The Governess Game: Girl Meets Duke

4.5 stars — I can’t decide if I liked this book more than the first, or just the same? I think I might have enjoyed it even more!! Which is yay!!! Mary Jane Wells continued to do a fabulous job with narration. I occasionally found it hard to determine the speaker, specifically because she would use a deeper voice for sarcastic Alex that sounded a bit like Chase, and near the end Emma and Alex sounded the same. But the emotion, the hilarity, the dry wit?? Oh man, SO GOOD! And her Rosamund and Daisy voices were just the cream of the crop… I loved all the pieces that made up Alex. She was fierce, independent, brave, vulnerable, patient, kind…she was just the heroine I always fall in love with. I ached for what she went through as a child, and how that affected her into adulthood. I loved learning all about her, and what made her up, and how she tried to make a life for herself outside the “ton”. I loved her perseverance, both with the girls and with Chase. I appreciated that she pushed back against him, and didn’t let him get away with everything. But I also appreciated that while she was occasionally shy and afraid to make waves, it didn’t stop her from trying to pursue her heart’s desire. Chase was unbelievable. He was so…broken, but with so much potential. His dry humour had me in fits multiple times, even as it was covering up a soft heart. He was the kind of rake I could fall in love with. In one word, he was incorrigible. I hurt for his past, and what made him the way he was, and I rooted for him to get that wake up call. The two of them together were fire. And not just in the steamy way, but they just fit so well with one another. You could feel that draw they held for one another, and how they couldn’t help themselves but to pursue it. And, can I just say? I adored their consummation…there was some nice reality and levity in there that just made me so happy. You honestly can’t talk about this book without talking about Chase’s wards…they had my heart (and my incredulous humour) from the first moment. OMG, the maladies. And the funerals! And the antics! They were, quite simply, a delight. And I think having Ms. Wells’ interpretation just made it that much better. So yeah. Loving this series. Can’t wait for Penny’s book. This is definitely an author I’m going to have to read more of…