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About the book:
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.
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 rating:
My thoughts:
The Dancing Master is a book about which I had such mixed feelings! In some ways, the beginning 50%-75% of the book was boring me, though there were some things and scenes that I really liked. It just seemed like the story dragged a bit (at least to me), until the last quarter or so - that's when I started to love the story and wanted to keep reading.
I didn't like Julia, one of the main characters, all that much until the end. The way she acted (like a flirt) and some of the things she did, just annoyed me. Towards the end, though, I started to like her character more and I loved the story of grace in The Dancing Master. I did like Alec - he was probably my favorite character. I thought the whole dancing aspect was very neat. I also liked how, even though I thought I had everything figured out early on, I ended up being wrong with some of my guesses.
Overall, The Dancing Master was a good read. It started off slow, but the last quarter of the book redeemed the story for me and I really loved the ending! While this isn't my favorite of Julie Klassen's novels (that is The Maid of Fairbourne Hall
), I did like the book and look forward to reading more of her novels. :)
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
The Dancing Master is a book about which I had such mixed feelings! In some ways, the beginning 50%-75% of the book was boring me, though there were some things and scenes that I really liked. It just seemed like the story dragged a bit (at least to me), until the last quarter or so - that's when I started to love the story and wanted to keep reading.
I didn't like Julia, one of the main characters, all that much until the end. The way she acted (like a flirt) and some of the things she did, just annoyed me. Towards the end, though, I started to like her character more and I loved the story of grace in The Dancing Master. I did like Alec - he was probably my favorite character. I thought the whole dancing aspect was very neat. I also liked how, even though I thought I had everything figured out early on, I ended up being wrong with some of my guesses.
Overall, The Dancing Master was a good read. It started off slow, but the last quarter of the book redeemed the story for me and I really loved the ending! While this isn't my favorite of Julie Klassen's novels (that is The Maid of Fairbourne Hall
), I did like the book and look forward to reading more of her novels. :)*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
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I had very similar feelings Melanie! It wasn't my personal favorite by Julie, but I still enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteYay for a great ending! I'm glad that you stuck with it and that it paid off in the end.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour!