A Passing Fancy

Generations of Love #10

by M.A. Nichols

Friendship may blossom. Feelings may stir. But is it two lonely souls seeking companionship? Or perhaps something more?

When Silas Byrnes married, he wasn’t expecting a happy ending for him and his wife. Theirs was a union of duty and not love, but fourteen years of marriage had been a misery for them both. Luckily the navy rarely allowed him time ashore. Now widowed, Silas has no choice but to return to a house that doesn’t feel like home and reclaim his children, who are determined to hate him as their mother did.

With a new business to start and his household in an uproar, Silas needs an ally to help him navigate the mess his life has become, and his children’s governess might just fit the bill. If only the lady wasn’t so determined to keep him at arm’s length.

Judith Delmonte knows her place. A governess must remain aloof and guarded around her employers, for though she works with the family, she is not one of them. Nor does she belong among the servants’ ranks. Neither fish nor fowl, as they say. A solitary life, but one for which Judith is grateful. Better to earn her keep than live off her aunt and uncle’s charity.

When a lady is unfortunate to be poor and plain, there is no other choice for her. Spinsterhood is not such a terrible thing if one can provide for oneself.

Yet she cannot keep her heart in check when faced with the struggling widower determined to win his children’s affection. They say love conquers all, but Judith knows a man’s affection cannot see past surface attractions or social divide.

Or can it?

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Victorian, Historical, Historical Fiction, Clean Romance, Audiobook

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2021

About the author

Born and raised in Anchorage, M.A. Nichols is a lifelong Alaskan, though she briefly ventured south to get a fancy bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree from Utah State University—neither of which had anything to do with why she became an author, but they kept her alive while launching her publishing career.

As a child she despised reading, but thanks to her mother’s love and persistence, she saw the error of her ways and developed a deep and abiding obsession with books. Currently, she writes sweet historical romance and fantasy, but as a lover of many genres, she plans to explore more in the future.

Reviews

[HR-ML · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old-fashioned, kisses only Victorian romance
(Portsmouth, England, Spring 1839.) Of an older,
lonely couple: he was 43 & she 40. 4 stars from
me. Parts witty, parts sad, as in life.

Silas was Royal Navy for most of his life. His (MOC)
wife died 6 months ago. He became reacquainted w/
his 4 kids ranging in age from nearly 3 to 12. He &
fellow Navy Lt., Jonathan "Hatch" Hatcher, resigned
from the Navy & went into an import business
together in Portsmouth.

Judith moved in w/ her genteel aunt and uncle & cousin
Chloe upon the death of her parents. She was smitten w/
Martin but he wed Chloe. She never shared her heart-
ache of Martin w/ anyone. Now she'd been a governess
for nearly 20 years. Would her money last in retirement?
What if she became infirm? She knew herself to be plain,
therefore none of her male employers tried to importune
her. She made an obligatory annual visit to aunt & uncle
(who never showed affection) & also Chloe.

Silas had a rocky time w/ his 8 year old dtr Helen who
acted 'a mother hen' guarding her 2 younger sibs. She
resented that her sire chose the sea over his kids. Silas
& SIL Ruth (late wife's sis) had a hard time being civil
to each other. Silas found his governess Judith to be
"buttoned down" but also had spirit. He enjoyed convos
w/ her. They kissed & then she withdrew emotionally.

My favorite scenes? when Judith played referee between
Silas and Ruth over the future of his eldest son, Felix.
when it dawned on Judith that Silas really was in love
with her.

Ms author: can 'Hatch" have his own story?

[Tayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had this on my to-read for ages but actually missed the release date, so I was absolutely delighted to see it was out.

I can't really say much about this that I haven't already said with other books by Nichols. She nails grounded, emotionally moving stories in a way I've rarely seen done.

In this, Judith is a governess whose skills are put to the test when a widower (Silas) returns from sea to be with his children following the passing of their mother. In this book, the growth arc was all Silas's, as he grapples with fatherhood.

Again not much to say, except I thoroughly enjoyed this. Silas's flaws were displayed to an appropriate extent that felt grounded while also not making me hate him. The children behaved like children. And Judith was wonderful. I found myself think how difficult it must be to write a character who's not strictly on a growth arc without making them seem unrealistic. Judith was great with handling the relationships in her life (be it the children, or Silas) but she still felt incredibly real. Her stresses about what her future would hold and her clear yearning for love and acceptance also resonated.

I'm a staunch Nichols fan and I rarely read an installment I don't absolutely love.

[Space Cowgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

She's a Convenient Wife👰

SWEET Historical Victorian Romance💕

A wealthy widowed business man with three small children needs a wife. His governess is the perfect person for the job, but He definitely doesn't have a way with words, so he bungles his proposal. She wants love, not a marriage of convenience 👰or a business proposal! Are his chances completely ruined?

I disliked most of this novel and found nothing romantic about it until the very end. It was boring most of the way through.

[Carol Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highlighted so many things in this novel. I feel that I have taken a peek into the life of my single sisters. I love that Judith has such a positive attitude. I would hope to be like her if I were in her place. I like that Silas never once calls her "ugly, homely, or wallflower." While she starts as unremarkable in his sight, she soon becomes essential. If Silas weren't such a nice man - who tries to right his wrongs - I would say he wasn't good enough for her. Good read!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked that the MCs were older and I loved how practical Judith was. I love that all she really wanted was to be loved and she would not settle even for comfort and security. Kisses only.

[S Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
Sweet story but I wished the HEA were longer or had an epilogue like in some of her other books. After all her patience and heartbreak, the readers deserved a longer awwwww moment.

[Mlsco41 Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful story. I adored this book!

Judith, a plain 40 year old governess in the home of a widower and absentee father, just coming hone from months at sea. Silas' wife has died while he was at sea, and he comes home to children in grief, a new company to run, and hostile in laws. The one person he comes to trust is the stable, cool and calm Judith. This is a beautiful love story of a man that sees beauty where none have before. The problem is that she doesn't believe it is real, just a way to get a wife to bring stability to his home. Can he convince her his feelings are real?

[Vonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am assured by most reviews here that what gets lost is just how rare this kind of pairing is, and I don't mean character status in society. You can make a huge pile of Governess/Single Father books, but can you also do the same for their age range? Uh, that answer would be a resounding "no".

This is what separates Nichols from most, and it is what sets each book, w/striking characters within, apart from all else. No one else is paying attention to a genuine Spinster at 40, because everyone thinks 25-28yrs makes the most sense, barely scraping 30.

Why can't there be a legitimate 40yr old heroine who is closer in age to the Hero? Embrace the maturity, ya' know. Never be afraid to consider that a woman's worth should never be debated over because by the time she's beyond 30 then she's out to pasture. Or not even worth the Hero's time. As if every 30+yr old woman in the 19th century becomes less than their youthful counterparts because they might become less sexually comparable...and I mean attractive, sexually, to a viable male.

I love that Nichols never backs down in throwing a curveball, then adventuring full gangbusters. As a 40-something (closer to 50) HR reader, I get dogmatic about the issue of wondering what happened to all the 40-somethings? Did they die off in a silent plague? Succumb to decades of loneliness and massive droughts in companionship? Why do all my heroines have to be Spinsters of a certain age?

Also, I feel like I must commend Nichols for never letting me down when it comes to a genuine sensitive touch as we arrive at the Hero and heroine meeting. First or fifth, do sparks ALWAYS have to fly in 0.03sec from the initial meeting, or a single touch? Can we not have a bit of faith that true love has a depth bearing on companionship and friendship over time? That lust is such a small part of any happy end result?

I love that Silas never "sees" Judith, at first, though it pains her to have been invisible, yet again. Not because he is her employer or she is beneath him. But what actually happens in real world scenarios when there are so many more times a person will overlook appearances because they don't think 24/7 w/ their lustful urges. Not ALL women in a tiny radius around a man will be "seen". Of course it hurts; no one likes being ignored but it tends to be a real world fact.

What you also begin to realize is that Silas finds getting under Judith's skirts less important than repairing the damage with his 4 children. He knows and understands he has umpteen years to catch up on, especially when his wife had the same exact time he was absent to skew his character before she passed on. Dude knows he did some bad, questionable things, made some selfish decisions, and what he is faced with now are the consequences of making those choices, and never looking at the bigger, broader picture.

Judith is the EXACT human he needs to see that neglect and thinking you are "doing what is best", for those around you, may not be true. A 40yr old woman has a saturated life experience no 28yr old Governess could teach him. Plus, she has a better grip on gumption than a younger woman would. She wouldn't be too afraid to tell the Hero his flaws and faults, making sure he knew when idiocy entered the conversation.

I am a reader who trusts the process of a seasoned duo building a relationship. I have also read enough of Nichols's books to know she won't take you down a typical path, nor pull the rug out from under you.

The slow burn is there for a reason and the payoffs are there where they belong, if a reader is inclined in the belief that some Romances don't need to be erotic or lustful to be of worthy quality. It's why I sometimes run, not walk, toward her offerings. She has never let me down, not once. She might be one of the only authors I read where I open my mind from Chapter One and allow her to take me on a journey with no expectations because whatever is chosen is exactly what was supposed to happen. I believe in her process, the stories she unfolds and the rich, vibrant characters she situates from the on-set.

Honestly, I was shaky at the start. This is a ME problem (a reading slump) not a Nichols's/her book's problem. I gently had to remind myself there was a reason I set aside and savor these ones, and as the chapters went on, I began to settle into that old routine of just trusting what unfolded before me as I read.

I agreed with a review here that said...Silas, our Hero, was the one who needed to grow, not Judith, and no truer words were said. I think the only growing or shifting she had to do was lower her internal walls and fathom she was beautiful and lovable.

Silas had to shift gears, in a massive way. This is a man who has lived a naval life aboard a ship with only men around him. He is thrust back home when his wife dies, and now he is faced with the fact that, when he made sure he was nowhere near a wife who didn't love him, he was also silently speaking endlessly to his own children. An older son, who was tucked into a private school, a daughter who was raised as her Mama's shadow, then two younger siblings who still feel the raw pain of loss and changes but who aren't immersed so much in real drama and angst.

It's kind of telling that Silas has to gain land legs over sea legs but it becomes a heavier metaphor when you realize he has to relearn how to be human...a father, a single parent to four children.

Judith has not been in Silas's household long, but she has 20yrs of experience of this exact scenario. Being the nurterer when one is absent. But also being the only one who is a consummate child whisperer. It is what draws Silas into Judith's path. It is also what eventually makes him see her worth, her true self. But most assuredly, this causes him to wonder if marriage to her would help him with his children, but also distract him from his painful loneliness, the aching quiet.

Silas bumbled around ALOT through the book, but what I loved about him was he never gave up, especially with his daughter, Helen. Silas was adamant his prior life choices were needed, and when choice was taken from him (his wife dying), coming back home meant facing responsibility and being on land, parenting for the first time. Making up for lost time.

I loved Judith for her strength and maturity. You begin to understand why she appears like such a cool customer to her employers yet a Mama bear when it comes to children. You feel her pain at continual losses--not having a family of her own. You ache for her when she reveals that some employers are grateful with a "plain-looking" Governess in the home because it means a husband won't stray, and she has been told this to her face.

I also liked that as a 40yr old woman Judith would settle for nothing less than her own identity, her genuine self worth...not because she could take care her charges as a mother...and also Love. She wants love of her own. She wants to be loved in her own right and she deserves it, and so much more.

I loved the gradual stepping stones it took for Silas to gain ground, in every aspect of his life...from learning to cope with Helen, learning to respect Deborah's memory...letting go of anger at Ruth, his sister-in-law...and ultimately, learning and experiencing what it meant to fall in love with Judith. Certainly when she left, then came back and tended to him being so deeply ill with fever.

What I loved even more was that Ruth...Deborah's sister and a longtime nemesis of Silas...got a redemption arc. She becomes useful and decent later in the book, when it was sincerely needed. I like when Big Baddies don't remain as such in Nichols's stories. That not all people bad at the start stay that way, that we are complex creatures who have worth and can be better, do better.

The other mention I want to make is the children in this book are written wonderfully. From Griffin, who does something so unforgivable to Judith, yet, man...the entire storyline of this moment needs to applauded for the way Silas and Judith both handled themselves, but also treated this little man as if he were an adult suffering real consequences. Whew! It could've been done terribly, but with Nichols, one always expects the unexpected...and be prepared to shed a few tears while your heart gets ripped apart. Then to Helen, who is the standout child, in actuality, because she could be written off as bratty but her tantrums come from truth, real heartbreak. Even with Felix, the oldest of them who we barely see, yet who is grand fodder for awhile before he comes home. He feels like such a strong young man even at 12. And forgive me...there is a "baby" sister, whose name I forget (it begins w/an "L"--Louisa?), I just know she likes her sweets way too much, and her Papa forgets too often.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILERS!

The author's stories are always engaging. The characters are well-developed, and complex emotional and psychological issues are realistically explained. Her stories usually involve female characters who are not classically beautiful: either plump or skinny or plain or destitute, or combination of them. In this case, the heroine is 40-years-old and has been a governess for nearly half her life. Orphaned at five, she grow up with her aunt and uncle and cousin, never feeling that she really belonged. As a governess, she was neither a part of the family, nor one of the servants, always in between, never belonging.

She is governess to the three children of Lieutenant Silas Barnes, whom she has never met. The eldest son is away at school. Their mother recently died, and Mr. Barnes has retired from the navy and started a business with his partner, Hatch (who figures 9 years later in another book). Silas's marriage was a marriage of convenience which was contentious throughout their 14 years together. The children and their governess have been staying with their mother's sister while waiting for their father to return. His sister-in-law also holds him in contempt, and it takes Miss Judith Delmonte to sort it all out eventually.

Silas has to fight to win the trust and affection of his children. He was gone for long stretches of time and they don't know him all, especially 8-year-old Helen. Miss Delmonte is a great help to him with the children, helping to slowly ease their relationship into one of mutual affection.

He proposes to her, but she has experienced such proposals in the past. She's convenient, she's good with the children, she helps out a lot. None of these proposals were made out of love for her, and she craves being desired for once in her life. After a trip sorting out the problems associated with the death of her cousin, Chloe, and receiving yet another such proposal from Chloe's husband (they had nine children!), Judith rejects him and returns to find Silas deathly ill. He survives and tries to subtly court her and convince her that he truly loves her and, eventually, he succeeds.

While very well-written, there are always many errors in Ms Nichols' books, mostly missing words and grammatical errors. Still, it's 5 stars. I was completely caught up in the story. And the watercolor cover is lovely.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silas Burns returns home from the sea because his wife has passed away. He and his wife never got along, so he was never home long. So his children don't know him.

And yes, this book is the romance of Judith, the governess of his children and Silas, but it is so much more than that. Silas has to earn the affection of all of his children. Little Griffin and Lee are easily bought with sweets. Helen, who is the oldest at home, is her momma's little girl through and through. She has heard her mother's opinion of Silas, and now, as her aunt has had them until Silas could get home, she has heard that bad opinion as well. So Helen is as hard won as Judith. Honestly, harder. Judith loved him from day one,but thought she didn't think any man could actually love her. Helen was so angry with her father. She scolds him when he gives the little ones too many sweets.
Honestly, Helen is my favorite character in the book. When the moment comes that I thought, " Oh, this is when Judith finally believes Silas," it is actually the moment Helen tells him that she loves him. It made me cry happy tears.

Now, back to the romance. Judith is just so smart. She runs things so smoothly. She helps Silas to gain the affection, trust, and respect of his children. She scolds him when he needs it. She opens his eyes to things he refuses to see. He loves her before he even knows he does. And he nearly ruins it.

When her cousin dies in childbirth and she goes to help the cousin's husband with their eight kids, she is in the same situation. Said husband was her first love, though he had no idea. She goes there and fixes the children and the father. I was like, well, heck, I like both of these situations. Both of these men are pretty special. And yes, Martin says something stupid, but honestly, he could have come back from that easily, and they could have fallen in love too.

But thankfully, Judith goes back to the Burns household, and with time and a lot of work ( and flowers), Silas proves his suit.

I really hope M.A. Nichols writes a story that is part of this one someday. Any of the children or the cousin 's husband would be great. I just love them all so much.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally, Ms. Nichol's stories are powerful examinations of the growth in people's souls and psyches. This one is not such a soul-searching tale. It is interesting, just not as deeply contemplative as many of her other books. This is a much more light-hearted tale.

Silas Byrnes has returned from the sea after many years. He is accompanied by a twenty-four year old man who will be his partner in their new enterprise. However, Silas must take over the care of his four children, who barely remember him. Silas' wife died while he was away.

Silas and his wife were not particularly compatible, which was why Silas stayed aboard so long. His wife's sister and brother-in-law are hostile towards him, even though they kept the children with them until Silas could arrive. Judith Delamonte is the children's' governess and she is wise beyond her years. She is instrumental in teaching Silas how to navigate the difficult road to happiness with his children.

Silas asks Judith to marry him soon after he arrives home. She thinks it is a 'passing fancy' and Silas will soon come to his senses and want to marry someone else. This is the basis of the story.

[☽ Rhiannon ✭ Mistwalker ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

For once, I did not resent the children taking up significant page count! Maybe because they are an important factor in the protagonists’ relationship. Or maybe cuz the heroine’s insecurity is bound up in her being solely perceived as the role she plays? I dunno, either way, I wasn’t annoyed that the kids are a big part of the plot, even if I’m not really interested in them. Random observation: there are a LOT of dead moms in this book! Be prepared with tissues. I would have liked an epilogue, and I would have liked for her cousin’s husband to have to contend with how he treated her. I don’t care if he didn’t mean to hurt her, he viewed her as sexless and that’s shitty. I would have liked an epilogue and also some sex, but Nichols is squeaky clean and I knew that going in. Also, hooray for an ACTUALLY spinster-aged heroine! He’s 43 I think, she’s 40.

[Kim Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most touching.

Though the trope of the governess and the master is alive and well, this is a most original take on the genre. For one thing, the Heroine is older. For another, the man who eventually wins her heart is fallible and very human, whilst the setting is decidedly middle class, light years away from lovelorn dukes and earls. And the extended family itself is fractured and grieving. So the matters of the heart are many. Fathers and daughters, spiteful in-laws, and at the heart of it, the loneliness of the soul that yearns for love. The characters are beautifully drawn and the writing is good, but the text could do with a vacuuming to clean up the odd misspelling, e.g. “bare” where it should read “bear” and a word missing from a sentence here and there. Highly recommended.

[Carôle Ceres · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m very grateful to M. A. Nichols for making her unabridged audiobooks available on YouTube. They are of the same high quality as the Audible audiobooks, in fact, they are the same.

I haven’t worked out where this couple fit in the story timeline, as this is set in the Victorian, not Regency era. I may have missed a couple of stories in between, but that’s ok, this is a perfectly rounded standalone story.

Judith has a dilemma. She’s a governess with standards, who is an extremely capable educator, housekeeper, companion, communicator and friend. Perfect wife material. But she wants the men who are drawn to propose to her, to want her for herself

A good story and an interesting journey. Excellent narrator. The conclusion dragged a bit for me, so this is more of a strong 3½ stars, rather than a 4!

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Portsmouth, 1839. Silas Byrnes returns from a more than twenty year career as a merchant marine officer to start his owner trading company and take up his responsibilities to raise his four children after their mother dies. Getting used to livig on land is nothing compared to trying to earn the trust of his three youngest children. With the help of the children's governess, progress is being made despite the intereference of his dead wife's sister. The story here, though, is as much about the developing friendship between the master and the governess, both lonely people fast approaching forty. Nichols characters are well drawn, but neither the setting nor the plot are well-developed. Individual scenes often work well, but the story as a whole drags. That being said, I did stick around to see how the two main characters worked out their issues.

[Christiane Robillard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderfully moving story

I loved this book. I’ve read many stories about governesses but I found this book delves deeper into their lives and the struggles they encounter. The characters are so achingly imperfect and so real. It was impossible not to feel pain for the main female character. I wanted to cry with her, and finally, to rejoice with her. The dialogue was enjoyable and entertaining. The writing was exceptional, inviting the reader to experience the emotions felt by the characters: the pain of rejection, of hopelessness, of despair, of love and joy. This is a book truly worth reading and I highly recommend it.

[Simo · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I started I found interesting than the h is a 40 year old governess, definitely unusual. But then, enter the H, the most clueless man of them all! Unable to keep a leash on his temper, incapable of understanding how his words and actions would affect others, especially his children, totally lacking empathy. You know, this sound as a description of a sociopath!!! It was impossible for me to like him, but really baffles me is why the h falls in love with him! The only thing she keeps thinking is how attractive she finds him... Not enough, girl!

[Diane Horne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Pressing Fancy By M.A. Nichols

Five stars , long story good book.. But Judith, the governess was a godsend in any household..Silas coming home after being in the navy, needed help in getting to know his children.. Judith not only got him to bond with his children, he fell for her too.. But the problem was Judith thought no man would want her for just love.. Silas had to prove her wrong.. Good ending.

[Lazy Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot

Nice to have a good plot. I enjoyed the story,unfortunately it was about 50 pages too long. Also it took forever for the heroine to finally believe the hero loved her. Way too long. She was represented as an intelligent woman with much common sense, yet it took so much to convince her she could be loved?

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable read by this author

Very nice story. I think the h had a wonderful strength of character. The writing was solid and able to evoke emotion and empathy. The story is layered as well as the characters. I've never been disappointed by a book from this author & she is an auto read for me.

[Hannah Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't my favorite though still enjoyable to listen to.

I liked Silas and of course, Hatcher. But Judith seemed to rub me the wrong way with her constant self-pitying. And I felt bad for Silas and the way everyone was constantly finding fault with everything he did, treating him as if he was stupid. So yeah, not my favorite, but still a sweet romance overall.

I listened to the audio.

[Dystopian Mayhem · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reminded me of Sound of Music, the philosophical introduction at the beginning of each chapter was interesting and meaningful. It’s remarkable how the author used a kissing scene to show the difference between romance and physical attraction, and that’s is what other authors can’t seem to differentiate in nowadays romance books.

[Aimee Blackard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story!

This was such a good book! I loved it! I have enjoyed all the Victorian Love books and this was no exception! I always enjoy a story that includes characters from other books written by the author! M.A. Nichols is one of the best!

[Dorothy R. Till · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

Silas and Judith are a wonderful couple, the best I have read lately. They are not your regular young people finding love, but two wonderful mature people who deserve the love they found. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Jo Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very inspiring. It made me pause so many times and think about life and how we often ignore those people in our life we thought is not important but in actuality they helped shape us into what we are today.

[M.A. Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had so much fun writing this book!

[Niki Farkas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

This just a wonderful story and one of all-time favorites! Just wonderful! I am a big fan of Ms.Nichols and this is one of her best! Heartwarming and genuine!

[Crudelise · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was just not rooting for them ...

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story like all of M.A. Nichols' books.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet read

A sweet read of a story showing how a governess to a widower’s children finds her happy ending despite hoer doubts and misunderstandings before she realizes it