[BTG]⇒ Download Free The Secret of Pembrooke Park Julie Klassen 9780764210716 Books

The Secret of Pembrooke Park Julie Klassen 9780764210716 Books

Download As PDF : The Secret of Pembrooke Park Julie Klassen 9780764210716 Books

The Secret of Pembrooke Park Julie Klassen 9780764210716 Books

This book was OK, but it didn't really pull me in the way I had hoped. The romance was sweet, but a very limited part of the novel. Much of the convoluted story revolved around a confusing set of facts, a large group of secondary characters to try to keep track of, and a few red herrings. Some of the heroine's actions seemed out of character for a "proper" Regency.

I did appreciate how clean the romance was, as well as the Christian doctrine appropriately sprinkled throughout.

Ms. Klassen is one of my favorite authors - I have been disappointed by her last two books (this one and Dancing Master), but she is a great talent, and I hope her next effort will more resemble her earlier books. Having had these two recent, mediocre experiences, I think for her next book I will wait to get it at the library instead of buying.


Tags : The Secret of Pembrooke Park [Julie Klassen] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>Praise for Julie Klassen<BR></b> <BR></i>"A remarkable tale with many unpredictable twists and turns."-- CBA Retailers+Resources<BR><BR></i>"A treat for [readers] who want their historical romances served up with a generous dash of mystery."-- Booklist<BR></i><BR>"[Klassen's] work appeals to all who seek a riveting Regency romance."-- RT Book Reviews</i><BR><BR>Abigail Foster is the practical daughter. She fears she will end up a spinster,Julie Klassen,The Secret of Pembrooke Park,Bethany House Publishers,0764210718,Christian - Historical,Christian - Romance,Romance - Historical - Regency,Abandoned houses,Christian fiction,Love stories,Love stories.,Manors,Mystery fiction,Regency fiction,Regency fiction.,Secrecy,Single women - England,Single women;England;Fiction.,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,AMERICAN LIGHT ROMANTIC FICTION,England,FICTION Christian Historical,FICTION Christian Romance,FICTION Romance Historical Regency,Fiction,Fiction - Religious,Fiction : Christian - Romance,Fiction : Romance - Regency,Fiction-Christian,FictionChristian - Romance - General,FictionRomance - Historical - Regency,GENERAL,General Adult,Historical fiction; Christian fiction; Regency romance; London; curate; secret treasure; mystery; Jane Austen; manor; secret room; Minnesota Book Award; clean romance,Historical fiction;Christian fiction;Regency romance;London;curate;secret treasure;mystery;Jane Austen;manor;secret room;Minnesota Book Award;clean romance,Religious & spiritual fiction,Romance - Historical - Regency,Secrecy,Single women,Single women - England,Single women;England;Fiction.,United States,FICTION Christian Historical,FICTION Christian Romance,FICTION Romance Historical Regency,Fiction : Christian - Romance,Fiction : Romance - Regency,FictionChristian - Romance - General,FictionRomance - Historical - Regency,Fiction - Religious,American Historical Fiction,American Light Romantic Fiction,England,Single women,Fiction,Religious & spiritual fiction

The Secret of Pembrooke Park Julie Klassen 9780764210716 Books Reviews

I'm probably spoiled with Julie Klassen's books because they are SO good that none of the other ones ever seem quite as good as the FIRST book of hers you've read. That being said, I was really disappointed with last year's The Dancing Master. The Secret of Pembrooke Park was EONS better than the last book, and even if you thought you'd figured out the mystery, you were still left guessing up until the end. Without getting into spoilers, I thought the main characters were very 3 dimensional, definitely imperfect, made stupid decisions out of anger, fear, pride, etc, and that's what also makes them really likeable. We forget sometimes that people in the pulpit are just as human as the people in the pews. I really appreciated that Klassen made the curate relatable rather than Austen's Mr. Collins or Mr. Elton who were such stuffed shirt prigs. Book was very well done.

The only real deviation that I see from the previous books is that usually the author has sort of a focus of Regency Era life, along with quotes from various source material before each chapter. I'm not really sure if she was attempting to paint the life of a local clergyman or steward, because it wasn't front and center as part of the novel. It was the profession of our male protagonist, but I don't feel like I necessarily learned something new about the profession from reading the book. With the previous novels, it feels like you come away with a history lesson as well as a happy ending. We still got our happy ending (duh), but I did miss that a bit from Klassen's previous novels. Still very enjoyable though, I read the book in one night, and I will definitely read again.
I love a good intrigue in my books and the mention of the secret room and hidden treasure definitely kept my interest!

Some scenes, however, felt somewhat improper for this period. A woman generally isn't left alone with a man, and certain wouldn't allow him in her bedroom or in private parts of the house.

All in all, I did not feel that this book was one of Ms. Klassen's strongest works, but she did do a fair job tying up the loose ends. Would I read this book again? It's hard to say. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either.
I’d heard many good things about this historical novel; it had been widely read in Austenesque readers’ circles, to universal praise. I found it to be a well-written, capably plotted gothic romance/suspense novel, but I would not place it in the Austenesque category.

Miss Abigail Foster is the practical elder daughter of a London family during the Regency era. At the start of the story, her family suffers financial reverses and must retrench. A timely offer comes from the solicitor for a distant relative they can live for a year rent-free at an old manor house, Pembrooke Park. A few mysterious restrictions are attached to the offer, warning us that all is not as it seems. The man Abigail believes she loves, a childhood friend, is off to Italy for a time, so she has no strong motive to stay in London. Abigail and her father jump at the chance to inhabit Pembrooke Park; the younger sister and her mother want to remain in London for the season.

Upon arriving at the manor, Abigail finds a series of interlocking mysteries and mysterious characters. Does the house hide a treasure? Who is the heavily veiled lady in the cemetery? Why is her neighbor Leah so reserved? Abigail also attracts a certain amount of admiration, especially from the young curate. The story unfolds with revelations doled out bit by bit, relationships growing out of shared experience. Most of the characters are fleshed out, though a few (notably Abigail’s younger sister) seem to be around for convenience’s sake. I did figure out the main components of the mystery before they were revealed, but that never bothers me in a story such as this; I enjoy taking the journey.

The two elements I did not enjoy so much were the modern language and the modern manners. This story could have been set in the present, or at least the twentieth century, and I would have admired it more. For me, use of American contemporary slang in a Regency novel is very jarring “It will look fine with the gown you always wear” on the first page gave me due warning that there was going to be little attempt to sound “period.” The modern manners bothered me more—men and women meeting alone at night and touching each other; mingling of people from different classes, to a degree that would have been impossible in the period; excessive familiarity on short acquaintance; etc. I would have liked the novel better had it not been dressed up in Regency garb; the characters and their actions would have been more believable even as far back as the 1920s. These elements in this setting required a suspension of disbelief that is hard for me to achieve.

Still, this book is much better written than many novels set in the Regency period, and I had a good time reading it.
This is my favorite fromJulie Klassen, probably because I like the characters. Frankly, there's a trend in the Christian Romance of sexual immorality and forgiveness and it gets tiresome. I like reading a nice, Christian novel about people who are actually wholesome. It's uplifting. I like William and Abigail.

Writing is great. Flows well. Unexpected plot twists. Well-developed characters.
This book was OK, but it didn't really pull me in the way I had hoped. The romance was sweet, but a very limited part of the novel. Much of the convoluted story revolved around a confusing set of facts, a large group of secondary characters to try to keep track of, and a few red herrings. Some of the heroine's actions seemed out of character for a "proper" Regency.

I did appreciate how clean the romance was, as well as the Christian doctrine appropriately sprinkled throughout.

Ms. Klassen is one of my favorite authors - I have been disappointed by her last two books (this one and Dancing Master), but she is a great talent, and I hope her next effort will more resemble her earlier books. Having had these two recent, mediocre experiences, I think for her next book I will wait to get it at the library instead of buying.