The Maid of Fairbourne Hall

take me out of the oven because i am DONE

i think this is where i stop with romance and regency era novels. this wasn't bad, i was just bored the whole time. i think my foray into contemporary has turned into a full-blown obsession and i'm sorry i'm a fraud i'm a FAKE gtg

In the fall of 2008 I first discovered [a:Julie Klassen 928415 Julie Klassen https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438099690p2/928415.jpg] in her debut novel [b:Lady of Milkweed Manor 2043100 Lady of Milkweed Manor Julie Klassen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1322223127l/2043100.SY75.jpg 2048032] and fell in love. Pretty much as a matter of fact many things I said about that novel still hold true again to this one. Upon finishing this novel, I sigh in complete contentment. This is near one of the best novels I have ever had the opportunity to fall deep within the pages and stay for a while.From beginning to end I had my opinions of how things should go, with the slight twists and turns I never had a clue how the plot would be. Sometimes I could not read fast enough, as a matter of fact most of the time. I would not believe certain things were happening.This is a perfect novel in regency time and I can see a bit of Austen and Jane Erye. I can easily say that readers of such will enjoy this story. It is alike, but completely unique and what a tale it tells. Then in the winter of 2009 I discovered more fabulous reading in her next novel, [b:The Apothecary's Daughter 3870943 The Apothecary's Daughter Julie Klassen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1325356997l/3870943.SY75.jpg 3916135], another piece of incredible historical fiction. This was the one where I discovered how much I truly enjoyed her introductions to each chapter with a quote or phrase. She continues that on into this novel as well with the quotes being straight out of resource that provide great insight into the working lives of the regency period. After that in 2010/2011 I read and loved her next two novels, both [b:The Girl in the Gatehouse 8125737 The Girl in the Gatehouse Julie Klassen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348631772l/8125737.SY75.jpg 12921403] and [b:The Silent Governess 6624391 The Silent Governess Julie Klassen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506900281l/6624391.SX50.jpg 6818605] which is possibly my favorite. Each time I venture into a novel from Julie I find entertainment and a lesson. While I can relate these to various films and other novels I've enjoyed this one about the serving class brings to mind a new favorite for me from Downton Abbey. If you like Jane Eyre, Austen, Downton Abbey and similar, you couldn't possibly not like this book. You'll love it just as much as I do. As in the words of other novels, imagine pirates from the glory of [a:M.L. Tyndall 15860733 M.L. Tyndall https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], [a:Kaye Dacus 1644459 Kaye Dacus https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1489457301p2/1644459.jpg] and [a:Kathleen Y'Barbo 153441 Kathleen Y'Barbo https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1510439028p2/153441.jpg]. Add to that the essence of character personality from [a:Deeanne Gist 52609 Deeanne Gist https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1545057055p2/52609.jpg] and you might get a general idea of if this read is on you'd enjoy. I know I did. Thanks to Julie and Bethany House Publishers for providing a copy for review.Originally posted: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2012/01/04/the-maid-of-fairbourne-hall-by-julie-klassen-2/

Continuing on my Klassen splurge...all 400 pages in about 24 hours! It's very hard to put down one of her books. This one was so enjoyable, and the historical research was great. And I loved Margaret/Nora and the hero so much!