me, I chose to start with this one. And man, am I ever glad I did!!!The reason I liked this book so much was Anna. She was a strong, opinionated, intelligent woman in a time when it wasn't really acceptable to be those things. I seriously loved her. She had the personality to deal with the kind of unruly children that the ones in this book started out as, and she wasn't afraid of hard work. I liked that the author made her like fashion too. It just gave Anna's character more balance. As for the hero, Anthony, it took me a while to warm up to him. I mean, he was really responsible, and did whatever he could for the people whom he considered under his protection. But he wasn't really a gentle person. He usually barked orders at people, and he was pretty used to getting his way. Luckily for him, Anna was there to help. I loved when these two got together. Their banter and arguments were great, because no matter what Anthony would say, Anna would always have something to say right back. This novel had plenty of side characters. Firstly, the children. They started out pretty unruly, but in the end, I just loved them. They played a highly important part in the story, plus they could be quite cute at times. Then, there was Lady Putney, the children's grandmother. On the one hand, she was the typical greedy villain, out for only herself. But she'd use any member of her family to get more money, and the fact that even her grandchildren were included in this just meant I couldn't stand her. Finally, there was Anna's grandfather, Phineas. I wasn't sure what to think of him at first. I mean, he wanted to see his family get back on their feet, but the most important thing to him was Anna. Plus, he was a schemer and matchmaker, and I just ended up loving him. I really found this book easy to read. I'd pick it up to read just a bit, but then find myself having gone through 30 pages or more. So that's a pretty good testament of the author's writing style. The book followed Anna and Anthony as he hired her to be governess to five children he'd inherited from his cousin. Along with that, Anna and Anthony had previously known each other, because Anna was Anthony's half-sister's best friend. The reason Anna was a governess was because her family had lost pretty much all of their fortune. Amidst all the children and their tricks was the attraction that had always been between Anna and Anthony. He had to deal with the fact that she could be interfering and argumentative, while she had to deal with his arrogance. I really liked it. There was one element I don't usually care for in books, but that ended up being okay in the end. Anthony was engaged to marry a girl named Charlotte, whom he saw as biddable and obedient. I don't really like when the hero is involved with someone else, while pursuing the heroine. But their engagement wasn't announced yet. Also, it was clear that Charlotte was all wrong for Anthony. Either way, I wasn't too put off by this. In the end, I definitely recommend this book to historical romance readers. Like I said before, Anna made a terrific heroine, and I thought Anthony's strong character was perfect for her. The children and Anna's grandfather were lots of fun to read about, too. The author's writing style made this book a breeze to get through, as well. So if you like strong heroines, governesses, or children in your historicals, go for this one.
An Affair To Remember by Karen HawkinsThis is part of the St. Johns' brothers series. My two favorites of this series are An Affair To Remember (Anthony's story), and Lady In Red (Marcus' story). Usually, families of naughty children can become rather irritating in a romance novel. The scene of this book in which Anna, a governess, meets the five unruly children Anthony has recently "inherited" makes you wonder how the hell she is going to win them over. Well, Hawkins does an extraordinarily good job showing us how the bonds gradually build between these distrustful children and Anna and Anthony. It is funny, sweet, touching. This book includes a nasty meddling grandmother, shy fiance, plotting grandfather, and adorable gaggle of children. Anna is a very appealing heroine...beautiful, strong and determined to provide for her down-on-their-luck family, and Anthony is a strict disciplinarian thrown for a huge loop by this sexy governess and the five impish kids. Hawkins' dialogue is superb...I laugh out loud a lot reading this book. It also has a very satisfying HEA ending. The scene where Anthony is forced to rescue Anna in the lake is at once hilarious, touching, and memorable. I should also add that it is not necessary to read the whole series to enjoy this book...it can totally stand on its own!) Grade: APenelope
What do You think about An Affair To Remember (2002)?
An Affair to Remember, Karen Hawkins - I found this book to be nicely written and quite funny in places. Children are at the center of the story, as a governess and a titled nobleman, recently bequeathed five unruly ones, battle over how to raise them. I found the story to be at its best when the dilemma over how to raise the children dominated the plot. The children are wily and it's great fun to be a spectator to their antics and the ways in which they outsmart the adults in the household. Initially, the governess storyline interested me because it starts off by depicting the loneliness, poverty and social isolation at the heart of that life. Romance novels that romanticize the life of the governess are not accurately portraying the realities of such an existence. Anna Thraxton is a recently impoverished member of the gentry, thrown onto hard times, and with only an aging grandfather, she must turn to paid employment as a governess to sustain them. She's nearly sexually assaulted at her first job and then shunned from society, but her reputation for competence with unruly children keeps her afloat. Anthony, the Earl of Greyley, is desperate for effective childcare and hires Anna, despite his claims that he has never liked her because he finds her "too opinionated." I wanted to be drawn into their supposed animus, but Anthony's lusting after Anna becomes a bit annoying once she is living under his roof. Soon he is waylaying her in the library and stairwells and ignoring what I thought were some pretty decent arguments for why she wants to respect the employer/employee relationship. Perhaps I'm too much a product of our modern age of sexual harassment awareness! I wanted Anthony to respect Anna's professionalism, since it is her very livelihood and survival at stake. I wanted also for Anthony to think a bit more deeply about the insult of offering continuously to keep Anna as his mistress, especially given her recent fall from respectable society. I was grateful she at least had her grandfather with her, and even though he's not very effective, he does at least keep Anthony somewhat in line. Of course, this being a romance, Anna and Anthony fall in love and so the novel quickly takes the easy way out and elides the serious issues of what it means when an employer sets out to seduce his children's governess. Still, this is one novel that makes good use of children, and there are some genuinely funny moments and an overall appreciation for what drives them to act out. I often find children a little distracting in romance writing, but here they were crucial and nicely represented characters in their own right.
—Blackjack
Dai doveri della famiglia alle passioni del talamo"Infine, a mio cugino Anthony Elliot, conte di Greyley, lascio la cura di tutti e cinque i miei amati figli." Un silenzio totale e attonito seguì alle parole del notaio. Un silenzio che proseguì e aumentò, sottolineato solo dal fruscio del rigido tessuto nero da lutto mentre tutti i presenti giravano la testa verso il fondo della stanza dove il conte di Greyley era seduto su una poltrona, le gambe allungate davanti a sé, le mani ficcate nelle tasche. Ma, per quanto tutti si aspettassero una reazione, il conte non ne ebbe alcuna.************************************************Fresco, non male nel suo genere, ma mi aspettavo decisamente di più! Lui, capo inflessibile di una famiglia per la quale ha fatto molti sacrifici assume lei, nobile decaduta, dopo aver ereditato cinque piccole pesti. Entrambi si innamorano ma entrambi hanno un motivo per non cedere: lei vede la sua posizione sociale troppo bassa, lui ha già chiesto in moglie una giovane che potrà portare lustro alla famiglia. Piacevole ma dimenticabile.
—Roberta
Absolutely nothing to remember! Started low and ended worse. I like the children part. Also the Charlotte/Rupid part even when it was made incredible cheesy.Seems the author is thinking her readers are stupid. The heroine is an independent and strong character, most times at least. The hero is an ogre and I never understood she fell for him. He not even tried to change when it came to his pleasures. Sorry, but someone who cares so little of the feelings and life (sorry Mrs. Hawkins, that is REGENCY not 20th century) of his lover would make a horrible husband. She would die young worn out from all they fights he surely would make her through. No love would survive that. That couple was more on chemistry and not on understanding.I'm disapointed. I wish I had spent my time with an other book.
—Usiusiusi
