Book: 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 Master brings 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.

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Sometimes I really dislike book summaries.  This one doesn't really do it justice as Alec and Julie have their own paths of discovery while learning more about each other.

I've read pretty much all of Julie Klassen's books and for the first half of this one I thought that I was just one step ahead and knew what was coming next.  But she pulled it all out and surprised me in the end.

I do enjoy reading books about this period of time and all the crazy ways life was different then than it is now.  The little details really bring this story to life.  Suffice to say, I am thankful that I do NOT live back then, even as a high society lady.

I highly recommend any of Julie's books!

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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. She is a three-time Christy Award winner and a 2010 Midwest Book Award winner for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.

I received this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for my fair and honest review.