Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing a review copy of The Dancing Master. All opinions are my own.
About the book:
Finding himself the man of the family, London dancing master Alec Valcourt moves his mother and sister to remote Devonshire, hoping to start over. But he is stunned to learn the village matriarch has prohibited all dancing, for reasons buried deep in her past.
Alec finds an unlikely ally in the matriarch's daughter. Though he's initially wary of Julia Midwinter's reckless flirtation, he comes to realize her bold exterior disguises a vulnerable soul---and hidden sorrows of her own.
Julia is quickly attracted to the handsome dancing master---a man her mother would never approve of---but she cannot imagine why Mr. Valcourt would leave London, or why he evades questions about his past. With Alec's help, can Julia uncover old secrets and restore life to her somber village . . . and to her mother's tattered heart?
Filled with mystery and romance, The Dancing Master brings to life the intriguing profession of those who taught essential social graces for ladies and gentlemen hoping to make a "good match" in Regency England.
Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/s7Yl1
About the author:
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 is a three-time Christy Award winner and a 2010 Midwest Book Award winner for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Learn more about Julie at: http://julieklassen.com
My Thoughts:
My first introduction to Julie Klassen's novels was The Maid of Fairbourne Hall which I absolutely loved. I expected The Dancing Master to be as exciting as the previous novel, but I was a bit surprised with how slowly the plot developed. A lot of the perspective was from the primary male character Alec. I would have liked to have the novel just from Julia's perspective; I found her to be much more interesting of a character. That being said, the pace of the story is a bit slow and it took a while for me to get interested in the mysteries behind why the town doesn't "allow dancing" (remind you a bit of Footloose?), Julia's strict mother, and Alec's past.
I loved the details that the author researched about dancing in this time period. Especially since I know nothing about that and have always wondered how ladies and gentlemen learned all the social graces of dancing.
If you are looking for a fast paced "easy" read, this book may not be your first choice. But if you love Jane Austen or period novels, you'll learn a lot about the Regency period.
Best-selling author Julie Klassen will be hosting a Kindle Fire HDX giveaway and a live webcast event (1/23) to celebrate the release of her latest novel, The Dancing Master. Enter and RSVP today!
One winner will receive:
So grab your copy of The Dancing Master and join Julie and friends on the evening of January 23rd for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)
About the book:
Finding himself the man of the family, London dancing master Alec Valcourt moves his mother and sister to remote Devonshire, hoping to start over. But he is stunned to learn the village matriarch has prohibited all dancing, for reasons buried deep in her past.
Alec finds an unlikely ally in the matriarch's daughter. Though he's initially wary of Julia Midwinter's reckless flirtation, he comes to realize her bold exterior disguises a vulnerable soul---and hidden sorrows of her own.Julia is quickly attracted to the handsome dancing master---a man her mother would never approve of---but she cannot imagine why Mr. Valcourt would leave London, or why he evades questions about his past. With Alec's help, can Julia uncover old secrets and restore life to her somber village . . . and to her mother's tattered heart?
Filled with mystery and romance, The Dancing Master brings to life the intriguing profession of those who taught essential social graces for ladies and gentlemen hoping to make a "good match" in Regency England.
Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/s7Yl1
About the author:
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 is a three-time Christy Award winner and a 2010 Midwest Book Award winner for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.Learn more about Julie at: http://julieklassen.com
My Thoughts:
My first introduction to Julie Klassen's novels was The Maid of Fairbourne Hall which I absolutely loved. I expected The Dancing Master to be as exciting as the previous novel, but I was a bit surprised with how slowly the plot developed. A lot of the perspective was from the primary male character Alec. I would have liked to have the novel just from Julia's perspective; I found her to be much more interesting of a character. That being said, the pace of the story is a bit slow and it took a while for me to get interested in the mysteries behind why the town doesn't "allow dancing" (remind you a bit of Footloose?), Julia's strict mother, and Alec's past.
I loved the details that the author researched about dancing in this time period. Especially since I know nothing about that and have always wondered how ladies and gentlemen learned all the social graces of dancing.
If you are looking for a fast paced "easy" read, this book may not be your first choice. But if you love Jane Austen or period novels, you'll learn a lot about the Regency period.
Best-selling author Julie Klassen will be hosting a Kindle Fire HDX giveaway and a live webcast event (1/23) to celebrate the release of her latest novel, The Dancing Master. Enter and RSVP today!
One winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire HDX
- The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen
So grab your copy of The Dancing Master and join Julie and friends on the evening of January 23rd for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)
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