The Governess Wears Scarlet is romantic, erotic and luscious. - JoyfullyReviewed.com

A tragic past drives Viscount Jason Steele to roam the London streets at night as a masked vigilante. After saving a veiled woman one evening, the disguised pair fall into each other's arms and share an erotic encounter. By day, Jason's priority is hiring a governess for his nephews. Little does he realize his new governess Abigail West is the passionately veiled woman.

Without a doubt Sari Robins leaves the reader wishing for their own masked vigilante. Jason and Abigail have delicious chemistry and their romance will leave you breathless! The Governess Wears Scarlet is romantic, erotic and luscious.

JoyfullyReviewed.com

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This is an entertaining historical romantic suspense

In 1812, appalled by the unsafe streets of London that he now is aware of due to a personal tragedy, Viscount Jason Steele wears a mask to hide his identity while he vigilantly patrols the dark roads the Viscount and former Sentinel insures the safety of those in danger from predators though few know he is out there as a dark knight. He wants nothing from those he protects until he rescues a woman wearing a veil. Passion explodes between the two whose faces are covered so their identities remain unknown from one another, but both are shaken to the core by the fervor they share. He especially since he assumed he would love no one since his Deidre died over eight years ago.

The next day Jason interviews Abigail West for the position of governess to his nephews over the objection of his brother-in-law who considers her 'tarnished'. Neither Jason nor Abigail recognizes their lover as unmasked and both behave with the mask of prim and proper decorum. Since the boys like her, he hires her. However, when they learn of an odious plot, they team up in an effort to thwart the kidnapper and unmask him. In the process they unmask their feelings for one another.

This is an entertaining historical romantic suspense that grips the audience from the moment the Regency Era "Batman" and the prey he rescued kiss and never slows down until final revelations occur. Readers will like the lead couple and admire both for risking their lives to save others -- in Jason's case, strangers.

-- Harriet Klausner

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THE GOVERNESS WEARS SCARLET
Sari Robins
★ ★ ★ ★ HOT
SETTING: Regency England

Combining rapid-fire dialogue, quick-pased adventure, passion and a delicious plotline, Robins gifts her fans with another fast, fun story.

SUMMARY: Viscount Jason Steele is a masted vigilante helping those in need on London's dark and dangerous streets. When he rescues a veiled woman, their anonymity unleashes deep passions, and they seize an illicit moment together.

The next morning Abigail West sits in the viscount's study, hoping to be hired as governess to his nephews. Jason has no idea that the quiet young woman is the temptress of the night before, and her "tarnished" reputation doesn't disturb him as it does his brother-in-law. Abigail chamrs the boys and fascinates Jason, and as a kidnapping plot unfolds, they join together to rescue the boys, unmask an ememy and look deeply into their past pain to reveal their true feelings for one another.

Reviewed in Romantic Times, February 2008

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"Two tortured souls find solace in each others' arms -- which could prove deadly."

The Governess Wears Scarlet by Sari Robins
Fresh Fiction Review
Reviewed by Suan Wilson
Posted January 14, 2008

Dismissed without references from her previous governess position, Abigail West applies to the newly titled Lord Steele for a post teaching his nephews. Her lack of references and the notoriety of her affair with the grown son of her previous assignment do not bode well for obtaining another job. Thankfully, Lord Steele heeds the advice of a friend and hires Abigail. She gives her days to her young charges, but at night, she leaves and prowls the London streets looking for her brother. He tried to exact justice for her, but money and privilege prevailed, leaving her brother on the run with a price on his head.

Viscount Jason Steele received his new title due to extraordinary service to the crown. Jason has worked hard to become a self-made man. He finds no satisfaction from becoming the most powerful barrister in England. Instead, he broods about the loss of his wife and his newly appointed guardianship over his nephews. Attempts on their lives have made it necessary for him to discover the culprit. Jason has compartmentalized his life -- spy, barrister, nobleman and, at night, a masked vigilante. He is well qualified to find the villain, but a crisis of identity lurks, as he cannot reconcile all parts.

As a heavily veiled widow, Abigail searches for her brother, until thieves set upon her. A masked vigilante comes to her aid. Since they are disguised and do not recognize one another, they act on the moment and enter into an illicit affair that could destroy them both.

Ms. Robins' tale lets readers feel the depth of betrayal and raw emotions of a heroine who refuses to succumb to her bleak circumstances. She matches Abigail with a strong, but grieving hero. Add two adorable little boys, who are in danger, to the mix and you have a lively read.

The Governess Wears Scarlet
Summary

A passion like theirs won't stay secret for long

Haunted by a terrible tragedy, Viscount Jason Steele roams the streets of London as a masked vigilante. One starlit night, he rescues a veiled young woman. . . and she unleashes a fiery passion he'd thought long dead. Though they explore every inch of each other's bodies, they must keep their faces hidden, for an illicit affair could have dangerous consequences for them both . . .

In the harsh light of day, Jason's primary concern is hiring a governess to care for his two young nephews. He has no idea that Abigail West is the tantalizing woman he meets under the cover of darkness each night. But when they discover a kidnapping plot that could plunge them all into mortal danger, Jason and Abigail will be forced to reveal themselves . . . and lay bare their incredible, explosive attraction for all the world to see.

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THE GOVERNESS WEARS SCARLET - Sari Robins
Avon Books
ISBN: 978-0-06-078249-8
February 2008
Historical Romance

London, England - 1812

The newly named Viscount Steele has dragged himself up by the bootstraps for many years. Not only is he now Solicitor-General of England, but is also a barrister and leads a secret life as a Sentinel. Sentinels prowl the streets of London at night to mete out justice his day job forbids him to do. His beloved Deidre died over eight years ago, but back then he wasn't good enough for her and had to keep their marriage secret until she died in a horrible accident. Now that he has prestige and a title, they really mean nothing to him, except he hopes he is now a man who would be worthy of her love. One night while disguised as a Sentinel, he meets a woman in widows clothes who beats off two people trying to harm her; clearly a woman of some capabilities. The attraction when they meet is immediate, and he ends up taking her against a wall, something he's never done before. What is happening to him?

Abigail West is in desperate need of a governess position. An affair with a member of the family at her last position got her kicked out of her job with no references. And on top of that, she's received a letter from her brother Reggie saying he is in London and in need of her help. With her last bit of money she goes to London to find Reggie and get a job before she is penniless on the street. A barmaid says she has information for her and meets her in the back alley, only she isn't alone. Abigail is no shrinking violet, but it takes a masked and caped man in black to save her from robbery or maybe something worse in a city where life is cheap. Abigail is strangely drawn to the hero, and after they have sex, she wonders what is the matter with her; has she no pride or modesty?

Abigail gets a nanny position for the Solicitor-General's two nephews and continues to search for her brother in the depths of the night. She feels drawn to Viscount Steele, but surely a woman of her position would be laughed at to think she could set her cap for someone such as he. And besides, several more meetings with the masked man with predictable results as their attraction grows has her betwixt and between her mysterious lover and the totally charismatic Viscount Steele. All this on top of watching over two small boys whose parents had just died, and looking for her brother amongst the underground of London.

Written from Abigail's and Steele's points of view, we appreciate the way each is drawn to the other person in their "other" darker life, and yet come to appreciate and respond to their real life selves. The story has various twists and turns and always has something different going on to hold our attention. The combination of the hidden life and the real life is handled well, and we are treated to situations that keep our interest.

Lord Steele's charges, Felix and Seth, are the heart of his troubles. Their grandfather, Viscount Benbrook, was his beloved Deidre's father, and after her brother and his wife died, the two boys were sent to London. Reggie is Abigail's ne'er-do-well brother who is behind her secret night activities, and Lucifer Laverty is a member of the London criminal scene, one of the leaders of the dark side of London's underbelly. And an unemployed tutor, Mr. Littlethom, has tried to ingratiate himself with Abigail for nefarious reasons, and his story is perhaps the center of the book.

THE GOVERNESS WEARS SCARLET is a fine historical novel that will appeal to all lovers of the classic English governess novel. If that is your weakness, THE GOVERNESS WEARS SCARLET will fuel your obsession nicely this month.

Carolyn Crisher
Romance Reviews Today

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The Governess Wears Scarlet is an alluring read. The sensual, sexy, and feisty characters dance within the pages.

Cherokee, Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Rating: 4 Cups

Viscount Jason Steele is a gentleman with influential friends and important connections. After years of peddling himself, he finally has a shiny new title, but he still manages to roam the streets, masked, in search of the justice he longs for along the streets of London.

Abigail West desperately needs a job but she cannot allow anyone to know she is related to a fugitive from the law as she wears a widow's costume to gather information on her wayward brother. The alleyway proves unsafe but a masked man comes to her rescue, not only saving her life but heating her heart.

Jason has no idea the lovely woman that comes to his home for the governess job is the same woman he saved in the alleyway. Terrible haunts of another tragedy bother him after the loss of a loved one, and saving a damsel in distress ranks high on his list. That one loss had been enough to haunt him the rest of his days. When Abigail arrives for the governess job, there is something about her that makes him feel emotions he thought were long dead. Abigail really needs the job. She heard the nephews were five and eight, and were orphans. She never thought the viscount would make her feel warm inside. After her episode in the alley, this made two men that made her feel toasty all over. She has no idea the two men are the same. As Abigail begins to care for the boys, it draws her and Jason together. Both carry a secret but once they are exposed, will the budding love they feel for each other turn cold or will peril threaten them both?

The Governess Wears Scarlet is an alluring read. The sensual, sexy, and feisty characters dance within the pages. This is one romantic read that is like a waltz, it makes the reader swoon over an enlightening couple that lures the audience into the center of the action. Sari Robins weaves an interesting story among two different people who carry something in their lives that troubles them. She shows deep in-depth emotions, especially where the nephews are involved. My heart melted when the couple graciously spoke of the nephews as being theirs. With a little blackmail and some well-rounded secondary characters, Ms. Robins fashions not only an intriguing read but one of pure elegance.

Cherokee
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books

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The Governess Wears Scarlet by Sari Robins