Hello, my lovely readers! I have the huge pleasure to be sharing my review of this gorgeous book; The Highborn Housekeeper by Sarah Mallory, I feel I have been waiting for an age for book three in the Saved From Disgrace series; Nancy’s story, but it was well worth the wait, this is so good.

A disgraced lady

Turned lowly housekeeper

Earl’s daughter Nancy turned her back on the aristocracy when she fled a forced marriage, working as a cook and housekeeper. But in nursing an injured man back to health, Nancy uncovers a deep longing for the dangerously attractive Gabriel, and a surprise: he’s working to protect government secrets! She wants to help him. But to do so, Nancy will have to return to the life she once cast aside…

Review

My goodness, this book! The minute I met Nancy in the previous books, I knew she must have a story, there was something intriguing about her, there was a hint of mystery and like a lot of fellow readers, I needed to know her past and to see where her future lay. So, you wouldn’t believe how happy I was when I heard that she was having a story of her own, even though it seems an age since we last delved into this glorious series – or maybe that’s just me, I am very impatient after all. I can happily say that it was well worth the tortuous wait for her HEA, as this is a doozy.

This is book three in the ‘Saved From Disgrace’ series, this can be very easily be read as a stand-a-lone, even though Nancy is from the previous books all you need to know about her part and her history is here for you, but I would highly recommend checking out the others in the series, only because they are just too good not to miss.

This could be my favourite in all of the series, in fact not could be, it definitely is – which seems a bit disloyal to the previous, I’m sure I said the same about those – I love it, the story is ….well, it is beyond my capacity to describe just how good this is, I could say devastating, gorgeous, engaging, thrilling, sizzling chemistry, lies, secrets with a dash of mystery – and that is just the hero….. oh, do not get me started on the hero.

Oh, my word Gabriel, serious sighing is going on here, he is wonderful, Sarah Mallory, what have you done to me? I am a swooning mess after meeting this gorgeous, grumbling, mysterious man with the playful, twinkling eyes. I may be ruined for other heroes for life. Ah, Gabriel, I need more heroes like this in my life…hint, hint, if anyone is reading this!

Well, I best get on with this review, it’s no good me whittling on about a great chest and fine pair of take me to bed eyes, you want to know a wee bit about this book….or maybe I could get away with just babbling on about Gabriel’s….unmentionables 😉

The story opens with Nancy on her way back from London, home to Prospect House where as you will know if you have followed the series is a home for women who are in need. Our Nancy is far more then just a great cook and housekeeper, she is far more then what she appears. This is why I wanted to know her story, she is a fascinating woman. The snow is falling heavily when their party briefly stop at an inn that Nancy comes across a man left for dead in the road – as you do. Even though it is going against her better judgement, after all he could be anyone – he could be a bandit, pirate, rogue who knows….and especially as she is precariously close to the very person she has been running away from all these years, Nancy is a good woman and can’t leave the poor man to die so she bustles him into her carriage, even though he could be a pirate, he definitely has the manners for one.

I really, really like Nancy, she is a real bright spark, I always knew that she had a smart head on her shoulders and that she had a real, genuine caring nature and this book has just enforced what I had already thought of her. She has her own secrets , I love that she is very independent she is proud of the life she has found, even though she tries to act all proper even she can’t resist Gabriel when he is tantalising her…well, she is only human how can she not fall under his spell?

So decamping at his home, to a bemused valet, she starts to nurse the mystery man back to health, which is very funny seeing her take over his house hold as though it were her own. Let us just say once he has woken and regained enough of himself he isn’t too happy about the fact that he is now under the wing of an interfering woman who just so happens to have a great bust beneath her prim widows weeds.

Gabriel is like a lion with a thorn in his paw, he is grouchy, brooding, grumbling but he has been attacked and left for dead and is woken to a busy bee of a women stamping around his house, it’s understandable that he’s a little putout and he wants her gone as soon as possible. But, Gabriel has a secret, a huge reason why he doesn’t want an enchanting woman around the house taking up all his attention. Gabriel’s secret and why he was attacked is a major part of the plot, so I ain’t going to go too deep into that, I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you, let us just say that there is far more to Gabriel then a fine pair of twinkling, cheeky and sexy eyes.

This is just marvellous, the chemistry between Gabriel and Nancy is on fire, from the moment he wakes you can feel the heat coming of the page whenever he looks at her, honestly it’s scorching. There is a real buzz between them, the banter is funny, sexy and real, even the more serious moments is enthused with an underlying ‘take me to bed’ atmosphere. The writing is brilliantly engaging, it takes the reader on a real journey and not just straight to bed. Honestly, this book is gorgeous, from the cover to the words within, I cannot recommend this enough, but I do need more from this series, please! Sarah Mallory, you cannot leave me hanging, I need more of Gabriel and Nancy. 🙂 These two are definitely a new favourite couple, they are just perfect!

This was an Arc copy from the author in exchange for an honest review, thank you Sarah. x

The Highborn Housekeeper is to be released on 27^th June and can be pre-ordered now at Amazon.