The Lost Letter (2017)

About the Book

Book: The Lost Letter

Author: Mimi Matthews

Genre: Clean Historical Romance

Release Date: September 19, 2017

A PROUD BEAUTY

Society beauty Sylvia Stafford is far too pragmatic to pine. When the tragic death of her gamester father leaves her destitute and alone, she finds work as a governess in a merchant’s household in Cheapside. Isolated from the fashionable acquaintance of her youth, she resigns herself to lonely spinsterhood until a mysterious visitor convinces her to temporarily return to her former life–and her former love.

A SCARRED BEAST

Colonel Sebastian Conrad is no longer the dashing cavalry officer Sylvia once fell in love with. Badly scarred during the Sepoy Rebellion, he has withdrawn to his estate in rural Hertfordshire where he lives in near complete seclusion. Brooding and tormented, he cares nothing for the earldom he has inherited–and even less for the faithless beauty who rejected him three years before.

A SECOND CHANCE

A week together in the remote Victorian countryside is the last thing either of them ever wanted. But when fate intervenes to reunite them, will a beastly earl and an impoverished beauty finally find their happily-ever-after? Or are some fairy-tale endings simply not meant to be?

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My Thoughts

Recently, I’ve seen and read a ton of reviews on various Mimi Matthews’s novels. Between the novels’ enticing synopses and the stellar reviews, I knew I had to read a Matthews’s novel pronto. I chose The Lost Letter to be my first go, and, boy, am I glad I did! This novel is awesome. The Beauty and the Beast nod made for an excellent and highly engaging storyline. I enjoyed the main characters very much and felt their emotional responses to be very realistic and relatable. I know this may sound awful, but my favorite aspect is the gripping anguish the hero and heroine experience. It’s Charlotte Bronte-esque. Not so over the top that you want to throw the book across the room and roll your eyes. But just enough where you are left a little breathless and your reader-heart feels a bit achy for Sylvia and Sebastian. I love good fictional anguish. It allows the characters to be all the more endearing and makes me root for them fiercely. And cheer for Sylvia and Sebastian I did!

Sylvia Stafford is a superb heroine. She’s a riches to semi-rags character, and I appreciate her honesty about her situation. Sylvia never whines or complains. After her father’s sudden and tragic death, she pulls herself up by her metaphorical bootstraps, leaves her wealthy and lavish lifestyle and all that she knows, and finds a reputable job as a governess to two sweet little girls in order to take care of herself financially. In the two years since her father’s demise, Sylvia has learned to be disciplined, selfless, and content with what is. I found Sylvia to be a strong heroine capable of taking care of herself and needing no one. For a woman in 1860, Sylvia is quite impressive. I wish people today had a bit of her gumption and grit. Our world would be better for it!

The Lost Letter by Mimi Matthews is a story I won’t soon forget. It is a well-written, engaging story that has a compelling plot, wonderfully endearing characters, and superior passion and romance. I highly, highly recommend this must-read historical romance!

I purchased a review copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on April 15, 2020, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.