The Secret of Pembrooke Park

Abigail Foster is the practical daughter. She fears she will end up a spinster, especially as she has little dowry, and the one man she thought might marry her seems to have fallen for her younger, prettier sister.

Facing financial ruin, Abigail and her father search for more affordable lodgings, until a strange solicitor arrives with an astounding offer: the use of a distant manor house abandoned for eighteen years. 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...

The handsome local curate welcomes them, but though he and his family seem acquainted with the manor's past, the only information they offer is a stern warning: Beware trespassers drawn by rumors that Pembrooke Park contains a secret room filled with treasure.

This catches Abigail's attention. Hoping to restore her family's finances--and her dowry--Abigail looks for this supposed treasure. But eerie sounds at night and footprints in the dust reveal she isn't the only one secretly searching the house.

Then Abigail begins receiving anonymous letters, containing clues about the hidden room and startling discoveries about the past.

As old friends and new foes come calling at Pembrooke Park, secrets come to light. Will Abigail find the treasure and love she seeks...or very real danger?

My thoughts: I was not disappointment with this story! I think that Julie Klassen's stories get better and better.:) I love that this story has a lot going on, Abigail's personal struggles from letting her family down, dealing with feeling inferior to her younger sister, uncovering the mystery of Pembrooke Park. It's wonderful! The mystery is so engrossing, this book is hard to put down! Why has the house been abandoned for 18 years? As Abigail returns the house to its former glory, she begins receiving letters from someone who once lived in the house. Can she help bring light and healing to old wounds?
The only thing I had against this book is that it felt like some of Abigail's actions would not of been those of a lady in the Regency period, since she has all kinds of characters coming and going from her room. It's just one of those little things that bugged me, since that would of ruined a lady's reputation back then, I am sure. Otherwise though, the story is wonderful and engrossing, a perfect companion on these colds days!
I reviewed this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for my honest opinion.