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Thursday 15 January 2015

The Secret of Pembrooke Park

http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/the-secret-of-pembrooke-park/341830



Back Cover



Abigail Foster is the practical daughter.  She fears she will end up a spinster, especially as she has little dowry, and the one man she thought might marry her seems to have fallen for her younger, prettier sister.

Facing financial ruin, Abigail and her father search for more affordable lodgings, until a strange solicitor arrives with an astounding offer:  the use of a distant manor house abandoned for eighteen years.  The Fosters journey to imposing Pembrooke Park and are startled to find it entombed as it was abruptly left:  tea cups encrusted with dry tea, moth-eaten clothes in wardrobes, a doll`s house left mid-play…

The handsome local curate welcomes them, but though he and his family seem acquainted with the manor`s past, the only information they offer is a stern warning:  Beware trespassers drawn by rumors that Pembrooke Park contains a secret room filled with treasure.

This catches Abigail`s attention.  Hoping to restore her family`s finance—and her dowry—Abigail looks for this supposed treasure.  But eerie sounds at night and footprints in the dust reveal she isn`t the only one secretly searching the house.

Then Abigail begins receiving anonymous letters, containing clues about the hidden room and startling discoveries about the past.

As old friends and new foes come calling at Pembrooke Park, secrets come to light.  Will Abigail find the treasure and the love she seeks…or very real danger? 

Review 

I always thought it would be the neatest thing to move into an older, historical house and explore each and every room, all the while imagining the events that occurred in each one.  Part of the appeal would be searching for any “hidden rooms” holding secrets of times past…I get delicious goosebumps just thinking about it!

Pembrooke Park holds plenty of secrets – this 450 page plus novel attests to that.  But do not be daunted by the length of the novel, for not once did I find it drag.  In fact, it was just the opposite.  Each chapter was a slight acceleration to the climax as small pieces of the mystery are discovered throughout the story, building up to the grand finale.  Rich in detail, The Secret of Pembrooke Park will appeal to a wide variety of readers.  Those who are a fan of historical fiction, mystery, romance, and most definitely Jane Austen, will love this masterpiece.   I have read three other Julie Klassen novels (also excellent) – The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, The Tutor’s Daughter, and The Dance Master, and this is my favourite of them all.

Now I just wish I had an old manor house to explore!


Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.   Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

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