A fun marriage-of-necessity story with a sweet romance, relatable characters, and a dash of intrigue.
My rating: ★★★★☆
Regency romances are not my typical cup of Earl Grey. And honestly, I might not have picked this one up if I had realized just how much of a romance it was. The back cover description seemed to indicate more emphasis on the intrigue and suspense. That’s what I was primarily expecting when I decided to give it a try. However, I’m glad I did.
Not what I expected
Erica Vetsch’s writing style drew me in much faster than I expected, especially since some of the tropes involved aren’t my favorite. Bad-father tropes and marriages of convenience/necessity are often poorly written or simply not to my taste. But this story kept me turning pages.
Watching common-born career soldier and pastor’s son Evan suddenly dropped into the deep end of an earldom (some have greatness thrust upon ’em, as Shakespeare said) was highly entertaining. Diana was a sweet heroine who had a lot of courage…except for when she didn’t. But I found both protagonists to be relatable human beings who were trying to do the right thing. And Marcus was a wonderful character who definitely deserves his own book—so glad he gets it! Although this book is set a decade or two after the England of The Scarlet Pimpernel, I could easily imagine Marcus as a member of the League.
But a little of what I expected
Since this is Regency England under the profligate Prince of Wales (more of a full-blown creep in real life than he was portrayed in this book, I believe), there’s a fair dose of scandal among the aristocracy that does play into the story. I could easily see why William Wilberforce had such a fight on his hands as he worked for justice and reform, although those particular issues don’t appear in this story.)
Also, since this is a marriage of necessity, there are certain romantic elements some readers will want to be aware of. I’m usually one of those readers. So I was pleased that overall, both the scandal and the mentions of marital intimacy were handled with maturity and discretion. Personally, I thought most of the interactions between Evan and Diana were sweet and illustrative of genuine love. Even the misunderstandings, deception, and lack of communication didn’t bother me as much as those elements often do. Perhaps this was because the characters recognized they were both in the wrong and eventually responded with maturity. Some readers may still find some elements uncomfortable, so use your own discernment.
On to the next one!
I have only one other small pet peeve—Evan calling his father dad in the early 1800s even though that wasn’t common usage by adult speakers until the mid 1900s. But overall, this was a fun read, and I’m looking forward to giving Marcus’s story a go. (Also, I read this after watching the 2005 Pride and Prejudice and the 2020 Pride and Prejudice: A New Musical. I think Evan stole that cover outfit from Mr. Darcy’s wardrobe.)
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If you enjoyed this book review of The Lost Lieutenant by Erica Vetsch, you might also enjoy my book review of The Barrister and the Letter of Marque by Todd M. Johnson. Read the review here on Goodreads or join my newsletter list for book recommendations, a free short story, author updates, and more.
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Jayna Baas is the award-winning author of the For Liberty & Conscience series. She also serves as director of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network. Learn more about Jayna here or join her email list for more recommendations.