The Dancing Master
By Julie Klassen
Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko
Book Description:
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 Review:
In the mood for a Regency read? Pick up this book! This book, like many of Julie’s other books, talks about little known facts of the time period. The Dancing Master addresses how they dealt with scandals and often, people paid for it with their lives, or livelihood.
I had a hard time warming up to Julia at first, but about part way through the book, I felt bad for her. She was someone that did not fit in the box that her mother tried to put her in. She wondered why her father never seemed to love her, and in the end, the secrets surrounding her life, seemed to hold all the answers, especially the fact that her mother forbade the whole town from dancing.
I found that a little incredible. Could a whole town be so devoted to someone that they would not dance? I struggled to find that real, but I am looking into it as I have found Ms. Klassen likes to stick to history!
This book told me again, how foolish the habit of fighting duels were as well! What a horrible tradition!
If you would like to read another great regency read, pick this one up.
This book was provided me for review from Bethany House Publishers and the opinions contained therein are my own.
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The Dancing Master…
