Blog Tour: The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

To escape a scheme to marry her off to a dishonorable man, Margaret Macy flees London disguised as a housemaid. If she can remain unwed until her next birthday, she will receive an inheritance, and with it, sweet independence. But she never planned on actually working as a servant. And certainly not in the home of Nathaniel and Lewis Upchurch--both former suitors.
As she fumbles through the first real work of her life, Margaret struggles to keep her identity secret when suspicions arise and prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall. Can she avoid a trap meant to force her from hiding?

Julie Klassen loves all things Jane--Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. She has won the Christy Award: Historical Romance for The Silent Governess (2010) and The Girl in the Gatehouse (2011) which also won the 2010 Midwest Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.

For more information, visit here.

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 or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on March 15th!

My Thoughts:

I’m not usually a huge fan of Regency-era novels (with the exception of Jane Austen’s works, of course), but this book captured my attention.

The idea of a lady becoming a maid and learning what domestic service is all about is a fascinating one. There were so many period details in the story, little small things, that made the book captivating to read. We follow Margaret aka Nora, as she tries to learn how to do the things she’d taken for granted for so long. There is a romance in the book as well, but for me, the novel’s strength comes from the atmosphere the author creates along with the many side characters, all servants, who help (or don’t) the heroine.

The writing is precise, with a good command of pacing. I do wish the shifts from present to a past occurrence had been less abrupt, less “she thought back on that time…” making the reader feel like the image should be hazing over like in a B movie. That’s really the only thing that bothered me a bit, but since it doesn’t happen too many times, it can be overlooked.

This was a fun read that I can recommend to lovers of historical fiction.



To see the rest of the tour, please go here.