Review ~ The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen

Hello Friends!

Today, I've got a historical romance for you by one of my favorite authors in this genre: The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen. I did receive a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Bethany House, in exchange for my honest review.

Summary: After losing his father, Alec Valcourt, along with his mourning mother and sister, move from London to a small town in Devonshire to live with his uncle. A dancing and fencing master, Alec expects to pick right up where he left off in London, only to find out that this small hamlet has unofficially banned dancing for the past twenty years. Determined to get people dancing again, Alec does his best to find pupils for his new business with little success. Humbling himself, he takes a job as a clerk with Lady Amelia, the patron of the village, and the one behind the moratorium on dancing. Hoping to get into her good graces, Alec does his best to obey her wishes to keep away from her beautiful daughter, Miss Julia Midwinter, and to drop the silly idea of teaching dance again.

Miss Julia Midwinter, on the other hand, feels trapped in this small village under what she believes is her mother's iron fist. So in revenge, she does whatever she is told not to. She flirts with men, she walks on the roof of an abandoned church, and she does whatever she can to disappoint her mother, since it would happen anyway. When she meets Alec, she is instantly smitten, and not just because her mother would disapprove. Captivated by his dancing abilities, she begins taking private lessons from him with her best friends, all while trying to unravel the secret that started the ban on dancing to begin with.

What I liked: First, I liked the characters. Alec and Julia were wonderful leads, and their interactions were sweet, though somewhat brief in my opinion. I also enjoyed getting to hear Lady Amelia's story. The overall plot was a bit slow at first, but picked up around page 75 or so. I really enjoyed the mystery woven into the story, as well as its conclusion. Finally, I enjoyed getting to learn a bit about 19th century English dances.


What I didn't care for: As I said, it was a bit slow at the beginning, but did eventually draw me in. I felt the romance was a bit lacking as well, but the story didn't really suffer because of that, so that's good.

Overall, a good read. If you like 19th century England, and learning about the local history with some romance and mystery thrown in, you will enjoy this book.

Happy Readings!

Sarah K