The Lost Letter: A Victorian Romance

Written by Mimi Matthews

Narrated by Justine Eyre

A PROUD BEAUTY

When the tragic death of her gamester father leaves her destitute and alone, society beauty Sylvia Stafford 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 Badly scarred during the Sepoy Rebellion, he has withdrawn to his estate in rural Hertfordshire where he lives in near complete seclusion.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?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jun 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781977381576

Reviews for The Lost Letter

[TM · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Easy listening with a few suspenseful moments with interesting characters, and. Sweet meddling sister!

[veronica needa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lovely story
Enjoyed the writing
But had to endure the reader’s peculiar and inaccurate pronunciations and tendency to breathless endings of sentences as well as lifting ending words. Grrrrrr. Fortunately the story carried me through and I could just about be grateful for an otherwise good enough reading of it.

[Tadexp · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It had a great story line, very interesting and authentic dialogue too.

[Jo Gina Mwaka · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great lovely story.....the reader, though, could have been better!.. enjoyed it

[Zulaika Elhadi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful story, something about it very much reminds me of the notebook

[jorgeousjotts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this. I liked how practical the heroine was, and also particularly brave emotionally I think. The hero had some preconceived notions about the heroine's actions in the past and about his scars, that he just stubbornly stuck to no matter what new information he might receive. And I will say, even if he *had* been correct, it still wouldn't have justified being so mean. I get that people can be spiteful when their feelings are hurt, but just disappointing his hopes isn't that enormous of an offense. (mild spoiler) they didn't even really have an official understanding. If she chose to entertain someone else's courtship, or not correspond with him, she was entirely free to do so. It would have been pretty lame for him, but his level of lashing out to hurt her back made him seem like he felt that he was entitled to her affection. He could have very easily driven off his second chance at happiness with her. Obviously this is a romance, so I'm glad it worked out, lol, but it made him less of a catch in my eyes. The author did a pretty good job of wording things just-so, so that the characters could *think* they knew what the other was saying but actually be way off. Often those scenarios are quite a stretch of believability, but these were like 'yeah, I can see how you might take it like that'. And I appreciate the extra effort that took.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"The Lost Letter "was basically a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" set in Victorian England, and it was extremely well done. I liked the two main characters, Sylvia and Sebastian, and their chemistry was delightful. Sylvia was proud, hard-working and determined to make an independent life for herself after her father committed suicide. Milsom, Sebastian's man servant and his younger sister, Lady Julia, brought humour to the novel as they tried to bring Sylvia and Sebastian together."The Lost Letter" was a sweet romance dealing with second chances that kept me entertained from start to finish.

[vesper1931 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Due to her father's debts and death Sylvia Stafford, a daughter of a viscount, is now working as a governess in Cheapside. Colonel Sebastian Conrad after her tour of duty in India is no longer the dashing officer that Sylvia fell in love with, but fate has kept them apart. Until Lady Julia Harker, Sebastian's sister decides that she must do something to help her brother.
A well-written romantic story, with very believable characters. A very enjoyable and satisfying read.
A NetGalley Book

[pgchuis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For a novel entirely based on a series of 'big misunderstandings', this was surprisingly enjoyable. I liked the fact that Sophia had options; her employer was kind, and she could have continued as a governess if she had so chosen. The speech where Sebastian replies to her first letter was very beautiful.

[schatzi_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well, I read this entire book in one sitting, so that probably says about everything that needs to be said. I loved this book so much. It's short (around 200 pages I think), but it had a well-rounded feel to the story, something that novellas often lack in my opinion. I was looking for something with "beauty and the beast" feels that sucked me into a compelling plot, and this book did the trick wonderfully (hence the rare "five stars" rating from me). The book also had some definite Jane Eyre vibes to it, too, which I always appreciate.I loved both of the main characters (I've always been a sucker for the dark and brooding types), and the author manages to create INTENSE chemistry between them even though this is a "clean" (ie no sex) romance. The only thing that I wish that I could change is that the book ended! Seriously, I wanted to spend another few hundred pages in this story.

[n.w.moors-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sylvia Stafford lost her position in society when her father committed suicide. Now she's a governess for two little girls and fairly content with her life until a second chance with her first and only love comes on the scene in the guise of his sister. Sebastian Conrad's sister has been worried about him since he returned from fighting in the Indian mutiny terribly wounded. She hopes that Sylvia can restore him to himself once more.This is a sweet second chance romance. It's a little short and I felt it could do with a little more backstory, but all in all, I enjoyed it greatly. Sylvia is just a nice woman who didn't deserve what's happened to her, the Belle in the Beauty and the Beast story. And Sebastian makes a perfect Beast, growly and irritable with a soft heart under his insecurities. This is a quick read that will give you that cozy feeling the best warm romances do.

[eyes92c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Refreshing Beauty and the Beast story of true love gone astray. Sylvia Stafford, once a society diamond of the first water is left impoverished and shunned when her high rolling father takes his own life. She finds sustenance and a certain amount of peace as a governess with a kindly merchant's wife.Unexpectedly coming into an earldom, Colonel Sebastian Conrad, badly scarred and emotionally tortured from the terror that was the Sepoy Rebellion, has withdrawn from any form of society, to his estates in Hertfordshire.Sylvia and Sebastian had been in love. An understanding between them as Sebastian left for active duty in India was cut short when promises were not held to. Each feels betrayed and hurt. Conrad's feather headed sister concocts a scheme to bring them together. Anything to have her beloved brother return from his self imposed hermit lifestyle.However misunderstandings and broken promises seem to get in the way of any form reconciliation.A pleasing read!A NetGalley ARC

[thequietreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sylvia has been content in being a governess since her father's suicide. When a woman she's never met brings news of the man she once loved, this young woman must decide what she intends for her future and the truth behind the letters she once wrote.This was a sweet, fast paced story. From the start, I was sympathetic to Sylvia's lot in life. She genuinely loved Sebastian and had the bravery to write him so. She's practical when her life crumbles around her. Sebastian has become a recluse since his injury. His view of the past is much different than Sylvia's, and its understandable his resentment. It was a bit hard to keep sympathy for him when he clings to his bitterness, and he spends little time with Sylvia in the week she is in his home.Overall, this was an easy read. For fans of historical romance, I highly recommend this one.I received an ARC from NetGalley for reviewing purposes.