A Sea View Christmas by Julie Klassen - A Book Review

  

A Sea View Christmas is the fourth book in Julie Klassen's On Devonshire Shores, and it is just as lovely as the others. The Summers family relocated to Sidmouth on the Devonshire shores after the death of Mr. Summers. In order to survive the daughters, along with their mother, opened and operate a guest house. Their stories and those of their guests make for delightful reading for fans of early 1800 historical fiction. Sarah Summers, the second eldest sister,has been a steady feature in each book. Now it is her time to shine, although she may be the last to realize it. Family, hospitality, and loving one's neighbor as yourself are consistent themes throughout the series with a touch of romance to help move the story forward.

A Sea View Christmas will delight readers with nostalgic Christmas and New Year games and traditions. Klassen's writing is filled with enough lighthearted fun to balance the weightier parts of the story, just as Sarah must learn to balance responsibility and the enjoyment of life. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen

  

The Seaside Homecoming is the third book in Julie Klassen's On Devonshire Shores series. The books are best read in sequence as the character development is shaped over time leading up to this book that actually takes us back to the sister that started it all. Claire, the oldest Summers sister, saw her opportunities for marriage slipping by two years prior to the events in this book. That led her to making some unwise decisions that not only impacted her life, but the life of each member of her immediate family. While the initial impacts may have all been difficult, Klassen uses this family's story to show that God can work all things for good. She has also crafted a story of forgiveness, forgiveness that is easily and freely given, and forgiveness that slowly develops with time and effort. In addition to these deep and meaningful themes, Klassen livens the family's story with thoughtful acts of kindness, sweet romance, a touch of mystery, along with the possibility of spies operating among them.

The Seaside Homecoming is a delightful read for those who have followed this story from the beginning. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

A Winter by the Sea by Julie Klassen - A Book Review

  

This is Klassen's second book in her On Devonshire Shores series. It is just as delightful as the first. It is interesting to see how women of the early 1800s, both with and without the support of the men in their lives, worked to step out of gender defined roles. Emily longs to be an author, but society looks down on this. She also longs to be a wife and mother. Will she have to choose between her two dreams or between two men? Emily's sister, Sarah, has taken the lead in running the family's guest house after their reduced circumstances. Only recently has she become open to the possibility of love in her life after the death of her fiance. Will she find that with the Duke of Kent's assistant cook and pastry chef?

It was also very interesting to read about the lifestyle of the Duke of Kent's family as well as the medical care of the day. Add in a bit of mystery involving the Duke's keeper of the plate, and you have a story that will hold your interest from cover to cover.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this very well-researched and well-written book from Bethany House Publishers via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen - A Book Review

  

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. 

Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen - A Book Review

   

I was really enjoying the first third of Julie Klassen's latest piece of historical fiction, Shadows of Swanford Abbey. Then not far into the second third the story also became a who-done-it, and my enjoyment doubled. Klassen does a wonderful job of character development, of dropping bread crumbs, and of placing red herrings at just the right time.

Set in 1820s England, Mis Rebecca Lane, accompanied by her employer, Lady Fitzhoward, has returned to her hometown to check on her brother. Forced to stay at Swanford Abbey, an old abbey-turned-hotel, Rebecca works to aid her brother in getting his novel presented to a publisher while encountering old friends and meeting new people against a backdrop of suspicious circumstances. Readers will enjoy meeting the cast of characters and attempting to determine who did the foul deed.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

A Castaway in Cornwall by Julie Klassen - A Book Review

    


Even the smallest of details in this book are well-researched, truly placing the reader in North Cornwall, England in the early 1800s. I found A Castaway in Cornwall to be a wonderful companion read to The Light at Wyndcliff by Sarah E. Ladd, which I had recently read and enjoyed. I felt that Evelyn Bray and Laura Callaway would have been the best of friends. Laura's guardian even shared Evelyn's surname. Both story lines revolve around the frequent shipwrecks off the coast of Northern Cornwall, and the free-traders and smugglers who profited from them. A Castaway in Cornwall also incorporates the conflict between the English and French.

Laura Callaway saves the life of a passenger from a doomed ship, the Kittiwake. She takes him to her uncle's home to recuperate and becomes entangled in his efforts to return home and save his brother from the noose. Throwing caution and propriety to the wind, Laura may also fulfill a long-held dream of her own.

I highly recommend A Castaway in Cornwall and am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

An Ivy Hill Christmas by Julie Klassen - A Book Review

  

How wonderful to be in Ivy Hill among its delightful residents once again! While celebrating the Christmas season with the Brockwells and their house party, we have the opportunity to see the power of the Savior whose birthday we celebrate to change lives. We are reminded of the joy of giving of ourselves and the freedom that comes with forgiveness. This is the Christmas story that goes will beyond a Hallmark story, while still including a touch of romance, a God honoring romance. I recommend this book to put readers in the true Christmas spirit, and am grateful to have received a copy from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed her are my own.

The Bridge to Belle Island by Julie Klassen

    

One would think there would not be many suspects to be found on a small privately owned island related to a murder committed in London. Ah, but one would be wrong because there are suspects in abundance. It is up to attorney Benjamin Booker to work through them all in order to prove the innocence of Isabelle Wilder, owner and prisoner of Belle Island. Intrigued? I hope so because I believe you will find this mystery and Klassen's characters compelling. Klassen's theme of trust and confidence over worry and doubt is carefully woven into the story, and is viewed through the lens of personal failure and circumstances that steal one's hope. I highly recommend this book and am grateful to have received a copy from Bethany House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary compensation.

The Bride of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen - A Book Review

  

The Bride of Ivy Green is the third book in Julie Klassen's Tales from Ivy Hill series. The small village of Ivy Hill is filled with characters that will become dear to your heart. Most are selfless and each has their own very distinct skill set and interests, and even the most cantankerous ones have their lovable side. While having multiple story lines, this book focuses on Mercy Grove, a schoolteacher who has lost her school. Thirty-one-year-old Mercy had almost given up hope of marrying for love, but would she settle for a marriage of convenience? After so many years without a suitor, how would she now manage two? These questions will keep the reader turning pages along with the many questions about Ivy Hill's newest resident, Madame Victorine, the new dress-maker. She doesn't appear to be at all what she presents herself to be.

Julie Klassen places her readers right into the 1820s, feeling the jolting rides across the fields and the wet walks through the village. She helps them feel like they are a member of the Ladies Tea and Knitting Society, and causes them to root for love to win in many different circumstances. I highly recommend The Bride of Ivy Green.

I thank NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary compensation.

The Ladies of Ivy Cottage by Julie Klassen - A Book Review

     This is my first visit to Ivy Hill, and I am looking forward to my next visit. Although I entered this series in book two of the Tales From Ivy Hill series, it worked quite well as a stand-alone read. I don’t believe too much was revealed to spoil my going back and reading book one. I am actually quite intrigued to discover what previously occurred between Jane Bell and Gabrielle Locke, as well as to learn what motivated the change in Jane’s mother-in-law, Thora. Klassen does a good job of balancing closure in this book with leaving enough of the plot line open to motivate her reader to read book three.

     Themes in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage deal with the struggle to ask for help from others, and maybe even from God. While the story is set in 1820’s England, this struggle may be even more prevalent in today’s society that values independence, self-reliance, and pulling oneself up by one’s own bootstraps. The book also deals with the importance of truth: the sometimes-high cost of truth, the fact that truth always has a way of coming out, and the strength of character that is displayed when one deals with a hard truth in a way that pleases and glorifies God. This too is a theme that is pertinent to modern living as we are daily faced in mainstream media and social media with discerning truth, holding our leaders to the truth, and behaving truthfully in our own lives even when the cost may be quite high.

     The main characters in this book are endearing. The three central characters inn keeper Jane Bell, school teacher Mercy Grove, and librarian Rachel Ashford now all working for a living were once ladies of nobility. They are evidence of changing times in England, as are their friendships with secondary characters that cross social boundaries. Changes, even positive ones, take time to accept by people of both genders and across all walks of life. This is evidenced by the reaction and interaction of characters throughout this story, as it is probably evidenced in each of our own lives.

     I recommend The Ladies of Ivy Cottage to historical fiction fans, they will likely be intrigued by the information on subscription or circulating libraries, forerunners of today’s public libraries, that is woven into the story. I also recommend it to fans of romantic fiction, and of course to those who love Christian fiction. I thank NetGalley and Baker Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I received no monetary compensation.