Monday, December 5, 2022

Julie Klassen: The Sisters of Sea View

 By Kelly Bridgewater

Some guests have come for a holiday, others for hidden reasons of their own . . .

When their father's death leaves them impoverished, Sarah Summers and her genteel sisters fear they will be forced to sell the house and separate to earn livelihoods as governesses or companions. Determined to stay together, Sarah convinces them to open their seaside home to guests to make ends meet and provide for their ailing mother. Instead of the elderly invalids they expect to receive, however, they find themselves hosting eligible gentlemen. Sarah is soon torn between a growing attraction to a mysterious Scottish widower and duty to her family.

Viola Summers wears a veil to cover her scar. When forced to choose between helping in her family's new guest house and earning money to hire a maid to do her share, she chooses the latter. She reluctantly agrees to read to some of Sidmouth's many invalids, preferring the company of a few elders with failing eyesight to the fashionable guests staying in their home. But when her first client turns out to be a wounded officer in his thirties, Viola soon wishes she had chosen differently. Her new situation exposes her scars--both visible and those hidden deep within--and her cloistered heart will never be the same.

Join the Summers sisters on the Devonshire coast, where they discover the power of friendship, loyalty, love, and new beginnings.


 

My Thoughts:

The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen has a Little Women by Louisa May Alcott feel to it. Four sisters close yet have to work together to bring in more income to their home. Sarah, the oldest sister is vibrant and authoritative. She takes charge and works really hard to balance the books and even taken on the opportunity to learn to bake, which she loves. Emily and Viola, twin sisters, are different, but vibrant characters. Emily is headstrong but wounded from a previous relationship. She wants to be married and have children. Whereas Viola was born with a birthmark that she likes to hide from the world. She has a kind soul and has learned to reach out to others who can’t see and help them to read and write. Finally, Georgie, the youngest sister, makes appearances now and then, but she is not a main character in the story. The plot does show the everyday struggle of these women trying to cope with strangers living in their house and how to cope with making extra funds outside the house. A touch of romance between the three older sisters and their guests. Overall, The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen is a delightful story with four sisters and how they are going to survive and all the struggles they encounter to save their home.

I received a complimentary copy of The Sisters of Sea View by Julie Klassen from Bethany House Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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