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Back several moons ago, when I was pregnant with my second kiddo, the publicist at Bethany House sent me an ARC for a book called The Lady of Milkweed Manor by debut author Julie Klassen. I read it, loved it, and promptly started telling everyone I know (and some people I don’t) about it. Now I’m not saying the success of the book was due to me . . . LOL. Seriously. I’m not. Julie’s first book was a hit because it was just that awesome. And when she followed it up with The Apothecary’s Daughter, she gained in popularity because it was even MORE awesome.

Julie’s third book recently hit the shelves, and The Silent Governess is the best yet, which is really saying something.

Olivia Keene runs away from home intending to flee her own secret–she never expected to learn his. But when she overhears something that could very well ruin Lord Bradley’s life, he is determined to keep her close so he can ensure her silence. At least until he knows who is threatening him.

Olivia quickly comes to adore the two children of the house, but their arrogant uncle is another matter. How to convince him that she has no interest in destroying him? All she wants is to get farther away from her hometown before the truth of why she fled destroys her. How will her mother know to look for her here? And how does Lord Bradley’s father know who her mother is?

I don’t where to begin in why I loved this book. It’s partly because of how adeptly Julie transported me back to Regency England. It’s partly because of how yet again she taught me so much about history–in this case the plight of the governess–without ever making a lesson of it. It’s partly because the characters leapt off the page and right into my heart.

One thing I always liked about her previous books was that, though all about the love story, they had to be technically calles straight historicals–you couldn’t be quite sure who the heroine would end up with. This one I’d call a historical romance, and it’s one that will make your heart sigh in delight.

The Silent Governess inspired me to put everything else on hold and spend the whole day between its pages. If you need a mini-vacation and would like to take it in early 19th-century England, pick up this book! You won’t want to put it down until you turn the last page, and will be thinking about it long after.

I received this book free from the publisher.