Regency Romance and Mystery from Bestselling Author Julie KlassenPampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through … fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt–and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?
Observing both brothers as an “invisible” servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding?
On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of “serve one another in love.”
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Julie Klassen is such a master storyteller of Regency-era fiction. I love all the historical details she includes, from the food to high-society etiquette to servant’s responsibilities and how they carried them out. The settings in this novel came alive, and I loved watching the transformation of the main character from the beginning of the story to the conclusion. Another thing I noticed and loved was that all of the secondary characters were robust and interesting too. No cardboard cutouts populating this book! That takes talent, skill, and care and I thoroughly enjoyed the result.
Wonderful job by Ms. Klassen as usual of weaving history, excitement, and a bit of mystery and romance together. Appearances can be quite deceiving, and that is certainly true for Miss Macy as she flees one home disguised as a servant in order to try and save her vast inheritance. Her trip is complicated though as she is hired as a servant in the home or men she has rejected and who she now gets to see are not what she thought at all. Perhaps not my favorite background story of Ms. Klassen’s but ignoring that, the rest of the book is great. You begin to feel like Miss Macy is growing up, and while the developed relationship between the full time servants and her can be strained at times, it is still believable. If you like Regency period books and you appreciate that what truly matters is not the size of the bank account or the job position held, but the internal character of a person, I would very much recommend The Maid of Fairbourne Hall.
I like the author
One can never go wrong with a Julie Klassen novel!
Loved this book. Couldn’t put it down and There have been precious few that I couldn’t put down. Author actually made the characters so real I miss them now.
I love all of Julie Klassen’s books. I really enjoyed this one.
A Klassen novel is always an interesting, educational, & fun escape from reality. No wonder I’m reading a lot of her books in 2020!
Probably the best I’ve read of Julie Klassen’s so far! This one kept me up past my bedtime eager for one more page.!
I really enjoyed the book. One worth reading again later!
Really great book. I enjoyed this one so much.
To escape being compelled to marry her stepfather’s nephew, Margaret Macy flees London and takes a position in the first place offered. To her dismay, it is the house of Nathaniel Upchurch who had once asked her to marry him. Can this pampered young lady survive the work of being a housemaid, or will the work crush her before she can attain her inheritance?
I first listened to the audiobook version of this book a year ago. At the time, I was unimpressed with Margaret’s journey from selfish debutante to a hardworking, kind lady. The change seemed to happen too fast to be believed. Reading this a second time, I was more sympathetic to her situation.
This time around, it was the character “Pirate Poet” that really bothered me. It seemed unnecessary and really added nothing to the story. I appreciated Nathaniel more in actually reading the story this time around.
A charming Regency tale for those who enjoy clean, Christian fiction
Been a longtime since I have read this book. Just remember that it was a great book.
Socialite Margaret flees an unwanted betrothal by hiding in plain sight – as a maid for a gentry house. The catch? Her employer, Nathaniel, is a suitor she rejected years earlier. Sooner or later, he must see through her disguise. Margaret’s efforts to remain unrecognized while falling for Nathaniel are achingly conflicting.
I love all of Julie Klassen’s books, but this was one of my favorites. The learning curve the lady had to endure in taking the position of a maid was entertaining and her character development was impressive. Of course, a endearing romance was at the heart of the story.
She won’t consider marriage to a man willing to “force” her to marry, so she hides in plain sight as a maid on the estate of a man she once spurned.
Loved this book as the story line was a new one for me. Loved the characters and the authors ability to bring them to life. Really enjoyed the look into this time period and the historical information.
A really enjoyable read and highly entertaining as she evades her wicked stepfather.
I enjoyed this book. It was interesting watching the characters deal with their challenges. There were several interesting plot lines, and while I enjoyed the story and the characters, I particularly enjoyed learning along with the main character about the work and lives of servants. It was a nicely balanced book, some suspense, some clean romance, and some historical information. Good thing I started it on a weekend, because I stayed up late wanting to see what happened. I’ll definitely look for more from Julie Klassen.
Really loved it!
My favorite Julie Klassen book thus far. I have read it more than once. Only wish there had been a big reveal scene where the servants learned who she really is.