4.5 Stars

Sisters of Sea View is truly an ensemble piece. The story unfolds through the sisters’ alternating viewpoints, giving readers a mixture of broad and up-close looks at all the action. The delineation between those points of view isn’t immediately clear — at least not in the digital review copy — but quickly come into focus once you understand what’s going on.

Author Julie Klassen does an excellent job developing her main players — they all have distinct and compelling voices. But the true stars are Klassen’s supporting characters. They’re mysterious, quirky and provide a strong framework for her stars to shine.

Sisters of Sea View is the first book in Klassen’s new On Devonshire Shores series. Given that there are the four sisters in Sidmouth (Sarah, Viola, Emily and Georgiana) and a fifth (Claire) who mysteriously up and moved to Scotland, there’s room for at least four more books in this world.

Set in the Regency era, Sisters of Sea View features characters of varying ages and personalities, “chaste” romance and a good bit of mystery, making it a good crossover into the YA market. With nods to Jane Austen and a bit of a Little Women feel to it, this novel is a gentle and entertaining read.

In the first book of Klassen's On Devonshire Shores series we meet the Summers sisters and their mother along with the current visitors of their guest house, neighbors, and villagers of Sidmouth. The 1819 setting made for interesting reading regarding medical practices of the times as well as sea bathing customs and etiquette. The theme of the story is one I have not often encountered in my reading, but one of great importance. As we meet a variety of people who have been impacted by life's hardships, be they physical or financial, we come to realize that it is the allowing the crippling of one's spirit that is truly the most devastating to one's quality of life.

I highly recommend The Sisters of Sea View. As usual Klassen fills hours of reading pleasure with a host of well-developed characters, a quaint setting, and a well-penned story. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The Sisters of Sea View is my first Julie Klassen book and it did not disappoint. I absolutely loved the familial bonds in this story and the different relationships and personalities of the sisters. While the story did not remind me of the characters directly per say, this book did give me major Little Women vibes and I felt engrossed and invested in the story, caring about each sister and their mother.
I enjoyed the way the author set up different romantic possibilities for the sisters, but I particularly loved watching one come to fruition. The major and Viola were SO sweet and I just loved the tender moments they shared and the way things developed so softly between them. There were some truly lovely and uplifting themes, messages of hope and kindness, and overall, just a good vibe to this book.
I definitely am invested in the series, needing to know how things will play out for the other sisters and where Klassen will take them next. I look forward to reading more. I recommend this story!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from both the publisher and UpLit Reads. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 4.5 stars

Peaceful. Calm. Gentle.
These are all words I felt as I read the first in a new series about English sisters by Julie Klassen.
The family found itself in reduced circumstances and genteel poverty. Sarah, the eldest, realizes they must take in borders to survive. The sisters rally to provide and the litany of guests that arrive stem from a haughty woman and her henpecked husband to a man who talks to a stuffed parrot.
I liked all,the different scenarios and story lines the author establishes for each sister.
Two of the sisters have burgeoning romances and one comes to fruition, but the other is yet to be determined, fodder for an upcoming book, I’m sure.
Cast in the genre of Jane Austen’s books, in my opinion, this one is far better. I have always been bored by Austen’s books (don’t hate me), but I found this book to be a soothing read.

FOUR STARS to The Sisters of Sea View, Book One in the On Devonshire Shores series.
First of all, just look at that gorgeous cover. When I first saw it months ago, I thought it was so inviting that I wished I could walk right onto the beach with the sisters.
I have now read more than a dozen books by Julie Klassen, and each time have been struck by their immersive qualities and their unique and relatable characters.
I loved the intertwining stories of the admirable Summers sisters, each experiencing and reacting to their shared change of circumstances in different ways, yet ultimately always supporting each other and doing what they must. And their newfound friendships, and unexpected romance, were sweet and inspirational.
I look forward to the continuation of the series when they will welcome new and intriguing guests to their seaside home.

1819 Sidmouth England. When their father dies, his estate goes back to an heir. Their Mother and four sisters own the house at Sea View but have little to live on. Their former lady's maid helps them to consider taking in borders to help keep them going. This is the start of a fabulous series with shadows of Jane Austen. It's easy to settle in and feel involved in their lives. The struggle of starting this business after being a Gentleman's family, lost loves, new interests, new people and their lives, social norms and their reduced state add flavor to the story. Originally, they had come there because their mother was in need of the healing of the sea. One sister was born with a cleft palate has had several surgeries, left more scarred inside than she is outside now. Interesting things to learn about the area, healing baths and cleft palates. Beautifully written, keeps you enthralled to the end and looking forward to the next in the series.

I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#TheSistersofSeaView #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #JulieKlassen #ChristianHistorical

“My scars are far more extensive than yours.” “Mine run deeper.”

One of my favorite Julie Klassen novels! It’s a fantastic start to a new series! This beautifully written tale of sisters set in Regency Sidmouth drew me in from the beginning. It’s a gently told story of love, loss, scars, and resilience. As each sister grapples with new circumstances after their father’s unexpected death, we see both their strengths and weaknesses. It’s a well researched elegant nod to Jane Austen with a Louisa May Alcott feel as well. A slow burn, romantic, character driven story that kept me engaged til the end.

With the death of their father, second born Sarah blames herself and takes on the responsibility of caring for her ailing mother and three younger sisters. When no ready solution to their financial situation presents itself, she enlists her sisters to help turn their seaside home into a boarding house. What they don’t anticipate are the interesting, handsome, and sometimes eccentric guests. There’s even an appearance by the Eltons from Jane Austen’s Emma! As the story progresses, each sister hones new talents in unexpected ways to make the boarding house work.

There’s a bit of mystery surrounding their father’s death along with the abrupt departure to Scotland by a fifth oldest sister. The reasons she left are teased out throughout the story, but the explanation isn’t fully given. In addition, Sarah and Emily both have lost loves and must decide if they will open up their hearts again especially with the arrival of two handsome gentleman, Mr. Stanley and Mr. Callum Henshall, a widower from Scotland.

Perhaps the most endearing sister to me was Viola. Born with a cleft palate, she underwent numerous painful surgeries to correct the defect. She’s understandably wary of people and has an exaggerated view of her scar. When her beautiful twin sister Emily hires her out to read to invalids, she’s upset, but is willing to try to help the family. What she doesn’t expect, is to meet the irascible Major Jack Hutton who was injured in India. Despite his scars, he’s still a handsome, powerful man. The sparks fly as they match wits. Both have fiery personalities, but as Viola reads to the Major and he begins to heal, their relationship grows from animosity to admiration. Both help the other see themselves clearly.

I loved the relationships between the sisters. Each has a unique personality: there’s Sarah the caretaker and aspiring baker, Emily the beauty with a talent for writing, Viola with her musical talent, and the sunny youngest sister Georgiana. I enjoyed teasing out the mystery of each character and their circumstances. There are quite a few curve balls thrown into the story and I can’t wait to see how everything works out in subsequent books.

This is a must read for Regency romance lovers, especially those who enjoy a well written, heartwarming family drama. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author and publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.

Do you have an auto-read author? An author that as soon as they publish something new, you have to read it right away? Julie Klassen is just such an author for me. I was happy to be invited to be a part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour and to be able to post my review on the release day of The Sisters of Sea view.

The Summers Sisters and their Mother are left without a sufficient income at the death of their father. Luckily for them, while their father’s estate was entailed away, he did manage to buy a house on the shores of Devonshire in Sidmouth, Sea View. Sarah, the eldest, is determined to keep the family together and comes up with a plan. Can they open their home to guests in order to stay together and make a living?
Viola and Emily are twins. While Emily loves the spotlight, Viola remains in the shadows wearing a veil. She was born with a harelip which was fixed surgically. She does not want to help with hosting visitors, so she starts to read to invalids for money. Her first client is gruff man in his thirties who has returned with wounds from India. Will she be able to see past his exterior to the man inside?

Georgina is the youngest sister and full of fun. She wonders what happened to her eldest sister, Claire. Claire suddenly left to become a companion to an elderly aunt in Scotland. Why have they never heard from her again?
I loved, loved, loved this novel. I couldn’t put it down and it was pure joy to read it. The setting was intriguing, and the characters were wonderful and fully developed. I loved the sisters, their servants, and getting to know the people that stayed at Sea View. The sweet romances that were started were also very romantic. I can’t see what happens next. This is the first novel in a planned series.

One of my favorite parts of reading this were all of the fun call-backs to Jane Austen. At first when Mr. and Mrs. Elton showed up as guests, I thought they shared the names of Austen characters. Then I was pleasantly surprised to discover they were the characters from Emma by Jane Austen. You can read the novel not knowing this and be fine, but it makes it extra delightful for fans of Jane Austen. The theme of five sisters and their mother trying to find their way after the estate is entailed is straight from Pride and Prejudice. It felt like the Bennet sisters and their invalid mother, except they were in a better place with owning Sea View. This story also shared a “ruined” sister. The characters were completely different than Pride and Prejudice, but I loved the call backs.

I highly recommend The Sisters of Sea View if you love Jane Austen, regency romance, great character driven stories, or just a great book overall.

Review Copy from Bethany House as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

4.25/5⭐️

This was a sweet story (the first in the On Derbyshire Shores series) revolving around (you guessed it!) sisters.

The Summers’ sisters (Sarah, (26), twins Viola and Emily (21), and Georgiana (15)) live with their widowed mother at Sea View, their home on the shore of Devonshire. With financial worries, they decide to open as a guest house and take in boarders. And so we meet a menagerie of (mostly) delightful, sometimes quirky guests with most of them becoming like family.

While told in each sister’s voice and about their day-to-day lives, this one largely features Viola, who was born with a cleft palate (which was further exacerbated by an inept surgeon before successfully being corrected), and who struggles with her appearance and adverse reactions from others. But we follow her as she meets another who is similarly struggling, and together they begin to gain self-confidence to face the world openly as themselves.

There are also some romantic hints (one more focused than the others) that are sweet and chaste. No sex, no bad language here. A few spiritual references.

I loved this for its relationship arcs…family, friends, and community. There’s nothing complicated here, just well-written and heartwarming, and I enjoyed the simplicity of it. I got a wonderful sense of each sister, each guest and other community members and am looking forward to even more about their lives.

If there was any drawback, I did feel it was a little too long, but not enough to be a major issue.

Well done.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Bethany House for providing the free early arc of The Sisters of Sea View for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

The four Summers sisters find themselves impoverished after their father's death. They must leave the family estate and move into what was supposed to be a holiday home. As bills mount up, Sarah Summers decides that in order to survive, the family must open their seaside home for visitors to rent rooms. Viola Summers, who was born with a cleft lip, has a scar that she hides with a veil. Since she doesn't want to be seen by the visitors of their house, she advertises for a job reading to local invalids. Assuming that means she will be reading to the elderly with failing eyesight, she is shocked for her first client to be a wounded officer in his 30s. Emily Summers is struggling with the life the family left behind. She thought she was going to be engaged to someone who cut her off before they moved but a single young gentleman staying at their house catches her eye. With an older sister who disappeared on the family to move to Scotland and an energetic younger sister and a house full of guests, the Summers sisters have their work cut out for them.

🌊Review🌊
I enjoyed this story. I saw it was the first of a series, but wasn't sure how that series would work until I finished the book. The 3 middle sisters, Sarah, Emily and Viola, all had lots of things going on in the story. It does not follow just one sister. When the book ended, I was shocked because I felt like some of them still had storylines to be finished, as well as a bit of a family mystery to be solved. I'm hoping this series continues following the Summers family as we watch all the sisters grow and learn. I’m invested in their happiness now and have a few storylines I’d love to see resolved in the future!

Upon my first reading of a Julie Klassen book, I was struck by many wonderful thoughts. Among them was how obvious was the love the author had for Jane Austen, attentiveness to historical elements, masterful character development, and that special sparkle to her writing that draws in a reader. This early impression has stuck with me through many new releases, and I discovered was still true in this latest, The Sisters of Sea View.

First Line

“Sarah Summers carefully lifted the family heirloom, a warm mantle of nostalgia settling over her.” Loc 89

Mourning Must Make Way for Earning a Living

The tale begins with four Summers sisters: dutiful and practical Sarah, bookish and lovely Emily, musical and reclusive Viola, intrepid and capable Georgie, and their invalid mother discovering not long after their move to Sidmouth, and the death of Mr. Summers, that they can no longer live as genteel women without employment. Not wishing to be dispersed to separately make a living, they heed their friend’s idea to open their home to paying guests. 

Sarah Takes Charge

Mrs. Summers can barely rise from her bed so Sarah, the responsible oldest daughter left at home, will take on the lion’s share. Sarah lays it out that they must all learn inn keeping and manual labor. Sarah is the first to roll up her sleeves learning to bake, make-up rooms, and do the books. She sets aside her double grief for a lost fiancé and father, and her feelings about the oldest sister who is far from them all, to do what she does best, which is care for her family and their home. Sarah is surprised when the arrival of a Scottish widower and his daughter makes her lonely heart start beating again, even when Callum Henshall’s mysterious actions make her suspicious.

Emily Touts the Inn

Emily markets their inn in the newspapers, handles the correspondence, tidies, cleans, and acts as hostess with Sarah. She is determined to catch the notice of the author who writes the glowing descriptions of places to see, do, and stay in Sidmouth. As she learns to accept their new circumstances, she tries to put aside her pining for the young man who acted interested in her and then suddenly acted coldly toward her. Now, she is faced with yet more lessons about love with a certain handsome lodger.

Viola Beards a Major in His Den

“When Viola looked into the mirror, the flaws were all she saw. To her, the vertical scar was lasting evidence of her childhood deformity, and the misshapen lip ugly.” Loc 478

Born with a cleft palette, Viola went through intensive and painful procedures from multiple physicians and surgeons. She has received the scorn and fear of uninformed superstitious people. Now, she hides her face behind a veil and recuses herself with anyone besides family. Since she will not see to guests of the inn, Viola has a few private clients that she goes and reads to. One is brooding, cranky Major Hutton recovering from wounds sustained in India leaving scars from the fire and gunshot wounds that more than match her own. Viola and the Major learn to see past their looks together.

Early Days at the Inn

“Mr. and Mrs. Elton, you are very welcome.”… “A very fine house indeed,” Mrs. Elton said. “I am extremely pleased with it. You may believe me. I never compliment.” Loc 1061

Ah, yes, the persnickety Mrs. Elton (yes, of Jane Austen’s Emma fame) and her nearly silent husband, Callum Henshall and his brooding stepdaughter Effie, single and handsome Mr. Stanley, old and lonely blind Mr. Hornbeam, and just as lonely Mr. Gwilt and his stuffed parrot all make up the inn’s first guests. With the varied circumstances and personalities, the Summers learn to cater to their needs and make the inn a welcome refuge. Slowly the sisters find they have strength and skills they didn’t know they possessed as they more than accept their circumstances. Blossoming, actually.

Within the town of Sidmouth, they form acquaintances and forge friendships. Viola finds fulfillment in giving back at the poor house with the older residents. But something about their oldest sister’s past looms over the family. The secret is revealing itself slowly.

Time to Bid Sea View Farewell

“On the south coast of Devonshire, there lived four sisters. Sisters who never stopped thinking about, and longing for, the fifth, lost to them, but God willing, not forever…” Loc 6892

The Sisters of Sea View closed at a good place in an ongoing story of sisterhood and found family where character growth, relationship development, and plot was built to leave off at the perfect place. This was the first book and acted as a well-formed introduction to the Regency world of seaside resort town and characters of the series alternatively narrated by the three sisters, Sarah, Emily and Viola.

A Sensational New Series Opener 

Some story arcs were finished such as a romance for one of the sisters, and the Callum Henshall mystery resolved, while others are ongoing, and there were hints to what is coming in future installments. I like the idea that the story closed when the first guests at the inn have finished their stay. We now await to see what the new guests will bring for the sisters who have come so far already. I finished this with the same rested, satisfied feeling I get after a glorious pleasure holiday to the sea with family. Do pack your trunk and send your reservation for this sensational new series opener.

Don’t Miss this New Series!

I did enjoy this first book in the On Devonshire Shores Series. I’m guessing the series will follow each sister. This book was about them all and focused on Viola. I loved seeing Viola bloom! It was very sweet and at times my heart hurt for her. Each sister was unique and I am interested in how the next books play out. I felt the other characters were also quirky and made the books interesting to follow.

I did feel the pace was slower than I liked. I put it down a few more times than I usually tend to with Julie Klassen’s books. It is likely just me. Regardless I will not miss the next book in the series. I really want to find out the true mystery behind the older sister Claire and if she turns up. Also, for more on Sarah and Emily!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

The Sister of Sea View by Julie Klassen is the first in her new series On Devonshire Shores. This marvelous story has us traveling to Sidmouth to meet the Summer sisters on the Devonshire Coast. Due to their circumstances they must consider letting out the rooms in their home to seaside visitors.

There were fantastic details of the Regency period in the story making this such a wonderful read. I was transported to the coast of Devon shire where I enjoyed learning about sea-bathing, surgeries, and lace making of the time. I felt very engaged in the story as the author did an incredible job developing each sister and secondary character. I was delighted by the secondary characters and it was lovely to meet them. I felt fully immersed in the story.

This beautifully written story shares with us themes of family, faithfulness, and the transformative power of love. The details of the time period will thrill any Regency fan, and this wonderfully crafted story makes The Sisters of the Sea a joy to read. I very highly recommend and look forward to book number two. For reference I would consider this women’s fiction with some romance.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

OK, Julie Klassen might be turning into one of my new favorite authors! I have read two books in less than a month of hers that I have given five stars too.

This story felt like a cozy retelling of the March sisters. I loved the sisterly love that each character had for each other. The men in the book, definitely amazing! I mean a handsome kindly Scotsman, and a scarred soldier who is brooding? What woman doesn't love those qualities😁? Yes please!

This is the first in a series, and I am eagerly awaiting the rest in the series. Hurry up and write faster Julie.

Sarah and her sisters are losing family funds fast. In order to help out they decide to make their home into a seaside inn. I loved all of the patrons of the Inn that rented for the holiday season, and all of the troubles that arose within the family and around the town.

If you love Historical fiction, definitely check this one out. I think you will love it!

*thank you to Baker Publishing and #NetGalley for a copy to read and review.

Julie Klassen has done it again with her masterpiece 19th century stories set in England. Klassen weaves together of a whole family of sisters as they set out to turn their sea side home into a lodging house in order to bridge the gap between their expenses and their meager inheritances. Sarah, Emily, Viola, and Georgie all learn and grow in their respective ways as they take on the different responsibilities of running the boarding house, and each make friends along the way. The older three sisters each experience subtle romance, which drove me to continue finding spare time to read and finish the book. I had to know what would happen next! Also, the different stories of each of the lodgers kept me laughing along the way. Here are a few of my favorite elements in this book:

- The parrot
- Mr. and Mrs. Elton, patterned after the Eltons in Pride and Prejudice
- Scars
- Time spent in India
- Sea bathing

Be sure to read to add this book to your TBR and pick it up to read soon, you won’t regret it!

Thank you to the author, Uplit Reads, and Net Galley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own, I was not required to share a review of this book.

The Summers sisters make the difficult decision to open their home for paying guests due to financial difficulties since the lost of their father. Besides their financial woes, their mother is suffering from ill health. Three of the sisters are fully on board, and they are Sarah, Emily and Georgiana. Their fourth sister, Viola, is not happy about this decision, so she strives to find her own way. Thus, she takes on the job of reading to different individuals.

Any time Viola left the house, or even at home once their new boarding house was set in place, she always wore a veil. The reason for this was that Viola was born with a cleft lip and even after surgeries to correct the condition, she was not comfortable with the scarring she has. One of the people that Viola begins to read for is another scarred individual. He is Major Jack Hutton and he is currently recovering from injuries he received in the war. As his vision has been compromised, Viola has been hired to read to him. Although Viola is now not the only one with scars in her new situation as Jack’s scars are visible as well, she continues to wear her veil.

Each of the Summers sisters have their own story. I loved getting to know each of them in this first book in a new series. While four of them always are together, there is a fifth sister, and she is estranged from the family. I look forward to future books in the series where we can learn more about these sisters and how they work together to give their lives true meaning.

I connected with this story because I also come from a family with five girls and the dynamic between the sisters was realistically portrayed in this book by Julie Klassen. One final note. During the time this book was set in, which was the early 1800s, things that we know about now were not understood back then, and that included Viola being born with a cleft lip and the superstitions that surrounded that condition. But then there was also their mother, as she suffered from what we know as depression and possibly more, but back then it was simply called something along the lines of melancholy. It was wonderful to see both of these issues dealt with in a very respectful manner. Not only do I highly recommend this book, but I am eager to read successive books in this series.

Many thanks to Bethany House Publishers, Austenprose PR and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/o2GB-g7M7_U

What a delightful story of sisters. This one was definitely set up as the beginning of a series as it left me with questions. Nothing was unresolved per se but there were definite questions that could be answered in future with a mystery that was just beginning.

The premise of a group of sisters and their mother having to let out rooms in order to pay there bills is a novel way of addressing an issue that Jane Austen presented in her books. What happens to a family of only daughters when everything is entailed. Luckily the father in this story was able to leave a house.

The sisters depend on their mother's former ladies maid for help. The house welcomes a wide array of visitors, each with their own little contributions to the story.

I loved reading the story from the point of view of each sister. This was a delightful story and I am very much hoping for more from this group of sisters.

I received an eARC through NetGalley and this is my honest review.

(3.5 / 5)

I have mixed feelings about this book. After reading and enjoying the Tales from Ivy Hill trilogy by the same author, I was looking forward to another series of books with a sort of ensemble set of main characters. I did expect some romance, but there was a lot more in this book than I thought there would be. Then again, there are four women that need to find love, so it makes sense that one would find it in this book. However, I would have preferred a little more time spent developing the relationship. I also felt a little uncomfortable at the amount of skin shown in this book. Various male characters were without some or possibly all clothes multiple times when the women (or at least the one that would have any interest in that man) were there to see it. There's a lot of blushing and thinking about broad shoulders and bare chests. That is not needed for romance, and for me, at least, it's not welcome.

While the main characters were decently interesting, I think the side characters were the real gems in this book. The guests staying at Sea View, mainly, but also the elderly woman that Viola reads to, Major Hutton's friend and brother—all of these people I hope to be able to see more of in the future books. Viola is the most dynamic character in this book, and I appreciated seeing the development to her own personality as well as her relationship with her family. Major Hutton, I felt, was weakly drawn. His friend and family members talk a lot about how gruff and ill-tempered he is, but I found him to be just a little unhappy (which is understandable, given his current circumstances) until suddenly he's randomly an outright jerk for weird reasons. I get what the author was trying to show us about him, but it felt inconsistent.

Overall, I felt this was a rocky start to the series, but I have enjoyed the other books I've read by this author. And I definitely have interest in the world Klassen has set up in this book, so I'm looking forward to continuing the series in the future. Based on past experience, I have good reason to believe that most fans of Regency-era Christian romance will enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed reading this story. It has an aura of Jane Austin books, which are among my favorites. There were the sisters; The Eltons; the nips of romance; good works; and talk of some who had been scarred in life stemming from a variety of reasons both physical and emotional, and how they learned to cope. It's the type of book where the author weaves in "therapy" and self-help parts unobtrusively. I feel it really beefs up the reading experience in beneficial manner lending that unexpected bonus edge. Another part I appreciated was the faith based aspect where some of the characters trusted in God and there were actual Bible references read and referred to. All in all, a lovely and satisfying read.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

November 2022

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

This first book in a new series is absolutely fantastic! The characters are wonderfully complex, the history is compelling and cozy, and the Jane Austen connections are so fun!

The characters in this novel so well developed; I love each of the Summers sisters and their individual journeys in this novel. There are so many memorable characters in this book from the endearing and blind Mr Hornbeam, eccentric Mr Guilt with his stuffed parrot Parry to aging and kind Mrs Denby. I especially loved the Summers sisters. Klassen gives us so many different personalities within one family. Sarah is responsible and hard working for her family first. Emily is a dreamer, writer, and natural hostess. Viola is shy and carries years of guilt and trauma with her yet she offers so much good and serves others so readily. And Georgiana loves the outdoors and the many different people that come to Sea View. I loved getting inside their heads and seeing their different journeys during the novel. So many of them think that life cannot have more joy or that they don't deserve any more happiness. Yet I was glad to see the positive moments in their stories and how their relationships with each other were strengthened through their varying experiences. Naturally, I really enjoyed the multiple love stories (love Viola and Jack!!) which was unique in the historical romances I have read. Often, you get to know only one couple during a novel. But this book gave us several. All of which I was hoping would get a happily ever after. I am anxious to hear about how some romances continue after the end of this novel.

I love Regency England as a setting and really enjoyed Klassen's unique contribution to this historical time. I think this novel fits well in to the genre and adds depth to an already fascinating and popular time period. Klassen creates a cozy, nostalgic setting for her story that also gives us complex discussions of important topics and shows the power of hard work and dedication to change your circumstances. The details about cleft lips and the medieval surgeries and superstitions about them were so intriguing to read about. Strange to think how out there some of those ideas seem now! I also enjoyed all the details about Sidmouth and the kinds of people that would come to this coastal town for their health. The descriptions of sea bathing were so interesting and they seemed to really help several characters' health! The inclusion of some historical characters from that Regency town was very fun. And I love that the Sidmouth guidebook is a real published work! 

Perhaps the most fun elements in this novel were those that pay tribute to Jane Austen. I loved the subtle and more clear nods to one of my favorite authors! The inclusion of Mr and Mrs Elton as guests at Sea View was absolutely brilliant! Klassen nails their proud, difficult personalities. It felt like Mrs Elton walked right from the pages of Emma with her characteristic haughty speeches and unrealistic demands. I enjoyed Mr Elton's subtle distinctions from his wife like when he insists on paying for their room. Both fit seamlessly into this story. I also loved the lines and descriptions that seemed to may homage to several of Austen's novels. I love the ways Austen becomes part of this story.

Overall, a delightful and engaging novel about love, forgiveness, dedication, and kindness. I loved the characters especially the Summers sisters. The Jane Austen connections were fantastic and the Regency setting was cozy and memorable. I can't wait to read more in this series!