The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen is a typical Christian romance novel, but it pulls in some interesting details about the history of dancing that makes it a unique read.
On the heals of a family scandal, Alec Valcourt moves his wife and sister to a small English town, where he hopes to start a dance academy of his own. But upon arriving, Alec is surprised to find that the people of Devonshire haven’t danced in 20 years – simply because of one woman’s command to stop.
Julia Midwinter longs to break free from her strict mother’s grip and is excited to meet and flirt with Alec Valcourt. But when her mother realizes he wants to bring dancing back to the small English town, Julia is forbidden to even speak with the man.
As Julia begins to test her mother’s boundaries, she learns that her mother has her own secrets to hide – ones that could change Julia’s future forever.
This book by Julie Klassen brings to light the different dances of the era, which I am sure were difficult to detail step-by-step. It is easy to see why balls were once so popular! Beyond that, though, I felt that it was a typical Christian romance. It would have been nice to learn a little bit more about each character.
I also felt that the ending was rather abrupt and too neat. There was no room left to wonder after anyone. I know that some people like that, but some mystery is good, too.
Overall, I would say that you will enjoy this book if you like historical Christian romance novels.
*This book was provided to me by Bethany House in exchange for my honest opinion.
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