A Tree, A Book, and A Breeze

  Shadows of Swanford Abbey Julie Klassen Bethany House Publishers In pursuit of an author who could help get her brother published, Rebecca Lane stays at Swanford Abbey, a grand hotel rumored to be haunted. It is there she encounters Sir Frederick--the man who broke her heart. When a mysterious death occurs, Rebecca is one of the suspects, and Frederick is torn between his feelings for her and his search for the truth. I enjoyed this one just as much as I have Julie Klassen's other books. This one had a well-developed mystery that reminded me of Charles Dickens (which makes sense, since in the afterward she mentions one of his characters as a particular inspiration.) I especially enjoyed the setting and while this book was lighter on the romance than a lot of the author's other books, I really did love the characters together. In fact, this one had a pretty distinctive cast of characters altogether, and after watching Death on the Nile the other night, I couldn't hel...

The Secret of Pembrooke Park Julie Klassen Bethany House Abigail Foster fears she will end up a spinster, especially as she has little dowry to improve her charms and the one man she thought might marry her--a longtime friend--has fallen for her younger, prettier sister.  When financial problems force her family to sell their London home, a strange solicitor arrives with an astounding offer: the use of a distant manor house abandoned for eighteen years. The Fosters journey to imposing Pembrooke Park and are startled to find it entombed as it was abruptly left: tea cups encrusted with dry tea, moth-eaten clothes in wardrobes, a doll's house left mid-play . . .  The handsome local curate welcomes them, but though he and his family seem to know something about the manor's past, the only information they offer Abigail is a warning: Beware trespassers who may be drawn by rumors that Pembrooke contains a secret room filled with treasure.  Hoping to improve her famil...

The Dancing Master Julie Klassen Bethany House Publishers Leaving London, dancing master Alec Valcourt moves his mother and sister to remote Devonshire--but is stunned to discover that dancing is prohibited! He finds an unlikely ally in Miss Julia Midwinter, but her questions about his past are becoming harder to evade. Together, can they bring new life to this quiet village--and heal long-kept-secret scars? ...And here comes the first of the Christmas Present book reviews ;) As I'm sure many of you know, I've loved Julie Klassen's books since I read The Apothecary's Daughter when that novel first came out. I received The Silent Governess for Christmas the subsequent year, and ever since then this particular author's books have been expected under the tree every Christmas since. I was excited for The Dancing Master , and it was different from Julie Klassen's books- mainly because most of it was from the hero's perspective. I did like Alec; he...

The Tutor’s Daughter Julie Klassen Bethany House Publishers Julie Klassen remains one of my absolute favorite authors, and I sort of have a tradition of getting each of her new books as a Christmas present. This year was no exception, and I was delighted to receive The Tutor’s Daughter this year! There were several things I really liked about this book. First of all, there were a lot more Christian elements in this novel than there are in most of the author’s books. The characters talked about God a lot more, though it certainly was never preachy. I also really liked the hero of this book, much more than I was ever expecting to! In fact, out of all of this author’s heroes, he was definitely one of my very favorites. I really loved the bit at the end when he gets the letter from his mother. The only bad thing I have to say about this novel was that even though I really liked the characters, the book itself didn’t quite capture my attention like The Apothecary’s Da...