The Lost Lieutenant (#01 in Serendipity & Secrets Series)

This is my second time through this series as the third novel of the following series has just been released and I wanted to refresh myself with the this series, before reading through the Thorndyke & Swan Regency Mystery seies the follow on from this Serendipity & Secrets series where we meet Marcus, the Duke of Haverly, a spy for the British Intelligence and a constant character throughout both series.

In this Regency Historical novel, we are introduced to Lieutenant Evan Eldridge who is injured saving the Prince Regent's God son during a battle with Napoleon's army. The only problem is, he can't remember what happened and suddenly he is given an earldom for this service to the crown Prince. He feels more lost than ever. We meet the lovely Diana Seaton, a Duke's daughter whose father is a cruel and calculating, money hungry man who only wants for his children what is advantageous for him. The Prince Regent's manages to unwittingly foil his plans and these two characters suddenly find themselves married and moving to a country manor that Evan is given as part of the earldom. A dilapidated home and they have three months to have it ready for a royal visit.

This story has a good measure of mystery and charm as we wonder how it will all work out. Evan is such a great character though dealing with PTSD and the horrible feeling that there is something very important that he just can't remember, you see his good heart that wants to protect Diana from the outset. You don't want…

I had mixed feelings about this book. I am a lover of regency era books and this books fits but there was a little too much intrigue for my full enjoyment. That said it draws you in as it is so well written you really want to know what comes next even though you know that it has to have a happy ending. If you like regency with ingtrigue you should really enjoy this story.

I didn't like this book as much as I loved Erica's westerns. There were some minor but frequent cultural mistakes in regards to society and modes of address. I kept wanting to correct them. However, once they left the social season behind, most of that disappeared, and I loved the rest of the story. Erica can write with depth that takes you on an emotional journey with her characters, making you feel their pain and joy.

Discovered this series when I was looking for authors similar to Carolyn Miller and so glad I did. I found the story very engaging and read it quickly as I kept picking it back up wanting to read 'just a little more'. Great way to spend my Christmas break. \\n\\nThe characters were likeable and I can't wait to read Marcus' story in book 2, The Gentleman Spy. \\n\\n4 stars.