The end of the only life I've known, thought Mariah Aubrey, looking back through the carriage window at the shrinking figures of her mother and sister. Nineteen-year-old Julia stood in the foreground, shoulders heaving as she wept. The sight seared Mariah's heart. Their mother stood behind, hand on Julia's arm, in consolation, in empathy--perhaps even in restraint. And there came their father, down the steps of Attwood Park. He had not come out to bid her farewell. He would not, he insisted, "sanction vice, nor seek to lessen its disgrace."
~Opening lines in Julie Klassen's
The Girl in the Gatehouse~
Set in England during the Regency era, Julie Klassen's latest novel, The Girl in the Gatehouse, tells the story of Mariah Aubrey, a young woman banished from the only home she's ever known to live in a secluded gatehouse on a relative's estate. With her faithful servant, Miss Dixon, Mariah begins a new life at the gatehouse, befriending other servants on the estate and residents at the neighboring poorhouse and supporting herself and Miss Dixon by writing novels in secret. Mariah resigns herself to a solitary life with no hopes of ever marrying. But soon she meets the estate's new tenant, the handsome Captain Matthew Bryant, and in the months that follows, an attraction forms between the them. Will Captain Bryant uncover Mariah's identity and secretive past? And how will he treat her once he learns of her impropriety?
This is the second novel written by Julie Klassen that I've read, and I must say that Klassen is becoming a favorite author for me. Not only does she skillfully paint a vivid picture of life in England during the Regency era, but she also crafts a diverse and interesting cast of characters and keeps the reader curious by the mystery she weaves throughout her stories.
I recommend The Girl in the Gatehouse to ladies who enjoy Regency era stories.
For more information about The Girl in the Gatehouse, please visit Bethany House's website.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing it.
The Girl in the Gatehouse~
Set in England during the Regency era, Julie Klassen's latest novel, The Girl in the Gatehouse, tells the story of Mariah Aubrey, a young woman banished from the only home she's ever known to live in a secluded gatehouse on a relative's estate. With her faithful servant, Miss Dixon, Mariah begins a new life at the gatehouse, befriending other servants on the estate and residents at the neighboring poorhouse and supporting herself and Miss Dixon by writing novels in secret. Mariah resigns herself to a solitary life with no hopes of ever marrying. But soon she meets the estate's new tenant, the handsome Captain Matthew Bryant, and in the months that follows, an attraction forms between the them. Will Captain Bryant uncover Mariah's identity and secretive past? And how will he treat her once he learns of her impropriety?
This is the second novel written by Julie Klassen that I've read, and I must say that Klassen is becoming a favorite author for me. Not only does she skillfully paint a vivid picture of life in England during the Regency era, but she also crafts a diverse and interesting cast of characters and keeps the reader curious by the mystery she weaves throughout her stories.
I recommend The Girl in the Gatehouse to ladies who enjoy Regency era stories.
For more information about The Girl in the Gatehouse, please visit Bethany House's website.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing it.
