"Stay with me, Iris. Don't leave me alone to go to the devil, by the gods, if you need a good cause, then take me on."

The proud Zonar begging his little nun, Iris, to stay with him made my heart sing. I loved every page of this book.

Iris was abandoned as a baby and raised in a convent. At 18, she is now considering becoming a nun. Until her Mother Superior sends her to be a governess to Zonar's young son, Aleko. This brought about changes in her life that had her questioning her belief that she should be a nun.

What I loved most about this book was the look into Iris's life and seeing her loneliness and sadness. And her coming to the realization that she was alone and would never have love and affection if she too her vows.

She enjoyed the luxuries that living as a governess gave, but it was the affection and the human contact that she desired more than anything else. And Zonar knew this and used it to help her come to her ultimate realization.

This had so many shades of "The Sound of Music" that I almost visualized Julie Andrews as Iris. :) I truly loved this book and highly recommend it. I know it's one that I will read again in the future. Now I'm off to find a copy of Lion and Fenella's book.