Rules for a Proper Governess (Mackenzies Series Book 7)

This is a good Highlander romance, with a likeable couple. It gets 4 stars from me.I liked that this romance addressed the lingering grief and pain of losing a beloved spouse. Sinclair lost his wife several years before, but he was still deeply grieving. He just couldn't imagine ever loving another woman. So many times, people are expected to recover from grief very quickly -- and their family/friends do not understand when they don't. I liked that Sinclair's family did not try to rush him to find another wife.Sinclair was likable, but his grief made him neglect his children. He used his work to escape from his grief, and ended up working long hours. His children were grieving, too, but he had no idea how to help them. I wanted him to spend more time with them -- that wouldn't have solved their grief, but at least they would have felt his love. I did like that he accepted Bertie for who she was, and wasn't concerned that she wasn't a member of his social class.I liked Bertie, and loved how good she was with Sinclair's children. She seemed to have a knack for communicating with them, and getting them to listen to her. I also thought her idea to have the other servants help her "learn" what she needed to be a governess was very creative. It probably wouldn't have worked as well as it did, but it was a fun plot point.I thought Sinclair and Bertie were good for each other. She helped him with his grief, and gave him a reason to be happy again. He helped her to escape her brute of a father and his friend.I liked that Sinclair's family accepted Bertie so readily, even though she wasn't of their class. I especially liked that Ian once again showed his intelligence, when he immediately knew that Sinclair and his children needed Bertie in their lives.My rating system is below.1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.

Note: This story is set in 1885 and chronologically takes place some five years before Daniel's (book 6) making him around 19 years old here. There are also guest appearances by some of our favorite Mackenzies too such as Ian, Hart & Eleanor, and even Lloyd & Louisa.Although this one wasn't my favorite of the series, I'm happy to say I liked it a lot more than I expected to. I have to admit I'm not a fan of romances where one of the individuals (especially the hero though) has been in love before. The fact that Sinclair is still grieving the death of his wife seven years after her passing only speaks to his true and utter heartbreak. That is some serious baggage he carries and I wasn't at all sure I'd buy his love for Bertie.However, I'm not sure there is anyone who wouldn't adore her. I always get a kick out of bold and blunt heroines, and the fact that Bertie is an East London pickpocket meant she didn't hold anything back. She brought the light and laughter back to Sinclair and his two children's lives. She took their unhappy household and turned it upside down and inside out. At times I don't think the three of them even knew what to make of her, which cracked me up.I completely bought the passion and chemistry between Bertie and Sinclair and at the end of their story I had no doubt that he truly did love her too. The entire tale was full of charm, action, adventure, suspense, and emotion. I will say that I had to suspend belief of Bertie being a governess, which she was in no way qualified for. I'm also not sure a barrister could so easily accept a thief as his wife. But it was romantic and lovely and I enjoyed it nonetheless 😊Length: The story itself ended at the 96% mark and location 4698.

RULES FOR A PROPER GOVERNESS is the story of a man who is only half living after the death of his beloved wife, his two ungovernable children, and the woman who comes and brings healing to their family.THE STORY: Roberta "Bertie" Frasier is a pickpocket and meets Barrister Sinclair McBride when she is ordered by her father to take something from him. Bertie becomes fascinated by Sinclair because of the pain she senses in him. Finding out where he lives, she ends up becoming the default governess for his unruly children. Despite Bertie's lower class background, she makes herself a proper governess by bringing back joy to the children and eventually to Sinclair as well. Their happiness is threatened by Sinclair's past and Bertie's present.OPINION: Sometimes you find a book where you can just love the heroine. Bertie is an amazing woman and I loved how she brings sunshine and light into the McBride family. Sinclair is a very sad fellow as the book begins and there is nothing artificial or false about the way that Bertie integrates into his life and that of his children. I loved the relationship between Sinclair and Bertie and the story moved in unexpected ways for me. I had expected that the class differences between Sinclair and Bertie would be a bigger part of the story but instead the conflict is more external and Sinclair doesn't spend much time worrying about Bertie's background. I had a great fondness for Ashley's books because they are intensely emotional journeys with her characters. Her characters are big and bold and definitely originals. I loved that there was really no doubt that Sinclair and Bertie will be together. Sinclair's children are also well defined characters here and extremely loveable and not at all annoying as some child characters can be. I very much got the sense that Bertie becomes the center of the family and brings to life all of the McBrides. There is a real sense of a family being created here which I very much appreciated. I especially enjoyed the continued sense of continuity and place that Ashley has created with this series. Sometimes an author worries so much about not having a story dependent upon reading other books in the series that the book feels like it is not truly connected to the others in the series. While RULES FOR A PROPER GOVERNESS can be read alone, fans of the series are rewarded for their continued reading.WORTH MENTIONING: There are plenty of cameos by favorites from the series. I was especially pleased with the appearance of Hart and Eleanor who remain my favorite couple of the series.FINAL DECISION: I absolutely fell in love with Bertie and Sinclair and was completely satisfied with this book. Not only did I get a great romance with a quirky original heroine, but I got to see many of my favorites from the series which made me smile again and again.CONNECTED BOOKS: RULES FOR A PROPER GOVERNESS is the seventh book in the MacKenzies and McBrides series but chronologically comes before THE WICKED DEEDS OF DANIEL MACKENZIE. This book can be read independently of the others in the series, but the series is so great that a reader should just start at the beginning and enjoy.STAR RATING: I give this one 4.5 stars. I loved it!

Love the characters and the storyline. A lot of action love and lol moments. I thoroughly recommend this book and this author.

It appears Scottish men like unusual independent women! How refreshing to read about them & Scottish accents. I look forward to reading the next book.

Love all books by Jennifer Ashley, this one doesn't disappoint. The MacKenzie family rule OK.

Good read.

Love reading the Mackenzie books.