The Governess and the Rogue - Review

The Governess and the Rogue (Somerset Stories, # 6)

By: Mimi Matthews

Publication: August 5, 2025 by Perfectly Proper Press

pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Personal Kindle Library

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Goodreads description--A down-on-her-luck Victorian governess and an unrepentant rogue enter into a fake engagement during a lengthy voyage at sea in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews’s sixth book in her acclaimed Somerset Stories series.

Stranded in India after being dismissed without a reference, governess Beatrice Layton exchanges her freedom for passage home to England, taking a position with the only family that will hire her. But Bea hasn’t reckoned for just how dreadful her new employers will be. Stuck with them at sea in increasingly desperate circumstances, she finds an unlikely champion in the injured ex-soldier traveling aboard their ship.

Colonel Jack Beresford has spent the last fourteen years serving in Her Majesty’s Army. Though time has lent him maturity, it hasn’t dulled the roguish impulses of his youth. When he’s confronted with the tantalizing prospect of a damsel in distress, he naturally steps in to rescue her. His solution? An engagement of convenience, of course. One that will last only as long as their voyage.

But once back on land, Jack and Bea’s simple arrangement is beset by complication after complication. There are Bea’s horrid employers to contend with, and the growing gossip in Somerset society. Most complicated of all, there’s Jack’s family—his parents, siblings, and precocious nieces and nephews—all of whom seem to think that Bea might be perfect for him. Jack is beginning to think so too. All that remains is to convince bold, beguiling Bea that he’s perfect for her.

I've read 20 books by Mimi Matthews at this point. Some have been favorites. Some I just haven't enjoyed as much. But overall, I find her to be a consistent writer with characters and stories that I love. The Governess and the Rogue falls somewhere in the middle.

Jack is the last of the Beresford boys to find love. He's been avoiding entrapment, and he's finally on his way home after serving in the military. However, he runs into Bea one night on deck after she's nearly assalted. The two have a conversation that leads to some closeness that might not have been present given other circumstances. Jack ultimately concocts a plan for a fake engagement. It will offer Bea protection against her employer and unwanted attention. And he will be unavailable to any other unmarried women and their matchmaking mamas who also happen to be on board the ship.

The only real issue is what to do after they arrive back in England with Bea. They need to travel a certain distance together both for safety and for their story. Only Jack's brother and his wife end up picking them up from the train station. And now, family is involved.

Mimi Matthews essentially said in her acknowledgements that this book was fan service. The cross over to her Parish Orphans of Devon series was defintely fan service, and I'm here for it. But The Governess and the Rogue felt rushed or not as thoroughly written as some of her other books. I don't know. Something I find hard to put my finger on made it feel a little more unpolished than I'm used to from her.

Favorite quote:

-“Mama says we mustn’t remark on people’s appearances,” Agatha said. “Except to compliment them.”

If only people enforced this rule today. I might start quoting this to others when I overhear unkind words concerning people's appearances.

The Governess and the Rogue was a fine book to wrap up the Somerset Stories series. It was much more than I ever expected to get out of the series. And I'm thankful that each member of the Beresford series got their happily ever after. I do enjoy a fake engagement as well. At the same time, this book felt more like fan service than a regular novel if that makes any sense at all. I'm giving The Governess and the Rogue 3.5 Stars. Have you read The Governess and the Rogue? What did you think? Let me know!