Book Review: Lady Maybe

Author: Julie Klassen
Publication Date: July 7, 2015
Publisher: Berkley Trade

In the new novel by the three-time Christy Award-winning author of The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, a woman’s startling secrets lead her into unexpected danger and romance in Regency England… 

One final cry…“God almighty, help us!” and suddenly her world shifted violently, until a blinding collision scattered her mind and shook her bones. Then, the pain. The freezing water. And as all sensation drifted away, a hand reached for hers, before all faded into darkness…

Now she has awakened as though from some strange, suffocating dream in a warm and welcoming room she has never seen before, and tended to by kind, unfamiliar faces. But not all has been swept away. She recalls fragments of the accident. She remembers a baby. And a ring on her finger reminds her of a lie.

But most of all, there is a secret. And in this house of strangers she can trust no one but herself to keep it.

Had she muttered something in her sleep? She hoped she had said nothing to give herself away.

She did remember what a tall, commanding presence he had been. But the figure shrouded in bedclothes before her seemed sadly diminished. She wondered what Sir John had wished for so earnestly. It seemed unlikely that it would be granted now. For certainly no one would have wished for a fate like this.

She knew they referred to Sir John, but another face shimmered before her mind’s eye. Settling under the bedclothes, she pushed away thoughts of Sir John, and tried to focus on the faint image of sparkling blue eyes and an affectionate smile. But other images kept pushing her face aside – a red cloak floating on the tide, a hand slipping from hers…Had she only dreamt it, or was she remembering something that had actually happened?

Julie Klassen is one of the best writers of Regency fiction that I have ever read hands down! I have never not loved a book of hers and I highly doubt that she could write one that I would not adore. Her newest book, the one I am reviewing now, is just as enticing as the rest. Her characters are always so lifelike and it took me no time at all to become wrapped up in their lives. Right from the very start this story took a few unexpected turns and some story shifts happened that made me have to pause and go back to make sure I had not missed anything. By the end of the first few chapters, I was hooked and I knew there was no turning back. Klassen throws a lot of new characters at readers around every bend, but her writing is so clear and picturesque that it is no problem at all to follow the storyline and be able to keep everything straight.

I cannot talk very much about the story because something happens very early on that I would have to spoil if I were to dive too much into things. Klassen is very much the “Queen” of Regency fiction. She has done her homework and knows how to allow her readers to participate in a little time travel. You will feel as if you are there and are experiencing all of the beautiful imagery that she is describing to you. The romance in this book has been kicked up a notch compared to her other books and the spirituality element has been dialed down a bit, but I am a fan either way and her writing deserves to be read by anyone and everyone. This book has it all: romance, intrigue, mystery, suspense, and the power to make you stay up all night until you finish it!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Berkley Trade in exchange for my honest review***