The Secret of Pembrooke Park Blog Tour and Giveaway ~ My Review

Hey Everyone! I'm super excited to be part of 
The Secret of Pembrooke Park BLOG TOUR! 
Many thanks to Bethany House and Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose for putting together this tour. And, of course, thanks to Julie Klassen for writing another wonderful story! The Secret of Pembrooke Park is the second book I've read of Ms. Klassen's, and it won't be the last! 

The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen

Publication Date: December 1st, 2014 
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers 
Pages: 460 
Received: E-copy from the publisher 
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Review

The beginning of The Secret of Pembrooke Park grabbing me as my heart felt for poor Abigail! She takes the blame for the financial crisis that they are currently in; she advised her father to invest with her uncle in a business that failed.  I also felt keenly how her mother and younger sister over-looked her; they considered her on-the-shelf. And I felt her heartbreak, as she watched the one she loved take an interest in someone else.

Their financial troubles have caused them to sell their house and look for a place to let. A distant relative offers to let them stay at Pembrooke Park. The old manor that has been closed up for the past 18 years, in fact, the previous occupants left rather suddenly, and under suspicion circumstance. Abigail and her father agree to have a look at the place. After an inspection, they agree to stay under the conditions set by the current executor who is to remain anonymous.

Layered in dust the manor is in need of a thorough cleaning and some repairs. With a small staff of servants, Abigail gets to work putting the place in order. Her mother and sister, Louisa, stay in London to enjoying the season. Soon her father is called back to London on business leaving Abigail alone at the manor. Her first night there alone she hears many strange sounds; creaking floors, footsteps and “a ghostly moan, “All alone. All alonnnnne ..”  Spooky!!

Curious as to why the manor was suddenly abandoned all those years ago, Abigail beginnings searching the rooms, and asking the servants and neighbors questions, but no one is willing to talk about it. From the bits of information she is able to gather, and through cryptic letters she begins to receive, Abigail starts learning The Secrets of Pembrooke Park! 

The Secrets of Pembrooke Park is a Gothic Regency Romance that I found wonderful to read! I loved the mystery, the shadowy figures, the bumps-in-the-night, the strange relative who shows up for a visit, the accidents and rescues, and, of course, the romance! I would highly recommend this!

FTC Disclaimer: I received an ARC e-copy of the story from the publisher for my honest review.

Buy: Amazon •  B&N • CBD • BAM
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FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provide, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

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. Three of her books have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. She has also been a finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Connect with Julie Klassen

twitter • facebook • website 

Giveaway Information

There will also be a drawing for 4 great prizes! To enter, simply visit and leave a comment on the blog(s) of your choice. Increase your chances of winning by visiting multiple stops on the tour.

Contest closes at 11:59 pm PT, March 9, 2015. Winners will be drawn at random from all of the comments on the blogs, and announced Julie Klassen's website on March 16th. The giveaway contest is open to residents of the US, UK, and Canada.

For more information on the giveaway go to Julie Klassen's website. 

THE SECRET OF PEMBROOK PARK BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE: 

• February 16                My Jane Austen Book Club (Guest Blog)
• February 16                vvb32 Reads (Excerpt)
• February 17                Psychotic State Book Reviews (Review)
• February 17                My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice (Spotlight)
• February 18                Addicted to Jane Austen (Review)                          
• February 18                Peeking Between the Pages (Review)                                            
• February 19                Jane Austen in Vermont (Interview)                                               
• February 19                Living Read Girl (Review)                                       
• February 20                My Love for Jane Austen (Excerpt)                                    
• February 20                Truth, Beauty, Freedom & Books (Review)                                   
• February 20                Laura’s Reviews (Guest Blog)                                             
• February 21                Confessions of a Book Addict (Review)
• February 21                A Bookish Way of Life (Review)                                         
• February 21                Romantic Historical Reviews (Excerpt)                              
• February 22                Reflections of a Book Addict (Review)                                           
• February 23                Austenesque Reviews (Guest Blog)                                    
• February 23                Peace, Love, Books (Review)                                              
• February 24                vvb32 Reads (Review)                                              
• February 24                Poof Books (Excerpt)
• February 25                Babblings of a Bookworm (Review)                                    
• February 25                Austenesque Reviews (Review)                                          
• February 25                Luxury Reading (Review)
• February 26                So Little Time…(Review)
• February 26                More Agreeably Engaged (Excerpt)
• February 26                Faith, Hope and Cherrytea (Spotlight)
• February 27                Psychotic State Book Reviews (Interview)                         
• February 27                Booktalk & More (Review)
• February 28                Laughing with Lizzie (Spotlight)
• February 28                The Calico Critic (Review)
• March 01                    Leatherbound Reviews (Excerpt)                                        
• March 01                    Delighted Reader (Review)
• March 02                    CozyNookBks (Review)                                           
• March 02                    Laura’s Reviews (Review)   

Don't forget! To enter the grand giveaway, just leave a comment here and/or at another blog participating in The Secrets of Pembrooke Park blog tour! :) 

What are you Reading? ~ Feb. 25, 2015

Hey Everyone! Oh, man, I haven't been posting anything but my Wednesday meme lately! Sorry about that. Life kind of got in the way... But tomorrow, I'll be posting my review of The Secret of Pembrooke Park. I'm part of the Blog Tour for the book, so check that out! 

"What are you Reading?" is a weekly meme hosted by me! If you'd like to join me, answer the following questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll be reading next?

What am I currently reading? I'm currently reading

Green Card by Elizabeth Adams. I'm loving it! I see some parallels to Pride and Prejudice here!! It's really captured my attention, and I want to keep reading it! It's a long one though...566 pages! At this point, I'm about half way through.   I can see now that Elizabeth Adam's book, The Houseguest, a Pride and Prejudice variation, which I bought back in May, is going to move to the top of my TBR pile!  





What did I recently finish reading?  I finished Obsidian (A Lux Novel Book 1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout. It was really good. There are, I think, five books in this series, and I hope to get around to reading all of them...eventually. :)






What do I think I'll be reading next? Next up is Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton. I requested this book from NetGalley. It's a dystopia/fantasy/sci-fi. I'm looking forward to reading it! I love the cover!


FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

What are you reading? I'd love to hear! 

What are you Reading? ~ Feb. 18, 2015

"What are you Reading?" is a weekly meme hosted by me! If you'd like to join me, answer the following questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll be reading next?

What am I currently reading? I'm currently reading Obsidian (A Lux Novel Book 1) by Jennifer L Armentrout. I love how the protagonist is a book blogger! She sometimes mentions her blog, and the regular memes she posts, such as a "What are you Reading?" type of post! Fun! I was going to read Green Card, but I had an old root canal go bad, and I didn't want to read anything that I had to review. So, I picked this off my TBR pile, and I'm enjoying it! 





What did I recently finish reading? I finished reading The Twelve-Step Plan by Erin Brady. This romantic comedy was fun to read for Valentines! Sweet! I'll have a review up soon.

What do I think I'll be reading next? I'm not sure. Probably something from my TBR pile, because I have too many reviews to catch up on. 


FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!


What are you reading? I'd love to hear!

What are you Reading? ~ Feb. 10, 2015

"What are you Reading?" is a weekly meme hosted by me! If you'd like to join me, answer the following questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll be reading next?

What am I currently reading? I'm currently reading The Twelve-Step Plan by Erin Brady. Good so far!









What did I recently finish reading? I finished Girl, Stolen by April Henry. I loved this! So tense...I couldn't put it down! 

What do I think I'll be reading next? I think I'm going to read Green Card by Elizabeth Adams. It looks like a fun read! It reminds me of the movie with the same name staring Andie MacDowel, and I loved that movie! 

But, there's always a chance I may choose a book from my TBR pile instead! ;)


FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

What are you reading? I'd love to hear!

What are you Reading? ~ Feb. 4, 2015

"What are you Reading?" is a weekly meme hosted by Candy @ So little time...! If you'd like to join me, answer the following questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll be reading next?

What am I currently reading?  I've just started Girl, Stolen by April Henry. I needed a change of pace, and I think this will do the trick! Plus, I'll get to check one off my TBR pile!







What did I recently finish reading? I finished reading The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen. Ooh! Great read! Spooky Gothic mystery and lovely romance! I'll have my review posted during The Secret of Pembrooke Park Blog Tour! 

What do I think I'll be reading next? My plan is to read The Twelve-Step Plan by Erin Brady. I am looking forward to reading this one! Erin Brady's books are always fun to read!

FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provide, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

What are you reading? I'd love to hear!

Meryton Press Short-story Contest!!!

Hey Everyone!! I'm so excited to be part of this fantastic announcement! Meryton Press is having this awesome short story contest!! Check out the information below! 

Meryton Press Short Story Contest

Summer Lovin’

BEGINS – 9:00 a.m. Feb 1, 2015 (US Pacific time)

ENDS – 11:59 p.m. March 15, 2015 (US Pacific Time)

Meryton Press is conducting a contest to find the best short stories.

The theme of the contest, “Summer Lovin’,” represents the summer season. The interpretation of the theme is left to the writer’s imagination; the story may have summer as a backdrop or may convey a sense of happiness and light. It might be a romantic comedy set in the South Pacific, a thriller in the everglades of Florida, a romance in Queen Victoria’s summer court, an ode to the ocean and Elizabeth Bennet, or a mail -order bride in the Old West—anything your summer muse suggests.

Any genre is acceptable as long as there is ROMANCE. Austenesque is a plus, but is not required. In other words, so long as there is a commonly accepted or acceptable interpretation of the theme embedded in the plot, it works for us. However, this contest is not for children’s stories. Our target audience is readers over 18 years old.

The contest will be judged by a panel of independent judges, and the results will be announced by mid-April 2015.

A long list of entries will be selected for final judging by a panel of expert editors and reviewers. The long list will consist of at least eight quality entries. All entries on the long list will receive a letter with constructive criticism on how the story could have been improved. Four winners will be selected from the long list and will be awarded prizes as detailed in the guidelines below (see “Contest Prizes”).

In addition, all four winning entries will be published in an anthology planned for early summer 2015. The anthology will include not only the four winners but stories from Meryton Press’ popular and award-winning authors.

Contest Prizes: Prizes will be awarded as below. Payment will be through PayPal.

First Prize:

• US $150
• Professional editing of entry
• Blog tour inclusion
• Priority submission of a longer work
• Four copies of published anthology

Runners up:

• US $100
• Professional editing of entry
• Publication in the anthology
• Two copies of published anthology

*Download the PDF file for detailed guidelines and rules at merytonpress.com/anthology.

*To receive email updates about this contest, sign up for the Anthology Contest Updates mailing list at merytonpress.com/mailing-list.

The Vagabond Vicar by Charlotte Brentwood ~ My Review

The Vagabond Vicar by Charlotte Brentwood 

Publication Date: October 15th, 2014 
Pages: 279 
Received: E-copy from the author. 
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 



Book Blurb:

William Brook is an idealistic young cleric, desperate to escape dreary England for a mission adventure in exotic lands. It's his worst nightmare come true when he is posted to a parish in a small backwater village, populated with small-minded people and husband-hunting mamas. He’s determined not to form any ties and to escape the country as an independent single man.

A free spirit, Cecilia Grant is perfectly content to remain in her family home in Amberley village - when she's not wandering the countryside at all hours painting. Marriage options are few, but that won't stop her mother from engineering a match with one of the ruling family's sons. Cecilia attempts to win the man, but what is it about the new vicar and his brooding ways that is so appealing? Could he be the only one who has ever really understood her, and can she discover what he is running away from?

As William struggles not to fall in love with the lady's intoxicating beauty and mysterious eccentricity, he finds himself drawn into the lives of the villagers, despite their best efforts to alienate the newcomer. When he makes it clear he's not sticking around, Cecilia strives to restrain her blossoming feelings for him. Just when it seems love may triumph, dark secrets are revealed in Amberley and a scandal from William’s past may see the end of not only his career, but his chance at finding an everlasting love.

The Vagabond Vicar is an unashamedly romantic historical novel you'll fall in love with. If you love Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, can't get enough of Downton Abbey or Cranford, or just prefer old-fashioned boy-meets-girl stories, try reading Charlotte Brentwood.

Sensuality level: sweet (only kissing) Please note, although there is some mention of religious subject matter due to the hero's occupation, this is not an "inspirational" novel.

I truly enjoyed The Vagabond Vicar! The book blurb does a fantastic job of summarizing the story that I’m not going to do that here. What I am going to do is tell you how much I liked it!

The village of Amberley may be small, but it holds some challenges for the new Vicar. William finds that he doesn’t have to sail to far off places to find adventure and share the gospel. 

William Brooke is a refreshing Vicar! He’s not a sniveling toad, who is fawning all over his patrons, the Barringtons. He is bold in the way he tries to reach people, even going to unsavory places to help them and show them God’s love. He is somewhat socially awkward, and past experiences of rejection have left him afraid of love, and because of this he keeps people at a distance.

Cecilia Grant is seen as dim-witted by most people. Always so engrossed in her observations, she often isn’t paying attention to mundane conversations. But in reality, she is very insightful, especially when it comes to William. Within minutes of their first conversation, Cecilia understood William’s desire to be off ministering to the people of some far off exotic place.  I loved Cecilia straightforwardness, and I often found her humorous. I loved what she prayed to herself while she was listening to William's sermon, “…help me concentrate on the sermon, not on the vicar’s figure! Amen!”

The Vagabond Vicar is a very charming and sweet read that I would highly recommend! I look forward to reading more from Ms. Brentwood! 

FTC Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of the story from the author for my honest review.

Buy: Amazon
Add to Goodreads.

FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provide, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!

Connect with Charlotte Brentwood

twitter • facebook • website

Any thoughts? I'd love to hear from you!