"The Dancing Master" by Julie Klassen

Julie Klassen's releases are always much anticipated. "The Dancing Master" is her first book which features a man as the main character, and I thought she captured Alec Valcourt well. Alec arrives in Beaworthy with his mother, his sister, and a big secret. But a hindrance even bigger than his secret is keeping him from following his profession as a dancing master: the matron of the village long ago forbade all dancing, and the villagers live in fear of crossing her. Alec must pursue another form of employment to support his family.

The heroine of this story, Julia Midwinter, is the daughter of the village matron and a rather spoiled young lady. She's very discontent with her life, and is seeking to attach herself to the first man who can take her far away from Beaworthy. It took me a very long time to come to like Julia, because she seemed manipulative and sneaky. As the story progressed I did come to understand her more and care about what happened to her,

Secrets were a very big part of this story. I enjoy the air of mystery that Klassen brings to her tales, but I didn't think these were done as well as some others. Alec's secret was easy to guess, and I felt if we had known it from the beginning we would have identified with him even more. The revelation of Julia's secret was strung out over many conversations and misadventures instead of just one good heart-to-heart. The last Klassen book that I read was The Silent Governess, in which "Who are my real parents?" was the mystery for both main characters, and though I realize the former was released in 2009 and therefore most people won't read these two close together, it was a little tiresome to revisit that topic so soon for this reader.

This book has a great cast of minor characters who bring a lot to the story. My favorite was Mrs. Tickle, the baker who makes sure Alec is well fed and is always quick to provide cakes for big occasions. There's some interesting religious history sprinkled throughout, too.

Alec's uphill battle to get bring dancing back to Beaworthy is an enjoyable story. I'd like to see Klassen do another hero-centric novel in the future. Just be warned: reading this book might make you want to take English Country Dancing lessons! If that sounds more fun than trepidatious, this could be the book for you.