I loved this story, part romance and part fantasy/fairy tale. When Effie was gathering seaweed at the waters edge, she heard a baby crying. The sea was cold and rough and bouncing on the waves was a small basket. Despite her skirt and petticoats dragging her down, Effie managed to grab the basket and save the tiny baby, naked apart from a tiny seal skin. With no idea where she came from, Effie takes care of the baby girl alongside her own baby son.
Six months later a stranger turns up at her door announcing that he is the baby's father. A deal is struck between them and the baby continues to live happily with Effie and her son.

This is a mixture of historical fiction, romance and fantasy. The setting was beautiful. The characters were likeable. I felt like the plot was a bit shallow.

A wonderful fiction based on old legends and tales by those who would go to sea and return with outsize stories. I've never read anything like it and loved the book from start to finish.

This is such a beautifully written story. A combination of love and fairytale magic that captivates from the very first chapter. The characters are really well written with plenty of depth that really draws you in. An emotional read of the best kind.

Really couldn’t get into this one. Just didn’t get behind the characters and found it confusing and disappointing.

Sorry, not a book for me.

Oh my goodness what a great start to my 2022 reading. Beautifully written but in an easy absorbing style, this tells the story of Effie who discovers a baby floating in the sea. Set in a small fishing village near Grimsby, in the 1880s, this is a tale of love, healing and differences. Poignant and interesting, it delivers on so many levels. Interesting perspectives on what’s acceptable for a woman, class, how we are treated and treat others, childhood and what it means to be a parent, I would recommend it to everyone.

Utterly beautiful in places - and I needed tissues at the end. Gorgeous book.

This was an easy romantic read that was sometimes a little slow for me but had a great storyline. I enjoyed the characters and how they developed through the story.

An easy read thats recommended.

Thank you Netgalley.

When Effie finds a young baby in a basket floating on the sea on the same day as she loses her husband when his ship sinks, she doesn't realise just how her life will change.
She agrees to look after the baby along with her own son until a family member can be found. As time passes she starts to view the little girl as her own daughter until a year later, a man turns up on the doorstep claiming to be the childs father but something seemed strange about his behaviour.

Eventually, he confessed that they were selkies - when in the water they were seals but when on dry land they changed into human form.

As the years pass, Effie and Lachlan become closer but can they truly be happy?


A steady paced story of how love can grow despite the differences between races.

An unusual story of a strong widow who finds an abandoned child and raises her with her son. She has a rich man courting her, but the child's father who visits every six months is the one who holds her interest. However he is not a normal man, and Morna is not a normal child. Is there anyway they could have a future?

Such a fab story and an actual fairy tale for adults. You will struggle to put this book down. Such a lovely story and one I was lost in. I did not want this book to end, and one I will read again. Highly recommend this tale.

I received an e-arc of Daughter of the Sea from Harper Collins UK. Even though I have been gifted this book for review, all opinions are my own.

This is my review of Daughter of the Sea by Elisabeth J. Hobbes

This was a breathtaking romance that both made me smile and made me cry. I have never read a book by the author before, but I can truly say that this will not be my last book by her. The writing style was beautiful and engaging. The romance was beautifully done. Cannot wait to read more by the author.

Highly recommend it if you enjoy reading beautifully told romances that sweep you away.

An origin story of a selkie found by a human and how her father and her foster mother navigate their relationships and the constant draw to the sea. A gorgeous fairy tale of Scottish origins!

I am not completely sure what I expected from this novel, but I don’t think it was exactly this.

Effie is an outcast in her village, only maintaining her place due to her marriage. However, she finds a baby in a basket, afloat in the rough sea. Taking her home with the intention of temporarily fostering her, she takes her into her heart, trying to raise her family after the loss of her husband at sea.

Then Lachlan appears, claiming to be the baby’s father, and an arrangement is made where Effie continues to care for the child, with Lachlan briefly reappearing every 6 months.

I found this novel easy to read. Effie’s character at the beginning is that of a confident and self-assured young woman and she has her strong-willed grandmother who supports her. It’s always a positive to me when a novel has strong, female characters.

There were a few things that I didn’t like as much. The relationship between Effie and Lachlan didn’t work for me; it seemed to be trying for a tortured, Wuthering Heights broodiness but didn’t quite make it. Effie’s indecision between Lachlan and Walter, her long-term admirer, becomes more and more unbelievable as the book goes on, especially when Walter comes back from a long trip and starts to show his true colours - I cannot see how Effie, who isn’t bothered by riches or a ‘good marriage’ would even consider a man who wants to get rid of her children. I’m still on the fence with the Selkie storyline, I’m really not sure if it added anything

Overall, an easy, light read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book, the author has taken the myth of the Selkies and written a fictional story of what would happen if, as in this case, a Selkie child is raised by a human. The story is based probably in the 18th century, in a small Scottish village, where the main character, Effie, a young widow, is something of an outsider.
Although I liked the book and found it very easy to read and well written, I would categorise it more as romantic fiction than historical fiction which is why I have given it 4 stars instead of 5.

This was a lovely story.

While wandering on the beach, Effie finds an infant floating in the ocean, wrapped in a sealskin. The same day, she learns that her husbands ship went down with hands, leaving her a widow with a baby son as well as the foundling.

This is a mix of historical fiction with a bit of fantasy (the legend of the selkies). I loved the characters, especially Effie and her grandmother Alice. Effie is strong and independent. And I loved how we see the progress through a few years, as the children grow, the baby's father appears, and Effie has big decisions to make about her future.

The pace never dragged and I was engrossed from start to finish.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book.

A book that is magical and mystical in its telling. I was hooked from the very first page! A wonderful tale that mingles fantasy and romance into an elegant tale of selkies that captivated me from start to finish. Something a little different that is a bit educational and very entertaining. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a gorgeous romantic fantasy based on the legend of the Selkie. Highly Recommend. I received a free cop of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

This book was an addiction for me the moment I picked it up…

With the beautiful coastal setting and the absolutely engrossing characters, this story is a gem and one that I would recommend to any who love a good romance.

Effie, an outcast in her village, is all-at-once a widow, left with her child. And it just so happens at the time of her husband’s death, Effie finds a baby…in the sea.

The mystery surrounding who this baby is gets shadowed by the immediate love Effie has for her. And Effie, successfully, raises both her son, and her new adopted daughter.

Until the father finally comes for his little girl.

The connection between all these characters is what kept me reading without stopping. I fell in love with Effie’s strength, courage, and amount of love she gave to those around her.

There is a bit of a love triangle in this one, however, in my opinion, it was never really a question. And rightly so.

This charming tale of selkies, lost loves, new loves, and finding oneself was such a joy to read. I’m sincerely hoping for more in the same vein from this author.

Book Review “Daughter of the Sea” by Elisabeth J. Hobbs
JANUARY 11, 2022 ~ NIKIPRESTON

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB

Daughter of the Sea

On a windswept British coastline the tide deposits an unexpected gift…

It was the cry that she first noticed, the plaintive wail that called to her over the crash of winter waves. Wrapped only in a sealskin, the baby girl looks up at Effie and instantly captures her heart. She meant only to temporarily foster the young orphan but when news reaches Effie that her husband has been lost at sea, and months pass without anyone claiming the infant, she embraces her new family – her son Jack and her adopted daughter Morna.

Effie has always been an outcast in her village, the only granddaughter of a woman people whisper is a witch, so she’s used to a solitary existence. But when Midsummer arrives so too does a man claiming to be Morna’s father. There’s no denying Lachlan is the girl’s kin and so Effie is surprised when he asks her to continue looking after his daughter, mysteriously refusing to explain why. She agrees, but when he returns six months hence she pushes him for answers. And Lachlan tells a story she never anticipated … one of selkies, legend, and the power of the sea…

REVIEW ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 5 STARS

Daughter of the Sea is an enthralling ethereal read. It captivated my imagination with such a force that I really did not want it to end. The main character Effie has an empathy so strong that she finds herself caring for an orphan girl alongside her own son. She could not love this child, found in a basket in the sea, any more if she tried. Recently widowed she clings to her children and revels in their wonder for the world around them. Morna, the orphan child, even as young toddler is drawn to sea and Effie slowly begins to understand this strange and beautiful child. When a mysterious man turns up claiming to be Morna’s Father, Effie is drawn to him in a way she can not control. What follows is a mysterious tale of selkies and Scottish folk lore that carries them both on a journey that they explore without knowing how it will end for all of them. Effie is a passionate heroine and takes the reader on a beautiful road to discovery of all things mythical.

This book holds everything that makes for a most interesting read. There is drama and tension, Love and loss, mystery and beauty. A truly mesmerizing story that I recommend any historical romantic fiction lovers to read.

Purchase Link – https://getbook.at/DaughteroftheSea


Author Bio – Elisabeth’s writing career began when she finished in third place in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest in 2013. She was offered a two-book contract and consequently had to admit secret writing was why the house was such a tip. She is the author of numerous historical romances with Harlequin Mills & Boon covering the Medieval period to Victorian England, and a Second World War romantic historical with One More Chapter. She lives in Cheshire because the car broke down there in 1999 and she never left.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/ElisabethHobbes

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elisabeth-hobbes?follow=true


With Thanks for the advance copy for the #Blogtour to ……..

Rachel Gilby https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/

Elisabeth J. Hobbs https://www.facebook.com/ElisabethHobbes

One More Chapter (Publisher) https://www.onemorechapter.com/

An absolutely captivating, breathtaking tale that ventures into the myth of the selkies, with romance, legend & a baby in a basket.

I've never read anything by Elizabeth before, but can't wait to venture into more of her books. This was so very well written & it drew you into its pages, compelling you to submerge yourself into the story as if you too were there.

Visually descriptive, with some richly shaped characters.