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Heather Johnson

Autor(a) de The Governess Club, Part 1

14 Works 87 Membros 9 Reviews

Obras de Heather Johnson

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female

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As a bit of a disclaimer, the editor for these novellas (Tessa Woodward) and I spoke during the HarperCollins shindig at Book Expo. Aside from an admitted love of Governesses (and wallflowers!) myself, Tessa and Maya (Rodale) discussed this new series about a group of Governesses who band together as a club. I was hooked almost immediately. The idea of it, akin to the Babysitter's Club, had me pumped to read what these ladies got up to. "Claire", the first novella, didn't disappoint at all.

Claire is an efficient, well mannered young lady of gentle breeding. The fact she's been reduced to being a Governess has not made her bitter (though the circumstances perhaps did a little), instead she devotes herself to teaching her charges (the Aldgate children) that with determination and an willingness to never quit you can succeed in any endeavor.

Jacob Knightly is the exact opposite. Needing to flee London due to some...unsavory business with his family, he chose the Aldgate household as a refuge to find himself. Considered a waste and worthless he wants nothing more then to prove everyone wrong.

While the story follows the typical romance outline I found how the two interacted with each other and with their circumstances to be the engaging aspect of the story. Jacob obviously has no clue how to be a tutor--other then a vague belief that he hated having to study when he could be outdoors he's at a loss. Even without Claire pointing out all the small (and large) ways he fails at being a real tutor, Macdonald does a good job illustrating that Jacob is new to the subservient role. I almost wish Macdonald hadn't had Claire pointing out such moments, but Jacob's befuddlement was amusing to read.

As can be expected of a governess tale kids are a big part of the story and these ones aren't annoying. Reading as Jacob struggled to come up with ways to keep his two charges interested and engaged reminded me of when I was a teacher.

The secondary characters--Lucy, a maid who befriends Claire, as well as Louisa who is the most prominent member of the Governess Club to show up (other then Claire of course), hold their own and offer different perspectives for Claire to think on. Though I think that Claire worries too greatly about matters she can't control (this may be a subtle way of Macdonald to show her guilt over what happened following her mother's decline though--a sort of after effect) and the solution to all her problems is a bit too pat, I find myself eager to see how the Governess Club fares in the next book, about Bonnie.
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Marcado
lexilewords | outras 2 resenhas | Dec 28, 2023 |
The second novella in MacDonald's "Governess Club" series features Bonnie, who as the beginning letters to Claire (the heroine of the first novella) explain, has remained with her charges after their parents' untimely deaths a couple months previously. She's worked with the two boys for almost three years and after witnessing their parents' deaths decides to stay on until their Guardian arrives and hopefully is able to help the boys in their grief.

Whereas Claire's novella set up an unlikely scenario, Bonnie's is more realistic in its portrayal. With the eldest now the Viscount at merely 8 years old, the youngest all but mute and both unwilling to leave Bonnie's side for more then a few minutes at a time, it made sense for Bonnie to stay on until they grew accustomed to their guardian (a friend of their parents').

I liked that Bonnie didn't let their guardian, Sir Stephen (a landless baron), push her around in regards to what the boys needed. While he may have had his heart in the right place, he doesn't understand what they needed to feel comfortable with him or their new circumstances.

The underlying mystery of who killed the children's parents is a good one, though MacDonald played her hand too quickly with who it could be. Stephen and Bonnie work through the possibilities and attack the question intelligently, relying on evidence and a bit of history digging.

As for the romance its a slow build, like Claire's was. I did get a bit annoyed with Bonnie's constant 'Sir Sir Sir'ing. It started to sound less then respectful at one point in fact.

Oh! And it was a rather amusing conversation Stephen had with the young viscount. In child like innocence all the kid wants is to keep Bonnie with them forever, but he understands she can't stay on. So his solution would be to marry her, but he feels he might be a bit young for that so wouldn't Stephen please marry Bonnie just to keep her around? Out of the mouths of babes and all that.
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Marcado
lexilewords | outras 4 resenhas | Dec 28, 2023 |
The "I Love My Air Fryer" Cooking for One Recipe Book: 175 Easy and Delicious Single-Serving Recipes, from Chicken Parmesan to Pineapple Upside-Down Cake and More by Heather Johnson
Intro and other chapters discuss the air fryer, why to use it vs other methods, choosing the right one, and so much more.
Each chapter of recipes starts with a summary of the recipes, along with listing of the recipe names.
Each recipe starts with a title, summary, time and cook times.
Nutritional information contains: calories, fat, sodium, carbs, fiber, sugars and protein.
Servings are included
List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.
Directions are given and there are only a few pictures in the chapters.
Conversion charts are also included at the end.
Like that the recipes are for one serving. You can also double the recipe if you have two for a meal.
Fun book, has a lot of recipes that are easy to make.
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Marcado
jbarr5 | Feb 15, 2023 |
I'm not sure why both the first and second story in this series were presented to us as short novellas. I think if they were combined, it would have been a better presentation.

In any case, the second story was good, but it lacked focus on the main characters, yet I still found it interesting and entertaining. I also thought the plot intriguing, and the fast pace contributed to my over all enjoyment.

Since this author is new to me and so far I've only experienced her voice in only short stories, I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in this series as both of those stories will be full books and not novellas.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
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Marcado
bookworm2bookworm | outras 4 resenhas | Mar 30, 2017 |

Estatísticas

Obras
14
Membros
87
Popularidade
#211,168
Avaliação
½ 3.6
Resenhas
9
ISBNs
18

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