Rate this book

BY THE SEA, Book One: TESS (2013)

by Antoinette Stockenberg(Favorite Author)

3.22 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Antoinette Stockenberg

series

BY THE SEA

review 1: Free from amazon."n the tradition of Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey, BY THE SEA is a four-book series that sweeps from the Gilded Age through the Gatsby Era's Roaring Twenties and then on to the Great Depression, culminating nearly a century later in Newport, Rhode Island, wealthy and alluring "City by the Sea." Set against a backdrop of mansions, the glorious America's Cup Yacht Races, and new money, the series traces the passions and adventures of three families from three different classes. "In this first book we get to meet Tess and her family and how they are adjusting to life in America since they have recently emigrated from England.Tess, her brothers and sisters and her father are the "help" but more like indentured servants for lack of a better term. They... more work hard to just keep a roof over their head, doing menial and often patronizing work for the rich upper crust.I enjoyed the historical fiction part of the book that described that lifestyle and the goings on of the servants.What I didn't understand is when the story took a left turn at the "servants ball" chapter and then turned into a heaty romance story. If I had known this book was supposed to be romance, I would never have began it to begin with.What surprised me more than anything was how Tess originally was innocent yet mature while working in the household, and a bit naive with one of the guests but still stuck to her virtues.After the servant's ball, Tess's character does an about face and becomes something I never expected and pretty much abandons her family.After the servant's ball, it seemed the book just skipped around and left big chunks of time out. I was beginning to wonder if the electronic version leaves pages out that might be in the book.
review 2: Interesting and well written for the first half of the book, while the story just drops off at the end. I'm guessing this is because it's a freebie on Amazon and they want you to buy the next book. It's not even really a cliffhanger, just more of a "what?"Like some of the other period books being written lately, this book also plays with ideas of class and sex as a transaction to move one beyond class lines. less

Download links for: BY THE SEA, Book One: TESS

Advertising