A Countess Below Stairs

Happy 2010!!

After the Russian revolution turns her world topsy-turvy, Anna, a young Russian countess, has no choice but to flee to England. penniless, Anna hides her aristocratic background and takes a job as servant in the household of the esteemed Westerholme family, armed only with an outdated housekeeping manual and sheer determination. Desperate to keep her past a secret, Anna is nearly overwhelmed by her new duties—not to mention her instant attraction to Rupert, the handsome earl of Westerholme. to make matters worse, Rupert appears to be falling for her as well. As their attraction grows stronger, Anna finds it more and more difficult to keep her most dearly held secrets from unraveling. And then there’s the small matter of Rupert’s beautiful and nasty fiancée...

from amazon.com

Beth says 5 Stars...

This book was lovely. It was fantastically fun and a breath of fresh air. The plot wasn't amazingly original, but was really cute. The plot kept me very involved and made me not want to put the book down. I had read several other books around the same time, but nothing was as good as this one. It wasn't quite what I expected from Eva Ibbotson, though. I adore her children's books and thought that her YA novels would have more of a fantasy feel to them. Instead it was a historical fiction treat.

Anna was a great main character. She wasn't too perfect, but still managed to be someone obviously good. The supporting cast was just as much fun. They all had their little quirks that managed to make them stand out, but weren't overwhelming. The romance was well done, minus a bit of strangeness at the end. The slight oddity of the ending didn't ruin anything for me; I could get over it because the rest of the book was so good.

Overall the book was great. If you're in the mood for a bit of light historical fiction this is a perfect read. It never gets too heavy, but it isn't just pure fluff either. I'd suggest enjoying this over the holiday break.

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