By Gabrielle Meyer

The Sound of Music meets The Gilded Age by one of my favorite authors? Sign me up!

When her imprudence with a rogue leads to a high society scandal, Addie Ranier is exiled to England to keep her sister’s pending engagement from being cancelled. Disguised as a governess, Addie is hired by Lord Torrington, a retired naval captain and widower with five children. With no understanding of children or teaching, and having grown up with ladies maids and fashion, Addie struggles to gain her footing and learn her place – especially in a household governed by grief.

As Addie begins to bond with the children, she finds her purpose in life. The world of social engagements and fancy balls no longer interests her. She earns the love and trust of the children – and the admiration of their enigmatic father. Before long, Addie comes to the startling realization that she is falling in love.

But a governess can’t fall in love with her employer – especially when he needs to marry an heiress to save the estate. And when Addie’s past sins follow her to London, not only is her future put at risk, but also the future of the family she always wanted but can never have.

Cons: I had to force myself to put this book down so I could get stuff done. This book will be the enemy of your to-do list.

Pros: I was on the edge of my seat for half of the book. The tension was incredible. Great characters, sweet (not spicy) romance, laugh-out-loud moments, intrigue, and plenty of great nods to my all-time favorite musical: The Sound of Music.

But one thing that really stood out to me was the children. Too often, authors (and screenwriters) stereotype children into one-dimensional characters who only exist for cutesy moments that bring the love interests together. Not so with this book. As a teacher, I loved how each of Lord Torrington’s children were unique, had their own strengths and weaknesses, and learned differently. Addie also settled into her role as the governess and actually taught the children. (If I’m too excited about this angle, it might be because I recently DNF a book where the governess just gallivanted around falling in love instead of actually doing her job.) The attention to reality definitely elevated this book from a romantic retelling to a memorable story.

The Bottom Line: To Educate an Earl just got added to my list of favorite things!