Book Review ~ The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen ~ 10/28/15

 

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Blurb:

 

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.

 

 

My Thoughts:

 

I really don't know what I think of this book.  As with all of Julie Klassen's novels, it was well written and very interesting and educational.  She always finds interesting facts to include in her writing.

 

However, I wasn't really drawn to either of the main characters.  Alec seemed a bit too flaky and Julia was such a brat! Their characters did evolve throughout the book and I came to like them more as I finished reading.

 

I found myself more interested in Lady Amelia and John Desmond's story.  I eagerly read hoping to come upon more of their story as the mystery unfolded.

 

This was my first time reading a book where the hero was a dancing master.  It was a bit hard to really get into the dancing instruction scenes.  I just kept trying to visualize Maksim Chmerkovsky from Dancing with the Stars as Alec.  This helped.  hehe

 

Not my favorite Julie Klassen novel but she is still on of my favorite authors!

 

 

Linking up to  WholeHearted Wednesday, R&R, Word Filled Wednesday, Coffee and Conversation, Ladies Collective,   Party in Your PJs,  The Mommy Club, Works or Me, Wake-Up Wednesday and Wow Me Wednesday .