A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

Title: A Countess Below Stairs 

Author: Eva Ibbotson

Publisher: Speak

Pages: 400

Reviewed by: Sabrina

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background and takes a job as servant in the household of the esteemed westerholme family, armed only with an outdated housekeeping manual and sheer determination.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

My Thoughts

This was not the first book I've read from Eva Ibbotson, but it was the first YA I read from her. In 4th grade, I read Which Witch? in my classroom's library. The only thing I didn't like about that was that the wizard had a mustache. I also read The Secret of Platform 13 but wasn't that interested in it. I didn't even know that A Countess Below Stairs was written by her until I saw the books she written. This book is also known as The Secret Countess.

I read this book because I didn't see a lot of historical YA romances in my bookstore. It was a fun and interesting read. I swear that I never took my eyes off the paper until I was finished reading it. I loved the characters and the descriptions. I liked Anna's attitude. I believed in most of the characters. I would definitely recommend this book.

What I didn't like: I didn't believe the romance that much. I didn't see that Anna liked Rupert until it was almost the end of the book. Also, Anna kinda seemed too perfect. That's about it.