An enchanting and magical historical fiction novel that I am sure my review will not do justice to. The synopsis for this book really had me gripped before I even opened the book.
On a windswept British coastline the tide deposits an unexpected gift…
It was the cry that she first noticed, the plaintive wail that called to her over the crash of winter waves. Wrapped only in a sealskin, the baby girl looks up at Effie and instantly captures her heart. She meant only to temporarily foster the young orphan but when news reaches Effie that her husband has been lost at sea, and months pass without anyone claiming the infant, she embraces her new family – her son Jack and her adopted daughter Morna.
Effie has always been an outcast in her village, the only granddaughter of a woman people whisper is a witch, so she’s used to a solitary existence. But when Midsummer arrives so too does a man claiming to be Morna’s father. There’s no denying Lachlan is the girl’s kin and so Effie is surprised when he asks her to continue looking after his daughter, mysteriously refusing to explain why. She agrees, but when he returns six months hence she pushes him for answers. And Lachlan tells a story she never anticipated … one of selkies, legend, and the power of the sea…
A novel in which Elisabeth Hobbes has expertly woven the mystical story of the Selkies with historical fiction and created a tale that transfixed me from the start.
I am a reader who adores history, romance, and mythical tales, too. This book ticked every box for me and more. We meet Effie, who discovers a baby girl in a moses basket wrapped in a seal skin floating in the sea. Effie is a woman who I took to my heart, her losses, and the hardships in her life struck a chord within me.
Elisabeth Hobbes’s characters all play an integral part in the book. They are well drawn, and they are all unique. The quality of the storytelling is clear throughout. I was in Effie’s world. The setting of the Yorkshire coast was a vivid one; it does help that I have visited that area, and I easily pictured the scenes. I was whisked away from my everyday life in what seemed no time at all.
I loved the romance that’s interwoven; it just adds more to the story. The pureness of Effie and Lachlans’ love for each other tugged at my heartstrings. As the story unfolds, we see them face challenges and a revelation that shakes their very foundations. This had me almost crying for them. I was so eager to see if they can work through everything.
Elisabeth Hobbes has definitely gained a fan here. I hated reading the last page and having to leave the world that I had lived in as I joined Effie in her life. I do hope there will be more, I would love to learn more about Lachlan for a start.
Thank you such for my invitation to join this tour, Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources. The gifted copy of this book I thank Elisabeth Hobbes for…I am so glad I took part.
Purchase Link
https://getbook.at/DaughteroftheSea
Author Bio
Elisabeth’s writing career began when she finished in third place in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest in 2013. She was offered a two-book contract and consequently had to admit secret writing was why the house was such a tip. She is the author of numerous historical romances with Harlequin Mills & Boon covering the Medieval period to Victorian England, and a Second World War romantic historical with One More Chapter. She lives in Cheshire because the car broke down there in 1999 and she never left.
Social Media Links –
https://twitter.com/ElisabethHobbes
https://www.facebook.com/ElisabethHobbes
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elisabeth-hobbes?follow=true
Giveaway – Win a signed copy of Daughter of the Sea (UK Only)
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*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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