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Klassen has done it again, A wonderful story full of intrigue and mystrey and many twits and turns in the plot which, I can assure you, you will not expect! It kept me hooked the whole time and I read far too late into the night to finish it I just had to know what was going to happen!
It had more serious themes running through it than the Silent Governess with talk of mistresses and the heroine herself landed in the Gatehouse due to the loss of her virtue.
However, it was a great story and still had a lot of humour, There are many points which reminded me of Mansfield Park by Jane Austen Mariahs story herself is almost something like the Maria of Mansfield Park would face after her involvement with Henry Crawford.
However, the Mariah in this story is a lot more likeable!
There were some wonderful characters, aside from the dashing hero, and many side plots, which all link together in some way or another, which you will enjoy reading about and seeing develop through the story notably that of the heroes friend, a Mr Hart and a certain young lady as well as the heroines companion, a Miss Dixon and two gentleman both vying for her attention, a Mr Phelps and a Mr Martin.
If you want a wonderfully intriguing mystery which you cannot guess what is going to happen and which is set in beautiful England during the fascinating regency era than you can never go wrong with a novel by Julie Klassen.
I cannot wait to lose myself in her next novel, . .
Llevaba tiempo retrasando el leer a esta autora, El clean romance o novela blanca es un género dentro de la novela romántica al que de primeras soy reticente, quizás por lo acostumbrada que estoy a la romántica adulta o porque estas novelas suelen ser catalogadas en USA como "christian romance" romance cristiano, y como, personalmente, soy atea me hace pensar que el libro tendrá apología religiosa en exceso.
He leído a Kristi Ann Hunter "Por fin en Marshington Abbey" y a Josi S, Kilpack "El secreto de Amber", dos autoras de este subgénero publicadas también por Libros de Seda y os puedo decir que Klassen juega en otra liga.
En contraste con las otras dos, Klassen no tiene reparos por ejemplo para tratar en sus novelas temas como los abusos y la prostitución.
Además de no omitir la naturaleza sexual de sus personajes, la atracción física es algo que eché a faltar muchísimo en la novela de Josi S.
Kilpack. Una historia de amor, para mi, pierde credibilidad sin estas cosas y más hablando de personajes con cierta edad,
Me ha quedado muy claro porque la editorial ha apostado tanto por Julie, publicando básicamente toda su obra en español, En la casa del guarda se mezclan la intriga, el romance y el drama en una historia con moraleja que refleja las injusticias sociales y las distinciones de clases y sexo tan marcadas en la Inglaterra de regencia.
Se aprecia bien el trabajo de documentación de Klassen, cuidando el lenguaje y los comportamientos de los personajes, La evolución de la historia y los personajes es constante, por lo que no hay ninguna parte que se haga pesada, Hacia la mitad el drama se intensifica, provocando ese nudo de tensión en el estomago, empatizando con los personajes, que raramente causan las últimas novelas románticas que se están publicando y que es algo que asocio a libros de los/de los.
Me alegra que, aunque pocas, sigue habiendo autoras que consiguen provocar estos sentimientos con sus historias,
Todo da muchas vueltas, si comparas el inicio con el final resulta un contraste muy agradable,
Si tengo que elegir un personaje favorito ese sería William Hart, seguido de cerca por Mariah y Matthew los protagonistas,
Recomiendo mucho esta lectura si te apetece un cambio de las novelas románticas históricas habituales, yo después de conocer el estilo de esta autora subo varios de sus libros en mi lista de pendientes.
Por último, para esas personas que son reacias a leer estas novelas blancas por su posible carga "religiosa", deciros que las referencias a este tema no son abundantes, están introducidas adecuadamente no llegando a sacarte de la historia en ningún momento.
Nada que no puedas encontrar en cualquier novela clásica escrita en esa época, I have a standard "No Christian fiction" policy that stems from the general irritation I feel when a story is going along swimmingly and then all of a sudden it's like you're in Sunday School and I hate Sunday School.
One minute you're reading about a mystery, the next the main character is pontificating on things like mercy and salvation, Don't get me wrong, I'm not a complete pagan, and I get that these are good things, I just don't like them in books, They feel wrong somehow, too out in the open and not quietly personal, which is the way I like my religion,
So I fought reading The Girl in the Gatehouse only because the author is a Christy Award winner, It wasn't a bad read,although it did last too long and all of the loose strings came together a little too neatly, I felt the resolution could have been reached aboutpages sooner than it was, The religious bits weren't bad, but still grated on my nerves and there is no good reason why, Apparently I'm a heathen. Me gusta mucho Julie Klassen, sus libros en general son historias bastante interesantes e inteligentes, en este género no es algo tan sencillo de encontrar, sin embargo, de todos los libros que he leído de esta autora hasta el momento, este es el que menos me ha gustado.
El argumento esta bastante bien, de hecho hay dos cosas que me han gustado mucho por originales, el primero es que, en muchos libros románticos que se escriben ubicados en la época y en Inglaterra más específicamente, que créanme son más de los que necesitamos, siempre se observa la infinidad de reglas sociales que las mujeres de cierta clase social debían seguir, en esta infinidad de libros he visto más de lo que me gustaría, la situación de la chica que busca ser encontrada en una situación comprometida, para de esa manera obligar al caballero a que se case con ella, porque, si él decide no hacerlo, entonces la dama en cuestión caería en desgracia, en fin, que siempre se casan con la mujer, pero en este caso y aquí voy a mencionar que a la única mujer caída en desgracia que había visto antes, había sido a María Bertram en Mansfield Park, pero solo sabemos de ello en ese libro, no conocemos lo que fue de ella después de su caída social.
En este caso Julie Klassen, nos cuenta la historia de una mujer que ha sido encontrada en una situación muy comprometida y el hombre en cuestión la deja en la estacada, así que sus padres la repudian y la mandan lejos de la familia para no mancillar el honor de ésta.
Mariah llega a vivir a la casa del guarda en la propiedad de una tía, misma que se la ofrece para que pueda recluirse ahí y vivir su “vergüenza” lejos de la sociedad.
La segunda cosa que me ha gustado es que no se trata de una chica que me ha gustado es que nos ha presentado a una mujer que busca y encuentra la manera de salir adelante sola.
Ahora bien, como he dicho en general el libro me ha gustado y creo que el argumento es bastante interesante, pero por algún motivo he sentido muchas partes de la historia como forzadas o de relleno, como si hubiera que poner cosas muy intrascendentes para sumar páginas, así que en momentos el libro se me hizo cuesta arriba.
Por lo demás, es un libro entretenido y de una autora que además se ha convertido en una de mis favoritas
Second time reading this, since I am in quarantine at this time I wanted to see how Mariah did as she is somewhat also in isolation.
I enjoyed the story all over again except this time I was more annoyed with Matthew Bryant and didn't see him as worthy of her heart.
It all works out and I cried this time a little while reading it, . . for Amy and for Maggie, A great story and not my preferred genre anymore,
Okay, so I just finished The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klessen, Im very happy to say it was quite an enjoyable story that ended well, The main character was someone I could relate to, the minor characters were given their dues in the story, there were enough antagonists to keep the story realistic and the pace wasnt rushed but it wasnt dull either.
I liked the romance as well, Women tend to have unrealistic expectations when it comes to romance and this issue was addressed in the story, The hero in the story was flawed and faced insecurities just as the main character did, He was superior in status and money, but he lacked certain wisdom and discernment until the end, Its important to see that with heroic characters, Just because someone is rich and handsome does not mean they are thoughtful or intelligent and without those characteristics the hero falls flat both on the page and in real life.
Mariah Aubrey has been placed in hiding because of a scandal that has embarrassed her father, I assumed the scandal was sexual because in thes that was the worst thing an unmarried woman could do, but the book doesnt go into those details until halfway through the story.
While she is in hiding, she is filled with shame and is very discreet to everyone she comes in contact with, That was frustrating because it caused several misunderstandings throughout the book, but it kept the plot interesting, I wanted to see how every issue dealt with was resolved and I was very satisfied in how Klassen brings closure, Aubrey runs out of money quickly while in hiding so to support herself and her nanny she turns to writing under an alias to make money.
She meets many interesting characters that live nearby and a new tenant moves into the property named Captain Matthew Bryant who instantly befriends Mariah, I enjoyed watching these two characters fall in love despite different obstacles they face along the way, Each of them is forced to leave their comfort zones, face their pasts, and confront their fearsall of this before getting into a serious fling.
I also loved how the author includes quotes from past writers in the beginning of each chapter, The Jane Austen quotes were incredible and showed the research done to create this book,
One of my favorite lines in the story is at the end, but I felt like cheering once I read it, “I am the scoundrel. Me. Not her! But that is not how polite society works, is it The man can do as he pleases as long as he does not commit the unpardonable sin of breaking an engagement.
Dashed unfair if you ask me, but nobody has, You were all too busy condemning her, ” I realized that no matter what happened with Mariah Aubrey that she didnt need a man to find her happiness and redemption, She found herself while in hiding, but once she did she was finally free,
I definitely recommend this story to those who enjoy historical settings, but this charming book will appeal to all types of readers no matter what genre they prefer.
This book kept me guessing all the way, It starts off with immediate action, with the heroine leaving her parents' home for exile with her former nurse, She is under disgrace for her actions while at a house party we aren't told details until later in the story, It had the feel of a
true Regency story with some elements of mystery thrown in, The romance was very subtle and enjoyable we didn't get the know the characters only for their bodily traits and perfect fitness for each other, but for their own unique character.
In a way, I'd call it more of a Regency drama than a romance,
It was a long book, but I really wanted it to be longer, There were so many little things that I enjoyed, such as the characters of Maggie and Lizzie, that I'd have stayed with them almost indefinitely and been happy.
But the ending was quite perfect,
I've already downloaded "The Tutor's Daughter"! :,stars
My first book of the year!update:,today. Loved this one! See review below,
"'It is you,' he began foolishly, 'I almost did not recognize you, Without the cap, I mean, and, . . well you were dressed so, . . That is, I thought you were, . . '"
"'A maidservant' she said easily, "
"'He winced. 'Forgive me. '"
"'There is nothing to forgive, You came upon me in my jammaking attire, ' She smiled. 'Yet I recognize you out of uniform, Captain Bryant, '"
Update: I added myAmazon review of this book at the botton of this one,
The Girl in the Gatehouse, Bethany House is a standalone Christian Regency romance with a hint of mystery by sitelink Julie Klassen set near the village of Whitmore in Staffordshire, England in.
I chose to reread this book because I have enjoyed every Klassen book I've ever read, I loved this book just as much the second time around! It's really excellent, and it's pretty telling that out of all the books she has written, it is Julie Klassen's favorite book at least as of when she answered a reader's question on Goodreads, which was between the publication of The Secret of Pembrooke Park and her Ivy Hill series.
Rating:stars without question!
Narration:stars
The heroine: Mariah Aubrey,, has been banished from her family's home and relegated to the gatehouse on the estate of a relative.
She soon finds that she has need of funds and decides to turn to her talent for writing, hoping it can become a means of support.
The hero: Captain Matthew Bryant meets Mariah when he has a mishap while traveling alone on a horse, She helps him out, which was reminiscent of Jane Eyre meeting Mr, Rochester for the first time, This might be coincidental, but either way, I thought it was fun,
Christian elements:
Before chapter one, we have, "But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Jesus Christ NIV"
Late in the book: "Mariah prayed, contritely asking God to forgive not only her offenses, but for wavering in her devotion.
"
Is it clean/chaste Yes! However, I'd say this book is not for middle school students,
What I liked:
The cover of this book may possibly be my favorite cover of all time, Not only is it gorgeous, but it's a perfect representation of the story!
I loved the number of elements from Jane Austen books, especially Mansfield Park, which were used in this story.
The beginning of each chapter has a quote, and it's frequently an Austen quote,
The secondary characters in this story were absolutely stupendous, Loved, loved, loved them all, And there's many of them!
The setting, the setting! So rich, rich, rich! A manor house, a gatehouse, and a poorhouse! These were so very well drawn, and I loved it all!
Historical details are always fun, especially when they're lesserknown ones.
Klassen includes Kissing Friday in the story, when "boys were allowed, under a tradition of indeterminate origin, to kiss them girls without fear of getting a slap or being chased by an angry parent.
Under the rules of Kissing Friday, falling two days after Ash Wednesday, the tradition supposedly said that no girl was allowed to say no, " Quote from sitelink bbc. com/news/magazine
Another atypical historical detail was the inclusion of the poorhouse, It's something that is occasionally mentioned in Regency novels as something to be avoided, but I've never read another Regency that includes a poorhouse and its people as an important part of the setting.
What I didnt like: The antagonist! But the reader isn't supposed to, And kudos to Ms. Klassen for showing a hint of redeeming qualities in the antagonist,
Audiobook: The narration by sitelinkElizabeth Jasicki was most excellent,
The bottom line: This was an ideal Christian Regency romance, I recommend this book to all fans of Jane Austen or Regency romance, regardless of whether they're readers of Christian novels, I think that aspect was organically portrayed, I will be reading more by this author, whether it's a reread via Audible or one of the few I haven't read yet,
I'm adding Klassen to my list of topauthors, I have long suspected she belongs on that list, but it had been so long since I had read one of her books that I wanted to do a reread to be certain.
It's going to be a toplist now, because I really don't feel like eliminating any of the others,
Originalreview: I have loved every Julie Klassen book, and this one is no exception, A very fun read with lots of fabulous characters, .