The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen

Book Description:  Abigail Foster is the practical daughter. She fears she will end up a spinster, especially as she has little dowry, and the one man she thought might marry her seems to have fallen for her younger, prettier sister. 

Facing financial ruin, Abigail and her father search for more affordable lodgings, until a strange solicitor arrives with an astounding offer: the use of a distant manor house abandoned for eighteen years. The Fosters journey to imposing Pembrooke Park and are startled to find it entombed as it was abruptly left: tea cups encrusted with dry tea, moth-eaten clothes in wardrobes, a doll's house left mid-play...

The handsome local curate welcomes them, but though he and his family seem acquainted with the manor's past, the only information they offer is a stern warning: Beware trespassers drawn by rumors that Pembrooke Park contains a secret room filled with treasure.

This catches Abigail's attention. Hoping to restore her family's finances--and her dowry--Abigail looks for this supposed treasure. But eerie sounds at night and footprints in the dust reveal she isn't the only one secretly searching the house.

Then Abigail begins receiving anonymous letters, containing clues about the hidden room and startling discoveries about the past. 

As old friends and new foes come calling at Pembrooke Park, secrets come to light. Will Abigail find the treasure and love she seeks...or very real danger?

My Thoughts: Yay!  It's been a little while since Julie Klassen had a new read out!  And I was so excited to receive The Secret of Pembroke Park.

I'm not always a fan of historical reads...for me they tend to be a bit boring/slow moving but I enjoy Julie Klassen's books.  

However, The Secret of Pembroke Park is her BEST book, yet!

Abigail and her father are at the point where there is not enough money...financial ruin seems imminent!  But they are offered the opportunity to live in the somewhat abandoned home of relatives...this is where the mystery begins.  Why did the family who lived there before have to leave without taking their possessions? Abigail wants to find out why? Also, why has the manor been locked up for 18 years and now she and her father can live here?  And then, Abigail begins to receive journal pages in the mail and a horrifying mystery begins to unravel...and it seems that only Abigail has the fortitude to unravel this mystery and face the truth!  

Abigail also feels that she is the not attractive...she feels that her younger sister is prettier.  She feels that she may live the life of spinsterhood because she is not attractive.  I loved how Abigail's character is brought out more than her beauty. . . this is true beauty!

This book reminded me a little of Jane Eyre. 

A great read!

• Paperback: 464 pages
• ISBN-10: 0764210718
• ISBN-13: 978-0764210716