The Maid of Fairbourne Hall Book Review

Title: The Maid of Fairbourne Hall.

Author: Julie Klassen.

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance, Drama, Regency England.

Plot: Margaret Macy has it all – wealth, a loving family, a good house, servants, a good reputation, the attention of gentlemen suitors and an inheritance on her way come her next birthday. But that’s the outside. On the inside, the reality of her life is much different. She still grieves for her father’s loss and is growing increasingly uncomfortable with her stepfather’s controlling ways and pressure on her to marry his dishonorable nephew. When a new level of discomfort arises in the form of her stepfather pressuring his nephew to take any and every action available to force her to marry him, Margaret thinks of Biblical Joseph and does likewise: she flees.

Changing her appearance, picking up an accent and sneaking out in the dead of night with a dismissed maid is one thing; finding work when she has no practical skills is a totally different matter. But somehow she must find a way to survive till her birthday and then she can be independent. She finds work in the most unlikely of places, however; Fairbourne Hall, the home of two former suitors – one whom she spurned and one whom she thought she would marry someday. Living and working as a servant quickly changes her perspective on many things and she begins to wonder if she’d made the right decision concerning the handsome brothers. But when trouble comes calling, will she be able to keep up her masquerade long enough?

Likes/Dislikes: I loved this book! It was lovely to see a blonde become a brunette and take on a daunting challenge. She learned humility and became a better person for her efforts. And I really liked how Margaret thinks of others and wants to use her inheritance to help her younger siblings in life. And Nathaniel was a wonderful hero, though with his own faults – namely, his quick temper that he tries so hard to control. I didn’t care for his brother, but he wasn’t the hero so that was okay.

Rating: PG-15 and up, mainly for reading level and suggestions {ruined reputations, kissing maids, etc.}, nothing graphic. Highly recommended for Downton Abbey fans.

Date Report Written: June 7^th, 2014.

I received this book free from Bethany House publishers in exchange for an honest review via their review program. I wasn’t required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Mystery of the Secret Mine Book Review

Title: The Mystery of the Secret Mine.

Author: Anne Begin.

Genre: Christian, Children's, Mystery, Adventure, Homeschool Author.

Plot: Nine year old Laura and her family are moving from Marysville to Colfax. With a bigger house to clean and mange, a new town to explore and new people to meet, Laura has her hands full. But summer days can also be very boring with nothing to do. Thankfully, her new-found friend Lonna takes care of that. Innocently spying on the mysterious groundskeeper, the girls come across an old mine and a buried secret within.

Likes/Dislikes: A local homeschooler wrote this book when she was ten and it can kinda show - there are a few editorial errors and the timeline of things is a little off. But the story is simple and told from the innocent wide-eyed viewpoint of a child, making it a very beautiful story. I enjoyed it and can't wait to share it with my daughter when she gets older.

Rating: G- all ages.

Date Report Written: May 28th, 2014.

Lady of Milkweed Manor Book Review.

Title: Lady of Milkweed Manor.

Author: Julie Klassen.

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Regency England, Romance, Tragedy.

Plot: When a woman in Regency England falls from grace, it's not pretty. It's even worse when that woman is the daughter of a clergyman. However, Charlotte Lamb's family never wanted her anyway - especially now that her mother is gone. With her bags packed and her heart broken, Charlotte leaves to hide away in a manor in London to heal, have her baby and pick up the pieces of her broken heart in peace.

Or so she assumes. Her attending physician is none other than a former suitor from long ago. With his own problems to take care of, Daniel Taylor seems likes the last person to help Charlotte. But help her he does, to the best of his ability. However, their friendship and peace is about to be severely tested with the distraught father of the baby comes calling.

Likes/Dislikes: I really wanted to finish this book. I wanted to like it so much, and I did love how it was written with lots of twists and turns. But I can't finish it - not right now. I had my own sweet baby and the emotional pain of watching poor Charlotte give up hers to the nasty father is too unbearable right now. And, from having read spoilers, it apparently gets worse before it gets better. I also didn't like the scene where the baby is made, though it was a lot less traumatic than the my imaginative brain came up with. I loved the insight into wet nurses and unplanned pregnancies back then, and the opening chapter quotes are something I enjoy about this author. Maybe I'll try to finish this book in the future.

Rating: PG-16 and up, for reading level and content.

Date Report Written: May 27th, 2014.

The Spiritual World of The Hobbit Book Review.

Title: The Spiritual World of The Hobbit.

Author: James Stuart Bell.

Genre: Christian, Nonfiction, Companion Book, Spiritual.

Plot: With the recent Hobbit movies, interest in Tolkien's world has been re-sparked and with it comes new books such as this one that gives a better glimpse into the enchanting world of Middle-Earth. My husband and I were just talking about the spiritual world of Tolkien's books and how they aren't like an allegory at all {like The Chronicles of Narnia are}. Our conversation hit a bump when we couldn't decide if Gandalf was a prophet or an angel.

This new book from Bethany House answers that question {he's technically a guardian angel - I win!} and more. It gives a brief history of Middle Earth, provides character profiles on main people/groups like Gandalf, the eagles and the dwarves. And we get a chapter by chapter look at how Bilbo grows and matures throughout the book, with insights into Tolkien's life and viewpoints. It's all highly fascinating.

Likes/Dislikes: I didn't really think this book would be very interesting but after the first chapter, I found it to be wonderful. I couldn't put it down for very long. It was beautifully written with hardly any repetition and jam-packed with interesting tidbits. My only objection is that there wasn't any additional information on Beorn. He's such an interesting, mysterious character. Oh well.

Rating: PG- 12 and up, for reading level. Highly recommended for all ages.

Date Report Written: May 27th, 2014.

I received a copy of this book free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. I wasn't required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Dancing Master Book Review

Title: The Dancing Master.

Author: Julie Klassen.

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Romance.

Plot: His business ruined and his family tainted by scandal, Alec Valcourt moves his mother and sister to Beaworthy to live with his bachelor uncle Ramsey. Life is quiet and uneventful in Beaworthy - it's a place where a man can start over again. But unfortunately for Alec, his chosen profession of dancing master will make earning a living very tricky. For in quiet Beaworthy, nobody dances.

Julia Midwinter is the flirtatious daughter of Lady Amelia Midwinter - the county's leading lady and, coincidentally, the one who made dancing a forbidden activity. With a longing in her heart for more, Julia constantly pushes the boundaries but finds herself with an equal partner at last - for, no matter how hard she tries, she can't get Alec to kiss her. Or can she? With his arrival reawakening old wounds and coinciding with the return of an infamous local, Alec soon finds himself and Julia unraveling the secrets of Beaworthy.

Likes/Dislikes: It took me an unusually long time to finish this novel. I love Klassen's books, but this one failed to draw me in and hold me spellbound to the last page like her other ones have. I did enjoy the redemption of the characters, and my favorite was Lady Amelia. I also liked Desmond, but I couldn't stand whiny flirty Julia, and Alec was so boring, poor thing. Still, it was good reading and I liked how the epilogue was different.

Rating: PG- 15 and up, for reading level and veiled content concerning scandal, an old death, etc.

Date Report Written: May 9th, 2014.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Movie Review

Title: Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Starring: Chris Evens {Captain America/Steve Rodgers}, Scarlett Johansson {Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow}, Sebastian Stan {Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier}, Anthony Mackie {Sam Wilson/Falcon}, Samuel L. Jackson {Nick Fury}, and Robert Redford {Alexander Pierce}.

Release Date: To Theaters: April 4th, 2014.

Genre: Sequel, Action/Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction.

Plot: Steve Rodgers is still adjusting to the new modern world he awoke to after a fifty-year sleep. With almost nothing in common with anyone, he finds making friends difficult and going out on a date even more so. Natasha isn't detoured by his protests, however, and multi-tasks during one of their missions together by coming up with possible date candidates for Steve to choose from. More amused by this than anything, Steve lets her run with it. Besides, he's too busy calling out Nick Fury on his trust issues.

When a beaten up Nick arrives unexpectedly in his apartment after discovering a potential threat then being attacked, Steve quickly realizes there is more to worry about than trust issues and dates. Teaming up with Natasha and new friend Sam, Steve launches his own investigation and learns more than he bargained for.

Likes/Dislikes: Captain America is definitely a down-to-earth honest character with some very good points on security and our country in general. The movie was fast-paced, entertaining and had a cool teaser at the end for more adventures from Marvels. My only objection is that it was too long and the theater we were in was way too loud. I thought the winter soldier's identity was a great twist but also, rather cliche`.  I look forward to the third installment however, and will definitely see this movie again.

Rating: Official: PG-13. My rating: PG-14 and up, mainly for content {violence, lots of fight scenes, some scenes of torture, etc.}.

Date Report Written: May 16th, 2014.