Secret of Pembrooke Park

I received a copy of THE SECRET OF PEMBROOKE PARK by Julie Klassen from Bethany House.  I must preface this by saying Julie Klassen is one of my favorite authors and Bethany House is one of my favorite publishers, so I was thrilled at this opportunity.  Of course, the fact that the novel is historical fiction, one of my favorite genres, also helped in my excitement.

This story centers around Abigail Foster, who is a strong female lead.  Her family is destitute after her father invests wrongly in a bank – at Abigail’s urging.  She and her father get the chance to move to a manor, and you can bet mystery ensues.  The Pembrooke family up and disappeared one day.  There is also a lost treasure.  I found the mystery intriguing and I swooned over the romance. 

My only nitpick is that I was confused about the historical aspects.  Some of the things didn’t feel right for me – Abigail is in her room alone with a male – but they didn’t deter from the storyline.  Overall, this was a great escape from day-today-life.  I recommend this to fan of inspirational historical fiction.  The writing reminded me of a classic.  Perhaps it isn’t quite Jane Austen, but it certainly reminded me of her work.