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Pampered 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 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."
::My Thoughts::
I love historical romance novels! If your like me this novel will surpass your expectations easily. Aside from romance in a historical setting there is rebellion, mystery, intrigue, scandal, and charisma.
The characters are intriguing and there is more to each of them than meets the eye. I love that each character has a story behind them no matter how big or small. This really helped bring each and every one of them to life, and made the story come to life.
I will admit that at first I really despised the main character, Margaret Macy, because she seemed so spoiled and uppity. She had little sympathy for anyone other than herself, but at the same time I caught some glimpses her more gentler side which helped me soften towards her. I was drawn even closer to her when she was thrust into a humbled way of life. Due to her fleeing her home in order to escape her planned marriage under forced circumstances she not only had to serve as a maid, but she found compassion towards those she merely ordered around in her privileged life. It was quite refreshing to see her placed at the servants level because she began to see them as the people they are rather than merely household servants.
Despite his brusque beginning in the novel I felt a pull towards Nathaniel Upchurch. From Margaret’s brief descriptions of him and their past with him being a suitor I could just tell there was more to him than met the eye. I couldn’t wait to uncover more about him, and I wasn’t disappointed.
I loved the characters pull towards each other and you could almost feel the electricity between the pages. It was a hard book to put down to say the least.
I really didn’t feel as if this novel lagged at all since there is something going on constantly, and I was kept at the edge of my seat wondering if Margaret would be found out in her maids getup.
I really want to go into more details about this book, but I just can’t without giving anything away. I will say that I was on the edge of my seat anticipating what would happen next.
This novel is very uplifting, and humbling. Aside from truly enjoying this novel as a fantastic read it will have you looking at others in a whole new light as you’ve never seen them before. As much as I have always enjoyed a good historical romance I will admit I haven’t given MUCH thought to the maid characters in them, and this really opened my eyes. A wonderful read that I highly recommend to all you historical romance buffs.
::About The Author::
Julie Klassen loves all things Jane--Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. She won a 2010 Christy Award, a 2011 Midwest Book Award, and was a finalist at the 2010 RITA® Awards. Julie is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota.
To Learn More about her visit her website @ http://www.julieklassen.com/
Want to see my Star Rating for this book on Goodreads? CLICK HERE
DISCLAIMER: I was provided this book for free through Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my unbiased review. Opinions expressed are mine alone.
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