The Lost Lieutenant By Erica Vetsch & Giveaway

The Lost Lieutenant

by Erica Vetsch

Publisher: Kregel Publications

ISBN: 978-0825446177

This cover spoke to me. Is there any more reason to try a new author if the cover grabs you?! When I saw I Read With Audra share about this book tour, I jumped in feet first to be able to receive the book for review! PS the author lives in MN so that means she must be a good author. HA!

Summary:

Evan Eldridge never meant to be a war hero--he just wanted to fight Napoleon for the future of his country. And he certainly didn't think that saving the life of a peer would mean being made the Earl of Whitelock. But when the life you save is dear to the Prince Regent, things can change in a hurry.

Now Evan has a new title, a manor house in shambles, and a stranger for a bride, all thrust upon him by a grateful ruler. What he doesn't have are all his memories. Traumatized as a result of his wounds and bravery on the battlefield, Evan knows there's something he can't quite remember. It's important, dangerous--and if he doesn't recall it in time, will jeopardize not only his marriage but someone's very life.

Readers who enjoy Julie Klassen, Carolyn Miller, and Kristi Ann Hunter will love diving into this brand-new Regency series filled with suspense, aristocratic struggles, and a firm foundation of faith.

Read an excerpt from Kregel by clicking here!

My Review:

Well, I have been in quite a reading slump recently. I haven't wanted to read. I'd been doing a bulk of my reading on my Kindle. Since my preference is paperback, I put the Kindle aside and HOPED The Lost Lieutenant would sling me out of my rut! Wow, it did it in spades!

How have I not read any of Erica's books before now? Where has she been all of my Regency reading life?

We meet Diana (who surprisingly isn't mentioned on the back cover) who has a wretched father and brother. How she turned out so pleasant is beyond me. I wanted to smack the living daylights out of both the men in her life. Yes, that's how good the writing is.

Then we're also introduced to Evan who is recovering from battle, but doesn't remember what happened on the field. Oh boy does the reader begin to feel for the guy. Things seem to go from bad to worse for him thanks to the Prince Regent's... generosity. hahaha

Since not much is given away about Diana's role in Evan, er the Earl of Whitelock's introduction to the ton in the summary, I don't want to say too much to give away some of the storyline. Simply put, she has a profound effect on his life and vice versa. And let's just say that's putting it mildly. Of course with Diana's history with the men in her family as well as other nasty ones, Evan shows her not all men are like the others.

I actually appreciated the supporting characters in this story, starting with the Prince Regent of all people! Beth (Diana's maid), Marcus (who helped Evan figure his new life out), and Shand (Evan's sergeant) all made quite the impression on me as a reader as well as the main characters.

The storyline flowed along and I have to admit, as I got towards the end I started reading faster because I had to figure out what in the world was going on. Something was up, but WHAT?! There was definitely mystery throughout the entire story and it pulled me along.

Now, my only "negative" that I can think of with the story is kind of an overall message to authors in general. I'm not sure if all readers are like me, but I'm not a fan of authors using names that I have no clue how to pronounce. lol Literally every time I saw that name "Cian" I thought to myself, "Am I saying this how the author was expecting"? I was saying it like "Ryan" or "Sean". I know it's an Irish name, but since I'm pretty positive most readers aren't familiar with it, I'm not the only one who was a bit thrown. lol Not a huge "negative", but still...

I'm already excited for July 28th when book 2 comes out! I can't wait to read Marcus' story.

About the Author:

Erica Vetsch is a New York Times best-selling and ACFW Carol Award–winning author. She is a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota with her husband, who she claims is both her total opposite and soul mate.  

Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks.

A self-described history geek, she has been planning her first research trip to England.

Learn more about Erica Vetsch and her books at www.ericavetsch.com. She can also be found on Facebook (@EricaVetschAuthor), Twitter (@EricaVetsch), Instagram (@EricaVetsch) and Pinterest (Erica Vetsch).

Now you have the opportunity win this book!