Review: Housekeeper Turned Companion Turned Countess  **3 1/2 Stars**
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2014
I really liked this novella.  The romance between Gregory and Caroline is extremely satisfying, and I loved their interactions with one another.  Gregory is always so caring and gentle with Caroline; it was a joy to read.  Gregory is a Scottish Earl--at least he's Scottish and an Earl, although we aren't told that his title is a Scottish one, and he does live in England, so...  In any event, Caroline has been Gregory's housekeeper for almost three years.  In that time she has grown to love him; and he is quite fascinated with her, though of course neither acts on their feelings.Directly after the story begins, Caroline is attacked within Gregory's London townhouse.  He arrives in the knick of time to save her life.  After this monumental occurrence, the relationship between Gregory and Caroline begins to change.  Gregory is worried about the association his sister has with some questionable characters--not the least of which is the Gypsy Mr. Pike, who is responsible for bringing Caroline's attacker into Gregory's home.In an effort to curb his sister's wayward ways, Gregory strikes a bargain with her, one part of which is that she partake of a London season.  He then promotes Caroline to the position of his sister's companion, and from there the story very quickly progresses to the HEA.  Caroline has a bit of a tragic past.  She was seriously hurt by a man and her reputation ruined.  Caroline still lives with the shame and is convinced that a family of her own is an unreachable goal for her.As satisfying as the romance between Gregory and Caroline was; however, I was not completely happy with the book's conclusion.  When the story ended I was left hanging as to a couple of other aspects of the story.  For one thing, the fascination Gregory's sister seems to have for the purportedly shady Mr. Pike, was dangled like a carrot before my eyes for most of the book, only to be left hanging in the wind by the time the story ends.  Maybe there is another book out there, or in the works, that addresses Lady Anne's possible future with Mr. Pike?  I don't know, and quite frankly I'm too lazy to investigate.There is also the aspect that deals with the man who ten years previous hurt Caroline, even going so far as to carve his initials in her chest.  When Caroline finally confesses her past to Gregory, he is hell bent on getting justice for her, but she wants no part of it and so the matter is just dropped...or so it seems.  At least for this part of the story I think there will ultimately be a conclusion, as I believe that that man is the villain in Ms. Lee's follow up full-length novelWhat the Groom Wants, which is the story of Caroline's brother, Radley, and her best friend, Wendy, both of whom are mentioned in this book (although we do not meet them.)So, bottom line I really enjoyed this story.  The romance was excellent, but my overall satisfaction was diminished by the storylines that were left without conclusions.  Hence for me this was a 3 1/2 star read.  FYI, this is not a clean romance.  There is a love scene, although IMO it's not overly graphic.  Furthermore, the word c**k is used to described a man's organ, but other than that there is no crude language used.  BTW I'm not sure of the exact time period in which this story is set--maybe I missed something--but it feels a little later than the regency period; maybe the Victorian era, but that's just a guess. Happy reading!