Category: Clean Wholesome Romance

About the Book

Book: With Love, Louisa

Series: Larkhall Letters #3

Author: Ashtyn Newbold

Release Date: July 14, 2021

Genre: Historical Romance

An innocent letter is only dangerous when it falls into the wrong hands.

Louisa Rosemeyer is a lady with no money, no parents, and, regrettably, no husband. Left with no place to go, she writes a letter to her aunt, Mrs. Irwin, asking for an invitation to live with her. Ever cautious and optimistic, Louisa hopes the trip will bring the new beginning she has been searching for.

After being forced out of his childhood home, Jack Warwick lets Mrs. Irwin’s house, happy to be away from his family and their many squabbles. Haunted by his past, he drowns his loneliness in drink, and with it, his better judgment. When a letter arrives at his new house, addressed to the previous occupant, Mrs. Irwin, from her niece, Jack writes an incoherent reply, inviting the young lady to come stay…an event which his drinking causes him to forget.

When the chaos surrounding Louisa’s untimely arrival at Jack’s house causes a scandal, there is only one way to mend her reputation: Marriage. As Jack’s feelings for Louisa grow, he realizes there is only one way to mend himself: To be loved by Louisa. Devastated to be married to a near stranger, and a scoundrel at that, Louisa closes off her heart. She has always planned to marry for love. But she quickly learns that love has plans of its own.

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My Thoughts

There is so much to love about With Love, Louisa by Ashtyn Newbold. Each novel in the Larkhall Letters series just keeps getting better and better. In this installment, we get Louisa’s story. Louisa is Alice’s sister, the heroine from book 1, and Bridgette’s best friend and companion, the heroine from book 2. At the start of this story, Louisa is in a predicament. Her sister is newly married and expecting her first child. She is also living on a fixed income and doesn’t have the room to take in Louisa. Bridgette is also newly married and has moved away from Larkhall. This leaves Louisa alone at Larkhall with Matthew, Larkhall’s bachelor owner. While Matthew is like Louisa’s brother in many ways, he isn’t biologically related. As innocent as their relationship is, Society will never accept Louisa’s living in Matthew’s home as anything appropriate as long as she is just Matthew’s sister’s best friend. So, Louisa decides to write to a distant relative in the hopes that this woman has room for her in her home. Louisa receives a letter back from whom she believes is her relative granting her permission to come live with her. Louisa is off on a new adventure. Along the way she encounters Jack Warwick and her life changes in an instant.

As I stated above, there is a lot to love about this book. The plot is excellent. Again, I felt compelled to read this story well into the night. I was highly engaged right from the beginning and hated to have to put it down. The characters are all excellently crafted. I feel like both Louisa and Jack are highly relatable and very endearing characters. What I appreciate the most, though, is the discussion about forgiveness. Jack is a man who lives with bone-crushing and soul-sucking guilt and shame. When he was a teenager an accident occurred on his family’s estate and he has completely and totally blamed himself ever since. Jack has even gone so far as to separate himself from his family entirely, and he drinks and gambles to dull the pain. In a nutshell, at the start of this story, Jack has basically hit rock bottom. Then he meets Louisa and his life changes in an instant too. After a super quick wedding, Jack finds himself married to a woman he does not deserve. Louisa is too good for him and he doesn’t know what to do, how to think, what to tell her, etc. Slowly, he comes to really love Louisa, but the guilt and the shame he carries refuses to abate. He takes two good steps forward in becoming the man he thinks Louisa deserves only to take ten steps back once he allows his guilt and shame to get the better of him. Everything comes to a head, and he finally confides in his wife. She asks him the BEST question, “Have you asked for forgiveness?” I love this question. We humans get so caught up in the idea of being too bad for forgiveness that we often forget that sometimes all it takes to achieve forgiveness is to ask for it. How many of our hurt relationships could be fixed if all we did was open our mouths, admit our feelings and failings, and ask for forgiveness?

With Love, Louisa is a highly engaging, unforgettable love story. I am so glad I took the time to read this book. If you are in the mood for an excellent Regency Romance then I highly recommend With Love, Louisa by Ashtyn Newbold.

I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on July 23, 2021, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

About the Book

Book: The Captain’s Confidant

Series: Larkhall Letters #2

Author: Ashtyn Newbold

Release Date: February 27, 2021

Genre: Historical Romance

An accidental letter, a long-lost love, and a slew of secrets.

For as long as Bridget Northcott can remember, she has loved her brother’s closest friend, Colin Foster. She loved him long before he grew up, became Captain Foster, and long before he left her behind for a life at sea. Although she knows her feelings will never be returned, Bridget cannot help but turn away every suitor in the hopes that one day Colin will come back to Larkhall and see her for what she has grown up to be—refined, elegant, and the precise opposite of the silly girl he once knew.

When winter brings Colin’s unexpected return, he too has changed. Once carefree, he is now cold, hard, and distant. Determined to unravel the mysteries of Captain Foster, Bridget writes her thoughts in a note, one she never meant to send. As a hesitant friendship grows between them through their letters, Bridget determines to keep her heart uninvolved. But when her facade begins to break, she realizes the childhood silliness she abandoned might just be precisely what is needed to pull him back to shore.

Faced with a choice between loyalty and selfishness, love and letting go, Bridget must find the strength to confide her own secret in Captain Foster before the man she loved is lost forever. But there is only so much she can do when she discovers a match between them is what she has always feared—forbidden.

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My Thoughts

OH. MY. WORD … this book is FANTASTIC! I loved every second I spent reading The Captain’s Confidant by Ashtyn Newbold. Everything about this story is so good, and it is truly a book I did not ever want to put down. In book one, The Ace of Hearts, readers meet Bridget, her brothers, Bridget’s companion and best friend, Louisa, and Miss Tabitha Terrell. We learn in book one from Bridget that her heart belongs to Captain Colin Foster and always will, which is an important fact that allows the heroine in book one the go-ahead to seek after the man who holds her heart. We also learn that Miss Tabitha Terrell is rather horrible. In fact, she is Bridget’s nemesis. This is important info that comes into play big time in The Captain’s Confidant. Because of this, I highly recommend reading book one first before reading The Captain’s Confidant. As much as I loved book one, I could not wait for Bridget and Colin’s story. I knew it would be excellent, but I was totally unprepared for just how deeply this book affected me emotionally. The chemistry and romantic tension between Bridget and Colin took my breath away. Their heartaches wrecked my heart and made me cry a few times. And as far as heroes and heroines go, Bridget and Colin are excellently written. I love their friendship, their deep loyalty towards one another, and their respect for each other’s present circumstances. I love how they always try to do the best thing, or what they perceive as the right thing, for one another. They are great examples of what it means to be a selfless friend. I also appreciate how they are not afraid to confront one another when issues arise and speak the truth when it needs to be heard. Bridget and Colin make each other better people — something we should all strive to have in our own lives: people who make us want to be better. My most favorite aspect of this novel is the amazing letters Bridget and Colin secretly pass to each other. I loved this! I would get as excited as the characters when another letter was waiting in their various secret hidey spots. I know this sounds goofy but I really found it super sweet and super fun, and I loved how it made me excited to get back to the story when I did have to put the book down for a minute or two.

I could go on and on gushing over this book, but then I definitely would spoil the story. I don’t want to do that because The Captain’s Confidant is an experience and I don’t want to ruin a single second for anyone. Suffice to say, this Historical Romance is outstanding. It is one I will not soon forget. If you are in the mood for an excellently written Romance with endearing and unforgettable characters then this is the book for you!

I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on March 11, 2021, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

About the Book

Book: The Ace of Hearts

Series: Larkhall Letters #1

Author: Ashtyn Newbold

Release Date: April 14, 2020

Genre: Historical Romance

A secret venture, a regrettable love letter, and a heart he can’t afford to lose.

Faced with her stepbrother’s betrayal and an unwanted marriage, Alice Rosemeyer accepts an invitation to the estate of Larkhall. Determined to earn her future security without a husband, she begins operating as the anonymous Ace of Hearts, writing love letters on behalf of the men eager to secure a match at the close of the London season. If she can manage to keep her identity secret, her reputation intact, and avoid the arrogant house guest, Mr. Thomas Herring, she might just call herself successful.

When Thomas Herring’s sister marries an indebted man because of a love letter, he has no choice but to marry into money himself. Invited to stay at Larkhall, he sets his sights on the wealthy sister of his host. When she appears indifferent, he stumbles upon an advertisement: a gentleman offering assistance in matters of the heart. An ace, so he is called. But when he turns out to be she, and also a guest at the same house, his task is further complicated—especially as Alice proves herself to be as captivating as she is clever.

With reputations, secrets, and more than one heart at risk, Alice and Thomas become trapped in a game with no rules, a game neither intended to play. Had they been wrong to play love for a fool?

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My Thoughts

I admit that I purchased The Ace of Hearts by Ashtyn Newbold because of its cover. It’s really pretty and it called to me. Then I read the back cover and knew I had to read this book ASAP. Unfortunately, life hit me hard and I completely forgot about this book until about a week ago when I was cleaning out my Kindle. I am sorry it took me so long to get to because The Ace of Hearts is a great story — a total Historical Romance #mustread! The Ace of Hearts is a great Historical Romance where the pages simply fly by! I hated when I had to put this book down. The enemies-to-lovers trope is not typically my favorite, but I really love how it’s utilized in this story. My issue with the trope stems from the harshness of the characters when they are enemies. It’s usually so in-your-face harsh that I struggle to believe when the hero and heroine finally fall for one another. But in The Ace of Hearts, the hero and heroine do something amazing — they actually communicate. And, not just at the 3/4 mark. They have genuine conversation and get to the bottom of their initial issues pretty early on in the story. Yes, there is still conflict and struggles they have to deal with as the story progresses, but the initial “enemy” feelings dissipate efficiently. It’s nice to read a story where the characters act like adults and clear the air early rather than drag out the hate through most of the plot. In fact, if more authors utilized the enemies-to-lovers trope as Ashtyn Newbold does in this book I would be inclined to read more of those types of books. There’s nothing more annoying than to read almost an entire book where the characters don’t communicate well and act immaturely towards one another only to find out their reason for hating one another is just a simple misunderstanding that could have been cleared up early on in the narrative. Another aspect that I loved about this story is how well Alice and Thomas problem solve together as friends. I know that sounds like a goofy thing to like, but for me it really works well in this story and adds to their friendship and romantic chemistry. Both Alice and Thomas have serious financial issues. They never whine or gripe about it. They vent to one another their concerns, but they never whine. I LOVE it! Instead, they act as friends and listen to each other. They come up with potential solutions. They talk things out. When things seem like they won’t work out, they encourage each other to not give up. Alice and Thomas’s relationship is a good illustration of what a great relationship looks like.

There is actually quite a bit more I could say about this lovely story, but instead I’m just going to highly recommend you pick up a copy of this novel ASAP if you haven’t already done so. If you enjoy a solidly good Historical Romance then The Ace of Hearts is definitely the book for you!

I purchased a 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.