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In this enchanting, adventurous debut novel, a band of seafaring smugglers lands on the Cornish coast, where a young widow with a mysterious past becomes entangled in their schemes—and with their charismatic captain.
England, early 1800s: Destitute and forced to leave her home in London, Isabel, a young widow of the Napoleonic Wars, returns to the village on the rugged Cornish coast where she was found as a small child, dripping wet and alone. Hoping to learn more about her enigmatic origins, she's shocked to find herself at the center of a local legend claiming that she is the daughter of a sea spirit.
As Isabel adjusts to life in her rented cottage, the coast is rife with smugglers and the Revenue Officers who hunt them. One evening, a group of dangerous raiders arrives at her door, carrying their wounded captain, Jack. Remembering her late husband's fatal injuries, Isabel decides to care for Jack and soon feels a powerful connection to him. Even after Jack recovers, Isabel finds herself unable to forget him. Meanwhile, the sea calls to her, and a Revenue Officer who likes to hang smugglers poses a threat in more ways than one. Before long, Isabel finds herself caught on the wrong side of the law, with violence and heartbreak looming.
From the coves of Cornwall to the wild coast of Brittany, during perilous raids at sea and society dinner parties, Isabel fights to understand her kinship with the ocean while seeking answers about her past. But when the threat catches up with them and Jack's life hangs in the balance, she must draw on all her courage and delve deep into the mythical heart of the Cornish coast. For only a sea child can turn the tide ...
"In this vibrant debut ... Wilgus peppers the narrative with illuminating details about the legacy of smuggling in Cornwall and dashes of mysticism. This stands out from the pack of historicals about Cornwall." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"With its richly detailed setting (think stone cottages and Poldark-esque windy cliffs) and blend of folklore, history and adventure, this enchanting debut novel offers both suspense and romance." —The Washington Post
"A stunning debut deliciously laced with folklore, mystery, and romance...I loved it!" —Liz Fenwick, author of The Cornish House
"The Sea Child reminded me strongly of Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier, one of my favorite stories of all time. Set in beautiful Cornwall, there's swashbuckling, smuggling, forbidden desire, and, best of all, a woman fighting not just for her love, but for her independence. I loved this book." —Victoria Scott, the bestselling author of The Storyteller's Daughter
This information about The Sea Child was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Linda Wilgus grew up in the Netherlands and lived in Italy, Belgium, and the United States before settling in England. A graduate of the University of Amsterdam, she worked as a bookseller and a knitting pattern designer before becoming a full-time writer. Her short stories have been published in numerous literary magazines. Wilgus shares her home with her husband, three children, and their dog. The Sea Child is her debut novel.
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