From Waif to Gentleman's Wife
After being unfairly discharged from her job as governess, a practically penniless Joanna Merrill sets off for Blenhem Hill, where her brother Greville works as estate manager. But when she finally arrives at the estate, she is shocked to discover that her brother’s employment has been terminated, and a new estate manager, Ned Greaves, is in charge. After mistaking Joanna for a woman of dubious reputation, Ned intends to send her packing, but once he realizes Joanna really is the lady she claims to be, he offers her a job instead. With few other options open to her, Joanna accepts Ned’s offer, but their working relationship quickly becomes complicated once Joanna realizes she is falling in love with her new employer. Justiss not only sets her expertly crafted story in the English countryside in the midst of industrialization but she also authentically portrays ordinary people, whose lives do not center around the ton, thus giving this Regency historical a delightfully different twist. --John Charles