by Carrie Turansky
Edwardian Brides series, Book 1
Christian Fiction / Historical / Romance
Available October 2013
WaterBrook Multnomah
336 pages
About the Book
Worlds lie between the marketplaces of India and the halls of a magnificent country estate like Highland Hall. Will Julia be able to find her place when a governess is neither upstairs family nor downstairs help?
Missionary Julia Foster loves working alongside her parents, ministering and caring for young girls in India. But when the family must return to England due to illness, she readily accepts the burden for her parents’ financial support. Taking on a job at Highland Hall as governess, she quickly finds that teaching her four privileged, ill-mannered charges at a grand estate is more challenging than expected, and she isn’t sure what to make of the estate’s preoccupied master, Sir William Ramsey.
Widowed and left to care for his two young children and his deceased cousin Randolph’s two teenage girls, William is consumed with saving the estate from the financial ruin. The last thing he needs is any distraction coming from the kindhearted-yet-determined governess who seems to be quietly transforming his household with her persuasive personality, vibrant prayer life, and strong faith.
While both are tending past wounds and guarding fragile secrets, Julia and William are determined to do what it takes to save their families—common ground that proves fertile for unexpected feelings. But will William choose Julia’s steadfast heart and faith over the wealth and power he needs to secure Highland Hall’s future?
My Thoughts
I'm loving all of these English Regency / Edwardian period novels that are coming out right now! There's just something about this time period that intrigues me, and I can't get enough of it! The Governess of Highland Hall was another wonderful book set during this time. The tension between the classes is always interesting to me, and this book does a wonderful job of showing characters who struggle with their "place" in society and crossing between the classes.
The best part of this book was the character development. Turansky writes each character brilliantly. There are quite a few characters—Julia, William, William's two children, his teenage nieces, and a host of other family members and servants—and they I felt like I got to know all of them by the end of the novel. I felt that knowing the characters well made this story even more endearing and helped draw me into a plot that was at times a bit predictable.
Carrie Turansky is a new-to-me author, but after reading The Governess of Highland Hall, I'll be looking for more books from her in the future! [4 stars]
I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my fair and honest review.
About the Author
Carrie
Turansky is the award-winning author of nearly a dozen novels and
novellas, including Snowflake Sweethearts and Along Came Love. She has
won the ACFW Carol Award, the Crystal Globe Award and the International
Digital Award. She lives in central New Jersey with her husband, Scott,
who is a pastor, counselor and the author of several parenting books.
Carrie Turansky Online
I also enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by this author :)
ReplyDeleteColletta
I enjoyed the book as well! I really like the character development too!
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