A complicated love story, a swoon-worthy leading man, a fascinating cultural and geographical backdrop, and some good old-fashioned suspense. This book has everything I've come to love about Klassen's books in particular, and in Regency fiction in general. Will she regret marrying Captain Overtree when a repentant Wesley returns? Or will she find herself torn between the father of her child and her growing affection for the husband she barely knows?Īs a devoted Julie Klassen fan, I must say this newest novel did not disappoint! But at Overtree Hall, her problems are just beginning. If he dies in battle, as he believes he will, she'll be a respectable widow with the protection of his family.ĭesperate for a way to escape her predicament, Sophie agrees to marry a stranger and travel to his family's estate. He does not offer love, or even a future together, but he can save her from scandal. Wanting to do something worthwhile with his life, Stephen proposes to Sophie. But his happiness plummets when he realizes Wesley has left her with child and sailed away to Italy in search of a new muse.

He's startled to recognize her from a miniature portrait he carries with him-one of Wesley's discarded works. Knowing his brother rented a cottage from a fellow painter, he travels to Devonshire and meets Miss Dupont, the painter's daughter. It's where she met the handsome Wesley Overtree, the first man to tell her she's beautiful.Ĭaptain Stephen Overtree is accustomed to taking on his brother's neglected duties. She often walks the cliffside path along the north Devon coast, popular with artists and poets. Sophie Dupont, daughter of a portrait painter, assists her father in his studio, keeping her own artwork out of sight. Julie Klassen Is the Gold Standard for Inspirational Regency Fiction

The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen