The Maid of Fairbourne Hall: (A Forced Proximity Historical Regency Romance Novel)

I liked the premise of this book, and liked even more that the heroine actually grew up in the book and her world view changed.A few points to know, the heroine needs just 3 months of safety until she reaches her birthday and can then get her inheritance and not have to worry about her step father trying to marry her off to his nephew so he can control the money. The hero of the story is a man who seems to have lived under his older brother's shadow. Considering his older brother will one day have a title, this isn't something that is shocking, so the younger brother (the hero) has known from a young age he is going to have to make his own way in the world, so he has been trying to become a good business man, and for the most part succeeding despite the objections by his father, and his brother's attempt to just keep spending money they don't have. The hero and heroine meet about 2-3 years before the book starts out and are courting, then the heroine meets the hero's older brother and throws him over for the title. However, the older brother is just a flirt and has no intention of having any honorable intentions towards any woman for a very long time. Unfortunately for the heroine she doesn't realize this for a very long time because she is basically a vain and self absorbed woman until she overhears her step father telling his nephew to get her consent to wed her even if he has to compromise her to do it.Now the hero's older brother probably would have helped her through marriage if he had known about the inheritance but the heroine's mother and father (real one not the step father) decided not to let it be known because they didn't want to deal with fortune hunters. They also figured because of her beauty her getting married wouldn't be a problem.So the heroine runs away with a maid who has just been sacked, because the heroine stole money and the maid was blamed, but since the heroine can't go back she basically screws the maid over (like I said the woman was vain and self absorbed and really only cared about herself, her brother and sister and her mother, everyone else could go hang) because heroine will not tell the truth. But she does write the maid a glowing reference that allows her to get a job.Through a series of events that I will not get into, the heroine ends up working in the house of the hero as a maid, it is very grueling work, and since the heroine has never worked a day in her life, this is a very new experience, which also opens her eyes to how servants are treated and how thankless their jobs are. During this experience she really starts to change and becomes a more compassionate person towards others and starts to put their comforts above her own. She also learns while at the house just how unworthy the older brother is and how worthy the younger brother is. She realizes that she has probably burned the bridge with the younger brother, but still holds out hope that maybe one day he will be able to forgive her and get back together.This is a christian book and I didn't feel the characters had to force this, it was part of their being, even if they weren't necessarily good christians (I mean who is?) but you could tell they sincerely wanted to follow Christ, just sometimes were at a loss.I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good christian based historical novel, with a little bit of romance thrown in.

Does reliably fresh sound like an oxymoron? Not when the pen is in Julie Klassen's hand. She writes twists and secrets into The Maid of Fairbourne Hall to keep us glued to the page. This is stimulating historical fiction with just the right amount of romance.Margaret has no recourse but to flee when she learns that her stepfather and would-be fiancé are plotting for her inheritance. Think of the culture shock when a London woman of station sneaks out of her home and takes a job as a housemaid. Imagine the emotional turmoil when she discovers she has been employed in the home of her former suitors! Breathe a sigh of relief with her when she is told that housemaids should be invisible to the family that they serve.Early on in the story, the standard upstairs/downstairs stereotypes are challenged when Margaret's maid starts giving her orders so that Margaret can escape an unwanted marriage. Once employed at Fairbourne Hall, Margaret risks immediate dismissal because she doesn't have any idea how to make up a bed. Don't miss the brush scene. It is priceless. We never know if or when her masquerade will be discovered. All in all, this is great storytelling.The characters are well fleshed out. Although Margaret fumbles a bit at her identity change, she is a resourceful and multi-faceted character. The balances of trust and suspicion between her and Helen Upchurch work particularly well. Klassen accurately portrays the upstairs/downstairs world so prevalent in the early 18th century Regency class system and inserts some class-busters for interest. In addition, the hierarchy and dynamics among the servants give the book great depth. This reader found the servant world more interesting than the romance.Julie Klassen has secured a place as a noted author of the Regency period. Unwilling to sit on her laurels, she researches each new book thoroughly. Her many sources are used as epigraphs before each chapter.Servanthood is a great teacher and appears in many guises throughout The Maid of Fairbourne Hall. Thumbs up for this rewarding read.Bethany House graciously provided the review copy for my unbiased opinion.Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont

loved it !!!!!!!!!!

I just love this author's work and please excuse me if I sound like I am gushing. I have been drawn into the characters lives and as in all of her work you really live the story. Please give yourself the pleasure of reading any of her works I am sure you will love them

my favourite! ich konnte das spannend geschrieben Buch nicht aus der Hand legen. Eine wunderbare Lektüre für verregnete Wochenenden, mit Zeit und Muße.Es war mein viertes Buch der Autorin und ich freue mich schon auf die nächsten!

I was lucky to find  The Apothecary's Daughter: A Novel for free one day on the Freebies thread on Kindle forum. I found it so good that I decided to investigate this author more and I downloaded The Maid of Fairbourne Hall. I was not disappointed. It is excellent. Also set in Regency period, it is not just a romance book, but also a gold mine for all things Regency. But the main attraction is the description of the servants' lives and toil in rich houses. In the Maid of Fairbourne, the story revolves around a young and shallow young lady, Margaret, who is being harassed to marry her stepfather's nephew (for her upcoming inheritance). The nephew has to marry before her birthday to be able to get her money and him and his uncle will stop at nothing to get her to agree, even if the nephew has to rape her to force her to marry. Our heroine has to escape at the first opportunity.... and she finds herself, disguised as a maid, in Fairbourne Hall, the home of an old suitor, that she cruelly rejected. And her life as a spoilt brat is over, or until her birthday in a few months. But will she change?The Maid of Fairboune Hall is very well written and seems to me very well researched. I shall look out for other books from Ms Julie Klassen. I have to say that I did find the ebook a little expensive at £6.74 but it is 400 pages, so, I bought it anyway, and so well written that I do not regret it. I have put her other books on my Price Drop Watch list, in the hope that they will be down of at least a pound but I am glad I had the opportunity to discover this excellent author. The Apothecary's Daughter: A Novel

Loved this story. Could not put it down.