Bookshelf Friday - The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen

I simply loved this book. If you haven't had a chance to read a Julie Klassen novel, this is a great one to start with. Up until now, The Silent Governess has been my favorite of hers, but this one eclipses it for me. Set along the cliff-topped coast of Cornwall in the early 1800's, The Tutor's Daughter brings you straight into the home of baronet and his four sons...or I should say it delivers Emma Smallwood there.

Here's a small blurb:

Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father regain his spirits when his academy fails, agrees to travel with him to the distant Cornwall coast, to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But after they arrive and begin teaching the younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen and danger mounts. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte, only to find the music room empty? Who sneaks into her room at night? Who rips a page from her journal, only to return it with a chilling illustration?

The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry, wrestle with problems--and secrets--of their own. They both remember Emma Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. She had been an awkward, studious girl. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her.

When the suspicious acts escalate, can the clever tutor's daughter figure out which brother to blame...and which brother to trust with her heart?

I loved the little bit of mystery this book dropped in, along with the developing romance between Emma and one of the brothers. Needless to say, there were several sigh-worthy moments. Certain lines even stuck with me, my favorite: "He doesn't want to let her go." It was one of those wonderfully, perfectly time pieces of dialogue packed with double meaning, and it's why I loved The Tutor's Daughter. If I remember lines from a book, I know it has stuck with me. And Julie did a beautiful job not only with the dialogue, but with her characters. It was a slower pace than the suspense I'm used to, and yet, I still turned those pages.

So, if you're looking for a book for the weekend or to add to your never-ending To Be Read pile, I suggest this one goes up top! And I happily give The Tutor's Daughter 5 out of 5 stars. You can purchase it here on Amazon.

If you'd like to see a break-down of what my stars equal, check out my page My Ratings System to the right there. And a big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.