Review \\ The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

\\ About the Book \\ 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? Brimming with romance and danger, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall takes readers inside the fascinating belowstairs world of a 19th-century English manor, where appearances can be deceiving.

Julie Klassen does it again. Combining historical charm, romance, and mystery, Klassen crafts a beautiful story in The Maid of Fairbourne Hall. Each Regency-era book Klassen writes tends to focus on a different class of people. The Apothecary's Daughter focused on the working class, The Silent Governess  revealed the odd situation of a governess, The Girl in the Gatehouse looked at those shunned by scandal, and The Maid of Fairbourne Hall gives readers a closer look at servanthood. (I believe Klassen has another book as well; I have yet to read it.)

Klassen never fails to script an engaging story and create intriguing characters. Margaret Macy at first seems haughty and uppity, but as her role in life changes she becomes graced with a good dose of humility. Her transformation is my favorite part of the story. Nathaniel Upchurch seems very strange at first, but he becomes a more likable character at well. I love it when authors use their crafty ways to make us hate-then-love or love-then-hate a character.

There are only two negatives for me. One doesn't really have any weight to it. The romance is over the top for me, but I guess if I didn't want romance I shouldn't have picked up a Julie Klassen book. I suppose I'm just not a fan of too many scenes where characters are near each other continually having "longings" that they want to express but can't because it would be too scandalous. Scandal seems to be the only thing holding these people back. (And oh dear for the people who don't care about gossip or scandal.) But I realize that I stepped into historical romance and got exactly that. My other negative is that I felt like the first two-thirds of the book lolled along and the ending came whap! I've read numerous novels like this, so I think this particularly negative would also be classified based on my personal likes and dislikes when it comes to reading books.

Otherwise, I enjoyed yet again a Julie Klassen novel. My favorite things about her books is the way she deals with different classes and how she includes quotes from historical documents and non-fiction at the heading of each chapter. I loved learning about what a maid in Regency era would have to go through, and I'm rather glad I'm not one. If you're looking for Jane Austen flare, historical intrigue, and romance, Julie Klassen is definitely the author to go to.

\\ About the Author \\ 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

\\ In Case You Were Wondering \\
Title: The Maid of Fairbourne Hall
Author: Julie Klassen
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: January 1, 2012
Pages: 416 (paperback)
ISBN: 0764207091
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

Fiction | The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

Julie Klassen's latest novel, The Girl in the Gatehouse, is filled with mystery and intrigue. When she is sent to live in an abandoned gatehouse on her ailing aunt's property, Mariah Aubrey realizes her dream of becoming a published author, albeit an anonymous one. Soon Captain Matthew Bryant leases the estate and, as he becomes more aware of Miss Aubrey's presence, learns that there is a secret looming in her past. A story of regret, love, and forgiveness, The Girl in the Gatehouse is sure to draw in Regency-era lovers and hopeless romantics.

After recently devouring Julie Klassen's previous novel, The Silent Governess, I was sure I would like this book. I do enjoy novels set in the Regency period, and I love the way Julie Klassen weaves words together in a most inspired way. The plot of The Girl in the Gatehouse sounded most intriguing, because it is always interesting to me to see how different time periods handled scandal and gossip. For the most part, I really did enjoy The Girl in the Gatehouse, but there were a few things I found lacking.

Though I enjoyed the plot of The Girl in the Gatehouse, one segment of it did not thrill me. Part of Mariah Aubrey's character is the fact that she is a secret author, which is most intriguing. Unfortunately, in the few chapters where excerpts of Mariah's writing is displayed, I found it hard to believe because the writing was so Julie Klassen, not Regency era. It was too modern, and I had to constantly remind myself to let it go.

Also, The Girl in the Gatehouse is clearly historical romance. As such, I find it like most romance novels (even ones from so-called Christian publishers) to move from one seductive, sensual scene to the next, from a touch of fingertips to kissing someone's tears away. It is so . . . overdone. Not just in The Girl in the Gatehouse, but in all Christian fiction/romance/historical. The idea that love cannot be without physical affection saddens me to no end. But, as I mentioned, this is stereotypical in this kind of book, and nothing unique to put a damper on solely Klassen's novel.

I have only read two of Julie Klassen's novels now, but I notice in both a pattern where God is rarely brought up (and then only in doubtful tones by a spiritually indecisive character) until the end, where suddenly the main character(s) discovers God's love, receives forgiveness, and ends in perfect happiness. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this, but I would really like to see from Klassen (and perhaps one of her earlier novels demonstrates) a character who really relies and trusts on God yet still finds herself in a difficult scenario. The tendency to think that coming to Christ means every relationship will resolve and every hardship disappear is too prevalent, I think. Certainly there are still struggles to be faced after becoming a Christian, and I wish Christian fiction would show this more. At the same time, I wonder if Klassen simply thought that God would be difficult to "add in" to her stories. I simply cannot know and will not judge on that matter. However, I am strongly positioned to believe that God should either be part of a story or not; halfway is just stale.

The Girl in the Gatehouse was still a lovely book to read, and anyone who is intrigued by the Regency period, the dos and don'ts of that society, and romantic tales will thoroughly enjoy it. I look forward to reading more from Julie Klassen.

Number of pages: 391 (excludes author's note and discussion questions)
Extra links: About Julie Klassen, read an excerpt on Amazon
Publisher: Bethany House
Source: From publisher