Anna S. (annapi) reviewed on 9/12/2010 + 334 more book reviews

Julie Klassen's historical romances are quite different, and this debut novel of hers is a very satisfying read. Charlotte Lamb is turned out by her stern vicar father when she becomes pregnant by an unnamed man, and finds herself at the Manor Home for Unwed Mothers, nicknamed "Milkweed Manor" for the plants proliferating on its grounds. I found the historical background on the institutions of the time (18th century) and the practice of wet-nursing to be utterly fascinating, as well as the convolutions of the heroine's life as an unwed mother. To be sure, Charlotte's turns of fortune require much suspension of disbelief on the reader's part, but make for very entertaining reading. My only beef was the author's annoying penchant for switching from present to past memories without giving the reader sufficient warning, causing a lot of confusion. There were also many contrived scenes, but these are flaws a reader can (even if grudgingly) easily overlook. The ending is a little too pat, but by then the reader expects such from the author already, that it's not outrageously so. While I don't consider Klassen a keeper (I got this as a free ebook), I will be looking for her other books on my trading sites.

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