- A brand new Kindle Fire
- A Julie Klassen Library (The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, The Girl in the Gatehouse, and The Silent Governess)
So grab your copy of The Maid of Fairbourne Hall and join Julie and friends on the evening of March 15th for a book chat party.
To escape a scheme to marry her off to a dishonorable man, Margaret Macy flees London disguised as a housemaid. If she can remain unwed until her next birthday, she will receive an inheritance, and with it, sweet independence. But she never planned on actually working as a servant. And certainly not in the home of Nathaniel and Lewis Upchurch--both former suitors. As she fumbles through the first real work of her life, Margaret struggles to keep her identity secret when suspicions arise and prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall. Can she avoid a trap meant to force her from hiding?
Julie Klassen loves all things Jane--Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. She has won the Christy Award: Historical Romance for The Silent Governess (2010) and The Girl in the Gatehouse (2011) which also won the 2010 Midwest Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.
For more information, visit www.julieklassen.com
My review:
So far I have enjoyed reading the majority of Julie Klassen's historical romances. This one was no exception. The concept intrigued me from the outset, and the way the author pulled me in kept me reading was well done. At first the heroine wasn't very likable, but the author changed that by putting Margaret in a very humbling situation. Then the hero wasn't very likable, but once I was inside his head that all changed as well. I've never read a book where I disliked both main characters right off the bat, but because of the hardships endured by both parties, I gave them a chance. I'm glad I did.
This story was a fairly long one, but I didn't feel like any part of the novel was not necessary to the plot, or used as filler. The surprising thing was I ended up liking several additional characters that I was not fond of at the book's onset. I'm not quite sure how the author did that, but she must have sold me on their behavior. I'm thinking the fact that they acted like real people would act made their situations more believable to me. I liked how the ruse continued and how difficult it was for Margaret to keep it going. The scene where the hero reveals that he knew who she really was made me a bit breathless. I wish their had been more scenes like that in the book.
All in all, this was a captivating read. I always find stories where the rich are humbled by being forced into lower class situations -- usually in order to protect themselves -- quite intriguing. Because there is a bit of mystery to the story, I don't want to spoil it for the reader by giving away details that will take away from their experience. However, I can say that I loved the twists and how the author set things up. I also appreciated the spiritual arc in the story, though subtle for the most part. I found myself rooting for the characters to find love in the end. This was a nice read.
* A copy of this book was giving to me by Litfuse Publicity to review for this tour. The opinion expressed above is entirely my own.
1 comment:
Thanks, Michelle, you faithful reviewer you! So glad you enjoyed the new book. Take care.
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