A Winter by the Sea by Julie Klassen (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

What do you look for in a book cover?  I think the cover of A Winter by the Sea is beautiful.  I love the colors, especially the purple dress.  I also like that you can see the entire lady including her face.  I don’t really like the covers with people walking away or that just show a headless torso.

The Summers family run a guest lodging out of their seaside home in Sidmouth in order to make ends meet after their former estate was entailed to a distant cousin after the death of their father.  Winter has become more exciting this year when the Duke and Duchess of Kent, with their infant daughter Victoria, take up residence in a neighboring home for the Duke’s health.  One of the younger sisters, Emily, decides to follow her dreams to become an author by putting together a guidebook for Sidmouth to be published by a local publisher.  As she starts to have feelings for the Duke’s secretary, James Thomson, her previous neighbor and crush, Charles Parker and his parents show up for a visit to Sidmouth.  Will Emily’s dreams of becoming an author come true?  Will her previous dream of marrying Charles Parker and returning to her old neighborhood come true or will she forge a new path with James Thomson?

Julie Klassen is one of my favorite authors.  I love her inspirational Regency novels.  She writes beautiful stories with intriguing characters set in the Regency world that I enjoy.  I loved book one in this On Devonshire Shores series, The Sisters of Sea View. This was a perfect continuation.  While the first book focused on Viola, the second book focuses on her twin sister Emily.  I’m looking forward to getting a book or story for each of the sisters.  I hope that the eldest scandal ridden sister, Claire, who is in Scotland also gets her story told.  A Winter by the Sea can be read as a standalone, but I loved knowing the background of the characters from the first book.  It’s a series worth reading.

I also enjoyed that the characters celebrated a Regency Christmas at the beginning of the novel which made it a fun read for this time of year.  I also enjoyed the love triangle in this novel, and the growth of the character of Emily in both this novel and the first one.  I loved seeing how she had to realize, what did she really want out of life?  Were her childhood dreams still the same dreams she had now?  Was she willing to forgive past slights?

Overall, A Winter by the Sea is an excellent inspirational Regency novel with vivid characters, a great setting, and a pleasing story.  I highly recommend it.

Book Source:  Review copy from Bethany House as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

QUICK FACTS

·       Title: A Winter by the Sea

·       Series: On Devonshire Shores (Book 2)

·       Author: Julie Klassen

·       Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Inspirational Fiction

·       Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (December 5, 2023)

·       Length: (448) pages

·       Format: Trade Paperback, eBook, & Audiobook 

·       ISBN: 978-0764234286‎

·       Tour Dates: December 4 – 18, 2023

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Royalty comes to Sidmouth, bringing unexpected danger and the sweet possibility of romance. . . .

When the Duke and Duchess of Kent and their daughter--the future Queen Victoria--rent neighboring Woolbrook Cottage for the winter, the Summers sisters are called upon to host three of the royal family's male staff in their seaside house. But they soon realize they've invited secrets and intrigue into their home.

Meanwhile, Emily Summers longs to become an author. A local publisher offers to consider her novel if she will first write a Sidmouth guidebook for him. Emily agrees and begins researching the area with help from the Duke of Kent's handsome private secretary. But a surprise visitor from her past shows up at Sea View, leaving Emily torn between the desires she's long held dear and her budding dreams for the future.

Return to the Devonshire coast with the Summers sisters, where loyalties are tested, secrets come to light, and new love emerges.

PRAISE FOR A WINTER BY THE SEA

• “Enlivened by historical details of the royal family’s 1819 visit to Devonshire, the narrative is propelled forward by an irrepressible protagonist whose spunk will easily win readers’ sympathy. This breezy and delightful installment is sure to satisfy Klassen’s fans.”— Publisher’s Weekly
• “A Winter by the Sea is a story about finding your purpose and realizing that the things we hope and pray for...might not always be the things we truly need…
  The On Devonshire Shores series is truly a delight.”— Lauren, The Books Script
• “Julie Klassen has provided such a beautiful escape with this series…I can't wait to see what comes next in this series and will be highly anticipating book 3!!”— Tasha, Clean Read Book Club

 

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | PUBLISHER | BOOKSHOP | BOOKBUB |    GOODREADS

 

AUTHOR BIO

Julie Klassen loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. Her books have sold more than 1.5 million copies, and she is a three-time recipient of the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Secret of Pembrooke Park was honored with the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie has also won the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing's Best Award and has been a finalist in the RITA and Carol Awards. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full-time. She and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota.

 

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