The Nanny's Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Mary Poppins meets Bridgerton in a blend of cosy fantasy, historical romance and humour, as a recently graduated nanny finds her supernatural abilities are little help when it comes to falling for the shy, mysterious inventor who happens to be her employer. For readers of Heather Fawcett, India Holton and Freya Marske.
London, 1851: Emmeline Chase, twenty-five-year-old widow and recent graduate of the Parasol Academy for Exceptional Nannies and Governesses, is more high-spirited than her peers would like. Few graduates, however, could turn a mismanaged teleportation onto a duke’s rooftop into an offer of employment.
Emmeline will need every trick in her nanny’s handbook to manage eccentric horologist Xavier Mason, Duke of St Lawrence, and his three rambunctious wards. Xavier’s charges have already sent two nannies packing thanks to frogs, firecrackers and general mayhem. And the duke has his own fair share of quirks, requiring absolute peace and quiet to work on his design for a clock to grace London’s Westminster Palace.
Emmeline is determined to restore order to the duke’s household, but someone seems intent on sabotaging his plans. As she and Xavier work to identify the saboteur, Emmeline finds herself drawn to him, even though her nanny’s handbook forbids fraternising with employers. But she’s fairly sure the duke is falling under her spell, too…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mary Poppins meets comedy of manners in this twee Victorian romantasy from Bennett (Up All Night with a Good Duke). Emmeline Chase, a penniless widow and recent graduate from the Parasol Academy for Exceptional Nannies and Governesses, which equips its students with magical powers, is desperate for work partly so that she can afford to free her clockmaker father from debtors' prison. Her nerves get the better of her during a transportation spell to a job interview, landing her in the home of Xavier Mason, seventh Duke of St. Lawrence—more commonly known as "Lunatic St. Lawrence" due to his obsession with clocks. This chance meeting turns out to be a lucky break for them both. Xavier's three misbehaving wards, Harry, Barry, and Gary, have scared off all their previous nannies, and there's a sinister plot afoot to discredit the "mad" duke's horological ambitions that Emmeline, with her clockmaking background, may help prevent. All the while, she must adhere to the Parasol Academy's strict code of conduct by hiding both her magic and her growing feelings for Xavier. The quirky cuteness of the worldbuilding occasionally grates, but there's enough light humor to keep the pages turning. Bennett's fans will find plenty to enjoy.
