Review: The Daughter of Highland Hall

The Daughter of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky is the second book in the Edwardian Brides series. I really enjoyed this sequel! It was as good as the first one, and I'm looking forward to the next book. Plus, I liked still hearing about the characters from The Governess from Highland Hall.

Katherine Ramsey is coming out into society sponsored by her overbearing aunt. Determined to be a success so she can snag a man of good social standing, Katherine finds that it is much harder to navigate the murky waters of society than she previously thought. From the beginning, everything went wrong, and it only went downhill from there. Will she be able to get any husband after her family's name has been tarnished? Discouraged and confused, Katherine learns to rely on God like never before.

Jonathan Foster has come to stay at Sir William Ramsey's house while they are in London for the season. Attracted to Katherine's strength, humor, and honesty, he enjoys being able to socialize with her. But when he realizes he wants to be more than friends, Jonathan takes a step back to think and pray. Is she really saved, or is she a Christian in name only? And what of her desire to marry for social standing?

Katherine wanted to have a great debut in society because it was expected, but when she realized the truth of her ambitions, she wasn't so sure that was what she wanted for her life. Being with Jonathan opened her eyes to the other side of the coin. While helping him at the free clinic, she came face to face to the reality of thousands of people in London especially the children. When her desires changed, she found true freedom for the first time in her life.

If you like historical fiction set in Britain, you will like this series. I don't normally see books written in the early 1900s in England so it was a nice change from the Regency I normally read. I wish more authors would write from the normal average people in that time period, though. Not every rich persons marries someone poor or vice versa.

I was given this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Governess of Highland Hall

The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky is the first book in the Edwardian Bride series. This is my first time reading this author's stories, and I wasn't disappointed. It was a well written tale set in 1911 England, and it reminded me of BBC period dramas.

Julia Foster journeyed with her parents to India twelve years ago to become missionaries, but they had to return to England when her father fell ill. While he recuperates, Julia becomes a governess at Highland Hall for Sir William's two children and his two teenage cousins. But just until her father's health improves.

Sir William recently inherited Highland Hall along with it's myriad mismanagement problems. As he tries to unravel the accounts, he finds out he has to pay an exorbitant fee - the death taxes. Faced with losing the family estate, William tries to think of a way out of his predicament.

As he observes Julia with his children he comes to admire and respect her. William asks her advice about his financial problems, and he is comforted by Julia's honesty and her faith in God. They begin to grow close without even realizing it. Once Julia's father is better, she plans on going back to India with her parents. But will her heart be in it?

I really liked this book. I loved that the time frame was the beginning of the 1900s, and that the main character was mature. Plus, the missionary aspect was pretty unique. The one thing I didn't really like was the resolution of the conflict in the story. One, it was too predictable. Two, it was too unbelievable. But other than that it was a pretty good read. :-)

I was given this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review.