Review: The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen

Olivia Keene is fleeing her own secret. She never intended to overhear his.

But now that she has, what is Lord Bradley to do with her? He cannot let her go, for were the truth to get out, he would lose everything–his reputation, his inheritance, his very home.

He gives Miss Keene little choice but to accept a post at Brightwell Court, where he can make certain she does not spread what she heard. Keeping an eye on the young woman as she cares for the children, he finds himself drawn to her, even as he struggles against the growing attraction. The clever Miss Keene is definitely hiding something.

Moving, mysterious and romantic, The Silent Governess takes readers inside the intriguing life of a nineteenth-century governess in an English manor house where all is not as it appears. 

I saw someone promote this book on Instagram for a challenge, and it intrigued me. Got it from the library and started on it immediately. Never put it down! So grateful for a day off that I could binge read. This book had it all... Governesses, children, adoption, mystery, inheritance... All the things I love in a book, and all in one place. I didn't expect to fall so deeply in love with the characters but I did. I think Lord Brightwell might have been my favorite. And Judith, well, she just made me angry the entire book. I couldn't figure her out. Which, I suppose, is part of the intrigue of the story. And the romance. The slow burn just smashes your heart, sometimes. But even amid the seriousness, humor sprinkled in along the path, and I was laughing out loud at one point, which I really don't do all that often when reading. I may huff a little breath, but actual laughter... well, let's say that's some talent right there. I couldn't have asked for a better first Julie Klassen book to read, and now I'm just straight up hooked. Scoping out which one to read next. No wonder it's a Christy award winner!

Review: The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus by Jaime Jo Wright

1928
The Bonaventure Circus is a refuge for many, but Pippa Ripley was rejected from its inner circle as a baby. When she receives mysterious messages from someone called the "Watchman," she is determined to find him and the connection to her birth. As Pippa's search leads her to a man seeking justice for his murdered sister and evidence that a serial killer has been haunting the circus train, she must decide if uncovering her roots is worth putting herself directly in the path of the killer.

Present Day
The old circus train depot will either be torn down or preserved for historical importance, and its future rests on real estate project manager Chandler Faulk's shoulders. As she dives deep into the depot's history, she's also balancing a newly diagnosed autoimmune disease and the pressures of single motherhood. When she discovers clues to the unsolved murders of the past, Chandler is pulled into a story far darker and more haunting than even an abandoned train depot could portend.

 This is the first of Jaime's books that I had ever read, and let me tell you, I was HOOKED! I can't believe she got me so quickly with the dual timeline, because I'm usually a little slow to hop into those, but she did it. I enjoyed the suspense immensely. I mean, it was killing me! I read a lot of mysteries, but honestly, I've gotten really good at figuring out the bad guy. I was shocked to find that I did not guess either of the bad guys or any of the major plot twists! Now that's a mystery! There were a few things that were strange to me, such as the slight obsession with ghosts, but overall, it was a very pleasant reading experience and I have added all of her stories to my increasingly tall TBR stack which is now threatening to become unstable and crash onto me in the middle of the night. (Can't believe it took me so many months to find time to write this review!)