The culmination of our week of English countryside dreaming is a generous giveaway from Bethany House Publishers. Author Julie Klassen proclaims, "If you love romance, English accents, Jane Eyre, or anything by Jane Austen, then you and I are soul sisters and I write for you!" Viewers who swoon over BBC period dramas like Downton Abbey and Lark Rise to Candleford are sure to love Klassen's English Regency novels.
I have read all five of Klassen's books, and they are a delight. I was eager to read her latest release, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, as soon as it came out, but some books need to be savored. So I set it aside for a romantic anniversary trip to The Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Ala. I tucked it in my bag when I set out for a morning at The Grand's luxurious European spa and first opened the book in the flickering candlelight of the spa's Quiet Room. I continued reading that afternoon on the beach, my toes brushing against the sand as sunlight streamed over Mobile Bay. And finally, after a delicious dinner of fresh seafood and a moonlight stroll through the hotel grounds, I settled in to read just a few more chapters in my hotel room before drifting off to sleep.
When I returned home, I was eager to finish the book, but discovered I had left it behind. It was such an engaging read that I promptly ordered a second copy. And although I began the book in an idyllic setting where I was a lady of leisure, I think I enjoyed it even more when I returned home and resumed my responsibilities as a wife and mother. That's the beauty of a book worth reading.
Bethany House has graciously offered one reader of A Little Loveliness a complete library of Julie Klassen's works. Take a look at the glowing reviews of her books, and I don't know how you will decide which one to read first.
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall
"Christy winner Klassen mines another gem of a story from the rich Regency vein. In a tale of disguise and transformation with echoes of The Prince and the Pauper...Margaret's character and judgment are enriched as she works for a living. The upstairs-downstairs dynamic of the upper and serving classes puts meat on the story's bones. The reliable Klassen has produced a well-realized genre winner in which Christian elements are subtle and historically appropriate."
~ Publishers Weekly
The Girl in the Gatehouse
"This book has scandal, mystery, secrets and a budding romance. The characters are written in such detail the reader will forget they are fictional! Klassen has outdone herself with this latest novel. Her writing is comparable to Jane Austen's. She writes with passion and readers will not be able to put this book down."
~ Romantic Times
The Apothecary's Daughter
"Klassen blends her tale well; each ingredient—romance, friendship, healing arts, mystery—is measured to produce a lively, lengthy tale that will satisfy Regency aficionados and general readers, too."
~ Publishers Weekly
The Silent Governess
"This is an inspired and well-told story of mystery, intrigue and the politics of upstairs and downstairs folk in 19th-century England. The author takes the reader back in time effortlessly. If you enjoy Jane Austen or the Regency period, you will love this book."
~ Romantic Times
Lady of Milkweed Manor
"Twenty-year-old Charlotte Lamb is the daughter of a heartless English vicar, as we discover when she becomes pregnant and he throws her out of her childhood home. Vulnerable and unprotected, she is forced to a lodging place for unwed mothers. Soon, Lamb must make decisions involving true love and sacrifice, providing many powerful turning points throughout the story. "
~ Publishers Weekly
You have three opportunities to enter this giveaway for a set of five Julie Klassen books. Please leave a separate comment for each here or on my Facebook page. I plan to announce the winner next week.
(1) Leave a comment telling me about your favorite English author, book or costume drama.
(2) "Like" the A Little Loveliness blog page on Facebook.
(3) "Like" Julie Klassen's author page on Facebook.
Have a blessed weekend!
