"Everyone that Katerina held tea has perished in a tempest off the coast of Italy. With not a penny to her name, the once-moneyed Venetian lady knows she must travel far to forge a new life. No one would ever accept her if they learned that her mother was Lucrezia Bruni, the infamous courtesan breeding young Katerina to fill her shoes someday....
"A governess in hiding
"Still mourning his late wife, Michael Lindley knows life must go on--and that his little sister and daughter need a woman's nurturing. When a dark-eyed beauty alights on his doorstep claiming to be a widowed governess, Michael feels a fire rekindled in him that he thought had been snuffed out long ago. And in Katerina, who thought her capacity to love had gone down with the ship, there flares a yearning that only Michael can subdue.
"A woman in danger--and in love...
"But as they give in to the desire that knows no words, a stealthy enemy plots his revenge--and their newborn passion must undergo the ultimate test...."
I decided to test the waters with a new author from my shelves upon shelves of unread reading material. This one is a standalone novel (according to FantasticFiction.com) and it seemed like a very good place to start.
The overall premise of the plot was interesting. Having an foreign character attempting to hide her past and insinuate herself amongst a well-off English family as set starts a new life for herself was a captivating idea. It brought some variety to a genre which so often remains relatively similar, despite characters having vastly different personalities. I think Katerina's background brought an excellent facet to her character and created some interesting internal dialogue. I also feel the way in which she was written felt very realistic (i.e. how she struggled with intimacy and confused/ resisted her emotions toward men) given her upbringing. Her connections to Michael's daughter and sister felt so genuine and warm. I liked how she had to figure out her role as governess along the way, as well as how she had to form her new persona. The struggles she overcame during her adaptation felt realistic and certainly added to her character (and the shine I took to her).
Michael's own past was rather well-crafted as well. The tragic loss of his wife and his physical/emotional scars served to create a powerful male lead with a strong sense of self and good motivation to remain on the straight and narrow. His family is his world and the comfortable household he's formed create a sort of bubble away from the temptations of his former life. He's essentially created a haven for his family...but something is missing. That something turns out to be a beautiful, mysterious Italian governess. While "Kate Brown" seems to be everything his family needs, he can't help but believe there is something far more to this lovely young woman; he sees it in her unconsciously-sensual movements and her carefully crafted backstory. Despite his belief that there is more to her story than meets the eye, Michael finds himself enticed by Kate's dark beauty and penchant for fantasy.
The sensual heat and tension between the leads is quite enjoyable! Both are torn between their respective difficult pasts and the enticements of the present. When they finally decide to act upon their simmering desires, a whole new world if possibilities is opened up to them. The lines between employer and governess become blurred and Kate realizes that she would do absolutely anything to keep Michael and his family in her new life.
Unfortunately for Kate, her past is not as dead and buried as she'd believed. A specter comes to haunt her and puts at risk everything for which she's worked so hard. Does she tell Michael her deepest secrets or risk them coming to light on their own? Will he cast her out and destroy any chance of love and a new life? Will her past drag her back to the life of charades and false pretenses, forcing her to bury the spark of self-awareness and individuality she's come to cultivate during her precious time on the untamed moors?
I found the plot very interesting and fairly well-paced. I might take away a few points because there was a bit of a drag during some of the midway points of the story where the plot slowed a touch, but it was nothing terrible. The characters were likable and interesting because each had his or her own obstacles to overcome above and beyond the typical "falling for an unsuitable man/woman and resisting it." I will say that I wanted a bit more romance once Kate and Michael decided to act upon their affections. There was so much build up with the heat between them that I wanted more. The supporting characters were drawn in very interesting forms as well. Christina, in particular, was quite fascinating. She seemed to really come into her own toward the end of the book and it made me wonder if, in fact, this is not a standalone novel and Christina might possibly have her own story. I would definitely read it!
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