"The Maid of Fairbourne Hall" by Julie Klassen

Julie Klassen's latest Regency Romance had me from the first sentence. Margaret Macy lives in London with her mother, siblings, and scheming step-father. Knowing of Margaret's upcoming inheritance from a distant relative, step-father Sterling is pressuring her to marry his nephew in order to keep the money in the family. When Margaret overhears Sterling telling his nephew to marry her even if he must compromise her reputation first, Margaret flees the house with only a few belongings to escape the trap set for her.

With only three months until her twenty-fifth birthday, when the inheritance will become her own, Margaret leaves London and disguises herself as a maid seeking employment. She is hired to work at Fairbourne Hall, the country estate of the Upchurch siblings, whom Margaret knows from town. Both charming eldest son Lewis and serious younger son Nathaniel have courted her in the past. Their sister Helen has mourned the death of her fiance for several years and has remained at Fairbourne Hall rather than spending recent seasons in London. Margaret decides not to confide her secret to the family and sets into life belowstairs.

Used to the life of a privileged lady, Margaret has never even undressed herself or made a bed before. It's a rude awakening to suddenly be scrubbing floors and emptying chamber pots. Her identity is constantly in danger of being revealed, both from her inexperience as a maid and from meeting the Upchurch family in the course of her duties. Who will be the first to discover her as an imposter? How far will Sterling go to flush her out from hiding? This was a real page-turning read for me and by far Klassen's best work yet.

One of the things I liked about "The Maid of Fairbourne Hall" was that it was highly unpredictable. One thing that I didn't like was that the author seemed to feel the need to show how degrading the work of a maid was in the 19th century by mentioning chamber pots over and over again. I realize that it's a real and unpleasant part of history but I felt it was over-used as a devise to show how delicate Margaret must adjust to life in service. My only other quibble with the novel was that towards the end the romance, although very clean, was played up more than I personally prefer.

This is definitely the right story for this time, as interest in lives of English servants is surging with popular shows such as "Downton Abbey" on the airwaves. Klassen has capitalized and brought a very satisfying story to life, complete with not only villains but also characters with true Christian morals. Thank you to Julie Klassen and the Bethany House team for bringing us something so enjoyable!

I received my copy from LitFuse Publicity Group in exchange for this honest review. They've put together some great prizes to celebrate this release. Check them out below!

Don't miss the perfect blend of Regency-era romance and mystery in The Maid of Fairbourne Hall! Grab a copy and then be sure to enter Julie's Kindle Fire Giveaway and RSVP for her Author Chat party on Facebook! Swoon.

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire
• A Julie Klassen Library (The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, The Girl in the Gatehouse, and The Silent Governess)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 3/14/12. Winner will be announced at Julie's Fairbourne Hall Book Chat Party on 3/15. Julie will be hosting an evening of chat, trivia and a sneak peek of her next book - bring your friends! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books and a Downton Abbey Prize Pack (Seasons 1 and 2)!

So grab your copy of The Maid of Fairbourne Hall and join Julie and friends on the evening of March 15th for a book chat party.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK r TWITTER nd increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on March 15th!