Hi y’all!

I hope you are staying warm and enjoying the beginnings of the Christmas season.

I am thrilled to participate in the blog tour for The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen. This first book in a new series is absolutely fantastic! The characters are wonderfully complex, the history is compelling and cozy, and the Jane Austen connections are so fun!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.

Book Summary: “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.“

The characters in this novel so well developed; I love each of the Summers sisters and their individual journeys in this novel. There are so many memorable characters in this book from the endearing and blind Mr Hornbeam, eccentric Mr Guilt with his stuffed parrot Parry to aging and kind Mrs Denby. I especially loved the Summers sisters. Klassen gives us so many different personalities within one family. Sarah is responsible and hard working for her family first. Emily is a dreamer, writer, and natural hostess. Viola is shy and carries years of guilt and trauma with her yet she offers so much good and serves others so readily. And Georgiana loves the outdoors and the many different people that come to Sea View. I loved getting inside their heads and seeing their different journeys during the novel. So many of them think that life cannot have more joy or that they don’t deserve any more happiness. Yet I was glad to see the positive moments in their stories and how their relationships with each other were strengthened through their varying experiences. Naturally, I really enjoyed the multiple love stories (love Viola and Jack!!) which was unique in the historical romances I have read. Often, you get to know only one couple during a novel. But this book gave us several. All of which I was hoping would get a happily ever after. I am anxious to hear about how some romances continue after the end of this novel.

I love Regency England as a setting and really enjoyed Klassen’s unique contribution to this historical time. I think this novel fits well in to the genre and adds depth to an already fascinating and popular time period. Klassen creates a cozy, nostalgic setting for her story that also gives us complex discussions of important topics and shows the power of hard work and dedication to change your circumstances. The details about cleft lips and the medieval surgeries and superstitions about them were so intriguing to read about. Strange to think how out there some of those ideas seem now! I also enjoyed all the details about Sidmouth and the kinds of people that would come to this coastal town for their health. The descriptions of sea bathing were so interesting and they seemed to really help several characters’ health! The inclusion of some historical characters from that Regency town was very fun. And I love that the Sidmouth guidebook is a real published work!

Perhaps the most fun elements in this novel were those that pay tribute to Jane Austen. I loved the subtle and more clear nods to one of my favorite authors! The inclusion of Mr and Mrs Elton as guests at Sea View was absolutely brilliant! Klassen nails their proud, difficult personalities. It felt like Mrs Elton walked right from the pages of Emma with her characteristic haughty speeches and unrealistic demands. I enjoyed Mr Elton’s subtle distinctions from his wife like when he insists on paying for their room. Both fit seamlessly into this story. I also loved the lines and descriptions that seemed to may homage to several of Austen’s novels. I love the ways Austen becomes part of this story.

Overall, a delightful and engaging novel about love, forgiveness, dedication, and kindness. I loved the characters especially the Summers sisters. The Jane Austen connections were fantastic and the Regency setting was cozy and memorable. I can’t wait to read more in this series!

What are your favorite Regency set novels?
Which are your favorite Jane Austen characters?

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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