The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen

The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen. Bethany House, 2014. 419p. (9780764210709)

Even though it started out slow this is another enjoyable Regency tale from Ms. Klassen. I was expecting it to be like The Tutor’s Daughter or some of her other books in that it drew heavily from Austen or the Brontes, but it didn’t as far as I could tell.

Goodreads Summary:
Finding himself the man of the family, London dancing master Alec Valcourt moves his mother and sister to remote Devonshire, hoping to start over. But he is stunned to learn the village matriarch has prohibited all dancing, for reasons buried deep in her past.

Alec finds an unlikely ally in the matriarch's daughter. Though he's initially wary of Julia Midwinter's reckless flirtation, he comes to realize her bold exterior disguises a vulnerable soul--and hidden sorrows of her own.

Julia is quickly attracted to the handsome dancing master--a man her mother would never approve of--but she cannot imagine why Mr. Valcourt would leave London, or why he evades questions about his past. With Alec's help, can Julia uncover old secrets and restore life to her somber village. . .and to her mother's tattered heart?

Filled with mystery and romance, The Dancing Master brings to life the intriguing profession of those who taught essential social graces for ladies and gentlemen hoping to make a "good match" in Regency England.

My Review:
The first half of the book was rather slow going and it took me several days to get through the book – it’s rather long at 419 pages. But at the end events were moving quicker, village and manor secrets were finally being reveled and explained the unofficial rule against dancing.

I liked Alec and his determination to look after his mom and sister and yet try to use his talent for teaching dancing and fencing. Though I thought he made some poor choices in where he practiced his dance steps and how he interacted with Julia. It didn’t make much sense for him to like her as much as he did.

Julia could be a Lydia Bennet in the way she went after what she wanted and didn’t care about societies rules. It took a while for me to like her but she did a lot of growing up over the course of the book and that was well written.

There was a fair amount of kissing, nothing more though; quite a bit of deceiving parents, but also chivalrous behavior (I especially liked the parts with Walter and Tess), the desire to right the wrongs of the past and a sense of fun about the young people that the story revolves around.

3 stars simply because I probably won’t reread it or parts of it (which is what 4 stars means)

Go read it! Find it at a library near you; Buy it from Amazon ($11.26); Buy it from ChristianBooks.com ($9.99) ; Buy it from Barnes & Noble ($11.26)
(Prices good as of March 23, 2014 always double check for yourself)


Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

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The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd

The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd. Thomas Nelson, 2013. 320p. (9781401688356) Series: Whispers on the Moors #1

Quite the adventure! I’d forgotten any details from the summary when I started reading this and was not expecting all the turmoil and danger that ensued.

Goodreads Summary:

Pride goes before the fall . . . but what comes after?

Darbury, England, 1814

Amelia Barrett, heiress to an ancestral estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend’s infant baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word—even to the point of proposing to the child’s father, Graham, a sea captain she’s never met.

Tragedy strikes when the child vanishes with little more than a sketchy ransom note hinting to her whereabouts. Fear for the child’s safety drives Amelia and Graham to test the boundaries of their love for this infant.

Amelia’s detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she examines her soul and must face her one weakness: pride.

Graham’s strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline.

Both must learn to accept God’s sovereignty and relinquish control so they can grasp the future He has for planned for them.

My Review:

What seemed to start out as a potential marriage-of-convenience story turned into a tale of two people learning to let go and accept God’s plan, guidance and forgiveness. I really enjoyed the spiritual development of both Amelia and Graham.  

Amelia Barrett has lost many loved ones and is determined to do everything in her power not to lose little Lucy. At times it was hard to reconcile her independence and even defiance of her uncle and fiancé with my general impression of women of that era and also with Amelia herself. I really enjoyed her but at times things seemed a bit off.

Captain Graham Sterling was a great hero, full of flaws, wanting to do right. The spark between him and Amelia was fun to read. I wish we could have learned more about his childhood, I think that would have helped explain his brother’s behavior and the tension between the two men.

I also wish Helena, Amelia’s cousin, had been further developed. She didn’t seem to be the same person at the beginning and the end (and that’s not due to any character development, she just suddenly seemed to be someone else). For all that it still is an enjoyable read.

This is a debut novel that came about after the author won the Historical Romance category of the Genesis contest in 2011. The Genesis contest held by ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) is for unpublished Christian fiction authors. Quite glad she won and it appears as though this is the beginning of a series.

(Not sure if it's worth a re-read, but it's an enjoyable story with some good lessons)

Go read it! Find it at a library near you; Buy it from Amazon; Buy it from ChristianBooks.com

Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission. 

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Remember - Anytime you visit Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com or ChristianBooks.com use an affiliate link to get there. Any purchase you make from a link on my site generates a small kickback. You need not purchase the item I'm featuring, any purchase counts. It costs you nothing extra and is an easy way to support this site.

The Trouble with Cowboys by Denise Hunter

The Trouble with Cowboys by Denise Hunter. Thomas Nelson, 2012. 304p. (9781595548030) Series: A Big Sky Romance, #3.

This is the third book in the series and I have not read book one, A Cowboy's Touch. Book two, The Accidental Bride, was just alright so I didn't have high hopes for book three. But I was pleasantly surprised.

Back cover/Goodreads summary:

Annie Wilkerson is Moose Creek's premiere horse trainer and equine columnist for "Montana Living." Money is tight as she tries to put her kid-sister through college and provide for her young nephew.

When Annie's column is cancelled, she's given first shot at a new lovelorn column-and she can't afford to turn it down. Only problem is . . . Annie's never been in love.

Always resourceful, she reluctantly strikes a deal with the town's smooth-talking ladies' man Dylan Taylor: She'll work with his ailing horse, Braveheart, if he'll help her answer the reader letters.

Working closely with Dylan is harder than Annie imagined, and she quickly realizes she may have misjudged him. But her unwavering conviction that cowboys are nothing but trouble has kept her heart safe for years. And she can't risk getting hurt now.

The more Annie tries to control things, the more they fall apart. Her feelings are spinning out of control, and her sister's antics are making life increasingly more difficult. Annie knows she needs to turn the reins over to God, but surrender has never come easily.

My review:

From Denise Hunter's Pinterest page

It might help to read books one and two first as that would give you the back stories of a few characters. But it isn't extremely necessary. If you are able to read either of the first two books then read book one. According to another reviewer Dylan Taylor is introduced in book one and she’s thrilled that he gets his own story.

Dylan is a fun character. At first he appears to be a big flirt who can smile at any lady and get a date with her, but along with Annie the reader slowly starts to realize that there’s more to him than he lets on.  

Annie is independent, proud, fiercely loves her sister and nephew, and distrusts cowboys. Yet for some reason she feels desperate enough to ask a cowboy for help in answering magazine readers’ relationship questions.

Both Annie and Dylan need to learn to trust God and overcome fears based on past experiences. Annie is also a very protective (and bossy) older sister who needs to stop worrying and controlling, and trust that God knows best.

There are a number of kisses in this book – some just pecks on the cheek or a quick, unromantic thanks-for-a-great-date-goodnight kiss. But some are long, soul stirring, go-weak-at-the-knees kisses. I don’t have anything against kisses, and I think the author did a great job with the kissing scenes.

From Denise Hunter's Pinterest page

(minor spoiler alert, except you should have guessed the ending)

What I didn’t appreciate was that some of those passionate kisses where between non-dating people who then take months to get engaged. Don’t start kissing like that if you’re not dating and don’t be kissing like that if it’s going to be many months before you’re even close to a wedding. That’s my opinion at least.

I did like how Annie thought about one of the chemicals in the brain that gets activated during a soul stirring kiss. Made me think of Dannah Gresh’s book What Are You Waiting For?: The One Thing No One Ever Tells You About Sex. A great book by the way that every teen and college student (especially girls) should read.

Back to Trouble with Cowboys, if you like light Christian, contemporary romance, then you would probably enjoy this book.

Go read it! Find it at alibrary near you; Buy it from Amazon; Buy it from ChristianBooks

Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

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Remember - Anytime you visit Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com or ChristianBooks.com use an affiliate link to get there. Any purchase you make from a link on my site generates a small kickback. You need not purchase the item I'm featuring, any purchase counts. It costs you nothing extra and is an easy way to support this site.