TEST
Elisabeth Hobbes dips her toes into the historical fiction side of the writing pool with Daughter of the Sea, the tale of a foundling and the woman who takes her in. This pretty, lyrical tale is honest and lovely, with some perfect prose imagery.
Effie Cropton has a sailor husband and an infant son named Jack and lives as a housewife. But something very extraordinary happens to Effie – she finds a baby girl wrapped in sealskin and in a basket awash in the sea near her home on the Yorkshire coast. She wades out, grabs the child, feeds her from her own breast, and takes her in. She learns soon after that her husband has died in a shipwreck.
Effie, Jack and the baby, who has not been named or baptized, get along well enough. A year passes. Then a Scottish stranger arrives at her doorstep, saying that the girl is his. He refers to himself as Lachlan, and notes that Effie has so bonded with the baby and she with her that tearing them apart would be an impossibility. Lachlan informs Effie that the girl’s name is Morna, and says he will pay for her care and upkeep by presenting her with a pearl each midwinter’s and midsummer’s night at the turn of the tide. Lachlan and Effie begin to grow closer. And that’s when Effie learns Lachlan and Morna’s secret.
Effie soon finds herself torn between the mysterious Lachlan and Walter Danby, a local man who tries to help her out and also loves her. Who will Effie choose?
There’s a scent of sea air surrounding the lovely romantic universe created by Hobbes for Daughter of the Sea. The book is tender and gentle, spanning a set of years and breathing life into old Celtic fables. It’s warm and smart, and gives us a heroine worth caring for.
Effie is strong, smart and brave, nervy and tender; Lachlan reveals his secret in unfolding pages. Their romance is gentle and restrained, yet passionate. Walter makes a convincing third to the relationship and Jack and Morna feel like realistic kids.
I loved the feeling of the small Yorkshire town where Effie lives, and the way Hobbes uses her research and local mythology are, naturally, superlative.
Daughter of the Sea is a pretty book, with a lot of wonderful little romantic moments that make it well worth reading.
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Grade: A-
Book Type: Historical Fiction
Sensuality: Kisses
Review Date: 21/12/21
Publication Date: 12/2021
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
Lisa Fernandes is a writer, reviewer and recapper who lives somewhere on the East Coast. Formerly employed by Firefox.org and Next Projection, she also currently contributes to Women Write About Comics. Read her blog at http://thatbouviergirl.blogspot.com/, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thatbouviergirl or contribute to her Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/MissyvsEvilDead or her Ko-Fi at ko-fi.com/missmelbouvier
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Just being my usual nit-picky self, but the author’s first name is spelled Elisabeth, not Elizabeth. It’s wrong at the top but correct in the review itself. Wouldn’t bother to be quite so fussy if it weren’t the author’s name.
Will prod Caz vis this!
Nit-picky Is fine – I’d much rather have errors pointed-out so I can fix them!
Wow – what a lovely, lyrical review Lisa! This sounds like my kind of story so I will be adding it to the never ending TBR mountain. Thank you.
FAO Dabney – the button took me to the US site, not the UK site. I won’t order yet if someone finds the answer on this. Thanks!
Odd – the button takes me here –
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0979XV1D3/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=gs2&creativeASIN=B0979XV1D3&tag=amazonuklinks-21&creative=9325&camp=1789
Nope, didn’t work but your link certainly did. Bought the book via yours. Curious.
That’s odd. We have a plug-in that localises links so they should take you to your local Amazon, but they don’t always work. Let me know if it happens again!
Thank you!