The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen ~ a book review

 

 

This story begins in Scotland in 1820. Claire Summers has been disowned and ‘shunned’ by her family and is living with a bedridden great aunt as a companion and caregiver. When her great aunt dies, Claire is left with little money and no prospects.  On an impulse, she uses all her money to buy into a partnership of a boarding house in the same town that her mother and sisters live.  They also own a boarding house.  Her new partner, Mr. Hammond, is a widower with a small daughter who has a nanny from India, His late wife was also from India. The author deals with the elements of prejudice and class systems.  The topics of dysfunctional families and blended families is prominent.

I really liked this book for the engaging, believable characters and her style of writing that is both entertaining and easy to read. 

This is from the publisher's website:

"A surprise homecoming tests the bonds of sisterhood as a hidden past comes to light . . .

Disgraced eldest sister Claire Summers has been living in exile as companion to a stern great-aunt in Scotland. About to lose her place and longing to be reconciled with her estranged family, Claire sees an advertisement from someone looking for a "respectable female partner" in a Sidmouth boarding house. Is it a sign? She answers the ad, hoping she has not made another reckless mistake. When she meets the handsome, secretive proprietor, she wonders what he's hiding and if he's any more trustworthy than the nobleman who betrayed her years ago. Claire is drawn to him even though she fears he will reject her when he discovers her genteel façade hides a less-than-respectable past.

Meanwhile, the Summers family learns their great-aunt has died and Claire has disappeared without a word. The sisters rally together to find their lost sibling, but will their unexpected reunion heal old wounds and rekindle their bonds . . . or deepen the divide?

Return to the captivating Devonshire coast as the Summers sisters navigate romance, second chances, and the enduring strength of sisterhood in the face of adversity."

If you like reading historical faith based romance with elements of redemption, forgiveness and restoration, you will love this book.  There is also a thread of mystery that keeps you guessing. What did Claire do to get her banished?  Why is Mr. Hammond so secretive about his past? What are all the ‘hush-hush’ meetings about? Will Claire ever be forgiven and embraced by her family? There is also a surprising circumstance involving the late great aunt.

This is book three of the On Devonshire Shores series. 

Go HERE to read an excerpt 

Go HERE to learn more about Julie Klassen and her books 

 

 

 

 I received a complimentary ARC** of this book from Bethany House via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed  are my own.

**A word about ARC books.   Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) are a preview copy and are not a finished product. They may differ from the final published work and may include additional editing. My reviews may include some things that vary from the final published book.

The Ladies of Ivy Cottage by Julie Klassen

This is the second book in the Tales From Ivy Hill series.  As with most series, it is useful to have read the preceding books. Some books in a series can be enjoyed as stand alone books, but I think I would have enjoyed this one more if I had read the first one.  There are numerous characters to keep track of and trying to remember them all proved very distracting.  In the first paragraph alone there are seven characters mentioned. I think it would have been easier had I become acquainted with some of them in the first book.  It also would have been easier to follow the multiple story lines had I had a background from the first book.  The author does include a map of the area which makes it very easy to follow the characters movements.

There is an occasional mention of faith but not enough for me to consider this a Christian novel.  I would call it a clean, historical novel instead.

This is from the publisher’s website:

“Return to Ivy Hill as friendships deepen, romances blossom, and mysteries unfold . . .

A gentlewoman in reduced circumstances, Miss Rachel Ashford lives as a guest in Ivy Cottage. With her meager funds rapidly depleting, she is determined to earn her own livelihood . . . somehow. Her friend Jane Bell and the other village women encourage her to open a circulating library with the many books she's inherited from her father. As villagers donate additional books and Rachel begins sorting through the volumes, she discovers mysteries hidden among them. A man who once broke her heart helps her search for clues, but both find more than they bargained for.

Rachel's hostess, Mercy Grove, has given up thoughts of suitors and finds fulfillment in managing her girls school. So when several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes pretty Miss Ashford is the cause. Exactly what--or whom--has captured each man's attention? The truth may surprise them all.”

There are a couple of mysteries that the characters encounter, which add to the appeal of the story and keeps you interested but they are not the ‘keep you on the edge of your seat’ kind of mysteries.

This was not my favorite book by Julie Klassen, but if you like long novels and are a Jane Austin and a regency novel fan, this is a book you would likely enjoy. Use the keywords on the right side of this page and click on Julie Klassen's name to read my review of another of her books, that I really liked.

Go HERE to read an excerpt.

Go Here to read more about Julie Klassen and her books. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House and Baker
Publishing Group through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen - a book review

I love good historical Christian fiction and The Tutor's Daughter didn't disappoint me. And when you throw in a little intrique, mystery and suspense, it's a winner!  This author keeps you on your toes right to the end.  Even the cover of the book is a winner (and I don't usually comment on the cover of a book), but this one is perfect for the story.  A young woman, dressed appropriately for her station in life as a school master's daughter, poised on the edge of a cliff with dark clouds in the distance.....perfect!

The story is about Emma, the daughter of a boarding school master whose wife has died.  Their school is slowly fading away so when they are asked by a former students family to be in-home tutors to their two young sons, they agree and move to Ebbington Manor, home of the Weston's.  The Weston's are, to say the least, a disfunctional family.  There are secrets, strange noises in the night, locked doors, haunting music, and even a little attempted murder.  Here is what the publisher's website says:

"Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father when his boarding school fails, accompanies him to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But soon after they arrive and begin teaching the two younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte at night, only to find the music room empty? And who begins sneaking into her bedchamber, leaving behind strange mementoes?
The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry Weston, wrestle with problems--and secrets--of their own. They both remember the studious Miss Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her...
When suspicious acts escalate, can Emma figure out which brother to blame and which to trust with her heart?
Filled with page-turning suspense, The Tutor's Daughter takes readers to the windswept Cornwall coast--a place infamous for shipwrecks and superstitions--where danger lurks, faith is tested, and romance awaits."

Go HERE to read an exerpt

This book is a faith based book but it's not at all 'preachy'.  It's a good, clean, suspenseful story that will leave you wanting to read more from this author. The ending is predictibly happy. This is after all, Christian romance but even though you know Emma is going to end up in love and happy, you're never quite sure who she's going to end up with until very close to the end.

You can read more about the author and her other novels on her website.

I hope you give this one a try.  If you like faith based fiction and suspense, you won't go wrong with The Tutor's Daughter.