Book Review: The Tutor's Daughter

About the book

Filled with page-turning suspense, The Tutor's Daughter takes readers to the windswept Cornwall coast-a place infamous for shipwrecks and superstitions-where danger lurks, faith is tested, and romance awaits.

Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father when his boarding school fails, accompanies him to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But soon after they arrive and begin teaching the two younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte at night, only to find the music room empty? And who begins sneaking into her bedchamber, leaving behind strange mementoes?

The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry Weston, wrestle with problems-and secrets-of their own. They both remember the studious Miss Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her...

When suspicious acts escalate, can Emma figure out which brother to blame and which to trust with her heart?

My thoughts

In all honesty, it took me a few chapters to really get into this book.  It is not because it is not well written, it just starts a little slow.  Having said that, once the story line picked up, it was difficult to put it down.  The characters are well written and I was able to identify with each of them, either personally, or, at the very least, I could see loved ones in the different characters.  Along the lines of great writing, was the descriptions of the locations, allowing the reader to truly feel as though they were there. On the negative side, I did find several parts that were predictable.  On the positive side, there are still many parts that were not.  I recommend this book to those who enjoy love stories with a bit of suspense, to those who enjoy historical romance and  those who enjoy shows like Downton Abbey, as the settings are similar.

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 has won the Christy Award: Historical Romance for The Silent Governess (2010) and The Girl in the Gatehouse (2011) which also won the 2010 Midwest Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. 

 

Find out more about Julie at http://www.julieklassen.com/.

Disclaimer

I would like to thank Litfuse Publicity and the author for the copy of the book I received to facilitate this review.  As always, my opinion is my own.