I really did not enjoy this book as much as the prequel 'The Governess of Highland Hall'. That's not to say it was awful. It was readable, and interesting to see Katherine's character develop, and there were some good subplots with minor characters, and period details. However, I had a number of problems that result in the lower rating.

For one, I noticed a few Americanisms. One character talks about 'fall', when the correct Britishism would be Autumn, and two or three times they talk about 'pulling back the drapes'- when a British persion would say 'pulling back the curtains'. Most of the Americanisms were in the narration, as before, but I felt that more come out in the character's speech this time, and they are not correct for the setting.

My other problem with with some of the religious content. Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no objection whatsoever to Christian content or a Gospel message in a book from a Christian publisher. It goes with the territory for goodness sake, but I don't think it was well-delivered in this book- it came across as preachy and heavy-handed.

Finally, the attitude towards marriage and social expecations on the part of some of the characters really got on my nerves. I don't get on with stories in which families are vilified for arranging marriages for thier children, or partners in arranged marriages are vilified simply because it is arranged. I saw some of that here.
In one passage for instance Katherine learns that a friend is engaged to an unpleasant individual who had leered at her at some social engagement or another, and she's like. 'Oh wouldn't it be so awful to be married to someone you don't love just to please your family'! Its just a trite, silly cliche.
It does not end there however. Even though Katherine goes to London for the season in the hope of finding a partner, its fairly obvious who she's going to end up with from the outset. When she starts preaching to her aunt about how she does not want to marry for money or status but for love and a 'meaningful relationship with God'. Well, it was just painful- even worse when the book basically ends by reminding the reader. 'Isn't that so much better then having lands, wealth and a title'?

I also have concerns about the sort of messages that are being conveyed in books like this.
Throughout the story Katherine's aunt is set up as a bad or negative character for 'controlling her life' because she wants her to find a suitable husband amongst the aristocracy. I could not help thinking that she was being vilified unfairly, when she clearly spelled out her reasons. She promised Katherine's mother (her sister) that she would ensure Katherine married well. So what's the crime in that?

One more prominent example comes at the end of the book, when Katherine encourages a fomer suitor to marry the girl he likes, even though his parents would never accept her, as they consider her unsuitable and would cut off his income.
So basically she thinks he should go against his parent's wishes and turn his back on his inheritance to follow his heart. Yeah, all very romantic, but I am reminded of those passages in the Bible that talk about obeying and honouring parents.

I think that too many of these Romance books over-emphasize individualism and 'following the heart', which is presented as following God's will, whilst shunning the advice and wishes of parents or authority figures. I don't think that's always a good thing.
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This book had a lot going on in it and I enjoyed it all. It was nice to get to know the main characters and a few of the minor characters also. I laughed and I cried. It was nice to see Katherine grow as a person. Each storyline was well written and the story flowed very well. Look forward to the next in the series. I received this from bloggingforbooks for a fair and honest opinion. ( )

It is April of 1912 and Katherine Ramsey has come to London to do the “season.” Under the sponsorship of her aunt, Lady Louisa Gatewood—her own parents have both died—it is her goal to come out as a debutante, enjoy a flurry of balls, teas, parties, and other social events, in the process find a sufficiently well-heeled man and arrange, to the satisfaction of all, a suitable marriage.

Of course things don’t turn out quite that cut-and-dried in Carrie Turansky’s The Daughter of Highland Hall. Kate’s own guardian, second-cousin Lord William Ramsey is betrothed to a commoner (Julia Fowler) the governess of his children by a previous marriage. Soon Jon Fowler, Julia’s brother and a medical student, complicates things by proving an attractive distraction for Kate. William’s own careless-living brother David gets in the papers, causing society’s tongues to wag.

In the shadow of the scandal, the ever-critical and nagging Aunt Louisa and her young charge find themselves ignored and on the outs. This gives Kate more time to spend with Jon, who gets her involved in volunteering at a London East End hospital and attending lectures sponsored by the Salvation Army. Thus Kate’s eyes are opened to issues far bigger than whether her calendar is full, what dress she should wear, and how to style her hair.

Turansky is good at delving into the minutiae of the English social season, describing the clothes, food, etiquette, and small talk.

I never felt a heart connection to any of the characters, though. They were likeable enough but felt a little wooden and stock to me—the good ones too good and the bad thoroughly bad.

The writing was adequate though did seem to bog down in parts with excessive author description and explanation versus telling action.

However, I felt Turansky did a good job of exploring issues of social class and custom, showing how the rich were preoccupied with superficial concerns while the poor suffered in need and squalor. By bringing the Salvation Army and the London Missionary Society into the plot, she showed how Christian organizations were beginning to tackle social justice issues at home and abroad. She also did a good job of connecting such movements to the wellspring of a personal faith.

This Edwardian tale reminded me of a Jane Austen story of English manners meeting the upstairs / downstairs life of Downton Abbey, but delivered from an outspokenly Christian point of view.

I received The Daughter of Highland Hall as a gift from the publisher Multnomah Books through Blogging for Books for the purpose of writing a review.
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The Daughter of Highland Hall is set in one of my favorite historical settings, the high society and slums of England, and the author did a fabulous job at captivating the beauty of it, while also shining light on the bad. The characters were very well made and I enjoyed returning to Highland once again to read about Kate. I also enjoyed continuing the story of Lydia, Julia, and all the other fabulous characters that we met in The Governess of Highland Hall. The detail was beautiful, however, it was a little much for my preference as there seemed to be more description rather than dialogue. I also didn’t care for the fact that this book seemed to be written in short scenes of what was going on, rather than flowing in a continuous pace. The author would spend only 2 or 3 pages talking about an outing, or party, and then the next section or chapter would skip to several days later. This was not confusing, Turansky was very clear about letting you know when each particular scene was taking place, but I would have preferred to read more story in longer scenes.

With all of the above, I am rating The Daughter of Highland Hall 4 out of 5 stars for time well spent! I recommend this book to those who have read and enjoyed The Governess of Highland Hall (book 1 to the Edwardian Brides series) by Carrie Turansky and Her Good Name by Ruth Axtell

“I received this book from the author/publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are my own.” ( )

The Daughter of Highland Hall is the second book in Edwardian Brides series, although it can be read as a standalone with no difficulty. The book is written really well and so before I knew it, I had read through the pages in no time. It was entertaining. There were a few moments where I was rolling my eyes at a few characters, but that was mainly due to their personalities more than anything. For example, Kate’s aunt was really over the top at every moment and Julia seemed a little too assuming of Kate’s standing with faith or lack of it at one point and that threw me off just a bit. I really liked Jon as a character the best of all. The ending, as usual, was a happy one. Although, I am curious to know how Kate will adjust to a much different lifestyle than the one she had been preparing for. I admire the decision to find your own happiness, even if it’s not the most socially desirable one.

Overall, I really liked The Daughter of Highland Hall. I will most likely read the third book, A Refuge at Highland Hall, coming out in October 2015. ( )