I read and loved the Familiars by Stacey Hall and I loved this book.
She can surely write historical fiction that will keep you hooked and entertaining.
It's a well written and complex story with a vivid historical background and a great cast of characters.
It's a character driven novel and the characters and their relationship are at the core of the plot even if it's full of action and fast paced.
It was an excellent read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

**Review will be posted on my blog on 3/30/20**

Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

This is not a title I would have requested on my own but I was sent a link to it by the publisher’s rep and I’m so glad I decided to read it.

Bess Bright is a girl who has a hard life selling shrimp in London. It’s a tough life she leads in one of London’s poor communities and she finds herself pregnant. There is no question about giving up the child to the London’s Foundling Hospital but she has plans of coming back for her baby girl when she has made enough money to get her back.

When she does earn money, it’s not enough and not only that her daughter is missing. Will Bess be able to find her daughter again?

What I Liked:
*The writing is so descriptive that I felt myself transported to 1754, London. Life for Bess is hard and she hawks cooked shrimp with her dad, Abe. Just the description of how the shrimp are cooked and the hot water dripping down Bess’s neck introduced me to Bess’s hardships in life. London is hard for those with no means and power. But everything about the book was well written and I could imagine life for Bess and Alexandra in London.

*The author included diversity in this book which was wonderful. Bess’s best friend is Keziah, a free black woman in London. We get a very small glimpse of her life as well.

*The alternating points of view between Bess and Alexandra paints a distinct portrait of two women, two different stations in life, tied together by a child. I loved how we get to know each woman, none of them perfect by any means, each having to live out some trauma in their life.

*It’s a happy ending, thank goodness. I was a bit emotional by the end of this book. I was happy for everyone!

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:
*It has a happy ending and I loved it but I wondered how realistic that would be? It did involve child kidnapping on both sides. But I guess that’s why it’s fiction!

*At times I would questions both Alexandra and Bess – they both wanted the best for Charlotte, but it made me wonder which situation kept the child safer. We saw both sides but in the end it worked out. As much as Alexandra’s wealth provided a well cared for life for Charlotte, that child was a prisoner! And yet if she lived with Bess, poverty could imprison Charlotte in a way as well. 😞

*Triggers: abuse, kidnapping

Final Thoughts:

This was a very enjoyable book and a quick read at that. Every time I read historical fiction, it reminds me I should read more of it! I was very drawn to both Alexandra and Bess, their different lives and how they both laid claims to Charlotte. In the end, Charlotte chose who she wanted to live with and thank goodness it was a happy ending, which made me want to shed a tear. If you like historical fiction, you may enjoy this one!

1754 London. Not the most pleasant time in history. And not a time kind to women. Poor Bess Bright works all day hawking shrimp to make barely enough to scrape by.

When she has a random encounter with a young man that leaves her pregnant, her only option is to give up her daughter. Leaving her at the Foundling Hospital is gut-wrenching for her. But Bess isn't one of those mothers who won't come back. She fully intends to come for her daughter as soon as she can. Leaving a token of half a whalebone heart her child's father gave her, as an identifier.

Six years later and Bess goes back for her daughter only to be told that her daughter was picked up the day after arriving by a woman with the correct identifier. Distraught and confused she is determined to find her child.

I enjoyed the writing in this tale. The atmosphere was easily imagined and while it was horribly sad, it was also full of courage and the relationship between a mother and her child.

Well Done!

NetGalley/ April 7th, 2020 by MIRA

If you’ve followed my reviews, you know too much description can turn me away from a book. I wouldn’t be honest if I said this book didn’t have quite a bit of description, but Halls’ writing doesn’t feel like “who cares” description, instead, it makes you feel like you can visualize the story. I’m not one to read a book and imagine it as a movie, but by seeing this story as I read it, I did imagine it as a movie.

Halls’ depiction of the vast economic differences during the mid-1700s is woven beautifully into this exceptionally interesting story. Bess Bright is a hard-working shrimp vendor in London. And the other important figure in this story is Alexandra Callard, a wealthy widow of a whalebone merchant.

When Bess finds herself pregnant she can’t afford to raise her child, so she takes her baby to the Foundling Hospital. She figures if she works hard and saves, she will be able to go back and claim her child in a few years. But when she returns six years later, she discovers that the unthinkable has happened to her precious little one.

Though this book has romance, I would say it focuses more on motherhood and the effects of a traumatic childhood event. So if you’re a romance reader, yes, there is romance included, but perhaps not to the degree you are used to.

All of that being said, the romance was perfect for me.

My Concerns
For me, no concerns at all.

What I Liked Most
As I mentioned earlier, though there is plenty of description, it is only enough to make the reader feel the damp, dark, area of London that is the backdrop for this story.

I can’t recommend this book enough. It quickly drew me into another century and country.

Having to leave your newborn at a Foundling until you could afford to keep the child seemed to be the norm in the 1700's for poor families.

Going back to get your child after you saved half a year's wages to pay for the child’s keep for six years and find out someone else had claimed to be you and taken your child was more unbearable than leaving your child the first time.

Bess was devastated when she found out someone had taken her daughter. When she questioned the governors of the Foundling, they had no answer, but her second try at finding something out had her introduced to a doctor who was going to try to help her.

Meeting with the doctor at a Sunday service allowed Bess to see a small child who she knew was her daughter. Seeing the child's mother was a shock - Bess knew who she was, and knew that this woman's daughter was surely her own daughter.

The following day, Doctor Mead proposed something extraordinary and unheard of to the child's wealthy mother, Alexandra. Because she kept everything locked up, secretive, and never went outside the house except for Sunday services, Alexandra wasn't sure of the doctor's suggestion to hire a nursemaid.

We follow Bess and Alexandra as Bess serves in her household and is loved by Charlotte more than Charlotte loves Alexandra.

Women's fiction fans and those who enjoy learning of the life styles of the wealthy and their privileges as well as the poor at that time should enjoy this book.

Life in this era was perfectly described by Ms. Halls along with her pull-you-in writing.

THE LOST ORPHAN has mystery, historical fiction, a main character with agoraphobic problems that stem from an incident in her childhood, secrets, and to what lengths a mother's love takes her. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book: The Lost Orphan
Autor: Stacey Halls
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Mira Books, for sending me an ARC.

Where to start? Awhile back I read another historical fiction book by Mira and enjoyed it. So, when I was offered a copy of The Lost Orphan, I jumped. I love the very elemental settings in these historical fictions as well as how they tend to focus on everyday people. Yes, I know I do usually read historical fiction about the nobility, but sometimes it’s good to venture out. I love how raw and real this book is. Plus, the events in talked about in this book really aren’t that familiar in America, so it was good to learn about something new.

I love how this book explores the topic of motherhood and what mothers are willing to do for their children. To me, I would much rather read a book that explores these topics than a romance. We get to see the pain of a mother from the lower class and what she must do to make sure that her baby is okay. We also get to see a wealthy widow trying to protect her daughter from the harsh world. Both of these women come from different tracks of life, but both will do anything for their children. We get to experience their pain and hardship. We get to see why they were the way they were.

We also get to see just what really a dark place London was in the 1700s. So many historical fictions want to make everything seem clean and whatnot. Stacey doesn’t do that. We get a real London of the past. We get to see just how divided people were in class and how everything wasn’t equal. We get to what the world was like for most people. I love that we get a very real setting with real people and real events.

Stacey also does a job in giving us this dark and gloomy atmosphere. The way she writes and presents everything just throws you right into the book. She does take her take with stuff and I know this has annoyed a lot of people. However, by taking her time, we do get this very emotional book. You are not just reading the book, but you are experiencing it with the characters. By taking the slow build up, you get to bond so much more with both the characters and the story.

Anyway, I had a great time reading this. It kind of reminded me a little of a movie.

This book comes out in a couple of weeks on April 7, 2020.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/PbEkH_n6PYg

A beautifully written book with likable characters. This is one of the best books I’ve read this entire year. I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Mira for the opportunity to read the Lost Orphan
I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down, it is a very well-written novel about a woman in the mid-1700s who finds herself pregnant and is not able to care for her child as she is pregnant out of wedlock and still lives with her father and brother. She brings her child to an orphanage in the hopes of going back to collect her when she is able to save enough money. The day that she returns to collect her daughter Clara, she finds out that someone else impersonating her have collected the child! I very much enjoyed this book, and would read more by the same author and look forward to more books

I am sure this will be one of the best books I read in 2020. The two main characters are both well developed. I felt I should dislike one or the other, but both were so relatable, I found myself changing allegiance depending on the point of view.
Take the time to read The Lost Orphan! It is so worth your time investment.