BOOK TOUR + GIVEAWAY! : THE SECRET OF PEMBROOKE PARK by Julie Klassen 26.2.15

 WELCOME !
I've looked forward with pleasure to today's
Blog Tour Spotlight for this 5* novel

THE SECRET OF PEMBROOKE PARK Julie Klassen's newest release!
*

* Published by Bethany House [Baker Publishing Group] December 2. 2014  Genres: Regency Romance / Gothic Romance / Historical Fiction / Austenesque / Inspirational Fiction 
*

*

AudioBook Published by Recorded Books December 12. 2014

Narrator: Elizabeth Jasicki  ~  Length: 18 hrs 3 min  unabridged

*

Congratulations, Julie,
on your newest delivery !

* The storyline ...?

In the spring of 1818, twenty-four-year-old Abigail Foster fears she is destined to become a spinster. Her family’s finances are in ruins and the one young man she truly esteems has fallen for another woman — her younger, prettier sister Louisa. Forced to retrench after the bank failure of Austen, Gray & Vincent, the Foster family optimistically pool their resources for another London Season for her sister in hopes of an advantageous alliance. While searching for more affordable lodgings, a surprising offer is presented: one twelvemonth's use of a country manor house in Berkshire, abandoned for eighteen years. Abigail and her father journey to the imposing Pembrooke Park and are startled to find it entombed as it was abruptly left. Tight-lipped locals and the handsome local curate offer a stern warning: Beware trespassers drawn by rumours of Pembrooke Park's secret room filled with treasure. . . Eager to restore her family fortune - and her dowry - Abigail begins her search into the heavily veiled past with spirited determination and the aid of cryptic journal pages postmarked Brighton from an unnamed resident. But eerie sounds at night and footprints in the dust reveal she isn't the only one secretly searching the house.   As old friends and new foes come calling at Pembrooke Park, secrets come to light. Will Abigail find the treasure and love she seeks...or very real danger? *

Here's author, Julie Klassen, hosting a wee tour for us,  providing a peek into Great Chalfield Manor,
the English manor {and church} inspiring the story ...

* I absolutely love the unique oriel and stained glass window features, gardens of wisteria and tulips, pathways, and stairway scenes in the book from  this spectacular property.
What a delight to share the tour with Julie!
Thank you, Julie, for including us in bringing the story to life via your firsthand experiences.

I loved the suspense, romantic twists, and variety of characters in this novel.
Truly a pleasure to read !  and a strong 5* recommendation.

*

AUTHOR BIO: 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. Three of her books have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance.  She has also won the Midwest Book Award, Christian Retailing’s BEST Award, and has been a finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards, Minnesota Book Awards, and ACFW’s Carol Awards.  Julie blogs at inspiredbylifeandfiction Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of
St. Paul, Minnesota.



* ~ Find and Follow Julie online ~ Julie's Website Julie Klassen Facebook  Julie on Goodreads  Julie Klassen Twitter  @Julie_Klassen, @Bethany_House Tweet the Tour hashtags:
#PembrookeBlogTour, #JaneAusten, #HistoricalFicton, #RegencyRomance, #Reading, #GothicRomance, #Austenesque

* Purchase Links ~ Book Depository  * Barnes & Noble *  ChristianBook *  *   Indie Bound  *  Amazon *  Audible Audiobook * * Add it at Goodreads  + the next 2 due later this year ~ Lady Maybe  and   The Painter's Daughter

My thoughts on Julie's novels include ~ The Maid of Fairbourne Hall   *   The Dancing Master  The Tutor's Daughter
*

* Award winning historical romance author Julie Klassen tours the blogosphere
February 16 through March 2 to share her latest release, The Secret of Pembrooke Park. Twenty five popular book bloggers specializing in historical and Austenesque fiction will feature guest blogs, interviews, book reviews and excerpts of this acclaimed gothic Regency romance novel.
A fabulous giveaway contest, including copies of all of Ms. Klassen’s eight books and other Jane Austen-themed items, is open to those who join the festivities.    * ~ Grand Giveaway Contest ~ *

**Win One of Four Fabulous Prizes** In celebration of the release of The Secret of Pembrooke Park,
4 chances to win copies of Julie’s books and other
Jane Austen-inspired items are being offered.  Three lucky winners will receive one trade paperback or eBook copy of The Secret of Pembrooke Park, and one grand prize winner will receive one copy of all eight of Julie’s novels:
*
Lady of Milkweed Manor
The Apothecary's Daughter
The Silent Governess
The Girl in the Gatehouse
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall
The Tutor’s Daughter
The Dancing Master and
The Secret of Pembrooke Park
one DVD of Northanger Abbey (2007)
and a Jane Austen Action Figure

*

To Enter the giveaway contest :
simply leave a comment on any or all of the blog stops on
The Secret of Pembrooke Park Blog Tour starting
February 16, 2015 through 11:59 pm PT, March 9, 2015. Winners will be drawn at random from all of the comments and announced on Julie Klassen’s website on March 16, 2015. **Winners have until March 22, 2015 to claim their prize. The giveaway contest is open to residents of the US, UK + Canada. [Digital books will be sent through Amazon or Barnes & Noble]. 

Good luck to all!
Be sure to hit the G+ button to spread the word - TY!!
[bottom of post]

*

FIND and FOLLOW 

THE SECRET OF PEMBROOKE PARK
 BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

at

Julie's Events Page

*

And don't forget to comment here at FHC for your 

GIVEAWAY entry

through 11:59 pm PT - March 9. 2015

* FIND MORE FHC on BOOK DEPOSITORY | PINTEREST | TWITTER | GOOGLE+ | GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | NETWORKED BLOGS | LIBRARYTHING

Tweet
SHARED WITH ~
* BOOK NOOK * Katherine's Corner * Home Matters * Audio Walkers * * Literacy Musing Mondays *Christian Bookshelf Reviews* Small Victories Sundays * *Pink Saturdays* Create With Joy *

MONDAY READING 23.2.15

Finishing up one final book for  It's Monday! What Are You Reading? *

*

Definitely indoor reading weather this weekend.  I made the best of -47C degrees outdoors by wearing capris, drinking tea and enjoying bowls of  hot soup indoors.                              This week I completed ~

  Contemporary roadtrip on the E coast USA, journalist Belinda Jones puts her travel knowledge to good use in writing the descriptive locations experienced in  The Travelling Tea Shop.
A lot of relational issues surface as this tale unfolds.  Three female family members travelling together surprise the baking tour guide who must  rise to the occasion or watch her efforts disintegrate the first day.  Chick lit reading with a lot of taste tempting recipes en route.
Pancake Tuesday Intro + Teaser posted HERE
*  2nd completion?   Timed for Julie Klassen's Book Tour Spotlight here at FHC on Thursday February 26th The Secret of Pembrooke Park *

I love Julie's well researched historical plots and this one adds  gothic suspense to increase reading tension.  Superb. 1,492 ratings at 4+*s

Abigail Foster fears she will end up a spinster, especially as she has little dowry to improve her charms and the one man she thought might marry her--a longtime friend--has fallen for her younger, prettier sister. 
When financial problems force her family to sell their London home, a strange solicitor arrives with an astounding offer: the use of a distant manor house abandoned for eighteen years. The Fosters journey to imposing Pembrooke Park and are startled to find it entombed as it was abruptly left: tea cups encrusted with dry tea, moth-eaten clothes in wardrobes, a doll's house left mid-play . . . 

A gruff welcome awaits them, but though this family seem to know about the manor's past, the only information they offer Abigail and her father is a warning: Beware trespassers who may be drawn by rumours that Pembrooke contains a secret room filled with treasure. . .  Arrival of anonymous letters addressed to Abigail, with clues about the room and the past, bring discoveries even more startling. As secrets come to light, will she be the one to find the treasure or is danger one step ahead?

**Be sure to check out reviews and excerpts during the
Blog Tour this Week. *

* Lovely post delivery ~ Thank you to Laurel-Rain's Blue Mondays Giveaway !  

The Violets of March -  perfectly timed Spring reading! * Currently Reading along with daily Lent video posts

"Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved." Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence.” 

~ Henri Nouwen

The Life of the Beloved series begins HERE


* Anticipated Reading ?

Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest * I've begun the above library reserve I picked up Friday while the weather was decent   I do look forward to picking up the following new releases as soon as available! { plots are intriguing and fantastic cover art !} *

* Price of Privilege - Jessica Dotta
 [an amazing audio sale price HERE] Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner [24% off] Remember the Lilies by Liz Tolsma A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor [at 23% off] A Sparrow of Terezin by Kristy Cambron [releasing April 2015 pre-order at -10%] * **[click titles for discount pricing and Free delivery no minimum!]





Find more reading recommendations at * Book Journey * Literacy Musing Mondays * Book Nook * Musing Mondays * * FIND MORE FHC on
BOOK DEPOSITORY | PINTEREST | TWITTER | GOOGLE+ |GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | NETWORKED BLOGS |  LIBRARYTHING |
Tweet

MONDAY + WEDNESDAY READING WWWs for MID-JULY 16.7.14

Time for this week's Reading~
It's Monday at Sheila's and
WWWs at MizB's ~ Seems I'm playing catchup with blogging and happily so...

To play along, just answer the following 3 questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

*
What I've been currently reading and just completed ? from Julie Klassen ~ The Tutor's Daughter
405 pages of pure pleasure reading, this suspenseful Regency set on the cliffs of Cornwall with an unexpected sweet romance for the spinster blue-stocking daughter of the Smallwood Boys' School tutor...
*
What I'm reading next ? A few choices at hand... One novel topping my stack for
Paris in July is Luanne Rice's  Secrets of Paris found in a local charity book  sale and a perfect addition for this month's theme..
* Along with Sandra Byrd's delectable
French Twist series ~ Let Them Eat Cake #1

Lexi Stuart is at a critical crossroads. She’s done with college but still living at home, ready to launch a career but unable to find a job, and solidly stalled between boyfriends.

When a lighthearted conversation in French with the manager of her favourite bakery turns into a job offer, Lexi accepts. But the actual glamour is minimal: the pay is less than generous, her co-workers are skeptical, her bank account remains vertically-challenged, and her parents are perpetually disappointed. Her only comfort comes from the flirtatious baker she has her eye on–but even he may not be who he seems to be!

So when a handsome young executive dashes into the bakery to pick up his high profile company’s special order for an important meeting–an order Lexi has flubbed– she loses her compulsion to please. “What am I going to do?” he shouts. “Let them eat cake!” she fires back with equal passion and a nod to Marie Antoinette. And then, something inside Lexi clicks. Laissez la révolution commencer! Let the revolution begin!
time to stop trying to fulfill everyone else’s expectations for her life...

*

Bon Appetit   #2 {picked up currently free as ebook}

As she settles into her new home in the village of Presque le Chateau to study and work in a local bakery, her twenty-something optimism meets resistance in the seemingly crusty nature of the people and culture around her. Determined to gain her footing, she finds a church, meets a new friend, and makes the acquaintance of a child named Celine–as well as Celine’s attractive, widowed father, Philippe. Even Patricia, the gruff pastry cook, shows a softer side as she mentors Lexi in the art of baking.

* Looking forward to hearing your answers to Wednesday's WWWs... [plus any favs of Paris themed reads!] Hoping you're getting lots of summer reading breaks!  I'm definitely looking forward to some... * If you're curious about reading Paris or France and French themed topics, join us at
Tamara's Thyme for Tea to catch up on what this week's menu includes.

* I've created a Paris in July Pinterest board to feed my/our interest as well.
* FIND MORE FHC on PINTEREST | TWITTER | GOOGLE+ | GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | NETWORKED BLOGS
*

*

*

Tweet

*

JANE AUSTEN? JANE EYRE? TONIGHT'S FB PARTY WITH JULIE KLASSEN 23.1.14

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT !
LIVE CHAT with author JULIE KLASSEN for her All Things Jane FB PARTY!

Just a quick reminder about tonight's live webcast. Hope to "see" you there and answer your questions!

Details:  Tonight, January 23 at 7:00 PM CT                                      (8:00 ET, 6:00 MT, 5:00 PT)   I will give you a behind-the-scenes look at The Dancing Master,  answer reader questions, give away prizes, and  offer an exclusive sneak peek at my next book.  The webcast will be hosted on my author page on Facebook,  as well as the  Litfuse Publicity Group website if you don't have a Facebook account.  I look forward to meeting many of you online.  - Julie *

Available now!
 Stop by your local bookstore, or visit your favorite online bookseller:

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble 

CBD 

Lifeway 

*

Tweet

THE DANCING MASTER: JULIE KLASSEN's New Release 7.01.14

Julie Klassen's latest Regency Romance [with mystery too!]
* The Dancing Master

Paperback, 424 pages

Kindle, 432 pages

Published January 7th 2014  

Bethany House Publishers 

(first published December 24th 2013)

* A dashing dance master, danger, and determination  added to my appreciation of a story that kept my interest with  every new plot twist.
Perfect pitch between secrets and revelations.
*

*

ABOUT THE DANCING MASTER:

Finding himself the man of the family, London dancing master Alec Valcourt moves his mother and sister to remote Devonshire, hoping to start over. But he is stunned to learn the village matriarch has prohibited all dancing, for reasons buried deep in her past.

Alec finds an unlikely ally in the matriarch’s daughter. Though he’s initially wary of Julia Midwinter’s reckless flirtation, he comes to realize her bold exterior disguises a vulnerable soul–and hidden sorrows of her own.

Julia is quickly attracted to the handsome dancing master–a man her mother would never approve of–but she cannot imagine why Mr. Valcourt would leave London, or why he evades questions about his past. With Alec’s help, can Julia uncover old secrets and restore life to her somber village…and to her mother’s tattered heart?

Filled with mystery and romance, The Dancing Masterbrings to life the intriguing profession of those who taught essential social graces for ladies and gentlemen hoping to make a “good match” in Regency England.

*

My Thoughts?

Great touch of dance master quotes introducing each chapter  and Julie's historic research makes for solid period accuracy.  And...
I loved the dancemaster Ms Klassen imaginatively created!
Depth of character that intensified in the book's settings and situations. I cheered him on as he struggled with each unexpected loss, determined to find and take new directions. Definitely a hero, Ms Klassen has drawn him flawed, fallible and a favourite for this reader.

Our female lead was another story. As was her mother. Both Midwinter women so conflicted, I found them less than likeable, yet, I'm sure intentionally so in order to make room for the character development intended. And there were plenty of episodes to provide opportunity for those improvements! Our author knew what she was about with plot twists, devious schemers, and intrigue, from past to present. 
Julie's depiction of historical England [and the world of dancing masters] is well researched and authentically evoked.  The rural settings of Devonshire in this novel are tangible.  As are the interior sketches.  Familial relationships are authentic and I appreciated the descriptives of homelife and daily activities.
*
Enjoy the Dance...

ABOUT JULIE KLASSEN:

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. Three of her books, The Silent Governess, The Girl in the Gatehouse, and The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. She has also won Christian Retailing’s BEST Award, and has been a finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards, and the Minnesota Book Awards. The Dancing Master is her seventh book.

Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Keep up with Julie via her website julieklassen.com 

and Facebook Author Julie Klassen.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/s7Yl1

*

Much to be enjoyed! 
Thank you, again, Julie!
Your gift is valued and valuable.

*

Don't miss the PARTY with Julie !

Enter Today - 1/6 - 1/23!

Enter for your chance to WIN! 

*

More of the book tour HERE
* *And thank you to Bethany House and Litfuse for providing an ecopy to read and review without obligation. *

Tweet

England travelled for GiraffeDays


*
Linked to Katherine's weekly Hop