The Tutor's Daughter: Christian Fiction book review

    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 momentoes?

    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?
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.

   
    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. For more information, visit www.julieklassen.com

Joy In Our Journey's review:

    Julie Lassen has written another one of her delightful, historical romance novels, The Tutor’s Daughter.  Sir Giles Weston has written requesting Mr. Smallwood and his daughter, Emma come to live in his castle and tutor his two youngest sons. The castle is located on a windswept coastal area of England and is, in Emma’s mind, a very beautiful, but frightening place.  Their presence however, is not exactly what Lady Weston would like, so she causes trouble for Emma and her father, treating them rather poorly.

    Henry and Philip Weston, Mr. Smallwood’s former students, are also both in residence at the castle.  Emma often recalls the teasing and tricks that they would play on her when they attended Mr. Smallwood’s school.  Philip has grown into a very attractive man, but there seems to be something very special about Henry that draws Emma’s attention.  She has no business being attracted to either one, as their station is so far above hers.  Then the tricks start. 

    A handprint on her mirror, pages missing from her journal, a toy soldier on her floor, the pitiful cry in the night. 

    Is there someone who is in trouble?

    Who or what could be doing these things? 

    Harry and David can’t still be doing these harmless but frightening tricks.

    Then there is the ancient Chapel on the Rocks.  What is it about the chapel that seems to draw Emma to it?  Along with all the shipwrecks on the rocks far below, Emma has her work cut out for her. As Emma tries to solve all these mysteries, the truth seems to be just out of her reach.

     You will enjoy the twists and turns of this 17th century story, The Tutor’s Daughter, by Julie Klassen.

    Bethany House Publishers provided me with one copy of The Tutor's Daughter in exchange for my own thoughts and honest opinions expressed here for you.  No other compensation was provided.

---