A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson - Review

A Countess Below Stairs
 by Eva Ibbotson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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background and takes a job as servant in the household of the esteemed Westerholme family, armed only with an outdated housekeeping manual and sheer determination.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...

Plot/Characters: It is not Christian, but the history is there. This book follows Anna Grazinsky, a young Russian countess, as she goes to work for the new earl of Mersham House. The earl, Rupert, has just returned from participating in the war as a pilot, and it was his brother who was supposed to inherit the Mersham estate. Rupert brings his fiancée to the house, Muriel, who was the nurse who attended him when he was injured in the hospital. Rupert is immediately taken aback by Anna's general aura, and often finds himself liking her company.

My Honest Opinions/Thoughts: This book was amazing; I really enjoyed following Anna and Rupert. I think Muriel is a total nasty, and I like how it all unfolds in the end. I had only heard of this book once before, when my sister was reading it, some years back. I picked it up while at a friends house, and it ended up coming home with us. I only put it down once, and that was to go to sleep. thoroughly enjoyed it.

Extra: I left quite a bit out, as to not give away the ending, if you have never read this book before. I highly recommend you go and pick this up. I highly recommend it for everyone, especially if you like books by Melanie Dickerson and Janette Oke.

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