Paperback, 400 Pages

Review Copy

Book Synopsis

Miss Mariah Aubrey, banished after a scandal, hides herself away in a long-abandoned gatehouse on the far edge of a distant relative's estate. There, she supports herself and her loyal servant the only way she knows how--by writing novels in secret. Captain Matthew Bryant, returning to England successful and wealthy after the Napoleonic wars, leases an impressive estate from a cash-poor nobleman, determined to show the society beauty who once rejected him what a colossal mistake she made. When he discovers an old gatehouse on the property, he is immediately intrigued by its striking young inhabitant and sets out to uncover her identity, and her past. But the more he learns about her, the more he realizes he must distance himself. Falling in love with an outcast would ruin his well-laid plans. The old gatehouse holds secrets of its own. Can Mariah and Captain Bryant uncover them before the cunning heir to the estate buries them forever? (Cfba Site)

Review

Mariah Aubrey, is a young girl who has plenty of time to think upon her mistakes. turned away from her family and sentenced by society, she lives secluded with her handmaid Dixon in a gatehouse on her aunts property. Mariah’s secrets though may not be so secret, while she tries to pick up the pieces of her broken heart, shame and guilt begin to hinder her from her dreams and cloud her visions of ever finding true love again.

OH…the drama!! I really enjoyed this novel and was suprised how much I liked it. While the romance was very subtle for my usual taste and defiantly fit in with the time era, I couldn’t help but be charmed with the characters, the dialog and historical setting. Mariah is living a private life due to a scandal that is skirted around until almost the end of the book….at first glance, I was thinking the scandal to be an chaperoned stroll gone amiss or a stolen kiss after dark, but surprisingly the mystery and scandal were really ...scandalous…not only that but Mariah is a secret author who writes anonymously. The money she’s been left with leaves her with little choice but to continue writing and taking on other writing works, even at the risk of being discovered. With a publisher aggressive to print the novels under her real name, the mystery surrounding her aunts death, a handsome Captain coming to call and a loony man dancing on rooftops……things are about to get heated in Mariah’s life.


Exquisitely written with a flair of Jane Austin, The Girl in the Gatehouse reads like a modern day period piece, full of fun and easy to love characters, romance and suspense.

Rating

Recommended to lovers of Jane Austin, historical romance, or wholesome period pieces. Contains very mild violence, dialog on war, romance scandals, family drama, gambling and things that would shock your everyday 1800s native.

4/5- Christian Fiction- Historical Romance

Thanks to Bethany House/cfba for review copy

About the Author

Julie says: My background is in advertising and marketing, but I am blessed with a dream job—working as an editor of Christian fiction. I have been writing since childhood, but Lady of Milkweed Manor was my first novel. It was a finalist for a Christy Award and won second place in the Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards. My second novel, The Apothecary's Daughter, was a finalist in the ACFW Book of the Year awards. I am currently writing one novel a year.

I graduated from the University of Illinois and enjoy travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends. My husband and I have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.