The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen

The Seaside Homecoming
by Julie Klassen

ISBN-13: 9780764241017
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: December 3, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Disgraced eldest sister Claire Summers has been living in exile as companion to a stern great-aunt in Scotland. Needing to find a new place to live and longing to be reconciled with her estranged family, Claire sees an advertisement from someone looking for a "respectable female partner" in a Sidmouth boarding house. She answers the ad, hoping she has not made another reckless mistake. When she meets the handsome, secretive proprietor, she wonders what he's hiding. Claire is drawn to him even though she fears he will reject her if he discovers her less-than-respectable past.

Meanwhile, the Summers family discovers that Claire is in town. Will their unexpected reunion heal old wounds and rekindle their bonds . . . or deepen the divide?


My Review:
The Seaside Homecoming is a Christian romance set in 1820 in Scotland and England. This is the third book in a series, but it can be understood without reading the previous novels. However, it does "spoil" how the previous two romances turned out.

Claire has no patience: if she wants something, she does it immediately. If she wanted to ask her business partner something or give him something, even though it could easily wait until he left his private rooms, she felt fully justified in barging into his private rooms to confront him. He repeatedly asked her not to enter his private rooms, and this was partly to protect her reputation. She also had a bad habit of eavesdropping. Her business partner was very patient with her. After Claire made her choice of whom to marry, they intensely kissed as often as they could, only prevented in doing more before marriage by their chaperones. It just felt like Claire hadn't really learned anything from the mistakes that nearly ruined her life.

The story was mostly about her reconciliation with her sisters and mother and her spying on her business partner because she's worried he's a spy. Unlike the previous novels, there wasn't much interaction with the people staying at the boarding house or those in town. Many historical details were woven into the story and brought it alive in my imagination, but they did slow the pacing. The characters were likable and acted in realistic ways. Claire's family learned about God's forgiveness and forgiving others. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.