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A Passing Fancy

By MA Nichols
KINDLE UNLIMITED
AUDIOBOOK
Level 1 Intimacy
No Innuendo
Zero Swearing
Zero Violence
Adult
No LGBTQ Content

Trigger Warnings

None

Book Details

Genre

Historical Romance

Publisher

Self Published

Series

Standalone

Book #

Point of View

Dual First Person

Length

Novel
boss employeegovernesshistorical settinglater in lifesingle dadslow burnsmall townvictorianwidower

Found a trope you love? → Tap it to explore more ❤️

Audiobook Details

Narrators

Madeleine Brolly

Narration Type

Single

Synopsis

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?

Where to Read

Amazon

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Audible
Youtube

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KINDLE UNLIMITED
AUDIOBOOK
Amazon

*Affiliate link — I may earn a commission*

Audible
Youtube

A Passing Fancy

By MA Nichols

Genre

Historical Romance

Publisher

Self Published

Series

Standalone

Point of View

Dual First Person

Length

Novel

Narrator(s)

Madeleine Brolly

Narration Type

Single
boss employeegovernesshistorical settinglater in lifesingle dadslow burnsmall townvictorianwidower

Found a trope you love? → Tap it to explore more ❤️

Content Guide

This guide helps readers understand the content of this book.
Click the ⓘ icons to see how each level is defined.

Level 1 Intimacy
No Innuendo
Zero Swearing
Zero Violence
Adult
No LGBTQ Content

Trigger Warnings

None

Synopsis

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?

Reader Reviews

Have you read this book? Help other readers by leaving a review.

No reader reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Leave a Review

Reviews help other readers know what to expect from a book.
Please avoid spoilers and be respectful in your review.

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Find Your Next Closed Door Romance

Stop guessing — find books that actually match your preferences
Filter by intimacy level, tropes, and more in seconds

Find books you'll love

2700+ books • Filter by exact content levels • Built for closed door readers

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Physical Intimacy Levels

Level 1

  • Holding hands or affectionate touching
  • Compliments or confessing love
  • Low-description kissing
  • Tender embraces or cuddling
  • Blushing and sighing
  • Non-descriptive discussions of sex
  • Established relationships
  • Fade to black if married
  • Any sexual encounters are only referred to from the past, not described or shown on page
 

Level 2

  • Touch that signals attraction
  • No touching in the underwear zone
  • Long kisses, lightly descriptive
  • Deeper kisses, tongue implied but not described
  • Feeling warm or flushed
  • Gasping, deep sighs, light growls or groans
  • Thinking or speaking about desire in a non-descriptive way
  • Fade to black for established relationships after a scene that matches this level, though this may be unpopular if they are not married
 

Level 3

 

  • Hands moving, still not in the underwear zone
  • French kissing with tongue described
  • Make-out sessions that still follow these guidelines
  • Feeling hot or sweaty
  • Heavier gasping, groaning, deep growls, or panting
  • More frantic moments and some loss of control
  • Male shirt may come off, but nothing else
  • Leg may straddle waist, but no mention of arousal
  • If characters lie down together, there should be little description of contact or movement
  • May happen in a bedroom or on a bed, but should be interrupted or end with a fade to black scene
  • Focus stays on the emotion
  • Fade to black should still happen between married couples or at the end of the book between engaged or committed couples

Innuendo Levels

Level 0 — None

  • No sexual innuendo
  • No suggestive humor
  • No crude or sexual jokes

Level 1 — Minimal

  • Minimal innuendo or double meanings
  • Light teasing
  • Mild crude or dad humor
  • Not frequent or strong

Level 2 — Moderate

  • Moderate suggestive humor
  • Double meanings
  • Sexual tension
  • May include crude or sexual jokes

Level 3 — Heavy

  • Heavy innuendo
  • Strong suggestive dialogue
  • Frequent crude or sexual humor

Swearing Levels

Zero

  • No swearing

Mild

  • Up to 10 uses of “hel*” or “dam*”

Moderate

  • 10+ uses of “hel*” or “dam*”
  • And/or use of bodily swear words like “shi*,” “as*,” etc.

Severe

  • 30+ swear words
  • And/or any use of the F-word one or more times

Violence Levels

Zero

  • No on-page violence

Mild

  • Violence is present without detail or only referenced vaguely
  • May briefly mention blood or injuries
  • Comparable to a G-rated movie

Moderate

  • Violence is more frequent and/or more detailed
  • Can be more intense
  • Injuries may be lightly described
  • Comparable to a PG-rated movie

Severe

  • Violence is more detailed and frequent
  • Blood may be mentioned and injuries may be described in detail
  • Comparable to a PG-13-rated movie

Intimacy Levels

Level 1

  • Holding hands/Affectionate touching
  • Compliments/confessing love
  • Low-description kissing
  • Tender embraces/cuddling
  • Blushing and sighing
  • Non-descriptive discussions of sex
  • Established relationships
  • Fade to black if married
  • Any sexual encounters from past only referred to, not described or on-screen

Level 2

  • Touch that signals attraction
  • No touching in underwear zone
  • Long kisses, lightly descriptive
  • Deeper kisses, tongue implied not described
  • Feel warm/flushed
  • Gasping, deep sighs, light growls and groans
  • Thinking/speaking about desire non-descriptive
  • Fade to black for established relationships after a scene that matches this level – but may be unpopular if not married

Level 3

  • Hands moving, still not in underwear zone
  • French kiss with tongue described
  • Make-out sessions still follow guidelines
  • Feel hot, sweating
  • Heavier gasping, groaning, deep growls, panting
  • More frantic and lose some control
  • Male shirt may come off, but nothing else
  • Leg may straddle waist, but no mention of arousal
  • If they lay down together anywhere, use little description of contact/moving
  • May happen in a bedroom or on a bed, but should be interrupted or end with fade to black scene. Keep focus on the emotion.
  • Fade to black should still happen between married couples or at the end of the book between engaged/committed couples.