Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are those we trust the most…Waking up to find out that she is to marry a man of her father’s choosing, Miss Evelina Ayles finds solace in the one thing she has left: the pseudonym that she uses in her letters to her best friend Abigail.Matthew Warren, Earl of Hardingham, never expected to find a letter in the middle of the road while on his way … middle of the road while on his way to see his long-time friend, Jonathan Ayles. Or to become so frustrated with his inability to discover the identity of the mysterious “Elizabeth.”
With her wedding day approaching like a bad omen, Evelina makes one final request before her freedom is snatched away from her forever: a single meeting with the enigmatic “Percy”, whose poetic hand has captured her heart.
What Matthew and Evelina never expected though is how inextricably connected their fates are. Or to what gruesome lengths a certain someone will go to tear them apart forever. And then Evelina suddenly goes missing…
*If you like a realistic yet charming depiction of the Regency and Victorian era, then Letters from a Missing Lady is the novel for you.
This is Hanna Hamilton’s 30th book, a historical Regency romance novel of 80,000 words (around 400 pages). No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a sweet happily ever after.
Pick up “Letters from a Missing Lady” today to discover Hanna’s amazing new story!
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I am so glad I found Hanna Hamilton’s books. She amazes me with such wonderfully written stories of intrigue, love, enduring trials and tribulations, and happily ever after endings all in one story. Actually, this book has two remarkably well written and interwoven stories that keep you enthralled to the very end.
What makes me keep reading this author is her ability to write romance from dire situations. There is always intrigue and a extremely evil person in her stories. This story kept me intrigue into how Evelina and Matthew would eventually get together, because they loved as Percy and Elizabeth through letters. I enjoyed the herculean efforts Matthew made to find Evelina. The plot of this story is well thought out and the story follows with well thought out characters and a intriguing story.
Evelina Ayles and Abigail Hill are best friends at a boarding school when the unthinkable happens. The family estate is destroyed by fire started by rioters and Abigail’s father dies f a while trying to save his family and servants. If that wasn’t bad enough, it is discovered that the estate is deeply in debt and there is no way to rebuild the home. Abigail, her mother and younger sister, Diana, are forced to move in with Abigail’s older sister, Caroline, the Duchess of Aspreydale.
Evelina and Abigail agree to keep in touch through letters. Because they want to be able to let the other girl what is really going on in their life, they agree to use fake names for not only themselves but the people they discuss. They agree to leave the letters at a specific tree in between the two estates. This appears to have gone on without a hitch for four years until one day, Matthew Warren, the Earl of Hardingham, comes across one of the letters and becomes enamored with the unknown author and vows to find her.
While Evelina’s life continues as normal for a young lady of her station, Abigail’s life is downright miserable. Her mother passed away a year after her father and her sister makes Abigail work as a servant, more like a slave, and demands that her children treat her as such. Unlike other servants, she doesn’t get a salary and has no other options but to stay with her sister for the sake of her younger sister Diana.
I was most fascinated by the way Abigail’s life was turned around because of the death of her father. Because she was only 14 when he died, she had no other option but to live with her evil older sister. And because she will not be allowed to make her own decisions until she is 21 years old! She actually has less options than a young girl born in the lower class. At least they can USUALLY marry whoever they want.
The rest of the book deals with the interactions of the two young ladies and the men in their lives. Naturally there are also other ladies that try to interfere with the directions their lives are taking. All in all, a very enjoyable read.
I received a ARC of this ebook to read and give an honest review. In addition, I got a copy of the final ebook directly from Amazon.
I lost sleep reading this book as I could not put it down. The suspense was killing me…but in a good way. I loved every heart clutching minute. Just because you aren’t cruel yourself doesn’t mean that ignoring cruelty makes you much better than the villain