It all started with a broken-down carriage and a misunderstanding regarding a certain room at the local inn. Now, in the midst of Tabby’s attempts to fulfill her duties as governess to a pair of rackety misses, duties that include foiling elopements and retrieving letters written to blackmailing ladybirds, the wickedly handsome Vivien Sanders is forever popping up in her path.
While I didn’t laugh out loud, I thoroughly enjoyed this action packed comedy of errors set in Brighton featuring a governess heroine and a hero who seems to be a rakehell on his way to reforming.
It starts on the road, with a broke down carriage and a bit of the ol’ bedroom mix up gag. This sets the tone for the mayhem that unravels throughout the book. We are then taken to Brighton, which although is not maximized for full effect or even really described in depth, is a nice little spa town for hell to break loose. The main action takes place over a short period of time, too, so there are no balls, or dinner parties, or other such scenes…just a lot of visits that go awry.
Tabby is young and a bit spunky, although also naïve. She is forced to governess after her Uncle guardian, who was a tutor at Cambridge, passes and leaves her nearly penniless.
Tabby’s would-be charges have lived without mother or, really, any kind of real supervision and are therefore a bit wild. But that is the least of her worries. Their Papa is engaged to a stickler for propriety, and he is being haunted by his former lady love. This throws the young and previously sheltered Tabby into any manner of uncomfortable scenarios, especially when she keeps getting waylaid by the devastatingly handsome rakehell who seems intent on giving her a slip on the shoulder.
There are a few surprises, some very funny moments, and areas where I felt MacKeever could have pushed it farther…but overall this was an enjoyable ride. The romance is fairly thin and love seems to happen quickly, so if you love Reg Roms for the romance this probably isn’t a book for you. However, if you are looking for a wacky rom com type of book, I recommend giving Our Tabby a try. There are lots of misunderstandings (naturally, being a comedy of errors)…but employed to comedic endeavor are less irritating than they usually are.
I don’t think this is a book for everyone, and it wasn’t a super fast read as there were definitely some saggy bits. However, I am always willing to forgive Regency comedies any manner of sins because they are so hard to find.
4 out of 6 A wild comedy of errors with a governess heroine and a rakehell
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |   |
| Lots of talk about mistresses, mistress characters, etc. Not graphic | |
| Intimacy | |
| Kisses only | |
| Violence | |
| Not really | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Clean, although lots of talk of mistresses may make it inappropriate for some readers including younger teens. | |
