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It’s the first decade of the 1800s and Isabel is just in her early 20s but already a widow. Her sailor husband was killed during the Battle of Trafalgar. Though Isabel was raised by well-to-do parents, she now has nothing thanks to debts her late husband incurred. On top of her new state of penury, thanks to some rumors about a friendship she made, Isabel feels it’s necessary to move to a small town in Cornwall.
The choice of this coastal town is not random; it was there that she was found as a small child, dripping wet and seemingly having just climbed out of the sea. Her family was never found, nor her origins, so she was adopted by the childless couple she considers her parents. Though she truly is on her own now; her parents have both died.
The locals know who Isabel is and consider her the daughter of the Sea Bucca, a sea spirit they honor and leave gifts for to have luck and safety as they go about their lives. She doesn’t enjoy the many comments made about her unearthly parentage, but she eventually comes to tolerate or ignore them.
Isabel rents a tiny stone cottage and must learn to do all the things to live that servants previously had done for her. She’s only been living in the cottage for a short time when her sleep is interrupted by the arrival of several strange men into her simple second-floor bedroom. They are smugglers, and their captain, Jack, has been shot.
Rather than being terrified and denying them the use of her home, Isabel helps tend to Jack. They form an immediate close bond. When he leaves a few days later, she finds herself missing him.
Thus begins a perilous but enthralling time for Isabel. She is always drawn to the water and loves to swim. She also is drawn to Jack. The two become a primary focus of her life. But the smuggling Jack is involved in is a source of constant danger: the British authorities are always trying to find and even kill the smugglers. Isabel would be wise to stay out of the whole affair, but she simply cannot resist Jack or the sea.
I picked up The Sea Child thinking it would be more of a fantasy, probably, but it turned out to be primarily a romance story with a “proper English woman” and a gentleman-turned-smuggler at its heart. The romance is lovely and the characters’ chemistry and bond deep. Isabel is at a pivotal time in her life, learning new and interesting things about herself, and the power she has as a woman, particularly as a widow. She is exploring opportunities that she would love to have in her life that generally weren’t options for women of that era.
Then there’s the historical setting of wartime Britain as a whole and more specifically Cornwall. Most of the people in the area defied the authorities and helped the smugglers so they could afford the necessities and some small luxuries. Cornwall is also a place known for its mythology, for the centuries-old traditions respecting nature and all its creatures, real and fantastical. All of these elements come together to make an exceptional debut novel that swept me away to that time and place and with these characters. I thoroughly enjoyed The Sea Child.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity a few instances of moderate profanity, a dozen uses of mild language, roughly 15 instances of the name of Deity in vain, and a couple of uses of British profanity. Sexual content is occasional, with some references to intimacy between a husband and wife, with generalized, brief wording. There are a few instances of kissing, and one particular scene where clothes are removed and more happens, with some detail but not a lot. A woman repeatedly feels uncomfortable by the advances of a man who comes too close and talks a bit about what they could do together. Violence includes shootings, uses of other weapons, and some discussion of injuries and blood.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
