Lady of Milkweed Manor

As most of you know, I don't do reviews. I read books, and if I like them, I give away my used copy. Plus I give you a general idea of the story and a splattering of my opinion. I wanted to read Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen, mainly because it is a Regency and I just finished writing a Regency. Regencies are quite popular in the secular market and I think they might be finding a market in the Christian market.

I have to admit, this story took me by surprise from the very beginning. The premise is most unusual for the Christian market. It's about a young lady, the daughter of a vicar, who becomes pregnant outside of marriage (An incredible scandal in those days!) She is sent to a Home for such women by her angry and unloving father. The manor she is sent to is for women of lower birth than Charlotte, so not only is she lonely and frightened, but she feels completely out of place once she gets there. As the story progresses, we find out the circumstances surrounding her condition, the sad tale of her unloving family, the men who have loved her, and we feel a strong affection for Charlotte and her unfortunate situation.

The story had a dark, almost depressing feel to it, and it seemed to me that the heroine, Charlotte just allowed life to happen to her, she just swayed one way or the other driven by circumstance and never really stood up for herself. All in all, I enjoyed the story and obviously felt an attachment to the characters. (to the credit of Ms. Klassen) There's a wonderful twist at the end that is well worth reading to the last page to discover.

If you'd like to win this free copy of The Lady of Milkweed Manor, leave me a comment and I'll enter your name for a drawing...TBA next Wednesday, Feb 6th.