The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen Book Review - Blog Tour

Publication Date: December 6, 2022
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Series: On Devonshire Shores (Book 1)
Length: (448) pages
Format: hardcover, trade paperback, & eBook 
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Inspirational Fiction

Synopsis

Some guests have come for a holiday, others for hidden reasons of their own . . .

When their father's death leaves them impoverished, Sarah Summers and her genteel sisters fear they will be forced to sell the house and separate to earn livelihoods as governesses or companions. Determined to stay together, Sarah convinces them to open their seaside home to guests to make ends meet and provide for their ailing mother. Instead of the elderly invalids they expect to receive, however, they find themselves hosting eligible gentlemen. Sarah is soon torn between a growing attraction to a mysterious Scottish widower and duty to her family.

Viola Summers wears a veil to cover her scar. When forced to choose between helping in her family's new guest house and earning money to hire a maid to do her share, she chooses the latter. She reluctantly agrees to read to some of Sidmouth's many invalids, preferring the company of a few elders with failing eyesight to the fashionable guests staying in their home. But when her first client turns out to be a wounded officer in his thirties, Viola soon wishes she had chosen differently. Her new situation exposes her scars--both visible and those hidden deep within--and her cloistered heart will never be the same.

Join the Summers sisters on the Devonshire coast, where they discover the power of friendship, loyalty, love, and new beginnings.  

My Thoughts

The Sisters of Sea View is a heartwarming story involving four sisters and their widowed, invalid mother, who open up their seaside home to paying guests. Not all the sisters are happy with this decision and Viola, whose romantic tale dominates, reluctantly takes up paid employment reading to a major recovering from wounds sustained while serving in India. Two of the sisters have had bad experiences with love and are not yet ready to open their hearts anew, but are not as immune to love as they think. A fourth sister, the youngest, is a bit of a tomboy, but tenderhearted. And then, there is a mystery surrounding a fifth sister. The reason for her absence is hinted at but not fully explained, adding intrigue to an already multi-layered tale.

Most of the guests are eligible men who are friendly and obliging, but two other guests, Mr and Mrs Elton (a nod to characters from Emma by Jane Austen), by their name alone, prove difficult. All in all, these and other secondary characters were diverting and enlivened this novel a great deal.

I enjoyed meeting the Summers family and look forward to what awaits them in the next instalment of this entertaining new Regency series.

Video Introduction to The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen

https://youtu.be/EZDjSuBtFEU

Exclusive Interview with Author Julie Klassen

https://austenprose.com/2022/11/09/an-exclusive-interview-with-julie-klassen-author-of-the-sisters-of-sea-view/

Where to Purchase

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS

Meet the Author

Julie Klassen loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. Her books have sold over a million copies, and she is a three-time recipient of the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Secret of Pembrooke Park was honored with the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie has also won the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing’s BEST Award and has been a finalist in the RITA and Carol Awards. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. She and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.

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