A Sea View Christmas by Julie Klassen

 

A Sea View Christmas by Julie Klassen
5 Stars 

(Read the Novella after you have read the On Devonshire Shores Series, Book 1 is The Sisters of Sea View)

This felt like Little Women at Christmas! LOVED it so much to see the ending for this family. All the resolutions, healing, romance, Christmas elements, faith - it was great!

We are back in Sea View with our sisters and this time we finally get Sarah's romance story! I LOVED seeing Callum, the Scottish hero of the story back again. He is so kind, considerate, patient - and the fact he is a SCOT - I was here for it :) We also get the POV of Georgiana, who is 17 years old and her story with Colin. 

Sarah has been a character with such dedication to her family that she never felt like she could find love or have a life for herself. To see her make this journey in this novella was so nice. She has spent her life helping her mother run Sea View and she finally gets her happy ending here.

Loved the faith, Christmas elements, and family storyline all being wrapped up.  Would recommend to anyone who loved the On Devonshire Shores series! You do need to read the series to read this book so you are not spoiled for things that happen throughout the series.

Thank you to Bethany House for a complimentary copy of this book to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7892010143

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3V20c3A

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/637208

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen

  

The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen
(Book 3 in the On Devonshire Shores Series)

5 Stars 

There was something so special about this book. The story reminds me of Little Women in a way. Julie always writes these great settings, this one being on the coast of Devonshire. I have enjoyed my time with these sisters and with the new Christmas Novella released, I wanted to finish the series before diving into this one. As I write my review for book 3, I have just finished the Christmas Novella, and would highly recommend you finish the trilogy before you pick that one up. My review for it will come very soon! :) 

Back to this book though, we get Claire Summers' story, the oldest of the Summers sisters. She has been living in quiet disgrace away from her family, exiled to Scotland with her great-aunt. When her great-aunt passes away, she isn't sure what her next steps are. She answers an advertisement for a "respectable female partner" in a boarding house near Sea View and her great-aunt's maid goes with her on the journey. We see her meet Mr. Hammond, her new partner in the boarding house, who is also very handsome indeed. Claire finds herself fitting right in with Mr. Hammond, his sweet daughter and the house guests when one day, she reunites with her estranged family members....can she and her family find reconciliation? 

While you as the reader become frustrated with the sister's mother for her disdain towards Claire, if you think back to the time period this is set in, it's very much as the author's note explains, realistic for the time. I was so glad to see the ending with the faith and family elements come together. Claire and Mr. Hammond were also PERFECTION for me, and him being a single father due to the loss of his late wife, finding love again and the sweet details with his daughter and Claire - it was all just beautifully put together.

We find emotional healing from grief and see God at work in this story. Very heartfelt ending for this family. If you love regency, historical fiction with a bit of romance and family details, pick this up! 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7892012674
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JVf4i6
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/9780764241017_the-seaside-homecoming

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen

 

Shadows of Swanford Abbey - Julie Klassen - 4 Stars 

I am so glad I read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen last year because this had the perfect atmosphere that reminded me of a good Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie regency story! Very reminiscent of the Northanger Abbey itself - so I loved that! Julie Klassen has the best settings in her stories and this was just a good cozy time for me on a Sunday afternoon. 

In this story, we follow Rebecca Lane who returns to her home village after a few years away. Her brother begs her for a favor to go to Swanford Abbey to deliver his manuscript to an author staying there so he can get published. She agrees to help him but this grand hotel known as Swanford Abbey is rumored to be haunted. She starts seeing strange things there and runs into Sir Frederick - the magistrate, widower and former neighbor who broke her heart long ago..... A famous author is found murdered in the abbey and the mystery goes on from here as feelings start to emerge for Rebecca as Sir Frederick tries to find the truth of who the murderer is.

This was such a great murder mystery that truly put me in the mind of an Agatha Christie story. We can certainly tell our characters are Christian in their faith and I loved Rebecca and Frederick's love story as they became more than friends in their unrequited love story. 

If you love a good cozy, historical mystery with Jane Austen Northanger Abbey vibes, Gothic/Eerie settings and Agatha Christie like story, pick this up. 

The only reason it wasn't quite a 5 star for me is some parts dragged for me a little bit, but I was just enjoying my time with the story overall anyway so that's ok!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6196771653
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JWOfa0

Baker:  https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/277327

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on any items purchased from these links.

A Winter by the Sea by Julie Klassen

 

A Winter by the Sea - Julie Klassen - 3.5 Stars (Book 2 in the On Devonshire Shores series)

"A Winter by the Sea", the second installment in Julie Klassen's On Devonshire Shores series, proved to be an enjoyable read. We continue our journey with the Summers sisters, primarily following Emily Summers as she pursues her dream of becoming an author. Facing rejecting from a local publisher, she agrees to an intriguing proposing from a charming competitor, leading her into unexpected twists involving a love triangle. Despite my usual aversion to love triangles, this one was well-executed. 

This series fully immerses you in the atmospheric setting and you really do feel like you are right there with the "Sisters of Sea View" throughout the story. My only complaints are the books in this series do feel a bit too long for my liking, as I struggle to keep interest at times with the plot. There were also times it felt too slow for me, but I enjoyed this book in the series a bit more than I did book 1, mostly because of the less POVS to keep up with from a personal standpoint.

Emily's character  shines in this book, showcasing her passion for writing and her dedication to her family. I loved seeing her process writing the guidebook for Sidmouth too, very interesting. We see a little bit of Sarah's journey but I preferred just following Emily here. She really cares for her family and I think she may be my favorite sister in the group. We also see some of the royal family shown here - that added a fun layer too.

This book really is a very fitting one to read in the Winter time as well as it has some really great descriptions of the Winter season. Maybe because I finished reading Little Women recently is another reason I liked this one a bit more than book 1 because I could certainly see how lovers of Little Women would enjoy this story. 

Overall, a good continuation to the series that I think people who love regency-era stories with rich  historical settings would enjoy. Thank you to Bethany House for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6084319673
Amazon: https://amzn.to/48eV15B
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/516356
YouTube Review to come.

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from those links.

The Sisters of Sea View - Julie Klassen

 

The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen - 3.5 Stars 

Julie Klassen does such a great job with the research of her settings and history in her books. I can always see that come through in her stories. In this one, we see 4 sisters, but we follow 2 more closely then the other 2 in this book. We do see all 4 sister's POVs throughout the story, which I think hindered my enjoyment since I listened to the audiobook - I should have physically read this since there were so many POVs but I did overall enjoy the story. 

The sisters are Sarah, Emily, Viola and Georgina. In this one, we see mostly Sarah and Viola's story. I related a lot to what Viola was experiencing through her scar and being self conscious. Loved her ending in this book and how she grows throughout to tell her story and help someone from this bad surgeon. Sarah is the oldest and is trying to keep the family together pretty much - they are all suffering from bad finances where their father had passed away and the house was entitled to someone else. So they turn the home into a place where guests stay to make some money in the meantime and start a family business. We see Sarah start to form a romance with a Scotsman so I liked that as well. :)

We see a LOT of Jane Austen references so if that is something you love in books, pick this up! I loved it. 

As far as faith content goes, we saw some references but it was light and natural in the story. Many people have said this would be great for fans of Little Women as well, and I can definitely see that, especially as I have started to read that book recently for myself. 

If you like a good family story, with some romance and an England setting, pick this up!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4926656780

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/433696
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Qv7QlT

YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt-U-nf5HX8

The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen

The Painter's Daughter - Julie Klassen - 4.5 Stars - Such beautiful storytelling! My favorite Julie Klassen book so far!

This is my favorite Julie Klassen book so far! 4.5-5 stars, rounding up to 5. Beautiful storytelling. Truly felt like I was in the middle of a regency tv series or movie. Jane Austen vibes. One of the best regency romances I have ever read! Plus, a marriage of convenience – my favorite! :)

In this story, set in England 1815, we follow Sophie Dupont, who fell in love with an artist, Wesley Overtree. Sophie thought she was in love with Wesley and that he would marry her. Unfortunately, things don't happy as she expected...and Wesley leaves for Italy as he jumped at the opportunity to travel and paint. Wesley leaves behind a sorry excuse for a note to Sophie leaving her and his brother, Stephen, not anticipating Wesley's return anytime soon. What Sophie didn't tell Wesley before he left – she is pregnant with his child. Wesley's brother, Captain Stephen Overtree, sees the situation for what it is that Sophie is in and as a respectable man, offers to marry her in name only to protect her and her child's future. With Stephen set to go off to war, they get married, and the story goes from here as they start getting to know one another, their families, interests, etc.....

I just loved this story. Julie truly told us a full, captivating story from the details of the families, side characters, setting, romance – she transported us right there with the characters! I loved how honorable Stephen was – the perfect hero. I had such compassion for Sophie – she was overlooked by her family and the first man that comes along and shows her love – she has a horrible experience just wanting to be loved. Seeing Stephen and Sophie getting to know each other was the best. Wesley was despicable as expected.

I loved the faith and prayer elements as well in the story – no matter what you have done, God is with you and loves you – He holds the ultimate redemption for us in Jesus. I liked seeing Sophie’s growth through her faith walk too.

Highly recommend!

Note: I wouldn’t recommend this to teens, only to adults because of the subject matter of the story.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5625983545
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pm08j7
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/37920

YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlfoIBkAmlc&t