Daughter of the Sea

A wonderful and gentle romance about a woman called Effie who rescues a baby from the sea, the same day her husband's ship sinks.
What she does doesn't realise is that the baby is a Selkie, part of an ancient race of people who humans call seals. Once a seal sheds it's skin, then it transforms into a beautiful human looking creature.
So when a mysterious man shows up at her cottage a couple of years later and claims to be her new daughter's father, Effie slowly starts falling for him unaware of who or what he really is, or the consequences of her raising the child as her own.

Hands down the best book I’ve read in a really long time. I have never read anything even remotely in the fantasy category so at first I was a bit hesitant, but OMG! This is a beautiful story that captivated me right from the start. I was torn between racing through the pages to see how it ends and wanting it to never end. Never have I been happier to read an epilogue some 14yrs later to learn how Effie is doing. Simply wonderful! Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Baby in a basket

This is a story of a legend of the Selkie. A lonely woman, an abandoned child and the sea. A fun and fanciful read to entertain you for a while as you dream of the sea and it's magic.

While gathering seaweed Effie finds a baby in a basket on the edge of the ocean wrapped only in a sealskin. She retrieves the girl from the water and takes her home and raises her with her son Jack. When her husband's fishing boat is sunk she clings more to her son Jack and the baby girl which she calls Morna.

The children help her with her loneliness as she is used to a solitary life being a bit of an outcast from the village for being the granddaughter of a woman they call a witch because she delves in herbal remedies. Her only friend is a man named Walter she has known for years.

One day a man named Lachlan arrives at her door and claims to be Morna's father. He agrees to allow Effie to raise Morna but he visits her twice a year at midsummer and midwinter. He tells her a tale of Selkies and the power of the sea.

I loved this story of a legend I read about a few times. It was a good story and very well written. I loved the characters and how Effie became an independent person and able to make her own decisions and stand up for herself as a woman.

I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Elisabeth J. Hobbes for writing a great story, to One More Chapter for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me to read.

A romantic fantasy set in a recognisable Yorkshire landscape.

In the early nineteen-nineties, a famous commissioning editor proclaimed that his reading of the future fiction market was for “Erotica in a horror/fantasy landscape.” Thirty years on, this novel turns his specification upside-down.

The author allows herself only one fantastical premise (and this is a very traditional one) in that some individuals can be two different species and change forms at will, or according to their need. Pretty much everything else is solid and decently-researched eighteen-nineties Yorkshire. The landscape of this novel is born of observation and not fantasy. The local industry is correct (there was an episode of “Landscape Mysteries” by the Open University about this!) and we even see how pawnbrokers of the time manipulated prices to avoid the legal requirement to auction high-value unredeemed goods.

There are a couple of erotic scenes amidst all the Victorian morals, but while these are fantastical, they are not perverse.

The characters, regardless of species-shifting, are believable and the heroine’s heart versus head dilemma is complicated by the fact that her heart goes a bit in both directions, as does her head. There’s also a clear divide between being thoughtless or limited in scope and actual cruelty: both occur in the story but the author does not confuse the two.

The stories within this story question whether happy endings are real, but the real question is what is the heroine prepared to do for her happy ending and how does she even define “happy?”

This is a beautiful story. I was completely drawn in from the start. it was easy to read, but the descriptions were excellent. The prejudices and experiences of people who come from different backgrounds were clear throughout. The main character Effie was an outsider, who had come to the village to live with her grandmother after the death of her parents, who herself was only partly accepted. The village was set in a lovely location in Yorkshire and life for most revolved around the church and the local Allum industry. Effie didn't fit in either, although her only friend was the son of the Allum mines.
The daughter in the books title refers to the baby she fosters. This leads to many changes for herself and her family with the arrival of the baby's father. A delightful story to be enjoyed by many.

This book has left me utterly speechless. I was taken by complete surprise, and I loved every second of it. From the first page I was captivated and enraptured by Elisabeth Hobbes lyrical writing. I could not put the book down and when I was forced to, I could not wait to get back to it. It is powerful, raw, and it took my breath away. You will be yelling at the characters passionately, knowing they are going to make the wrong choice. A choice that will affect all their lives. The deeply layered, rich characters will draw you into their enchanted world, as you are swept back in time to a town shaped by the sea.

In one night, Effie loses her husband to the sea and the sea delivers her a daughter. She is distraught over the loss of her husband. She must stay strong for her son Jack, and the new baby she found floating in a basket. Months go by and no one comes looking for the child. Effie raises the child as her own flesh and blood. Loving both her and Jack with the same fierceness. Effie's life is turned upside down when a handsome man shows up on her doorstep claiming to be the Morna's father. Who is this mysterious man that Effie is immediately drawn to? Is he who he says he is or is there something more to his story?

This is a book steeped in folklore, mystery, and romance that will make you dream again. Hobbes' writing style is pure magic. Stories within stories, the love of a parent to their child, the love of a man to a woman. The gentle ebb and flow of the sea will put you in a trance, as the astounding descriptions will have you smelling the tang of the salt air. I am giving this book all the stars in the sky. Thank you to Elisabeth Hobbes, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for this awe inspiring read.

The sea has just claimed Effie’s husband and the village, she has lived in for almost a decade, still views her as an outsider. And on the day, she loses her husband, she finds a baby-girl wrapped in a sealskin and floating in a basket at the British shore. She embraces the child and gives love to both her baby-son and the foster-daughter. At Midsummer, a man appears at her door with a sealskin draped across his shoulder and claiming to be the father of the daughter Effie fosters. At the end, he leaves the child with Effie, so she can continue nurturing the bond she already has established with the child.

The father named Lachlan comes back every six months on summer and winter solstices. He is full of mysteries, which Effie wishes to unravel. At her prodding, he reveals what sounds as pure fantasy. She feels offended at first; he must think her feebleminded to tell her such a thing.

Effie becomes friends with vicar’s daughter who starts a school for girls in the village. Effie gets involved with planning a syllabus for the children. I wished that the story involved more interaction of Effie with different people from the village, to get a sense of the atmosphere of the village and that’s what I was looking forward to in this story.

The story involves the mythology of selkies, which was interesting to get to know. For most of the part, this is a romance story. What grasped me in this story were the interesting characters of Effie and Lachlan, and the crisp prose, carrying the story smoothly at good pace.

Amazing I Loved the Yorkshire coast setting and the story had me totally hooked. Everything about this book was captivating
I couldn't put this book down
Loved it.
Thank you netgalley

This book captivated me from cover to cover! I’ve never read anything quite like it before.

Author Elisabeth Hobbes describes it as a “folk tale inspired romance set in Victorian Yorkshire.” She masterfully combines supernatural and mythical elements with romance and historical detail to write a spellbinding book about selkies, legend and the power of the sea.

I was mesmerized and hooked reading about a windswept British coastline where the tide bestows an unexpected gift and then I was gently reeled in with the descriptions of a mysterious basket seen floating out at sea, a widowed woman who decides to foster the sealskin wrapped baby it contains, and then my heart began to flutter when the enigmatic father arrived to claim the child as his own….

I was immediately enraptured with the author’s sense of place. Her vivid descriptions and awe-inspiring sense of atmosphere are the best I’ve ever read.

This five-star fairytale for grownups needs to be on your reading list this winter.

Publishes December 20, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Elisabeth J. Hobbes, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

""I think I believe that giving people something to hold onto is where the magic lies. It makes the children happy to leave bread for the boggles, even if the gulls really eat it, and that's what counts"'

Daughter of the Sea was a remarkable and delightful surprise. At times heartbreaking and times life affirming, it tells the story of Effie, her little boy Jack and the little girl Morna she finds and raises as her own. When Morna's father shows up to the door of Effie's cottage, everything changes. This book was definitely a slow burn. Nevertheless, I found that, after a while, I was unable to put it down, and the characters had crawled their way into my heart. They are each so well-developed and unique, they give the story a fairytale like character.

I appreciated that this story brought something different. I have always been fascinated by folktales, lore and mythology, and the part of Scottish mythology that weaves through Daughter of the Sea like a red-thread, is one I was as of yet unfamiliar with. The author does a remarkable job of providing an education, neatly wrapped up in a lovely story of a woman (and a man) finding their place in the world.

Delightful is the first word that springs to mind. Only one annoyance the clothing material is crepe not crape. Everytime I read it it made my eyeballs twitch!

I had my first a ha moment quite early on but loved the reveal when it came. Basically this is a love story where the heroine finally makes the right decision.

A magical adult fairy tale which is a joy to read.
It is a story of love hope and human kindness which is rewarded by the love of a man who is not quite what he seems.
Beautifully written it grasps you from the very first page.

Daughter of the Sea is a beautiful story, beautifully told. I hadn't read a book about selkies before that was set anywhere other then Scotland so the Yorkshire setting was a great idea. The characters are great and the story just a delight to read. I savoured every word and it took me a bit longer to finish than I expected because of this. Highly recommended. With thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an e-ARC of this book

Effie is walking along the shore when she hears a lonely cry. Upon further examination, Effie finds a practically newborn baby afloat in a basket, wrapped in a seal skin fur.  There is not a soul in sight, so Effie does the only thing she can think of,  she takes the baby girl home with her.

Effie already has a suckling baby at home, so with no other options, she also suckles the founding baby girl. She shares her find with her good friend, Walter. Walter sets off to the town to find what can be done with the baby, but returns with tragic news. Effie's husband, and the entire crew of his ship are all thought to be dead after remains of their ship was found.

Effie is devastated, dons her mourning clothes and settles down to look after both babies in her care. Not long after, she meets a man, Lachlan, who claims to be the baby girl's father. He is set to  take the baby with him, when he discovers that Effie has fed the baby her breast milk, and says that Effie should continue to raise her. For this contract, as he terms it, he pays Effie with a pearl, and says he will return in 6 months time.

Time passes, and Effie is still to settle on a me for the baby girl, on one of his biannual visits, Lachlan declares that her name is Morna. Effie's I'm going concern is when Lachlan may wish to take his daughter back.

Life is not quite simple for Effie, she eventually finds out Lachlan's, and Morna's secret, although she doesn't quite believe it at first. She has an additional drama, she is on the receiving end of Walter's affection, although she doesn't return his feelings. At the same time, Effie finds herself more and more drawn to Lachlan.

Effie has some serious decisions to make, and despite leaving it until it is too late, she eventually makes the right choice for her happiness. I'm not ashamed to say that I had a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat towards the final pages.

This was such a well written book and I enjoyed the characters, at no point did any of the writing seem forced, the book flowed seamlessly. You need to read this book!

Daughter of the sea by Elizabeth J Hobbes is beautifully written adult fairy tale of motherhood and love and the based on the history of the Selkies.
Widowed Effie lives in a small coastal town in Yorkshire. Whilst walking on the beach she hears a piercing cry of a baby. As she looks out to sea, she sees a basket floating in the water with a baby wrapped in a sealskin. She straights away jumps into the water risking her own life to rescue the baby. She decides to look after the baby instead of giving it up to the poor house. As she starts to grow Effie has to stop the little girl going into the water and drowning. Then a mysterious man turns up one day and claims to be the little girl’s father. He names her Morna. This starts a friendship that develops into more.
Thank you Harper Collins One more Chapter for a copy of Daughter by the sea. I wasn’t sure at first that that I was going to like this book. But I am so glad I read this. This is a beautiful tale of love, motherhood and finding your place in the world. This had also some witchcraft and Nordic folklore in the story too. I really enjoyed this. It was pure escapism. 5 stars from me.

What a beautiful story about love, need of acceptance, feeling outsider... I enjoyed this story a lot. Addition of creatures from seaside folklore only made this book nicer to read. Decisions we make can be though, but important is they are right for us and give as happy life.

This is a beautiful tale of the love of a parent for their child. A well written tale including the mythical Selkie that is blended into the storyline so you don’t see it as fantasy but as real. I thought it might be a bit far fetched but the author has written such wonderful characters that you won’t once disbelieve what she has written. With a strong female lead and set in a rugged but beautiful coastal village you will quickly fall into the story.

The story flows quickly through each six month interval and I was sad to see it end. Romance and a mother’s love combine for a breathtaking ending and a wonderful book.

Thank you to One More Chapter, Harper Collins and NetGalley for inviting me to read this epic story.

This was a truly magical book! Effie finds a baby adrift in a basket off the coast. She cares for the child along side her son until one day a mysterious stranger knocks at her door. He claims the child is his. So begins their relationship which is heartbreaking and heart warming at the same time. This was just a lovely story full of romance.
I couldn’t put it down, I loved it! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Oh my goodness, what an extraordinary story this was. It was well written, with excellent character development this story sailed along with no bumps. Each page was a pleasure to read and I absolutely loved it.

I strongly recommend this windswept adult fairy tale to anyone who likes a heaping of magic in their historical fiction.

This is a wonderfully romantic story. Almost like reading a grown up fairy tale, since it is based on the folklore of Selkies. For the uninitiated a Selkie comes from Celtic and Nordic mythology and is a seal which when it sheds its skin transforms into a human.

The book is set towards the end of the 19th century in a small fishing village on the Yorkshire coast. Effie, a young widow has lost her husband to the sea. He drowned when the fishing boat he was on hit rocks and all the men were lost. She is left to bring up her baby son Jack alone. It is at this time when Effie is down on the beach that she finds to her complete surprise a baby wrapped in a seal skin floating in a basket on the waves. She rescues the baby and it is from this point on that Effie finds herself with not one but two babies to take care of.

Effie is a very independent young woman who is quite modern in her thinking for the times. She rejects the church and refuses to attend all year round apart from Christmas. This, and the fact that Effie’s marriage to Jack’s father seemed to happen rather quickly keeps her somewhat alienated from the rest of the village. The fact that her grandmother is a herbalist and looks after the ill’s of the poorer people in the village gives fuel to rumours that she is perhaps a witch, though it doesn’t stop them asking for her help in times of need.

It’s an absorbing narrative as the book takes the reader over several years of Effie’s life. Struggling with the knowledge that one day she may have to give up the little girl she rescued as a baby and who she has grown to love just as much as her own son. As well as Lachlan, the baby’s father who is a complex and fascinating character, there are other equally interesting supporting characters, such as Effie’s grandmother Alice and Walter, Effie’s good friend who would like to be much more than just friends.

It is a very emotive story but without being sentimental in any way. I’m not usually a huge fan of romantic fiction but I would defy anyone not to fall for the charms of this book. The setting alone on a windswept Yorkshire coastline is a perfect recipe for a cosy read by the fire. Wonderful!

Highly recommended. I read this book straight through the night until the dawn. The author seamlessly draws you into the book, and as you read on, you agree to yourself - 'yes, I DO think Selkies exist'. Historical fiction is blended with ancient legends, with perhaps some wise woman medicine added for good measure. A strong female character has two children to care for, and two men to choose to be with. Does she make the choice you would have made? Find out. Then book a trip to the Scottish islands.

Oh my…what a beautifully written story from beginning to end. “Daughter of the Sea” is a first time read by new author, Elisabeth J. Hobbes to this reader.

When I opted to read this book, I was a little hesitant. However, I am so glad that I did. Not having read a historical fiction with witchcraft entwined in the story was quite a surprise. This is one story that I could not put down once I started.

The story centers on Effie, an outcast of her village and one some believe to be entangled at the rumors that her grandmother was a witch. Her husband has left on another fishing expedition and as she walks along the beach, she discovers an infant baby. She takes the child home in hopes that the parents will come claim the child but is also met with the news that her husband has been lost at sea as there were no survivors of on the fishing boat. Effie then takes the responsibility to foster the child, named Morna. Some time pass and a knock on the door reveals Morna’s true father, Lachlan coming to lay claim to the daughter. Unfortunately, he must leave but asks Effie if she would care for Morna until he returns. When he returns some six months later, Effie finds herself questioning Lachlan for answers about him and his daughter…stories that one would believe magical, fantasy and mystical.

The was a well-written story that kept my attention and drew me into another world of fantasy. Although there is some romance, there was no focus on that as much as wanting to understand the motives of Lachlan and Effie’s dilemma of understanding the hero’s tale. I typically do not read historical fictions such as this but thought this was worth the read. It had a bit of romance, intrigue, mystery and emotional all wrapped up in the story. I highly recommend and look forward to reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

What a magical story ,it was so beautifully written it took my breath away .Wonderful characters ,atmospheric ,set in a time when witchcraft and folklore were believed .Such an interesting read I have to say I shed a few tears at the ending .I absolutely loved this book .Many thanks to the Publisher .The Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

Suspend belief and enjoy. Having been to the Yorkshire coast I can appreciate how hard and isolated the life must have been there in a small fishing community in the days before good communications. Effie is such a brave and resourceful woman that you really feel for her bringing into her family an unusual child she finds in the shallows, wrapped in a sealskin. She also has to make a choice between two men: Walter, safe but boring son of local gentry and Lachlan, the mysterious father of the child she found. This magical story pulls at your heartstrings. The ending is a 'wow' moment.

This was such an enjoyable read, and very different to my usual reading. I normally avoid supernatural novels, but I was intrigued by the idea of the selkies. I’m Scottish, have spent my life on an island, or by the sea. My grandmother was from the Isle of Harris, and had many such stories that she told us as children.
The book is beautifully written, the narrative never flags, and the characters are all so finely drawn. I was completely drawn into the story of Effie and Lachlan. The descriptions of the coastal areas are so evocative, the story of village life for Effie as a young widow with her baby, where she is something of an outcast, is so sad. Then she finds the baby girl who she rears as her own, as no one comes to claim her, till Lachlan does, looking for his daughter Morna.
Her grandmother plays a big part in the story, and in the lives of Effie’s little family. Alice has an other- worldly presence about her too.
I was totally invested in this charming story, and it is rounded off excellently, which isn’t always the case with books of any genre. I found it completely enchanting and absorbing. It is truly story telling at its best. Highly recommended.
I will look for more of this author’s work. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book I knew I would love it, historical fiction blended with legend and witchcraft folklore, this is definitely a book I need in my life.
It was so well written and the characters were well developed and endearing, I also found the story so interesting and emotive. A really enjoyable read, I loved it.

Where do I start? I adored this book on so many levels. Part love story, part grown up fairytale. I had forgotten how much I loved myths and legends as a child but this book brought it all back. It made me smile. It made me cry. Read it and see what emotions it evokes in you. You won’t be disappointed. A truly special book.

What a fabulous read! An amazing story that had me hooked from the first page.
Effie’s husband has just left on another fishing trip. Her young son Jack is with her Grandmother so Effie goes for a walk along the beach. As she walks along she hears a cry from the sea. She wades out a little and finds a baby girl wrapped in a seal skin. She takes the infant home with her assuming someone will come forward to claim her. Later that night she hears that her husbands fishing boat has been lost at sea with no survivors. As there have been no claims on baby Morna Effie decides to foster her. Late one night in Midsummer there’s a knock at the door. The man standing there tells Effie that he is Morna’s father. Effie believes him as his daughter is the image of him. The man asks Effie if she will continue to care for Morna. She’s happy to agree as she has grown to love her. Lachlan, the child’s father says he’ll return in Midwinter. Effie is something of a loner in her small village. She doesn’t attend church other than on Christmas Day and is generally looked down on. Her only real friend is Walter who comes from a wealthy business family and would like their friendship to become romantic. However, Lachlan returns in Midwinter and Effie agrees to continue her care of Morna if he tells her more about himself. She is shocked by what she hears as his story applies to his daughter too.
I was completely gripped by this read and highly recommend to others. Many thanks to Sara Roberts, One More Chapter, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review

I was completely transported by this beautiful story.

Fully formed and complex characters, including the two children, a clever and intriguing premise, a well told narrative and the writing was both evocative and provocative.

Highly recommended.

This is truly one of the most outstanding captivating stories I have read.
Not what I was expecting from the synopsis & as the story unfolded not my usual type of book.
Beautifully written our author takes us on a mystical journey that is set on a windswept British coastline .
Effie the main character has always been classed as an outcast in her village & has lead a very solitary life.
Her grandmother is thought of by many as a witch which sets them apart from the village.
As Effie is walking along the shore with waves crashing around her she thinks she hears a crying sound.
On noticing a small basket being thrown about in the waves & what she thinks is a babies cry, she wades in to the sea to retrieve it.
To her amazement there is a baby girl wrapped up in a seal skin.
Effie is immediately enraptured by this little girl who instantly captures her heart.
I was so engrossed in this wonderful story it was such a page turner for me.
I enjoyed every page from the beginning to the very end.
A beautiful poignant story that will hold you right up to the last page.

With grateful thanks to one more chapter fir an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
Well I have just finished this absolutely outstandingly beautiful and poignant story iam lost for words actually, from beginning to end this wonderious book took me on an amazing journey that took my breath away at times,the beauty the love that was shared was truly magnificent I've read other books out selkies and totally adore these mystical tales I have nothing but admiration for this outstandingly amazing author.
Thank you.

Daughter of the Sea by Elisabeth J. Hobbes

On a windswept British coastline the tide deposits an unexpected gift…

This has to be one of the best reads of the year if not , the best .

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.

I loved reading every chapter , every page , every word .
Captivating , beautiful , spellbinding.
More worthy of 5 stars .