This week I read a fun novel called The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen. I've read a few other novels by Ms. Klassen, so I was looking forward to this one.
The story follows Abigail Foster, who unfortunately, is to blame for the loss of her family's fortune. Her family must find a new, much more affordable home. An offer comes in the form of Pembrooke Park, where they will be able to live for a very reasonable rent. Abigail and her foster accept on behalf of their family and so begins the adventure. Pembrooke Park has several secrets it's hiding.
The characters of the story are fun to get to know. There were a couple that annoyed me (as any good antagonist should). But, I particularly enjoyed the main character of Abigail and her relationships to the other characters.
The plot moves along at a steady pace and you do get to know the characters as Ms. Klassen tells the story. I do enjoy Ms. Klassen's writing more than others and I enjoyed the added mystery in this book.
There is one thing I do want to mention, though. This is one area where I find many readers disagree with me, but it's something that I notice as I read, nonetheless. It is how the physical attraction (and its development) between the characters who become romantically involved is described and detailed in the story. At times, I didn't feel comfortable with how Ms. Klassen described these attractions. I didn't feel she crossed the line in the sand, but she got close to it, in my opinion. Thankfully, these scenes and descriptions were typically short and I could move on past them in the story pretty quickly. Even so, I wasn't keen on their presence. I can't remember feeling this way about previous books that I've read by Ms. Klassen, but it's been a while since I've read one.
All in all, I did enjoy the book. I am glad I had the chance to read it and simply enjoy a good story!
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Bethany House Publishers.
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