The Silent Governess
by Julie Klassen
Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko
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Book Description:Believing herself guilty of a crime, Olivia Keene flees her home, eventually stumbling upon a grand estate where an elaborate celebration is in progress. But all is not as joyous as it seems. Lord Bradley has just learned a terrible secret, which, if exposed, will change his life forever. When he glimpses a figure on the grounds, he fears a spy or thief has overheard his devastating news. He is stunned to discover the intruder is a scrap of a woman with her throat badly injured. Fearing she will spread his secret, he gives the girl a post and confines her to his estate. As Olivia and Lord Bradley’s secrets catch up with them, will their hidden pasts ruin their hope of finding love?<p>
My Review:
Olivia is a genius with numbers, and her father, all her growing up years has used that to his advantage. When she humiliates him with losing on purpose to save face for another boy, he seems to have no use for her. Things go from bad to worse, when she think her father is choking her mother and striking him on the back of the head, she believes she may have killed him. Her mother urges her to flee, giving her the name of a school to find work at. Her journey takes her many dangerous places and she finds herself eavesdropping on a fancy party of a Lord’s home. Sadly, for her she hears the wrong thing and finds herself, once again in harms way and is almost strangled to death in a cell, losing her speech. The secret she overheard, was a dangerous one and the men will do much to keep it a secret, so for now she is under their complete control and is given a job so they can keep an eye on her.
<p> This time period I see again and again how women, although powerful in society, still lacked so many rights we consider as basic human rights. This book is woven with secrets, mystery and a slight romance that develops slowly. You see how human life was not always valued, but prestige and honor were more highly honored than the truth. Olivia is a refreshing character in this book, honest, smart and caring. She wants to do the right thing, even though she is scared sometimes of the consequences. <p> This is a very well written regency book. If you are a fan of this era, you would greatly enjoy this book.(Thank you to Bethany House for providing this book for review)