A Splendid New Series About Sisters, Surviving Life’s Changes, and the Seaside

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Blog Tour

TYPE OF NOVEL: Regency Romance, Historical Fiction

SERIES: On Devonshire Shores #1

THE PREMISE: The Summers family – which consists of 5 daughters (one of them absent) and their ailing mother are facing genteel poverty. They can’t afford to keep up with the expenses for their seaside home, but they don’t want to sell it and be forced to separate and seek work situations. And so, being the industrious and resourceful women they are, they decide to open several rooms in their home to traveling guests…

WHAT I LOVED:

• A Familiar Tale of Sisters Securing Their Future: With a family of women trying to stay together, being forced to economize, and adapting to new situation – I felt a lot of connection and parallels to the Dashwoods and the Austens. I imagine these families were not far from the author’s mind when writing this tale. I absolutely adore this premise and I find so much to admire in these women who have their lives upended and then take matters into their own hands to make the best of it.

• Homages to Austen: One of the main reasons I started reading Julie Klassen’s novels (many years ago) was because I heard that she “loves all things Jane – Jane Eyre and Jane Austen.” Well, that could not be any more apparent in this tale! There were so many wonderful links and nods to Jane Austen’s novels and characters. These lovely homages were so delightful to discover. I especially loved the connection of one sister, similar to Cassandra Austen, lost her “one great love” to yellow fever, and how one of Sea View’s firsts guests is an exasperating couple that Jane Austen readers have encountered before.

• The Summers Family: Immediately yes. I immediately felt myself engaged with, rooting for, and loving every member of the Summers family. Each sister has a very distinctly drawn personality and they each are facing their own hardships – whether it be pressures of responsibility, lost or disinterested suitors, or feeling unworthy because of a birth condition and a scar. And the relationships between sisters all have different dynamics and different degrees of affection, closeness, and understanding. I’m so thrilled this is a multi-book series because I want to spend more and more time with this family and see each of these sisters in the spotlight.

• The Guests: There are seven guests total who come to stay at Sea View in this tale, and each of them brought something new and interesting to the storyline. I was charmed by so many of them – the Scotsman and his stepdaughter who have a rocky relationship, the dangerously handsome bachelor who flirts with one of the sisters, the endearing blind man who hopes to meet up with his son, and the eccentric man traveling with his bird. I’m hoping that we continue to see many of them in future installments of this series – especially Mr. Henshall and Mr. Hornbeam.

• Viola and Major Hutton: Viola’s story took a little bit of primary focus in this tale. She is the sister born with a cleft lip and went through brutal experiences with corrective surgeries and wears a veil to protect herself from witnessing people’s horrified and superstitious reactions. Because she feels so unworthy and resentful for her condition, Viola can be a bit irritable and prefers to isolate herself from others. But that begins to change when she meets the battle-scarred Major Hutton, who survived an explosion that burned half of his face, and she is hired to visit and read to him daily. I loved every moment these two spent together – how they both struggle with disappointment, how they have high emotions but are also very reserved, and how they find pleasure in helping others. I also loved Major Hutton’s household and all the time we spend with them.
  
• Brilliant Building and Balance: This first book of the series is masterfully executed. There were so many characters to encounter and so many storylines introduced. Julie Klassen skillfully weaved them all together – building the larger world of this series yet also giving each storyline the right amount of page time and attention.

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

• Where is Book 2? I’m not ready to leave Sea View and Devonshire yet!

CONCLUSION: Even after reading a dozen Julie Klassen novels I am still amazed by her genius story-telling. The endearing characters, the compelling challenges, the unravelling intrigues, the inspiring messages and themes – she does it all so masterfully! I eagerly recommend The Sisters of Sea View to all readers who love stories about sisters, stories with Jane Austen connections, and stories that take place near the sea!

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My sincere gratitude to Laurel Ann of Austenprose PR for inviting me to take part in this tour.