I was reluctant to request The Lost Letter for review because I was unfamiliar with the author. But the description ultimately won me over. It's a beauty and the beast retelling essentially. And I'm glad that I took a chance.

The Lost Letter jumps right into the story. And I suppose with only 204 pages this was necessary. But that had me basically interested and invested from the very beginning, and since I've been struggling through one of my worst reading slumps ever getting hooked early is essential.

The description basically tells you everything you need to know. Sylvia's father committed suicide. His suicide not only leaves her alone but unearths massive gambling debts. The whole thing is quite scandalous. She has no other real choice but to seek work as a governess. I admired her because Sylvia never really took on the victim mentality. After all that she's experienced, sure she grieved, yet she took action and made constant efforts to better her situation both physically and emotionally.

Sebastian thought he'd won Sylvia's affections before he was sent to war in India, but she never wrote to him (or at least he never received any of her letters) and his own letters were returned to him unopened. After receiving an injury that scars him brutally, he returns home a bitter and angry man. Despite Sebastian's tendency to play the victim with Sylvia and even his sister, I found him likeable. He's brutally honest and even at times mean. But I knew he wouldn't remain so.

One of my biggest...I don't know, not really frustrations, but struggles for lack of a better term with this time period while reading is that so much can often be cleared up by simple communication between the two parties. Yet because of the customs and what's considered inappropriate, so often characters dance around this misunderstanding with each other. I appreciated that Mimi Matthews chose not to really take this course. Because Sebastian is so angry, he chooses to be quite direct at times, and because Sylvia assumes that Sebastian has already been witness to her impropriety through the letters she wrote to him these two discover sooner than I expected that each never received the other's letters. However that being said, the author did go down this route with Sylvia misunderstanding Sebastian's current intentions toward her. So I went from applauding Mimi Matthews for this decision to dropping my head and letting out a sigh for that being the ultimate conflict that these two had to overcome.

I can't say that The Lost Letter completely blew me away, but it did hook me from early on. I connected to the characters and their feelings and struggles with each other. I even teared up (blaming it on the pregnancy hormones) at one point for Sylvia's sake. The ultimate conflict was one that wasn't surprised and consequently fairly easy to overcome. Yet, I found this book refreshing from some of the others I've read based on the same time period. In the end, The Lost Letter gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read The Lost Letter? What did you think? Let me know!

Once I saw the cover for this book, I just had to requested. The Lost Letter is a short book, barely over 200 pages long and a quick read. However, it packs a huge punch.

The Lost Letter is a story of misunderstandings. Of things felt, but not said, of missed opportunities, heartbreak, and resilience. Sylvia and Sebastian fell in love before he had to go to war in India. While he was away, Sylvia’s dad commits suicide after loosing all gambling. This leaves Sylvia ostracized and thus she becomes a governess in a merchant’s house. In the meantime, Sebastian is badly hurt and scarred during the war and comes back to find himself now the new earl after the death of his father and brother. So, now that we are over the sad parts, let’s move to the good bits.

As you might know, I love books with the Beauty and the Beast vibe and The Lost Letter did not disappoint. I loved how brave and resilient Sylvia was, how she tried to make a live for herself in a time that shunned women and didn’t leave a lot of options for a livelihood. I also liked that she was honest and straightforward with Sebastian. On the other hand, Sebastian was very cruel and vindictive for what he believed happened three years prior. I loved how he was so vulnerable and was able to overcome his fears and take his future in his own hands and truly live.

The only thing that I wish for is more time with Sylvia and Sebastian together or some sort of epilogue of their lives together. Also, it is very clean, which surprisingly worked very well here. There might be room for short story… *hint, hint* Overall, a great historical romance for sure.

Oh my, what a truly beautifully written story! I easily devoured it in one sitting because I simply couldn't stop myself. Mimi Matthews borrows a bit from Beauty and the Beast and Persuasion, but her tale feels fresh and original. I was rooting for Sylvia and Sebastian from the first page, but that didn't stop me from being frustrated at their (very believable) misunderstandings.

I'm very happy to add Matthews to my "must read" authors list. And thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A quick read full of love and misunderstandings, The Lost Letter was a predictable yet pleasant read! I enjoyed the genuine emotions portrayed by both of the main characters, and I could easily picture each scene with the author's excellent narration. I enjoyed the banter between the hero and his sister, especially, as I kept picturing Charlotte Palmer from the 1995 movie Sense and Sensibility. Although I believe her husband was not as enthralled as Julia Harker's husband seems to be!

Living as a governess ever since her father's devastating suicide, Sylvia Stafford has gotten used to the change from society darling to forgotten servant. That all changes when Lady Julia Harker comes calling, eager to bring Sylvia to save her brother from utter ruin. The only problem is that her brother is none other than Sebastian Conrad, once a colonel and now the Earl of Radcliffe, a man whom Sylvia had loved long ago. After sending him a letter that laid her heart at his feet, she received no response, and that combined with the censure of society upon her father's death ripped her heart in two. Sebastian is scarred now, blind in one eye and a recluse in his home. Seeing Sylvia Stafford is both a joy and a torment, as he recalls all the letters he sent to her that were never answered. With such misunderstanding between them, can they ever find true love again?

While I frequently wanted to jump in the book and shake the pair of them, I really enjoyed both Sylvia and Sebastian. Sylvia was such a quiet young woman who had been dealt several bad cards in life, and Sebastian had an injury so devastating that he was sure he would repulse Sylvia on first glance. It was lovely to see that she looked right past those scars and acknowledged the man beneath. If only that man weren't so stubborn! If they had just sat down and hashed it out, this book would have been over in just a few short chapters. Instead they go back and forth until finally the truth is revealed. Then it's a matter of seeing if their love survived all these years - and of course, it did.

Great book by Mimi Matthews! I am eager to read her next book, whatever it may be.

The Lost Letter is a better piece of prose, with each phrase well thought out. The detail provided is well rounded with each character’s thoughts and feelings elaborated on. Whilst the story is a simple one, with Sylvia and Sebastian being forced apart by war, the missing letters that each wrote to the other, have gone astray and led to such devastation. The misunderstandings that exist between the couple play out despite their best efforts to withhold their feelings from each other. Their idiosyncrasies and their fallibility are evident for all to see.
What makes this novel unique, is that Sebastian is flawed. He bears the scars of war but is also overbearing and stilted. Sylvia’s despair is evident but her strength of character will almost be her undoing. Their feelings are evident to all but themselves. It was delightful to see them become aware of the other once again.