Lady Beatrice Cavendish has been sheltered and cossetted for all of her life, to the point of becoming a spinster by her doting father. When father dies, Lady C is left with all of his debts and no idea how the world operates, which is a major source of frustration for her. She realizes the extent of how sheltered she's been and determines to become an independent woman.

Mac McTavish only plans to be in England long enough to visit his sister, who has been quiet too long, while he restocks his ship to prepare to sail back to America, where he will finally be master of his own business. Unfortunately, he finds his sister has died, and left two children behind, who are being neglected and abused by their drunken father. Rash and hot tempered, he kidnaps the children intending to take them back with him, but he needs a nanny. This need brings him to the door of Lady C, who seems to be the only one who can direct him to the nanny he is searching out.

Circumstances force Mac to take refuge with Lady Cavendish - she will help him shelter the children if he will help her learn how to manage the nearly bankrupt estate left to her charge.

It took me some time to invest myself in the story, but as it unfolded, I found myself drawn into the author's character studies. Two diametrically opposed personalities coming toward middle ground. I found the journey entertaining and the growth in the characters endearing, and yet there was still the dilemma of "home" to be settled once they found their way to each other. I enjoyed watching Lady C come out of her shell and the tremendous character growth she underwent. The romance I felt was done very well, and compared to other romance novels where the characters are carried away with hormones, this story had a more realistic approach to the physical side of things. It may have been drawn out overly long, and some of the "wickedness" might have been dealt with during the courtship so that by the marriage it wasn't quite as taboo. I was left wondering how they were going to determine where to live until the very end, seeing options open up. I can't say I'm satisfied with the choice that was made, but without writing another hundred pages to alter the decision, it worked. Obviously, one character had to make a big sacrifice, but as the book was about compromise, I might have preferred more middle ground. ( )

I did not enjoy this book. Ugh on the plot moppets wandering around disguised as children. Did not care at all for the hero and heroine. ( )

Eh. Not terrible, but annoying. It's a stupid basis for a marriage - mutual lust and mutual low self-esteem - but of course it ends happily. Good, solid, well-written characters, dragging through a lot of painfully awkward situations. I don't like Lady Tawbee at all, she's just a clumsy meddler. Heck, by the end, I like Simmons better than her. James-Matthew is just silly - and he distracted me throughout, as I kept expecting him to turn out to be the Marquis' brother (not quite, though very similar in the end). I'm not sorry I read it, but I doubt I'll bother to reread. ( )

Mac kidnaps his dead sister's children from their grieving alcoholic father, and is seeking a place to hide out and a nanny while waiting for his ship to be ready, so he can take the children to his parents in America. Beatrice, trying to run her father's estate despite her sheltered upbringing, is desperate for an advisor who won't patronize her. They strike a deal to collaborate, and grow to respect each other. Through conflict over who gets the children, both Mac and Bea grow and resolve their difficulties. Not super-captivating, but an entertaining story; 3.5 stars. ( )

Good book. Lachlan MacTavish, or "Mac", is an American businessman who has come to England to take delivery of his new clipper ship and check up on his sister. He arrives at her home to discover that she is dead and her two children are being neglected and abused. So he kidnaps them and desperately starts looking for a nanny and somewhere to hide until his ship is ready to sail. This leads him to Beatrice's estate, where he's dismayed to find out that the nanny has passed away.

Bea has spent the last several months trying to keep her estate going, after the death of her father. Her father had been overprotective of her, with very old-fashioned ideas of a woman's place. Therefore, she had very little education and no exposure to how to deal with the needs of the estate. She is desperate to find someone who can teach her what she needs to know. She had also never been anywhere outside of the village where they lived.

When Mac arrives she is somewhat overwhelmed by him. He is loud, forceful and large. But she quickly figures out that they could be helpful to each other. She offers to give him a place to stay with the children if he will teach her what she needs to know. This is where the fun begins. Bea doesn't have a lot of confidence in herself, but she knows she's smart enough to learn if someone will just teach her. She is tired of the way everyone keeps telling her just to find a husband and let him take care of it for her. She is determined to be able to do it herself and learns quickly how to stand up to Mac when he starts to ignore her. There are some really wonderful interactions between them as they learn to work together.

Mac is partly frustrated and partly intrigued by Bea. He's desperate to hide the kids from their father and grandfather until he can get them out of the country, so he doesn't feel like he has time to teach Bea what she needs to know. When he does start to show her how things should be done, she argues with him every step of the way. He also finds her incredibly beautiful, though she doesn't believe him, He is impressed by how well she handles the children.

There is also an attraction between them that gets stronger each day. Mac tries to ignore it, as he won't be staying in England and is too honorable to lead her on. Bea isn't sure what she's feeling about Mac at the beginning, but soon figures it out. While those feelings are wonderful, they also scare her because so many things are changing. When circumstances cause them to marry, Bea's nervousness creates some stress between them, but Mac finds the patience to deal with her fears. I loved seeing how Mac's support of her helped Bea overcome so many of her fears. Mac also develops more empathy for those around him thanks to Bea's influence. Both of them have their own stubborn views that they have to learn to compromise on before they can get the future they both want.

The taking of the children and Mac's determination to protect them was well done. I enjoyed seeing him try to cope with it all. I loved the how Bea's love and care for the village and its people came back to help her when those same people helped protect the children. I loved the ending, with Bea really stepping out of her comfort zone on behalf of Mac and the children, and Mac realizing just how vital Bea is to his happiness. ( )