the secret of pembrooke park by julie klassen

I don't make allowances for bad writing just because it's 'Christian literature.' Check out Tamara Leigh, or Francine Rivers. I expect a LOT from my Christian fiction. Left me guessing for the most part, and left me wanting more and much less at the same time. I just think there was a lot of filler, a lot of extra description, and a lot of deviation from the plot that left me wondering why it was even in the book. Some parts moved along faster than others, and I found myself really intrigued at times, which is why I gave it 3 stars. I'm being extra harsh, but it's just how I felt while listening. Like the author had the story all mapped out and then remembered she was a Christian author and threw in some Christianity. I felt that the Christian aspect was a bit forced, though. It was an easy listen and I enjoyed the mystery and the family. It was very romantic, and I enjoyed that part, though the heroine had a LITTLE too much trouble making up her mind. I enjoyed the overall story, but it seemed like it could have been told in 6-8 hours instead of over 18! I almost cried when I realized there was a part 2 and had to continue on.

The narrator was good, but she read so SLOWLY! It didn't bother me most of the time, and her voice was pleasant enough that I could deal with it, but it just made the book drag on even more.

I liked the overall story enough, but to be honest, I almost switched to another book about 5 times. As secrets come to light, will Abigail find the treasure and love she seeks. Hoping to improve her family's financial situation, Abigail surreptitiously searches for the hidden room, but the arrival of anonymous letters addressed to her, with clues about the room and the past, bring discoveries even more startling. The handsome local curate welcomes them, but though he and his family seem to know something about the manor's past, the only information they offer Abigail is a warning: Beware trespassers who may be drawn by rumors that Pembrooke contains a secret room filled with treasure. The Fosters journey to imposing Pembrooke Park and are startled to find it entombed as it was abruptly left: tea cups encrusted with dry tea, moth-eaten clothes in wardrobes, a doll's house left mid-play. When financial problems force her family to sell their London home, a strange solicitor arrives with an astounding offer: the use of a distant manor house abandoned for 18 years.

Abigail Foster fears she will end up a spinster, especially as she has little dowry to improve her charms and the one man she thought might marry her - a longtime friend - has fallen for her younger, prettier sister.

The secret of pembrooke park by julie klassen