Review: The Tutor's Daughter By Julie Klassen

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Release Date: January 1, 2013
ISBN-10: 0764210696
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

About The Book:
Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father regain his spirits when his academy fails, agrees to travel with him to the distant Cornwall coast, to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But after they arrive and begin teaching the younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen and danger mounts. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte, only to find the music room empty?

Who sneaks into her room at night? Who rips a page from her journal, only to return it with a chilling illustration? The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry, wrestle with problems--and secrets--of their own. They both remember Emma Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. She had been an awkward, studious girl. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her.
When the suspicious acts escalate, can the clever tutor's daughter figure out which brother to blame... and which brother to trust with her heart?

My Thoughts:
Julie Klassen has very skillfully created a regency romance that is astonishingly reminiscent of Jane Austin and Jane Eyre. Set against the backdrop of 19th Century England's beautiful Cornwall coast, The Tutor's Daughter is everything I could possible want in a Regency Romance novel: well-researched and full of historical descriptions, a wide array of characters with very distinct personalities, blossoming romance, and enough suspense and intrigue that kept me in anticipation for the next page. Klassen has certainly proven herself a gifted storyteller and one who has done her research extremely well. Each time I opened this book I felt as though I were transported back in time. And the character of Emma Smallwood is just so endearing and admirable with her sense of determination and self-reliance, as well as her "blue-stocking" ways. I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end and highly recommend it to fans of Jane Austen or historical fiction in general. Overall an excellent novel and one that I can easily give five stars!

Review: Summerset Abbey By T.J. Brown

Series: Summerset Abbey Book 1
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (January 15, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1451698984

About The Book: 

1913: In a sprawling manor on the outskirts of London, three young women seek to fulfill their destinies and desires amidst the unspoken rules of society and the distant rumblings of war...

Rowena Buxton 
Sir Philip Buxton raised three girls into beautiful and capable young women in a bohemian household that defied Edwardian tradition. Eldest sister Rowena was taught to value people, not wealth or status. But everything she believes will be tested when Sir Philip dies, and the girls must live under their uncle’s guardianship at the vast family estate, Summerset Abbey. Standing up for a beloved family member sequestered to the “underclass” in this privileged new world, and drawn into the Cunning Coterie, an exclusive social circle of aristocratic “rebels,” Rowena must decide where her true passions—and loyalties—lie.
Victoria Buxton
Frail in body but filled with an audacious spirit, Victoria secretly dreams of attending university to become a botanist like her father. But this most unladylike wish is not her only secret—Victoria has stumbled upon a family scandal that, if revealed, has the potential to change lives forever. . . .
Prudence Tate
Prudence was lovingly brought up alongside Victoria and Rowena, and their bond is as strong as blood. But by birth she is a governess’s daughter, and to the lord of Summerset Abbey, that makes her a commoner who must take her true place in society—as lady’s maid to her beloved “sisters.” But Pru doesn’t belong in the downstairs world of the household staff any more than she belongs upstairs with the Buxton girls. And when a young lord catches her eye, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever truly carve out a place for herself at Summerset Abbey.

My Thoughts:
 In her debut novel set within Edwardian England, T.J, Brown has created a wonderful tale full of intrigue and suspense with a vibrant cast of characters. Upon the death of Sir Philip Buxton, the three young women are immediately swept away to Summerset Abbey and their lives are forever changed within this clash of the upstairs and downstairs class system. The characters were extremely well-developed with unique personalities of their own...(although Rowena is just a rather weak and despicable person). The plot itself is well-developed with just enough twists and turns that prompted me to keep reading as I tried to guess the ending. The historical descriptions, for the most part, remained true to the time period and exemplified Brown's extensive research. As a debut novel, this was a delightful reading experience and one that I would recommend to any fan of the highly-acclaimed PBS series, Downton Abbey and historical fiction in general. I'm anxiously awaiting to meet up with Rowena, Victoria, Prudence, and the many other colorful characters in Brown's second book, A Bloom In Winter, scheduled for release in March 2013. Overall, a wonderful novel that I easily give four stars!