Lord St. Claire's Angel

My first book by this author. It was not the best story I ever read, but it was good. As other reviewers said, the story is more realistic then your standard romance. Most of the story takes place in the main character's heads. They discuss how they are thinking and feeling emotionally. She is not perfect outside & he is not perfect inside, but they both become better together which is really what love is about. The supporting chsracters are just okay - this is really a story about St Claire & his angel.

A nice sweet romance. Not one I'll tell my friends they have to read, but nice enough.

Good

This was a lovely historical romance of pain, hope, love, joy, finding and last but not least uncovering. I would put this more in the Christian type romance. You won’t find steamy love scenes or sex what you find is a truly lovely read that filled with passion and hope. The heroine, Celestine isn't beautiful on the outside she doesn't have money or a title. What she does have is compassion that fills her up with beauty on the inside. This makes this a wonderful read and fills you with an awwww and peace at the end of the book. Celestine never thinks she will find love she feels she is to plain even ugly. When her father dies she has little or no money even though her aunt wants to take care of her and set her up she said no. She wants to stand on her own two feet. She feels she will never marry and never have children of her own. She feels the best way to feel her need for a child is to be a governess. Her employer hired her because she is friends with her aunt and feels her plainness will have no possible interest to her brother-in-law who comes to visit. Lord St. Claire is a handsome rake who flirts with all her past governess and she is quite tired of firing them. She feels that St. Claire will leave Celestine alone and she will not have to hunt for a new one. Celestine over hears the talk and is deeply hurt. She plans to stay as far away from St. Claire as she can, but life gets in the way and has other plans for her. Lord St. Claire is indeed a rake he loves them and leaves them no women will trap him in the marriage game. After seeing the plain Celestine and having a talk with his sister-in-law is not happy that she has put him in his place. He doesn't like that she has the upper hand he decides that he will still flirt with the plain almost ugly governess to get back at his sister-in-law. He finds this isn't an easy task for Celestine will have nothing to do with him. She isn't interested in neither his title nor his money, looks like he has his work cut out for him. I enjoyed this book because it is believable and could be you or me back in time. It is a lovely clean read which will take you to another place and time. I found this book to be easy on your mind as you flow through the easy style of writing the author has written. You will find passion, disagreement along with love that blooms and reminds us there is more to life then looks but to look deeper at the inside. It is true never judge a book by its cover.

I have read this story and have been so happy i did The characters and the theme were beyond my expectations

LORD ST. CLAIRE'S ANGEL by Donna Lea Simpson is an exciting Regency Historical Romance. #5 in the "Classic Regency Romance" series, but can be read as a stand alone. *A Re-release* Meet Celestine Simons, a lady of good bred but forced to work, due to funds, as the governess of Lord Langlow and his wife. And Lord Langlow's scandalous brother, Lord St. Claire Richmond. He is a rogue of the first water and a seducer of many a woman. While, Celestine is either beautiful or rich, but considered plain, and comely, she is intelligent, older than most young women, smart, and witty. Oh and a challenge for St. Claire! But what St. Claire soon learns is Celestine is more than expected. She is what he wants. Follow passion, love and a sweet romance as these two unlikely couple learn to deal with their feelings. If you enjoy classic Regency as Miss Jane Austen wrote it, than this is a story for you to pick up, I promise you will not regret your choice. Fast paced and filled with learning about yourself as well as falling in love with more than seduction but with life. A wonderful tale of a notorious nobleman and an older governess. Not some debutante. I enjoyed this story! Received for an honest review from the publisher and Net Galley. RATING; 4 HEAT RATING: MILD REVIEWED BY: AprilR, courtesy of My Book Addiction and More

A Myrt's Review: A New Look at a Familiar Genre This is a wonderful take on the popular storyline of the plain governess and the handsome nobleman. If you want to read a Regency romance with some weight to it instead of going through the standard plot lines of the genre than get this book. The lead characters are drawn with a realism that goes beyond the usual stereotypes. This includes letting the hero, St. Claire be very unlikable for a large part of the story and lets the heroine, Celestine, occasionally verge on martyrdom. What draws you to them is realizing how the era they live in plays such a part in who they are and watching as their developing love for each other inspires them to be more than they thought they were capable of. St. Claire doesn't have a dark secret or wounded psyche hiding behind his rakish ways. He is a wealthy second son, his brother is the Marquise and has two young sons. At 32, St. Claire has never been responsible for anything or anyone. He is not a fool or a wastrel but he's made a lifestyle of having a good time, particularly with women, which is why his snobbish sister-in-law has hired Celestine several months earlier as a preemptive strike against her brother-in-law's usual flirtations with her staff when he visits at Christmas. Celestine is genuinely plain, (not just a hidden beauty waiting to be revealed) and her hands are gnarled with the severe arthritis she has suffered from since childhood. From a good family, the death of her father leaving her penniless but refusing the help of her wealthy aunt, Celestine takes the position of governess with a friend of her aunt's because she is determined to earn her own way in the world while being useful to others. She has no experience or interest in the superficial upper level Polite Society of the time. She loves working with children and at 28, Celestine sees this as the only way she'll ever have the chance to be near children as she has long ago realized her age, looks, health and lack of fortune will most certainly add up to spinsterhood for her. Still Celestine is intelligent, generous, open and has a positive attitude towards those around her. She refuses to dwell on the negatives of her life and finds happiness in the children she cares for and participating in life in the local village. When the two first meet it is not love or hate at first sight. St. Claire realizes the plain little governess has been put in place by his sister-in-law and is determined to ruin her scheme by starting a flirtation with Celestine anyway obnoxiously rationalizing that a few kisses from a handsome lord like himself will brighten the years of spinsterhood ahead for her. Celestine, however, is aware of her employer's intent and while finding St. Claire quite handsome has no intention of losing a job she loves for his amusement. The story steps up as after hearing Celestine's angelic singing voice during a choir practice, St. Claire finds himself unusually moved by the beauty of her voice and in her spirit and begins to question himself and how he leads his life. The more he gets to know Celestine, the more he, unknowingly, is falling in love with her. The reader gets to go along with St. Claire as he finally starts to grow up and learn to think of someone else's comfort and happiness besides his own. Love truly makes him a better man. Celestine is not unaffected either. We cheer her on as her own self confidence builds and she stands up for herself, physically as well as verbally. It is a joy to watch Celestine stop being a shrinking violet and learn to broaden her own horizons by broadening her own expectations of what she is deserving of. The story and characters are so well written and strong that it has the reader wondering how these two characters so far apart in every way can realistically overcome themselves as well as Society mores to be together. Yet, the author manages to show each of them changing for the better through their feelings for the other even when they aren't ready to admit the depth of their feelings even to themselves. This is definitely worth reading for a change of pace in a often duplicated genre. I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoy reading Donna' s books. She writes interesting story lines. She also has good knowledge of historical facts. Then she comes up with ways around them. This story had me all wound up. Celestine was from the Gentry and refused an aunt's help when her father died. She became a nobody when she gets a job as a governess. A governess is not a servant and not part of the Ton. She is in a state of limbo. Then St Claire decides she needs a fling to remember when she becomes a spinster on the shelf. It was hard in some parts when his past is about to ruin his future. Try this book and see how he gets his Angel after all.

Needed an epilogue.  Otherwise, this was a clean romance.