The Lost Heiress

A lost heiress has been found, but the past brings a danger that will threaten all she holds dear.

With a mysterious past, Brooke Eden recruits her closest friend, Justin Wildon, to find who her true family is. She has been raised in Monaco by the Grimaldi family, but she knows that they are not her true family. She is shocked to discover that she is a long lost daughter of The Earl of Whitby and even more surprised that her father receives her with open arms. Although, the rest of the family takes a little more convincing. Horrors of her mother's death haunt Brook and there are many secrets that have to be uncovered. When greed and lust for wealth and power threaten Brook's life, her faith keeps her strong. Will the secrets of the past show more be revealed? And will Brook return home after being lost for a second time?

"But God does not just instruct us to forgive - He instructs us to trust. To trust that, even though life hurts us, He will take care of us."

Roseanna White had me completely captivated from the first page of The Lost Heiress. Set in 1910, during the Edwardian Period it was a new experience for me. With society rapidly changing and new inventions around every corner, it was wonderful to see it through Brook Eden's eyes. I admire her courage and strength throughout this story. She is someone that I would love to know and to follow on one of her harebrained ideas. She can be rash and impulsive, but her faith is evident. We could all benefit by following her example of putting our trust in the Lord, even when the world seems to be crumbling down around us. If you are a fan of Downton Abbey and love a little mystery with your historical fiction, you will quickly loose yourself between the pages of this book.

I received a free digital copy of The Lost Heiress from Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. show less

The Lost Heiress was a fun book. It was a little predictable, but I thoroughly enjoyed the read. The characters developed relationships that were based on friendships, not that I-fell-in-love-the-minute-I-saw-him/her stuff. The book is about an orphaned girl who finds her true home ... which didn't turn out to be a house. I really liked the secondary characters - look forward to seeing Brice's story in the next book. And I appreciated the main character's (Brook) sincerity and holding on to what she believed in spite of what the household or "friends" thought of her. I especially liked the relationship she developed with her father and his undaunted acceptance and care of her.

I’ve really liked half a dozen of White’s books, but I did not click with this one. And it wasn’t because I’m more interested in WWI than pre-war Upstairs Downstairs households.

One of the things I enjoyed most about White’s other stories was watching a couple get to know each other, but that’s not really a feature here because they’re childhood friends. Moreover, this novel didn’t spend enough time on the things I considered most interesting, like Brook adjusting to life in England and building relationships with family she’s only just met, or Justin dealing with new responsibility and unexpected revelations involving his family.

The Lost Heiress by Roseanna M. White is a historical romance novel. It is 1910 in Monaco and Elizabeth Brook Eden is waiting for her friend, Justin Wildon. Brook (as she prefers to be called) is hoping Justin has news for her about her real family. Brook found out that the woman who raised her, Collette Sabatini, was not her biological mother (she found her). Justin has found her family and he is taking her to them in Yorkshire, England. Justin and Brook met when he was twelve and she was five years old. Justin taught Brook to do many things like riding astride, shooting, climbing trees. Brook has a fiery, independent personality.

Brook is taken to England to meet her family. Her father is Lord Whitby and he recognizes her at once (she show more looks like her mother). There have been impersonators over the years, so not everyone is as welcoming. One person is Deirdre O’Malley. Deirdre is Irish and a maid in the household. She has a family to help support and has been feeding information to a nasty man named Lord Pratt (Lord Whitby has a sister and two nieces that also visit the house). Justin is forced to go away soon after delivering Brook to her new family (his father and grandfather pass away). Justin has fallen in love with Brook, but his estates need handling (money) before he can propose to Brook (he does not want Brook to think he wants her for her money).

Brook adjusts quickly to life with her family in England. Then one day she is attacked. Someone wants Fire Eyes! What are fire eyes and why do they think Brook has it? Brook is not safe until they solve this mystery. It turns out that this mystery could have something to do with the death of Brook’s mother. Can they figure out the mystery and solve it in time? Will Justin be able to win Brook’s heart?

I give The Lost Heiress 4 out of 5 stars. It is nicely written and very easy to read. The book is twice as long as normal novel, but you would never know it (it just flows so nicely and you get lost in the book). I easily read The Lost Heiress in a couple of hours. I have only given you a brief overview of the book. There is much more to it along with many more characters (sometimes it can be a little hard keeping everyone straight). I got a little tired of the lack of communication between Justin and Brook as well as her temper (she would get mad and walk away). Of course, Justin put up walls and would not share information with Brook. I found that very frustrating and distracting from the book. Otherwise, The Lost Heiress is a pleasure to read and I have a feeling that there will be another book soon (about Duke Worthing).

I received a complimentary copy of The Lost Heiress from NetGalley and The Book Club Network Inc. (courtesy of the publisher) in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own. show less

The Lost Heiress (Ladies of the Manor, #1) by Roseanna M. White, a 2015 novel published by Bethany House Publishers/Baker Publishing Group, is a Christy nominated novel that gets my choice for BEST OPENING LINE so far this year. See if this doesn’t catch your attention:

Temptation sat before her, compelling as the sea.

Great, isn’t it? Her opening paragraph decided me right there that I wouldn’t be setting this book aside. (You know we all do sometimes.) The Lost Heiress has that Upstairs/Downstairs, Downton Abbey quality that we all fell in love with in the series combined with the whole lost princess feel of Anastasia, and Ms. White captures the concept and time period deftly. But her characters didn’t initially show up in show more England. We’re introduced to them in Monte Carlo’s rich, extravagant atmosphere, and making the main character, Brook Eden, Monegasque, was a really cool twist right at the get-go. There’s a big mystery and a bad guy who is really bad, but the main feature of the story is Brook’s lifelong love for her best friend Justin Wildon, heir to the Dukedom. Of course, first we have to find out who she really is. Along the way, we are introduced to her true family, and I have to say, her father’s character was delightful, and I applaud Ms. White for creating a strong father/daughter bonding theme. While there were segments that felt a little predictable, it was still overall a great story! Five stars. show less

Praise for The Lost Heiress, 5 Stars! This is my first Roseanna M. White book, and I am such a fan! This Downton Abbey Era book was such a splendid read, and it was hard to put down. This story will remind you of all things you love about Downton Abbey; family drama, gossip, deception, mystery, and romance! Also, it is so cool that White started writing this book when she was 12 years old!

Brook is my favorite kind of female character. She is a risk-taker, a little wild, and doesn't conform to social norms, yet she is sweet, kind, and loving. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling with Brook on her journey of discovering who she is, where she came from, and of course, finding love. Although this book is over 400 pages long, White does a great show more job of knowing when to keep the story moving and when to let it linger.

"It hurts"
He snorted a laugh. "Love often hurts."
"Then why would we do it?"
He squeezed her hands, warming them. "Because it's worth it. Even when we lose them, it's worth it."
― Roseanna M. White, The Lost Heiress

"Evil men flourish. The righteous suffer. The Lord never promises we won't—only that He'll sustain us when the tribulation comes."
― Roseanna M. White, The Lost Heiress show less

3.5 stars.

This book.

Having read and loved A Name Unknown by the same author, I was excited to delve into another book by this talented authoress! Unfortunately this one was a bit of a let down, compared to A Name Unknown.

The characters were fantastic, if they did drive me a little crazy sometimes. ;) Brook was sweet, endearingly-stubborn, and so unique. I could relate to her character in a lot of ways. Justin was also SUPER sweet, and I spent pretty much the whole book feeling bad for the poor guy who just couldn't get a break. Whitby was PHENOMENAL! I love daddy characters like this one! He was such a sweetheart!
The story was incredibly crafted, and kept my interest from page one! One thing in particular I noticed was how much "set show more up" that happened in this book for the next two. It didn't feel like there was unwrapped up storylines, or loose ends, but yet looking back, I can see how things tie in with the next two books. The foreshadowing is great!

White's writing style is beautiful, as I've come to expect. Simple enough, yet still so flowery and beautiful. It is also incredibly historically accurate, both dialogue and description. Kudos!

The reason I docked 2 and a half stars off my rating was for three reasons, all personal, not necessarily bad writing quality, story or otherwise. One, I found myself incredibly annoyed at the MCs and the romance throughout sections of the book. I started skimming in some areas. Some people just really need to grow up and use the communicating skills God has given them. :P

Secondly, the romance. I didn't care for how it was portrayed, though it did not seem overbearing and unnatural, it was a little too much for me personally. And I wish the emphasis was more on "heartcharacter attraction" versus physical attraction.

Thirdly, the content. I grew very uncomfortable with the fairly frequent mentions of mistresses, forcing women, illegitimate births, as well as the semi-detailed kisses and the like. I'm okay with a few mentions of those issues, but they were to frequent and too casual for me. And I almost wish that the author had made it clear that that type of thing is NOT condoned. I didn't get the impression that it was condoned, but I wish it had been clear that it wasn't.

All in all, I enjoyed this story, but there were a few issues that left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Recommended for ages 16-17 on up due to the above mentioned content reasons. show less