This is my fair and honest review for this ARC. This is a continuation in a series and i have read every part of this series. AND LOVED EACH ONE! What a fantastic story teller Christi Caldwell is. If you don't read this and the rest of the series (preferably in order) you will do yourself a huge disservice.

We finally get Broderick's story! I loved finding out who he really was and why. Reggie was his perfect other half. Watching him in action with Reggie and how he learns to open up to his family brought tears to my eyes! (Actually had me bawling, you'll see why about 3/4 of the way in!) Reggie has her own ghosts to deal with and when Broderick finds out about them, his response is telling! I can't wait to see what happens to Gertrude, as the last sister, in her search for love! Thank you for the advanced copy, the emotion this story contained was amazing!

This is my first novel by Christi Caldwell. There's a lot of background in previous novels, I felt sort of dropped in the middle of the story at the beginning of the book. I found the story slow, and the main couple kind of boring. But I am interested enough in other characters to read the next book in the series.
I do recommend if you're interested in historicals with dangerous men and smart women check out Lisa Kleypas.

The Governess snags the heart and reels it in with a love story of epic proportions between two people that are not of the nobility. Two commoners as leading characters is a rarity in itself in the Regency Romance world but these leading characters are anything but common. Broderick earns his reputation through ruthlessness and calculated precision but underneath the tarnish is a heart of gold. He saves those who cannot save themselves in the Dials, a survivor who makes others survivors. Reggie suffered an abusive past and came out stronger for it and is the only one who dares take the beast on in his lair. Bold and honest, Reggie is Broderick's best friend who tells him the truth and is totally, helplessly in love with him. When Reggie's bid for independence sets her at odds with Broderick, his cold ruthlessness forces Reggie to his will. The nobility hang as a threat over both their heads and their stubbornness overflows in abundance. As their love story unfolds, I found myself much in sympathy with Reggie and sighing in the corner over the strong, flawed hero. The HEA comes as a hard won victory but how else could victory be as sweet unless its fought for. The Governess is a heart string tugging, encompassing read that will leave you longing for more from the author. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Regina Spark has loved Broderick Killoran, the resourceful and protective proprietor of the Devil’s Den, ever since he saved her from the streets and made her his right hand at the notorious gaming hell. For just as long, Reggie has never admitted her true feelings for him.When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Christi Caldwell is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.

I enjoyed this! I loved Regina and Broderick. I thought the story line was strong. The conflict ended nearly and it was a good HEA!

What can I say about Book 3 in the Wicked Wallflower series by Christi Caldwell? Fabulous! I have been anxiously awaiting Broderick Killoran’s story since first meeting him in The Rogues Honor. Not born of the streets, he becomes head of one of the most powerful family’s in the Dials. He saved his sisters and gave them their names. He taught them to read and write. He found ways to keep them safe and make them strong. He saves people. And 10 years ago he saved A young girl also not born of the streets. Reggie Sparks was that girl. She has loved Broderick all those years and became his best friend. But she has always yearned for him to see more. When she decides she must move on to save herself from further heartbreak, Broderick begins to see her as more than his best friend, keeper of his secrets, Governess to his sisters and brother. Has his world is slowly crumbling, his only concern is for his family’s security. There is so much in this story and you learn everything Broderick and Reggie have overcome to be the people they are. I loved it! I received an ARC for an honest review.

I enjoyed this well-written historical romance. Regina (Reggie) Spark has been loyal to Broderick Killoran ever since he saved her from the streets and made her right hand at his business, The Devil's Den. Now she has a dream to start her own business, a music hall, and offer employment to women. When Broderick discovers she plans to leave he feels betrayed and they begin a battle of wills. This book can be read as a standalone story, though it is #3 in the Wicked Wallflowers series. This was an entertaining book and I look forward to reading more books in this series as well as others by this author.

Wonderfully written. Reggie and Broderick are awesome :). Great character development. Started the book hating Stephen and ended up loving him. Great work, Christi Caldwell.

I love,love, love this book and series. Such a great cast of characters. Reggie is great. Love Stephen. I highly recommend this book

The Governess is the third book in the Wicked Wallflowers series. This was a great story! So different to ones I have been reading, since this takes place in the gritty world of London.
I enjoyed reading the story of Broderick and Reggie. These two are a great pair of characters who really got to know each other when Broderick discovers that Reggie is opening her own business. He believes that she will be a competitor and taking half of his staff. It is this misunderstanding that sets the story off. I liked how Reggie always stood up to him, even if each harsh word he said to her, because he was hurt, was like a knife to the heart. I suffered along with her. I admired how leaving his employ meant leaving her heart behind she still had the courage to do it. Even if he fought and played dirty every step of the way. I did like how he redeemed himself after learning the truth of her past and her reasons for opening a music hall.
Since I had not read the previous two books in the series I felt a little lost at the beginning. We do get to see the characters of the previous books in this one. They also play a role in bringing Broderick and Reggie together.
I look forwards to going back and reading the previous two and to Gertrude's story.

This is book 3 of the Wicked Wallflowers series, it is best to read the books in order, in fact this story seemed to end without many things resolved, hence you will have to read the next book which is Gertrude’s story. The heroine, Reggie was saved by Broderick from a life on the streets. She has worked for him for years and has loved him. While the romance is resolved many other things are not. 3 stars.

My goodness, this is my first Christi Caldwell book and I am amazed at how fast I was drawn in!! It is full of so much angst and awesome drama that my heart twisted and I bit my nails to the very end! Now, before you angsty-phobes out there brush this aside, let me assure you, it is not your typical whiny drama-type. It is serious destroy your life kind of drama that is brutally real while totally un-put-downable!

Broderick is such an anti-hero that one is not sure whether to love or hate him. His full-on loyalty to those he cares about, however, tips the scales in a big way. Regina is also a very strong character but in a much more subtle way. She doesn't yell and scream, she just quietly stands her ground.

That strong plus is also the story's biggest weakness, however. SO much of what happened could have been avoided if Regina would just have explained herself! It didn't even have to be a love declaration type - she could have told Broderick her plans for her new business and how much it would help people. OR, she could have explained at least a bit about her reasons for not wanting to go into London's society as a chaperone. It would not have taken a full confession, just some explanation so he could understand her feelings on these subjects! This non-communication is the only thing (yet is was a big thing) that stood in the way of a big five stars for me.

Everything else was pure historical yumminess!

I couldn't wait for this book to come out and it definitely didn't disappoint. Reggie and Broderick's story was wonderful. It have all the elements I was looking for in a great romance. I had read the previous books and I just love this family! I so hope Ms. Caldwell plans to give Gertrude and Stephen their own respective stories as well.

Ruthless is an apt description of Broderick Killoran. As you begin this novel you may be wary of Broderick as the hero love interest, but do not be. His ruthlessness comes from a deep love for his family. We knew from the two previous books in the series how he pushed to have his sisters marry into the aristocracy. Even for himself, he only wants to be with ladies of quality. Even a man who appears as unfeeling as Broderick can be redeemed.

Sweet Reggie has been part of the Killoran family and right hand to Broderick for ten years. He basically found her on the streets and saved her just as he saved many others. Once part of his ‘family’ each person has to earn their way and Reggie did by being everything he needed in a helper. Everyone thought she was his lover, but no. Reggie definitely was in love with Broderick, but that was as far as it went. She did not believe he even saw her as a woman.

Reggie feels she needs to leave not believing she can be near him any longer. Her love is too strong and grows stronger. Reggie wants to have a life away from Broderick and decides to open a ‘hall’ with another Killoran employee that will help women. Her mistake was in not telling him about her plans. Broderick sees it as a betrayal. Every thing goes horribly wrong between them. To keep her close and under his control, Broderick blackmails her into staying. As the reader, you can see it is because he cares about her.

Broderick’s goal is to make sure his sisters are married and cannot be harmed by his blunder and connection to Stephen’s kidnapping. Stephen is actually the son of a marquess. Once Reggie chaperones Broderick’s sister Gertrude to a ton function, her old life comes crashing back to her, only adding to her misery. Add in the mess of Stephen’s kidnapping as a child and his father’s revenge. There is so much going on in this fast paced romantic tale that you do not want to put it down. Wanting to see what comes next and how the family will handle each situation holds your interest. Christi Caldwell can weave her books together like no one else. This book like her others can be read as a stand alone, but I have enjoyed reading them in sequence. Each time a previous character is brought back in, you feel like you are catching up with an old friend.

As usual, I have nothing but good things to say about Christi Caldwell's writing! I wasn't sure how I would feel about Broderick as a hero, because he irritated me in the previous books, particularly his mishandling of trying to marry his sisters off. It reminded me of when Ryker Black had his book, because his character was also one I didn't care for in previous books. But of course, I should not have worried. This is Christi Caldwell we're talking about here, and if anyone can make an unlikeable character from an older book the hero in the next, she can!

Broderick Killoran considers Regina Spark part of his family. She has been loyal to him for more than ten years, taking care of his siblings and acting as his assistant in running the Devil's Den. She is the last person he would expect to betray him, so when he learns she plans to open her own club and steal away his best employees, he is enraged...and bent on having his revenge. He manipulates her into accepting a deal - she can have the location she has been hoping for her club, but she must act as companion to his sister during her husband hunt in London. Reggie has secrets, and she knows it's dangerous for her to be exposed to London high society. However, her dream is on the line, and so she agrees. Even though the biggest danger isn't to her life - it's to her heart.

Again I will say, Broderick was a hero I was wary of, due to his past behavior. And even in the beginning of this book, I was worried that he would be irredeemable with his actions against Reggie. However, over time, as his motivations were exposed and his true personality was shown to others, I started to really like him. Some people, when cornered, become vulnerable. When Broderick was cornered, he became dangerous, so his actions made sense. I really like Reggie, although I was conflicted about how I felt regarding her betrayal. She wasn't a character I knew well, so I went into this book with an open mind about her, and I was pleased at the amount of depth to her story. She had such a heart-wrenching background, and while we can debate the intelligence of some of her past decisions, she has made a life for herself. It was sad that she felt she couldn't be honest with Broderick, but knowing Broderick's character well, I understood why she felt the need for secrecy. It was a shame that it took them so long to realize their true feelings for each other, because they were very well matched at the end of the day.

I am eagerly anticipating the final Killoran sister, Gertrude's, story! She has a special place in my heart, after reading about her for several books now. I can't wait to read about her happily ever after!

**I received a free copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review.**

It's a return to the Devil's Den from her previous books. In love with Broderick Kiloran for ten years and her feelings not reciprocated, Regina plans to open her own music Hall with a former madam of a brothel as her partner. Once Kiloran finds out about her plans, or thinks he does, he feels she's betrayed the family. Blackmailed to chaperone his sister into London society, Reggie has a secret she's never revealed that could destroy Gertrude's chances of a successful season. A lot of pain for Regina due to misunderstanding and a dirty secret from her past. With heartache and tears, it wasn't an easy book to get through, but I loved reading it.

I absolutely loved this story! I'm always half charmed by stories with gambling houses even before reading the first page. Unfortunately sometimes I am disappointed. This is definitely not the case. And the fact that I started reading it with the idea that I might have not liked it because the heroine was already in love with the hero and not reciprocated (which it is a situation that I generally don't appreciate mush), made the final positive thoughts even stronger. It totally won me over!

My first book by this author and I have to say I liked it and that I’ll definitely keep an eye on the author.

However, I have to mention a couple of things that bothered me.

First, after not only ten pages into the book, I felt like I’ve been missing out. I got the feeling that The Governess is a continuation of the previous book (even though the blurb hinted it as a standalone). I checked and from what I gathered, I don’t think it is but I think it is necessary to read previous books before reading this one. They obviously contain a background of the story. So I needed couple chapters to finally figured it all out, why there are things the way they were (and I’m still not sure if I got it right).

For example, I don’t exactly have an idea who is a biological relative and who is adopted and that bothered me in the book. I need to have some sort of picture in my head. I think the sisters were biological…

So, other than leaving me all confused in the book, The Governess is actually not that bad. I loved the sexual tension between Broderick and Reggie, which is why I couldn’t put the book down.

Since the beginning, I had an idea this wasn’t book one in the series but I was still surprised when I learned it’s book three. I was hoping the last sister and the ”mad” marquess will get a book together so I was really happy when I saw there truly is a book about them.

At first, I wanted to give this book 5 stars because the chemistry really made this book worth reading but since I was confused in the beginning and the book didn’t mention the background of the family so a reader will know what he or she is getting into, I’m giving it 4 to 4.5 stars.



Slovenian review and full post here: https://slovenianbookworm.wordpress.com/

Regina Spark or Reggie has had a hard life. After she was saved from the streets by Broderick, her life gets better. Broderick Killoran owns the Devil's Den, a popular gaming hell. Regina has become Broderick's best friend and assistant at the Den. She has loved Broderick for always, but knows that he never sees her as a woman, more like a sister. He is her protector and she is loyal to him. Broderick doesn't know that Reggie has plans of her own, she wants to open a music hall. Broderick and his employees are are loyal to each other. The day that Broderick realizes that Reggie is a woman, a beautiful woman, he is lost. When she leaves, will he find her? Someone with the intent to kill is after him. There's a story inside this story and I love the way everything came together. I received this book from Net Galley and Montlake Romance for a honest review. The opinions are my own.