Who would have ever guessed that some of the best books out on the shelves today are the ones that blend the best of two or more genre's together to create a recipe for something that is guaranteed to grab you and never let go? Well that's just what you'll find when you pick up a copy of Julie Klassen's latest novel, The Tutor's Daughter. It's a perfect blend of mystery, suspense, romance and historical fiction set in Cornwall in the early 1800's. If you love any of those types of genre's, you'll want to pick up this novel as soon as you can. But be forewarned, you won't be able to put this one down and you'll be sad when it ends. Not because of a tearful ending, but because it's so good, it's over too soon.
The story begins at the Smallwood Academy, a boarding school for boys and gives us a brief history into the lives of Emma Smallwood and her father, John. As a young girl she was often the victim of the childish pranks of Henry Weston, and spent a great deal of time trying to avoid him whenever possible. It was his younger brother, Phillip that captured Emma's heart. She envisioned what a romance with him might be like, even though the possibility of that ever happening was probable. The Weston's came from a well-to-do family in Cornwall, and her family was just barely making ends meet running the Academy.
Five years later, the academy is falling on hard times and it seems that few families are sending their boys to schools such as the Smallwood Academy opting for more renown ones like Eton. As hard as Emma tried to find ways to bring more students into the academy it seemed like her father had truly given up. Acting in her father's behalf, she sent a letter to the Weston family to inquire to the possibility of the younger brothers Julian and Rowan to see if they might be interested in coming to the boarding school. Yet when a reply returned from Sir Giles Weston asking if her father would be interested in private tutoring in their family home for a year along with Emma for support, her taste for adventure was about to get interesting.
Wondering just what Phillip was like after all these years apart kept Emma's anxious to see just what the future would be like and living at the Weston estate was like a dream come true. However when Emma and her father arrive, they are more than surprise at their welcome reception and soon are made to feel just like the hired help in the Weston home. What's even more surprising is that Phillip is away at Oxford and only Henry is still living at the family home. Things are about to get interesting at the Weston estate when someone or something starts coming into Emma's room and soon she fears her life is at stake. Has Henry's childhood pranks taken on a darker side?
I received The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen compliments of Bethany House and Litfuse for my honest review and have to say that a seaside Estate in Cornwall, romantic tension and an apparent ghost are just the perfect elements in this exciting novel. The signs of a great book are when it feels so real when you are reading it, you can picture the house, the stormy seas below the estate, even the school room where John and Emma teach the boys. There are such rich and vivid details to keep the reader engaged and even the tension that happened late at night is enough to keep you turning pages while attempting to figure out just what is really going on! Truly a winner in my opinion and worth every single one of the 5 out of 5 stars! For reading groups, there are some amazing questions at the conclusion of this novel!
For more information about The Tutor's Daughter, Julie Klassen, or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:
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To read more reviews on The Tutor's Daughter from the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour, please click here.
I liked this book as well. Julie's books just get better and better.
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