4.5 stars Okay. That was just what I needed to end my slight reading slump. Courtney Milan has such a distinctive voice, and I really enjoy her writing. I tend to get burned out on European historicals because they dominate the historical market and so many of them start looking so similar to me after a while. However, Milan and a few other authors write in such a way that their books really stand out.I don't want to provide too much of a summary for this story because part of the fun of it lies in learning the truth of the character's stories and in watching them discovery more about each other. Suffice it to say that the situation presented at the beginning of the story, with a duke's assistant being tasked to take care of a problem involving a governess turns out to be not entirely what it seems at first. The shift between the ending and the epilogue was a little abrupt for my tastes, but otherwise this novella really is a gem.Also, as of today (6/15/2013), this one is free on Amazon!