«Octavius and the Perfect Governess» by Emily Larkin

A governess in jeopardy . . . and the marquis’s son who goes undercover as a housemaid to protect her.

Lord Octavius Pryor leads a carefree and untroubled life, until the night he visits Vauxhall Gardens in the guise of a woman.

At Vauxhall, Octavius discovers that being a female is very different from being a man. Annoyingly different, unpleasantly different, and—when he encounters the lecherous Baron Rumpole—dangerously different.

Determined to teach the baron a lesson, Octavius infiltrates Rumpole’s household, where he meets the woman of his dreams: Miss Toogood, governess to the baron’s daughters.

Suddenly Octavius has three pressing tasks. 1) To teach the baron to keep his yardstick in his breeches. 2) To keep Miss Toogood safe. 3) To convince her to marry him.

A word of caution: This novel is a bodice ripper, and I mean that quite literally. Bodices are ripped in this book—and not in a playful or sexy way. However, I promise you that all rippers of bodices receive their just desserts.

Q & A with the author

How would you describe this series?It's Regency England with passion, danger, adventure, humor, romance—and a dash of magic. The stories are emotional, but not sweet. There’s sex, and my heroes do swear at times!Hang on. Did you say magic?I did. But don't worry—the books are first and foremost historical romances. Only a few characters have magic, and it’s a deep, dark secret, and no one else knows.But … do magic and Regency England go together?Definitely! Many years ago I read Sorcery and Cecelia (or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot) by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, and totally loved it and ever since then I’ve thought that Regency England and magic go very well together.How would you describe your writing?Several reviewers have likened my writing to Georgette Heyer, which is the hugest compliment ever. I adore Georgette Heyer! She’s why I write historical romance, and I reread her books over and over. (If you’ve not read The Grand Sophy, please do so!) I’ve also had readers compare my writing to Courtney Milan and Mary Balogh, which are also massive compliments.Who would like this series?This series will appeal to readers who enjoy the historical backdrop and humor of Georgette Heyer, the sensual ‘noir’ feel of Anna Campbell, the emotion of Mary Balogh or Courtney Milan, and the magic of Patricia Rice and Mary Robinette Kowal. Quite a broad range, really!What order should I read the series in?Each book, whether a novel or novella, can be read as a standalone, but many readers prefer to read them in order. And although the series is set in Regency England, a quartet of medieval novellas form the prequel.The ideal reading order would be:The Fey Quartet (series prequel)Maythorn’s WishHazel’s PromiseIvy’s ChoiceLarkspur’s QuestThe Baleful Godmother: Original SeriesUnmasking Miss ApplebyResisting Miss MerryweatherTrusting Miss TrenthamClaiming Mister KempRuining Miss WrothamDiscovering Miss DalrympleThe Baleful Godmother: Garland Cousins SeriesPrimrose and the Dreadful DukeViolet and the Bow Street Runner (coming soon)The Baleful Godmother: Pryor Cousins SeriesOctavius and the Perfect GovernessHappy reading!