Book Blurb:
Welcome to Book 1, Sophia's Letter, the highly anticipated debut in Elizabeth Donne's Sweet Regency Historical Romance series.
A passionate reader’s unexpected declaration unlocks a lonely poet’s heart.
Spinster is such a loathsome word. But — Miss Sophia Grant has to confess — this is what she has become. With the first strands of graying hair and legs weakened by childhood illness, she does not expect to become anyone’s wife now. Besides, Papa would never allow it. Still, she has her many younger siblings around her. And her writing, of course. Her days are full of everything that matters. That is, until the letter comes.
Tobias Mannerly is entirely smitten with the written word. It fills every corner of his thoughts and imagination. Perhaps that is why he has not yet found love — no woman can reach his heart the way poetry does. Words are his passion, especially those in the latest poem by a certain Miss Sophia Grant. How they speak to him, call to him! He must write to her. She must know what power she wields on the page!
The letter by an ardent young literary admirer awakens feelings Sophia believed lost to the past. Mr. Mannerly’s devotion persuades her to reach for love again. But how can Sophia tell her beau that she can never marry? If her father even suspected her feelings, he would be furious. Losing his wife has made him fragile. Clinging to his remaining family has made him unreasonable. It seems an impossible situation.
It is just the sort of challenge love is made to overcome, if only Mr. Mannerly can convince Sophia she deserves a happy ending.
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Note: This series is part of Dragonblade's Sweet Dreams line, so this is a sweet, wholesome Historical Romance where passion beyond the bedroom door is left to the reader’s imagination.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/OKN5
Author Bio:
Elizabeth Donne writes sweet Regency romance, a natural outpouring of a lifelong love affair with English literature.
She has spent most of her life in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2015, Elizabeth moved to Iowa with her husband, their two children, two cats, and their African bush dog.
When she's not writing, or discovering the secret wonders of the Midwest, she is enthusiastically introducing her visitors to the joys of drinking rooibos tea. With a biscuit, of course.
Editorial Review: “Sophia’s Letter” (Ladies of Munro Book One)
Author: Elizabeth Donne
“The letter arrived on a Monday. It had not been a good day. Mondays never were. After all these years, the memory of that fateful day had still not faded into merciful oblivion. At the thought, Sophia’s breathing tightened, the black silk of her bodice rising and falling in quick, shallow beats.
“Are you all right, miss?” Katie was always on alert. Sophia depended on her for the simplest things, and Katie was sharp enough to anticipate her needs. “Shall I get the smelling salts?” she asked, already reaching for them on the side table.
Sophia waved away the proffered help with an irritable hand. “I’m fine, Katie. Don’t fuss.” But her lady’s maid still hovered. Sophia concentrated, sucking in a satisfying lungful of air. “See?” She added a thin smile. “I can manage.””
Sophia Grant must write a heartbreaking letter. In her mind, in her life, writing the letter seems inescapable. For this reviewer, a die-hard fan of historical romance, Sophia’s choice is appalling and unbearably poignant. Surely there is another way, surely her suitor must not be turned away on such terms? Never has “cold turkey” been executed in such a dignified and elegant manner. Oh, Sophia. Do you not realize that despite being an invalid, despite the loss of your mother, despite your tyrannical father, that somehow true love must prevail? This is historical romance, after all.
But no. Harsh reality crushes this reviewer’s (and no doubt Sophia’s) admiration of Tobias, the hero so lovingly created by Elizabeth Donne, in “Sophia’s Letter”. Donne is an author whose other books this reviewer will certainly be seeking out; this one is a sweet romance, but even those readers who do prefer content with a bit more, um, physicality, will still appreciate the compelling emotion of this book. It was a considerable shock to read the Author’s Note and see the parallels between this story and the life of famed poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning; the influence of parents is often not a positive one.
But let us return to Tobias; for he is worthy of returning to; a conclusion also thankfully reached by Sophia, who is a highly relatable and likeable heroine. Her determination, given her family circumstances, is nothing short of incredible; many of us, even in today’s society, would not be so resolute. Sophia’s life is constricted, but she nevertheless forms warm friendships with those around her, and reaches out to the world around her, through her writing. Tobias is more than a match for her. It is a relief to read of a couple whose pairing makes sense for discernable reasons, and who are not superficial or a convenient love-at-first-sight-because-this-is-a-romance-and-two-people-need-to-fall-in-love.
“““You discuss us? And our guests? With the rest of the staff?”
“O-Only out of a-admiration,” Katie stammered. “We would never gossip maliciously. We have all worked here for years, Miss Grant. You have become like family to us. It brings us joy to see you thrive. Please, miss, we mean no harm by it.”
Sophia tried to be angry and indignant, but it could not last. It was true— the staff were like her extended family. The various footmen, about whose necks she threw her arms to be carried between rooms. Katie, to whom she had, many a time, owed an easier breath, or the simple comfort of a refluffed pillow. Cook, who sent her favorite dishes to her room when she was too exhausted to leave her bed. They knew her, cared for her, in a manner that was beyond mere duty.”
The conversations are authentic, and appear true to life for the time period. Sophia is at the mercy of her father, financially and for all daily necessities, as would be the case for many, if not all, young women of that era. Although “Sophia’s Letter” has the expected happy ending for the genre, resolution is only reached after several plot twists and deeply satisfying discussions, with a dollop of unexpected humor thrown in.
““If her father could have called her into his study to stand, submissive, on the rug before him, Sophia was certain he would have done so. Instead, he loomed over her where she sat on the chaise lounge, Katie having been sent from the room.
“What have you to do with this?” he demanded, thrusting a paper toward her. Sophia took the page, recognizing Tobias’s handwriting even from a distance. Her father gave her no chance to read it before grumbling, “It’s unheard of. The audacity. He must have been encouraged.” He glared at her. “Well?”
“Give me but a moment, Father,” Sophia answered, rapidly skimming over the letter. And then, “Oh. I see.””
“Sophia’s Letter” by Elizabeth Donne is an evocative historical romance with detailed characterization and a believable hero and heroine. Sophia’s struggle to balance her physical health and her family, with her love of writing and her search for independence is a tension we can all relate to on some level. An absorbing read that fans of the genre will love (even if many of us are still searching for our own Tobias!)
*****
"Sophia’s Letter” by Elizabeth Donne receives 4 ½ stars from The Historical Fiction Company
To have your historical novel editorially reviewed and/or enter the HFC Book of the Year contest, please visit www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/book-awards/award-submission
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