The Heiress of Winterwood

Title: The Heiress of Winterwood
Author: Sarah E. Ladd
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages: 320
ISBN: 978-1-4016-8835-6
Publication Date: April 9th, 2013

Synopsis:

Darbury, England, 1814

Amelia Barrett gave her word. Keeping it could cost her everything.

Amelia Barrett, heiress to an estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend’s baby. She’ll risk everything to keep her word—even to the point of proposing to the child’s father—a sea captain she’s never met.

When the child vanishes with little more than an ominous ransom note hinting at her whereabouts, Amelia and Graham are driven to test the boundaries of their love for this little one.

Amelia’s detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she’s forced to examine her soul and face her one weakness: pride.

Graham’s strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline. And away from the family he has sworn to love and protect.

Both must learn to have faith and relinquish control so they can embrace the future ahead of them.

Review:
I'm really starting to get into the regency setting.I haven't read a whole lot from this period, but it has started to grow on me. I never was a huge fan of Jane Austen's books...they were a bit dry for me. The movies, I'm good with. I guess I stayed away because I was worried I would feel the same about the modern author's version of the time. Thankfully, my fears have been dispelled.

I've been hearing wonderful things about Sarah Ladd's debut novel, The Heiress of Winterwood, so I bought it shortly after it came out. Things picked up dramatically with the review books, and my poor copy sat on my TBR shelf. Then recently, a break occurred and it was one of the first books I dove into. My goodness, this story really brought me into the world of Amelia and her desire to do right by her friend's baby, who was left in her care when her friend died from complications of childbirth.

After nine months of caring for the baby, Amelia loves the baby as her own. She would love nothing better then to raise Lucy as her own, the problem is Graham, Lucy's father, has finally come home from sea and he has full claim to Lucy and Edward, Amelia is engaged to Edward, who wants nothing to do with Lucy, nor does he want Amelia to even think of caring for Lucy after they are married.

Safe to say, I didn't like Edward from the get-go. And as the story progressed, my thoughts about him got worse and worse. As the reasoning behind Edward and Amelia's engagement became clear, it made sense.

Graham was a quiet and reserved character that did care about his daughter was grateful for the help Amelia offered to his wife and Lucy. As you got to know him, you saw he was a hard worker, who cared for people and only wanted to treat people with the utmost respect, when they earned it.

As the story went on and Lucy is kidnapped, I had my suspicions right away, but with how the story played out, even with my guessing, it didn't take away from the story. It was an enjoyable book.

Too Read
4 out of 5