The Silent Governess: A Historical Regency Romance Novel

I love this book! It’s a historical Christian romance, beautifully written, immersive and captivating. It feels like you’re entering into Olivia’s life, experiencing her many struggles and witnessing the day to day life of a governess. The story itself has a lot going on, with intrigue, danger, and even a bit of mystery. The characters have depth and the relationships are well developed. There is also a solid Christian message covering redemption, grace, and God’s love. I highly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys historical romances. Content: So now for the warning… there are many sexual assaults in this book. There are instances of infidelity, rape, and men of rank sexually abusing servants. Those incidents that occur outside of the FMC have limited detail provided. Incidents involving the FMC are more descriptive, but she is rescued from them. There is no foul language and limited violence. The romance does not go beyond lightly descriptive kissing. This is a Christian book with emphasis on prayer, faith, and God.

What I Loved This story literally dropped me in the middle of a chase scene that I couldn't get enough of. From the expertly-done prologue (the perfect example of a prologue that enhances the story) to the mysterious plot that kept me turning pages, The Silent Governess does not disappoint. Julie Klassen's writing style fascinates me. She has honed a delectable blend of Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte to bring this English era to life in a way that will captivate lovers of historicals and reel in those who love adventure. The dazzling descriptions and the subtle way Olivia and Edward fall in love is totally swoon-worthy and made me wish the story (already a good 400 pages long) could continue. The ending is so unexpected. The breathtaking mystery that had me anxious about how it would all turn out was wrapped up so beautifully that I literally sat back and thought, "I did NOT see that coming!" It's so nice when an author defies the cliche and brings about a resolution that I couldn't foresee. What I Didn't Like As Much I honestly can't think of a single thing to write about that I didn't like in The Silent Governess. It is the first I read by Julie Klassen and by far my favorite of her works.

This is such a beautiful story full of love, mystery, and beautiful clothing!! :) I love reading historical fiction and this second read by Julie Klassen was the perfect weekend getaway! Oliva isn't sure what she might have done to the man but she does know that she needs to get away quickly. She finds herself in even more trouble once she is on her way to a school for work. Will the drama ever end? There are so many things I absolutely loved about The Silent Governess. The title is more than fitting and it had me intrigued from the beginning! I loved learning more about Parliament, Dukes, Earls, and most importantly, Governesses. I think had I lived back then that I would have loved to be a Governess. While it's a quiet, somewhat lonely lifestyle, I would have been a perfect match since I'm so painfully shy! I don't think I can pick a favorite character from this book because there are just so many good ones. Some who were my favorite in the beginning ended up being ones that I didn't care as much for by the end and vice versa. There are so many wonderful and exciting twists and turns that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. This was a quick, three settings read and I can truthfully say that I hated to see it end. Julie Klassen has now written three wonderful books, The Apothecary's Daughter, The Lady of Milkweed Manor, and now, The Silent Governess. I have read all but The Lady of Milkweed Manor and that will be read very soon! I purchased this book and will keep it on my shelves it's just that great!

4.5 stars The plot has been explained over and over again in other reviews. Right from the beginning we are not quite sure if Olivia is or isn't actually guilty of the crime she is running away from. Then she eavesdrops on a conversation and ends up in jail with the very man who attempted to assault her only days before. This tale does have many twists and is one for which I had to often stop and try to remember who was who and their relationship to others. Many lives interact and have impact on each other. The relationships, indeed, are not all they seem to be and in Regency England, society has rules about one's birth and the status it brings to one's entire future. Edward, Lord Bradley, knows this and he, suddenly made aware of a devastating family secret, is ready to turn the lives of those around him upside down to keep the secret...but to what extent is the holder of the secret willing to go. I liked that each chapter gave us a quote from other literature explaining the life of a servant and/or a governess. Learning that information makes one so sympathetic towards those classes and glad that this situation is no longer with us. But it was interesting to read how the classes were NOT so separate in this story (and I am sure in reality) and that is one of the surprises the author holds for us until near the end. There were moments when we read of the attraction between the two main characters but I would have liked to have seen this more in evidence. I am not looking for sexual scenes but to read of sexual chemistry, the attraction gives me some sigh worthy moments in reading. I did like that there was an epilogue. This story was very well written. It came to my notice through a review of another of this author's books on Austenesque Reviews. I read it in 2 days.

Olivia is a strong, kind, and very smart character that had me sad when she was sad and happy when she was happy. Her ability to get through the tough time she was having and her determination to keep on going and eventually sort every problem she had at the beginning had me cheering for her the entire time! She's a quick-witted girl in this fast paced old Victorian styled book! I immensely enjoyed this historical fiction about Olivia and her overcoming an attack on her, loosing her voice, keeping an huge secret, and becoming a governess. What can I say? The romance is told in such a realistic pace with such realistic events that this book had me going "I wish I was there witnessing this happen!" when it never really did at all. I'm defiantly looking more into Klassen's novels since this book has entered my top ten 'to re-read endlessly' books! I recommend you buy this book if you love historical fiction, strong female leads, and a breath-taking yet subtle and realistic-paced romance that will leave you wishing you were the lead girl! Still skeptical? Get it from the local library, which is where I found this book. If your taste in books are anything like mine you'll go running to amazon right after you finish reading it and but it ASAP!

With going into a description of the plot, I will give you what this reader felt were the pros and cons. In the plus column the book is a clean read that you could leave lying around for anyone in the family to pick up. It has an honorable heroine and a little twist in the plot involving the love interest. The writer does a workmanlike job of descriptions and scene setting which allows the reader to easily visualize the story as it moves along. In the minus column, the beginning of the book runs the poor heroine through so many unlikely dangers just to get her into the life of the hero that all credibility is lost. It reads like the Perils of Pauline. About one-third of the way through I found myself falling for the urge to skip to the last chapter to find out how it ended. I do that occasionally and then return later to read the rest of the story. This time I have not had any desire to finish the book. I read one previous book by Julie Klassen and although it had a dubious conclusion it kept my attention through to the last page. Not so with The Silent Governess.

This is the fifth book I've enjoyed by Julie Klassen and my previous favorite was The Maid of Fairbourne Hall and second favorite was Girl in the Gatehouse. This one is definitely edging out "Gatehouse" for the second spot and I'm undecided about the first spot. I like the romance better in "Fairbourne" but I like the unraveling mysteries better Silent Governess. Fairbourne Hall is a bit more exciting/dramatic but Silent Governess is a bit more realistic and I really liked the evolution of Olivia's character and the relationship with her father. I was hesitant to buy this book because a number of negative reviews gave the impression that this story was dreary. It's not! It's not the most exciting book I've ever read, but it was a very enjoyable escape to Regency England where I could experience the life of an Earl's family and his employees living on his country estate. I also never realized how seperate and lonely the life of a governess would be. That was very interesting and it provided new insight for me to consider when reading Regency novels in the future. Klassen's research is always amazing and much appreciated! For the audio book, the narration by Elizabeth Jasicki is outstanding. I usually prefer male narrators because they seem to be better at creating voices for each character (gotta love Richard Armitage reading Georgette Heyer). But Jasicki does a fantastic job of creating voices as well as accents for criminals, maids, grooms, aristocracy and everyone in between. Highly recommend the audio as well as the book.

Many reviews give a basic synopsis of the book, so I'll just tell you what my general impressions were: I really liked this book. I am a fan of historical fiction, and I have a soft spot for a romantic story line. This novel satisfied in both areas. Admittedly, the plot is driven by some very convenient coincidences - I mean, just for one example, what if Olivia had fled from home in the opposite direction from the one she chose in the story? Also, the initial reasoning for her being held at Brightwell Manor was a bit flimsy, in my opinion. However, these things aside, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and I thought there was a good amount of growth in the both Olivia and Edward as the story unfolded. Also, the author did a wonderful job setting the scenes and giving insider glimpses into the inner workings of a large English estate of its time. The quotations at the beginning of each chapter about the service profession were interesting and helped set a tone for the attitudes of this era. My only major complaint would be that there is not much time given to Olivia's mother. Her backstory is what ties all the various characters' lives together, but we hardly experience her directly in the main narrative. I would have liked to know at least a little bit of what she thought about everything that was happening in her daughter's life. Still, I would say that, overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I'm glad that I picked it up.

This is the third book I have read from Ms Klassen. I read The Apothecary's Daughter and The Maid of Fairbourne Hall . I have read them one after the other, as I have absolutely loved her writing style. I think she is a very talented author and I hope to read all her books. The Silent Governess , is the story of Olivia Keene, who runs away from home, as she thinks that she has killed her abusive drunken father. But she finds herself arrested for trespassing and spying (which she was not) on a rich estate, and the Lord of that estate (Lord Bradley) decides to keep her, if not prisoner , at least under a very tight surveillance as he is scared that she will reveal what she overhead. While she is in the lockers, she is attacked by a poacher and lost her voice momentarily. Which suits the Lord perfectly. It is a story of love, secrets, blackmail and heartache, mistrust and conflicting emotions, but also a vivid picture of the life on a rich estate. The book is fairly long, about 430 pages because Ms klassen goes into detail. It is not a fast paced book, but it is how I love my period books. The story is unraveling under the reader's eyes and every loose end is taken care of. Full of twists and plots in parallel and none of them has been neglected or rushed. An undisputed 5 stars from me.

Mystery, romance, subterfuge all come together in this beautifully plotted novel. The characters are well drawn, the tone is inspirational, and the spirit is compassionate. A very clever plot twist at the end is the dicing on the cake.

Buen argumento, interesante y entretenida.

Excellent story, well written.

Bis jetzt hat mir jedes Buch von Julie Klassen unglaublich gut gefallen und auch von diesem bin ich nicht enttäuscht worden. Auch wenn die Enden immer etwa vorhersehbar sind gibt es doch in jedem Buch einige Wendungen die man nicht hat kommen sehen und Geheimnisse bei denen man wirklich bis zum Ende lesen muss um sie zu enthüllen.