Sophy Croft's Books in Order

This small corner of Sherwood Smith's work grows out of Jane Austen's Persuasion, and more specifically out of the warm, practical energy of Sophy Croft. Smith takes a secondary character many readers already love and gives her more room to breathe.

The focus in Fair Winds and Homeward Sail is not on trying to outdo Austen. It is on looking sideways into the same world and asking what Sophy, Admiral Croft, and Frederick Wentworth's family life may have looked like before the Elliots come fully into view. That gives the story a slightly different emotional center, more naval life, more marriage already tested by time, and more family observation.

The tone is affectionate, domestic, and gently adventurous. The appeal is seeing familiar material from a different angle, with Sophy as the kind of capable witness who notices more than flashier people do. If you like Austen continuations that stay close to character and atmosphere, this is the idea behind the series.