A Charming Regency Novel | Review: The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

The Girl in the Gatehouse

by Julie Klassen

About The Book

Banished from the only home she’s ever known, Mariah Aubrey hides herself away in an abandoned gatehouse on a distant relative’s estate. There she supports herself and her loyal servant the only way she knows how- by writing novels in secret.

When Captain Matthew Bryant leases the estate, he is intrigued by the beautiful girl in the gatehouse. But there are many things he doesn’t know about this beguiling outcast. Will he risk his plans- and his heart- for a woman shadowed by scandal?

Intriguing, mysterious, and romantic, The Girl in the Gatehouse takes readers inside the life of a secret authoress at a time when novel-writing was considered improper for ladies and the smallest hint of impropriety could change a woman’s life forever.

My Thoughts

This was a lovely read. I loved reading about a woman author in the Regency era, not so unlike Jane Austen herself. It was interesting to read about the way publishing worked in the early 19^th century and seeing what it was like for women who published their novels. Mariah was a likeable character and I appreciate the message of grace and forgiveness portrayed for this character. Captain Bryant was a likeable hero, very similar to Captain Wentworth. I appreciated the nods to Austen’s Persuasion and Mansfield Park. And I love that Mariah lived in a gatehouse. It sounds like a nice, quaint place to live. Very charming.

All in all, The Girl in the Gatehouse is a charming novel that any fan of Christian fiction set in the Regency era will enjoy.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.