Girl in the Gatehouse, The [Kindle Edition]

Julie Klassen (Author)

Book Description

Miss Mariah Aubrey, banished after a scandal, hides herself away in a long-abandoned gatehouse on the far edge of a distant relative's estate. There, she supports herself and her loyal servant the only way she knows how--by writing novels in secret.

Captain Matthew Bryant, returning to England successful and wealthy after the Napoleonic wars, leases an impressive estate from a cash-poor nobleman, determined to show the society beauty who once rejected him what a colossal mistake she made. When he discovers an old gatehouse on the property, he is immediately intrigued by its striking young inhabitant and sets out to uncover her identity, and her past. But the more he learns about her, the more he realizes he must distance himself. Falling in love with an outcast would ruin his well-laid plans.

The old gatehouse holds secrets of its own. Can Mariah and Captain Bryant uncover them before the cunning heir to the estate buries them forever?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

It might not be much, but the abandoned gatehouse is Mariah Aubrey’s new home. After a brush with scandal threatens to tarnish her family’s social standing, Mariah is sent away by her father. Fortunately her aunt, Mrs. Francesca Prin-Hallsey, offers the use of the old gatehouse on her late husband’s estate. But since Mariah also needs a way of supplementing the meager funds provided by her family, she begins writing novels. Inspiration for her literary efforts is the one thing not in short supply, especially once Captain Matthew Bryant arrives to lease the estate after her aunt’s death. Both kind-hearted and courageous, Matthew is the stuff from which romantic heroes are made, and he would be perfect for Mariah if only he wasn’t so determined to marry another woman! Christy and RITA nominee Klassen creates a wonderful cast of engaging characters while neatly stirring in a generous dash of mystery and danger into the plot of her latest, charmingly romantic inspirational romance. --John Charles

About the Author

Julie Klassen is a fiction editor and novelist. Her first book, Lady of Milkweed Manor, was a Christy Award finalist. The Silent Governess is a finalist for the RITA® Award in Inspirational Romance and the Minnesota Book Awards for Genre Fiction. Julie is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Product Details

• File Size: 677 KB
• Print Length: 402 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0764207083
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (January 1, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004EPYYDG
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,655 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An Author's Testament to Writing and a Reader's Delight December 16, 2010

By Holly Weiss VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

September 1813. Take one abandoned gatehouse on an English estate adjacent to the village poorhouse. Insert one banished woman. Season with fascinating secondary characters, a shipwreck, and a manservant with a hook instead of a hand. Sprinkle in some 18th century home-produced plays and an old man with a spyglass pacing a rooftop. Sear with the heady longings of the hero and heroine along with an unexpectedly sweet courtship between two mature characters. Add echoes of Jane Austen. Simmer in exhaustive research about a hierarchical culture with liberal spoonfuls of social commentary, intrigue, and unlikely love. Toss in some unpredictable plot twists at the very end and a gate yearning to be unlocked. Result? A delicious, noteworthy historical romance novel well worth your time.

Chapter 18 of The Girl in the Gatehouse begins with an Austen quote, "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything else than of a book!"

It is a happy thing to write a book review for Jane Austen devotee, Julie Klassen, on this, the 235th anniversary of Miss Austen's birth. Unlike Miss Austen, who received little notoriety or respect for her writing during her lifetime, Julie Klassen is a RITA and Christy Award finalist. Ms. Klassen returns a third time to expertly write about the Regency period in English history. I have great respect for her work. In her author's note, she states that the novel is peppered with Austen-like characters. Julie Klassen's love of writing and authors pervade The Girl in the Gatehouse. Women who aren't supposed to write publish anonymously. Letters are written, read and re-read. Closeted writers abound, male and female alike, producing journals, stories, "theatricals" and novels. Ms. Klassen pens an engrossing read.

Well-paced and styled, The Girl in the Gatehouse introduces us to characters we care about even when our everyday tasks force us to lay the book aside for a time. Matthew Bryant, a successful navy captain recently returned from the Napoleonic wars, leases the estate, determined to piece together his fractured past. Mariah Aubrey has a safely-guarded secret and a predilection for helping others despite being tossed out on her ear by her father. We read only hints of her indiscretion until she bravely writes her own experience into her third novel. Mariah, however, seems a bit bland and placid through most of the book and then suddenly overwrought at the end. I found it curious that she waited so long to open her aunt's chest.

Helpful discussion questions are included in the back of the book. Beautiful motifs embellish new chapter pages as well as quotes from various 18th and 19th century poets and authors, particularly women. Literature is revered in this inspirational historical fiction novel, bookended, ironically, with the phrases "the end" and "the beginning."

Highly recommended to historical fiction and literature lovers or those simply looking for an enticing read.

Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book to Stay Up All Night to Read December 18, 2010

By Dianne :-)

Format:Paperback

As soon as I saw 'The Girl in the Gatehouse' on the shelf of the bookstore where I work I "snatched" it without thought. I knew any book by Julie Klassen was a MUST HAVE. I was not disappointed. Like a young child with an open cookie jar, I read the entire book in one sitting; stayed up all night to do so. I didn't want to wait, even until morning, to know how the author would solve the problems and bring the story to a happy but believable ending. Rarely do I read a romance novel with a plot that holds my attention and keeps me wondering right to the end of the book. This one did. "What is she hiding? Why does he do that? Is there something going on between them? How can he be so dense?" Those are some of the questions I kept asking myself as I read. All were answered, delightfully and with more surprises than I've had in a book in a long time. To top all this, the book was filled with allusions to characters, plots, and quotes from books by Jane Austen. These caused moments of such startling joy as to make the reading of this book feel as if I was reading an old favorite instead of a brand new, hot off the press book.

'The Girl in the Gatehouse' is an excellent story and more; it is truly delightful. If this book doesn't bring Julie Klassen another award I will be very much surprised. I recommend it without reservation as one of the best books I've read.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A story worth sacrificing an entire day to enjoy! January 1, 2011

By Vicki Tiede

Format:Paperback

Three years ago I had the great pleasure of reading Julie Klassen's first novel, "Lady of Milkweed Manor." That's all it took to make me a huge fan of Klassen's storytelling. Every time I have an opportunity to suggest literature to others, I nearly always starts with Klassen's novels. I'm thrilled to have 4 to recommend now. I saved "The Girl in the Gatehouse" for a a quiet moment during Christmas vacation and I wasn't disappointed. True to form, this story captured me in the very first pages and there was absolutely no putting it down. All 391 pages were devoured in one snowy day. Klassen's character development is rich, her beautiful, descriptions of the Regency-set atmosphere are so precise, I felt like I could see every detail and feel the chill in the air when Mariah Aubrey felt it. I highly recommend "The Girl in the Gatehouse" as well as Klassen's other three novels. My only gripe is that now I have to wait for the release of her next novel. Please hurry, Julie, hurry!

More About the Author

Julie Klassen loves all things Jane--Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. She worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. Three of her novels have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. Her book, The Silent Governess, was also a finalist in the Minnesota Book Awards, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards, and Romance Writers of America's RITA Awards. Julie is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She and her husband have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota. Visit www.julieklassen.com for more information.