The Maid of Ballymacool

Michael Wray is called in by his parents to go to Ballymacool boarding school to find out why his cousin is having such a hard time.  Adelade is not settling into the school very well and he has come to discover her difficulties and to ascertain a way to curb her misbehavior as well as help her fit in better. 

One of the first people he meets at Ballymacool is Brianna Kelly, the scullery maid of the school.  She works from early morning until past midnight on kitchen duties. She gets one half day a week off, but rather begrudgingly.  

The mistress of the school is Maureen Magee, who rules the school with an iron hand.  She and Mr Daid, the teacher, combine forces to make the school a most unpleasant place.  They both heap abuse on the workers and the students as a show of force to keep the power within their own hands.  Michael's presence has worked to upset their little applecarts of dictatorship over the school.  While keeping tabs on his cousin, he is also intrigued and drawn to Brianna.  He hates the way she is treated by Miss Magee and stands up for her whenever he can.  

There are secrets and mysteries surrounding Brianna and the school, that she doesn't even know herself.  I kept thinking those secrets were going to go one direction, but I was totally surprised by what the secrets actually were when they were finally revealed.  That is only because of the skill of the author, Jennifer Deibel.  She has woven a compelling tale that keeps the reader involved from the very first words until the final page.  This is not a romance novel with a bit of mystery, this is a novel that has romance, mystery, a bit of "mean girl" vibes, and a lot more.  This is a novel that has a significant spiritual truth of seeing oneself as God sees.  The Maid of Ballymacool is at times heart-wrenching, and at times heart-warming.  It is maddening, gladdening, and satisfying. 

Jennifer used quite a few Irish idioms throughout the book and provided a glossary for understanding those that cannot be discerned through context clues.  I really appreciated that.  It was a bit cumbersome to flip back and forth to figure things out, but that was not overly distracting because it made understanding the conversations so much better.  

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a friend who will champion for you at every turn. 

Revell Publishing provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.