The Lady He Lost

Written by Faye Delacour

Narrated by Blythe Fortune

When Lt. Eli Williams reappears after being lost at sea, his first move is to redeem himself with a friend who's only interest is in making her own way in the world...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamscape Media
• Release date: Apr 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9781666657951

Faye Delacour

Faye Delacour was raised in the Canadian prairies before deciding that she needed a challenge and should move to a place where everybody spoke French. She now lives and works in Montreal with her partner and children, a reformed street cat, and an Australian Shepherd who hasn't yet accepted that he can't herd the cat. Faye writes historical romance featuring strong, feminist heroines and enthusiastic consent.

Reviews for The Lady He Lost

[Emily Lassiter Branch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's almost always fun reading a historical romance from a debut author, and while of course there are some disappointments, happily this wasn't one for me. I enjoyed this story of two people, Jane and Eli, friends who were attracted to each other when they were younger (neither realizing the other was actually interested) but he finds himself engaged to her mean-girl cousin when they're caught in a compromising position. Before they're married, though, his naval commitment sends him to sea, where he goes MIA after a shipwreck and is presumed dead. Two years later, he returns and finds that his fiance has moved on and married. But he'd broken Jane's heart - first with his engagement, then when she realizes he didn't let her know he was alive until he returned to England (she was a bit harsh there, methinks). Meanwhile, Jane has realized that as an orphan with no dowry, she'll never "marry well", so is in the process of using her math and card-playing skills to start a gambling club for ladies, along with her friend Della, and they dream of growing it and using the income to support themselves in the future.
I enjoyed watching Eli overcome Jane's distrust of him (and parts of his story) and his persistence in reestablishing their relationship. And this was a bit of a two-fer - not just a debut author, but also an audiobook narrated by a new-to-me narrator. Blythe Fortune did an excellent job with the narration and I'd happily listen to more from her.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.