Book Description 

There’s a new governess at Fairmont House, and she’s going to be nothing but trouble.

Emily Laurence is a liar. She is not polite, she’s not polished, and she has never taught a child in her life. This position was meant to be her sister’s––brilliant, kind Amy, who isn’t perpetually angry, dangerously reckless, and who does (inexplicably) like children.

But Amy is unwell and needs a doctor, and their father is gone and their mother is useless, so here Emily is, pretending to be something she’s not.

If she can get away with her deception for long enough to earn a few month’s wages and slip some expensive trinkets into her pockets along the way, perhaps they’ll be all right.

That is, as long as she doesn’t get involved with the Edwards family’s dramas. Emily refuses to care about her charges – Grace, who talks too much and loves too hard, and Aster, who is frankly terrifying but might just be the wittiest sixteen-year-old Emily has ever met – or the servants, who insist on acting as if they’re each other’s family. And she certainly hasn’t noticed her employer, the brooding, taciturn Captain Edwards, no matter how good he might look without a shirt on . . .

As Fairmont House draws her in, Emily’s lies start to come undone. Can she fix her mistakes before it’s too late?

My Review 

I thoroughly enjoyed Croucher’s other two Regency-era novels, so I was very excited about the opportunity to read this one. If anything, my high expectations were exceeded: this delightful homage to The Sound of Music is full of queer joy and acceptance. 

From the very first pages, Emily won me over, although I’m sure she’d be annoyed by my admiration. She spends a good deal of time engaged in duplicity, but that doesn’t make her any less endearing. After all, she’s only pretending to be a governess to earn money to pay for medicine for her sister, so she’s lying for a GOOD reason, right? 

The narrative unfolds from a single perspective (Emily) and this is usually the point in the review where I say something about single perspective being necessary because sometimes when the reader knows more than the protagonist, it diminishes the effect of Big Moments. However, in this case, Captain Ben Edwards’ perspective would be far too gloomy and brooding. It would throw off the vibe, as the kids say, with the brooding and the angst. So much brooding. Brooding for days. 

Ultimately, this is a beautiful tale of love and acceptance. The servants, who are fully rounded enough to support a spinoff, accept Emily almost as soon as she arrives at the house. Captain Edwards accepts his children for who they are. And of course, he also accepts Emily even though she doesn’t think she deserves acceptance or love, but the captain will not be dissuaded from declaring his love. 

I would absolutely recommend Trouble. While this book does deal with some serious issues, its light tone is what makes the book so enjoyable. Croucher’s books are all funny, and this book is no exception. The banter is top notch, and it’s so refreshing to read a Regency era book in which the characters are not always polite and defy the rigid conventions imposed upon them based on those who would naively believe that any deviation from Austen and Heyer is anachronistic. I am already looking forward to Croucher’s next book. 

I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley