A Sea View Christmas by Julie Klassen

 

A Sea View Christmas by Julie Klassen is is "An On Devonshire Shores" novella. It goes along with this series but I read it as a stand alone looking for a historical Christmas novella to read. 

Sarah Summers plans a Christmas at Sea View that will exceed her younger sister's expectations. She aimed to make the Christmas fun--even though she has forgotten how to have fun sometimes after taking on so many family responsibilities in the past. She also is thrilled at the prospect of getting reacquainted with a Scottish widower named Callum Henshall. Will she let her sense of responsibility interfere with a prospective romance or will she make time for her new feelings?

Georgiana is excited to celebrate a fun Christmas after spending last year doing mainly endless chores with her sister. She is seventeen and has fun with Callum's stepdaughter, Effie. She also has a heart for younger children, which eventually leads to the family adopting another young girl.

I found A Sea View Christmas to be much slower paced than I what I am used to in a novella. For me, there was a lull in the middle. However, I did enjoy reading about the Christmas traditions of the era and reading about their celebrations from a historical perspective. That was interesting. There was some romance but I did get frustrated with Sarah at times with her fickleness. At the same time, I liked that Collum is from Scotland as I love Scottish reads as I have ancestry there. There are themes of redemption, love for others, mercy and charity throughout the novella. I did like all of that. The family lived out their faith and I thought that was a great example to see. The ending was what I expected in one situation and not what I expected in another. 

I would love to see the author continue with Georgie's story but I read that isn't in the author's plans. I enjoyed her character more than Sarah's in A Sea View Christmas. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.