Battling the Bluestocking

The Donovans, Book 3

By: Martha Keyes

Narrated by: Ella Lynch, Rupert Degas

Phineas Donovan is possessed of a sharp intellect. Fresh from Cambridge, he obtains a generous live-in position as tutor for the son of the wealthy Lord Bettencourt. If he can prove his value, he has hopes of being given the patronage of his employer, allowing him to take up a position as vicar. There, he can pursue his intellectual endeavors in peace and relative financial comfort.

In her humble but informed opinion, Lady Sarah Danneville is possessed of an even sharper intellect. If anyone should be tutoring her younger brother, it is she, not the reserved, bespectacled gentleman her father has employed to do the job. He is not fit to instruct a Danneville of Bettencourt. But as Sarah works to undermine him, Mr. Donovan shows more pluck than she expects, not to mention that he harbors a secret hobby that would be laughable if it weren’t so dreadfully unsophisticated. If she can use this secret against him, she can finally persuade her father she is more than bait to lure a prosperous match. Now, if only she can avoid being drawn into the dearth of sophistication—and Mr. Donovan’s eyes—herself.

Battling the Bluestocking is the third in Martha Keyes's The Donovans regency-set romance series. Each book can be treated as a standalone.

©2023 Martha Keyes (P)2023 Dreamscape Media

What a surprise

My initial reaction was indifference because of the pranks and children being my least favorite trope in regencies. However, this was not a typical handling of them. I’m glad I stuck with it because, very quickly, the book took a more interesting turn, the characters grew, and the storyline turned out to be what I was expecting but actually not what I was expecting. There are some real glimpses of astuteness about human nature and some well written pieces of subtle dialog toward the end.

Slower start and delightful last half

I love the humor of such creativeness, from all of the 3 main characters, how love conquers near the end and very end is redeeming. I am really enjoying this series, and this author!

Beautifully written!

Listening to this story was a delight! I appreciated the many laughs and enjoyable word play. Well done!!

Dreams change

This is the final story in the series. It is about Phineas and Sarah. They both have ideas of what paths they want to follow. As they get to know one another they both realize that maybe they each want something more.
I really enjoyed this story. I definitely recommend it. The narrators were great. I loved that there was a male and female narrator.

Excellent audio version of a great book!

I loved the two voice actors. They brought the story to life. I can't think of anything I would change.