So completely not my usual read. I loved it! Fantasy, legends, witchcraft. Kept me interested from the first to the last page, never knowing where the story was going to take me.

An excellent mix of romantic fantasy and women's fiction that kept me reading and hooked.
It's poignant, emotionally charged and gripping. You cannot help feeling and rooting for the characters, loved the descriptions of the setting and the vivid background.
The fantasy elements are well woven in the plot and the author delivers a fascinating world building and great characters.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The sea is always a wonderful setting for a book and this was no exception. Atmospheric, beautiful and lovely.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

Having recently lost her husband she discovers a baby wrapped in a seal skin. This is the second book that I have read about selkies. The story is interesting and the romance element made it heart warming.

DAUGHTER OF THE SEA is a sweet romance with a mythological twist, set in North Yorkshire. Effie is widowed young and, on the same night as her husband dies, she finds a baby washed ashore. Her own son, Jack, is five-months-old, so Effie has milk available for both. She cares for -- and loves -- the little baby whilst continuing with her own life. All that changes when the dad shows up!

There is a hint of a love triangle in here, with both Lachlan and Walter vying for Effie's affections. Of course, you are pretty sure which way it will go, but the author keeps you guessing until the end.

The pacing is smooth and there are lots of details about how women lived, the whole way of life at that time, plus how Effie doesn't fit in or, really, know what she wants. The story is a slow-burn one in that it moves along quite slowly. However, that gives the reader time to fully immerse themselves in the past.

This was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

I loved this book and couldn't put it down, with a mixture of historical fiction and legends and mythical creatures it was enchanting, not the sort of book I normally read but a lovely fantasy romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for access to this arc.

I think you won the cover lottery this year with this one. This is such a sweet, gentle, slow burn fantasy romance that won my heart as it managed to avoid glaring anachronisms (well, really I didn’t catch any), while incorporating selkies and a working class heroine.

Effie Cropton is out gathering wrack both for her grandmother – who has amazing knowledge of age-old medicinal remedies – and herself to paint when she hears a heartbreaking cry. Wading into the freezing ocean, she discovers and pulls in a basket with a child (surprising herself, given that she’s not very religious, by immediately thinking of Moses in the bulrushes). What she finds is baffling: an infant child who is naked except for a sealskin wrapped around her. Effie nurses her and then takes her in. A few days later her friend Walter, son of a prominent businessman, brings her news that the ship her fisherman husband was on has sunk with all hands lost. Effie hadn’t married for love but misses John and now must support herself while caring for her own son and this mysterious girl child from the sea.

A year later and late in the evening, a knock on her seaside cottage door brings Lachlan into her life. He claims to be the child’s father and one look at his eyes convinces Effie. Lachlan is stunned when she announces that yes, she’s fed the child all year (and I thought, seriously dude, how else did you expect your daughter to have survived). He asks Effie to continue caring for Morna, which he announces is her name, and he’ll pay her with a beautiful pearl. On Midsummer eve, he’ll return.

And so begins their six months long contracts. Effie cares for Morna, whom she loves like her own, and Lachlan reappears after six months. Effie thinks there’s something he’s hiding from her but she also fears the day when he returns and takes Morna. Meanwhile, she gently fends off the obvious interest that gentle Walter has in her and wonders at the amount of time she spends thinking of Lachlan. Well Alice, her grandmother, has only to take one look at Lachlan and immediately realizes what Effie initially refused to believe about Lachlan. When events bring things to a head, who will Effie choose and where will she stay?

I liked Effie. She’s outspoken to begin with and only grows in mental and emotional strength as the book continues. Her parents had been middle class (though I’m not quite sure about how they had become so given how Alice was viewed by the townspeople) but when she and working class John got caught out by a pregnancy, they married and Effie – in the eyes of the village – sank to working class status. Effie keeps bodies and souls together with her own efforts plus she’s intelligent and not afraid to speak her mind.

Her relationship with the children is wonderful. Soon it’s clear that Jack is autistic (though the term isn’t used and no one really knows specifics about this) while Morna is strangely drawn to the sea and has “old eyes.” The two of them together are bonded like siblings and while they act as toddlers will, they’re good children and love their mother.

Effie’s reaction when Lachlan reveals who and what he really is makes sense. At first she, who up until now has paid little attention to fairy stories, thinks he’s joking and teasing her. When the truth finally seeps into her brain, she’s repulsed. A fanciful mind is not something our Effie has. What is this creature she’s had in her house and, oh my, she’s been looking after his daughter for years! This is when Alice is needed to pour oil on the troubled waters. Alice also shrewdly guesses that her granddaughter has entertained thoughts about Lachlan and that these are most likely returned.

But Lachlan’s folk stories, told to lull the children into sleep, make clear what he’s told Effie. His kind and hers usually don’t mix well and when this happens, the ending to the story often isn’t a HEA. When something else surfaces (oops, pun not intended) that could scuttle (yikes, another one) their relationship, what will happen? Effie wants one thing but when that doesn’t appear likely to occur, she must look to her best interests even as she realizes that something else facing her will break her heart.

The characters are well drawn and believable. Effie chafes against the restrictions of the day that women are bound by and refuses to knuckle under to the social hierarchy of the village. Alice is delightful, wise, caring, and able to shock her granddaughter with memories of her own possible encounter with a man from the sea. There is a love triangle – of sorts – though it’s fairly clear to me who Effie wants. Still, how she was going to mend what had gone wrong and fight her way towards being able to grasp her happy ending kept me focused. And win out in the end she does by her own efforts. Go, Effie. Some stories don’t have happy endings. But some do. B..

This was such a beautiful story! I loved the historical fiction setting with a mixture of magical legends! The characters were wonderful, and really brought the story to life. I loved the setting too!

“The sea calls to her,” Lachlan said softly. “It is in her nature to try and answer.”

DAUGHTER OF THE SEA
Thank you, Elisabeth J. Hobbes, NetGalley, and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read this book. It releases December 20th, 2021.

I am still recovering from Daughter of the Sea by Elisabeth J Hobbes and I am positive I won’t forget it any time soon. On a Winter’s day, Effie is on the beach when she sees something in the waves. It is a basket carrying precious cargo-a baby girl. She immediately took the child home to raise her with her son Jack. When she discovers that her husband has been lost at sea she clings to her new family. A year later, a man comes to her door claiming to be the child’s father. He is mysterious but there is no doubt to his claim. He can’t take his daughter but only asks that Effie continue to raise her as her own, but he will return. And he does, slowly he tells his story, one that is impossible to believe.

This book took my breath away. This is the second book about Selkies that I have read this year and I am hooked. Selkies are mythological beings known as seal folk. They can shed their seal skin and become human. In fact, some of the mythological tales from Scotland make an appearance in this story. I loved this mixture of romance, historical fiction, and myth. The descriptions are truly immersive. I felt as if I could smell the sea, feel the chill of the wind, and taste the salt.

The plot does move slowly, but I fell in love with the characters and I couldn’t tear my eyes from the pages. I cried for Effie. Her loneliness is palpable and I would have given anything to be her friend—that is how you know the writing is that good. She is selfless and courageous. But she is an outsider in a time when being an outsider is dangerous. I love how she has a bond with her son Jack and her adopted daughter Morna. But when Lachlan comes into the picture, he also forms a bond. It is such a beautiful formation of a family.

I have to admit Lachlan won me over immediately, but when he was described as “devouring Persuasion by Jane Austen,” I knew he was it for Effie. But we all know that love doesn’t always have happy endings. Or does it? You will have to read this story to find out. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and it is probably my favorite book so far this winter.

Absolutely mesmerising fairy story for adults! Beautifully written with wonderful characters. Even if you guess the ending you still want to keep reading!

I will round this up from 4.5 stars.

Effie's a young wife whose husband is at sea. She lives in a cottage with her five-month-old son, Jack. One night she is out on the beach when she hears what sounds like a baby and sees a basket floating. She finds inside a baby girl, naked and wrapped in what looks like a seal skin. She is determined to raise her along side Jack with the aid of her grandmother, Alice, after her husband is lost at sea. A year later a man shows up at her door claiming the girl as his daughter and tells Effie that her name is Morna. He comes back twice a year to check up on her and make a payment to Effie for the care she gives.

Fantasy is not usually my genre of choice but I really enjoyed this. I found the characters well developed and I loved Effie's spunk and independence. Everyone needs a grandmother like Alice. Lachlan was a good man. I would have liked to see his background a bit more developed. The cottage near the water seemed rustic but I could imagine being able to hear the waves crashing ashore and the freshness of the air. There was a romance and I was kept guessing to the end on what the outcome would be.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for providing me the opportunity to read this.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

ohh where to start with this one....

a sound reaches effie as she walks along the beach...its a babies cry and its coming from the sea....as effie struggles to reach the baby in time she wonders where her parents are

and so begins the story of effie taking in a baby girl whilst looking for her parents....

and then one night there is a knock at the door and the little girls father appears, and what follows is the beginning of a brilliant story

was totally hooked by this storyline, dont want to give to much away but this book is well worth giving it a chance

will be keeping an eye out for more of this authors works

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It is set to be published in December 2021.

"Daughter of the Sea" by Elisabeth Hobbes starts off great. I'm a huge fan of shapeshifter/human romance, and I've never read one about selkies, so I was super-excited by the premise of this book.
Instead, there's precious little about shapeshifters in this story.
Morna and Lachlan (the baby selkie and her selkie father) are no different from humans: they think and behave exactly like humans, have nothing at all to mark them as "others", except the sealskins they wear (which, at the time the story is set, might have passed for a human garment as well). They always transform off-page, get little to no time on-page in their seal form, and in their human form, they're *completely* human--no mystery, no "otherness" at all.
I think that was a lost opportunity.
Shapeshifters are not creatures who shift between being 100% human and 100% animal, they're a little bit of both in either of their forms--that's what makes them interesting.
So, Morna and Lachlan's being indistinguishable from humans when they're in their human form (and Morna and Lachlan being in their human form 99% of their on-page time) was a bit of a disappointment.
On top of that, the love triangle between Effie, Lachlan and Walter feels contrived. Whatever credibility Effie's indecision between the two men might have had at the beginning of the story, when Lachlan was still a stranger and Walter still a gentleman, flies out the window the moment Walter comes back from his trip. By then, Lachlan has proved to be a thoughtful, skillful lover, and Walter has proved to be a bastard who's looking forward to taking Effie's freedom away from her, separating her from her children and her friends, and stamping out her independence in every possible way. Am I supposed to take such a "love" triangle seriously? The last third of the story, where Effie agonizes over which man she should choose, is laughable. What self-respecting mother would even consider choosing Walter when he's arranging for her daughter to be taken away forever and for her son to be locked up in an institution even before they get married and he gets to be in control?
Overall, the novel is not bad, but it shouldn't have been marketed with the shapeshifter angle, because in this way it's going to disappoint a lot of readers.

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.

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 the child’s father. Effie is surprised when he asks her to continue looking after his daughter, mysteriously refusing to explain why. 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…

This is a magical tale of heartbreak and romance, which is well written and interwoven with the mythical stories of Selkies (seals, who can discard their skin and take on human forms).
I was drawn into the tale of Effie and the baby girl she finds on the beach. I haven’t read anything from this author before but the way she sets the scene, describes the characters instantly grabbed me and made me feel I was part of the story.
I will be searching out more from Elisabeth in the future
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title

A romantic story about a woman called Effie who rescues a baby from the sea, the same day as her husband's ship sinks.
What she does doesn't know is that the baby is part of an ancient race of people who humans call seals. Once a seal sheds it's skin, then it transforms into a beautiful human looking creature. So follow Effie on her journey. I don’t normally read this style but thank you Elizabeth J Hobbes, your publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Loved it!!! Enjoyed the story, characters and writing style. It was simply magical and a beautiful story. Effie was a wonderful mother and treated Morna like she was her own daughter. She would have done anything for her children. When she is threatened with having Jack sent away, she does whatever she can to keep him safe and happy. Effie definitely lived to the beat of her own drum. She didn't fit in with the other women and never made excuses for the decisions that she made. Effie and Alice had a wonderful relationship. Loved the folklore aspect of the book. Lachlan was perfect for Effie, even though she tried to deny the love between them. He was great with Jack. Walter was not a fit for Effie, no matter how much he pushed for them to be together. They were too different. I'm pretty sure Walter would want Effie to change to be more like him. On the other hand, Lachlan loved Effie for who she was and never asked her to change. It was amazing that Alice knew right away what Lachlan and accepted him. I would have a hard time believing someone was a selkie. One of the highlights was Effie becoming great friends with Mary. I'm sure Mrs. Ogram hated her daughter spending time with Effie. Loved the book from the start until the very end. I was sad when I got to the last page. I felt like I was right there with Effie, Lachlan, Jack and Morna. I wanted to keep reading about them.

Definitely recommend the book. This was the first book I read by the author and I look forward to reading more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a breathtakingly beautiful book and an intriguing, rattling good read which you’ll want to devour as swiftly as possible to get to the warm-hearted ending. But one which is worth savouring slowly for its lyrical prose and delightful storyline.

There is much to keep you guessing along the way, and a cast of fascinating characters to engage with. At its heart, this is a love story, with a shipwrecked baby causing an intersection of disparate lives that wouldn’t normally intermingle.

It opens with newly widowed Effie mourning the loss of her husband who is lost at sea, when she hears a baby’s cry. On discovering this “daughter of the sea” who she names Morna, she takes her home to care for her alongside her own infant son, Jack.

Two years pass, and Effie has become totally attached to the new addition to her family, when a bold, handsome stranger called Lachlan knocks at her door, claiming to be the girl’s father.

Effie doesn’t trust him at all and defiantly declines to hand her over to him. He relents, agrees that she can care for Morna, and says he will return to visit at the spring and summer solstices to keep an eye on her progress.

Their relationship is fraught at first, though tinged with mutual respect, They eventually become irresistibly attracted to one another, which raises a whole host of potential problems to be overcome due to Lachlan and Morna’s origins.

Whether you’re into Celtic and Norse mythology or fantasy, or simply love a well written story, there are gems to be appreciated here. I’ve not read anything quite as captivating for its ability to draw a reader in, then hold the dramatic tension right to the end. I loved it! Grateful thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the eARC.

What an unexpectedly delightful book!

After I’d requested it, I thought I’d probably made a mistake in doing so, as romance isn’t usually my cup of tea, but the fantasy element had drawn me to do so and I’m very glad it did.

The storyline is beautifully written, atmospheric and enchanting. The selkies (seal folk) blend so seamlessly with the plot, you almost forget they are mythical. The romance isn’t overbearing and the characters are very well written and realistic… even the mythological ones.

A fabulous mix of historical fiction, romance and fantasy, I enjoyed this book immensely. I rarely give a book 5 stars, but this book definitely deserves them all.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

A love story based round recently widowed Effie. She finds and care for a child , Morven, washed up on the shore covered in a sealskin. She already has a son named Jack. Lachlan , Morven’s Selkie father Who is caring and Walter a more cold hearted local businessman send Effie into a dilemma. Who will win her heart?

This wasn't the sort of book I'd normally have chosen but I really enjoyed it. An absorbing, romantic story with a great cast of characters.