"The Heiress of Winterwood: Book One in the Whispers On the Moors series" by Sarah Ladd (Review & Giveaway)

If you are a fan of Jane Austen and Jane Erye, you will love Sarah E. Ladd's debut. The Heiress of Winterwood was the recipient of the 2011 Genesis Award for historical romance (contest for previously unpublished works) and is sure to be enjoyed by all historical romance fans!

About the book:  Amelia Barrett gave her word. Keeping it could cost her everything.

Amelia Barrett, heiress to an estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend's baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word-even to the point of proposing to the child's father-a sea captain she's never met.

When the child vanishes with little more than an ominous ransom note hinting at her whereabouts, Amelia and Graham are driven to test the boundaries of their love for this little one.

Amelia's detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she's forced to examine her soul and face her one weakness: pride.

Graham's strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline. And away from the family he has sworn to love and protect.

Both must learn to have faith and relinquish control so they can embrace the future ahead of them.

My thoughts: Welcome to the world of the wealthy English heiress of 1814 - independent, spunky, and non-traditional yet trapped in a relationship with her guardian aunt and uncle who are trying to make certain she marries a man they find suitable based on a business arrangement but who the heiress considers mean, unworthy, and deceitful.

Factor in the young child (toddler) that Amelia (the Heiress) has promised her friend, the child's deceased mother, to protect and raise as her own, and you have an interesting story.  You see, the potential groom doesn't want the child.

Now the child's father, a well-established second son who did not inherit property but went to sea as a young lad, has returned as a highly successful Captain.  He has never seen his child.

Sarah Ladd is a new author on the landscape of Christian fiction and she has written beautiful scenes filled with believable characters.  You feel immersed in the historical period and begin to understand the societal mores of the time that constrain the behavior and actions of the characters. I found ­­­­­­Amelia to be a lady of strong Christian beliefs and character.

This is book one in the new "Whispers On The Moors" series.  I look forward to reading Sarah Ladd's next book in this series.

GIVEAWAY: One Chat With Vera reader is going to be blessed to receive their own copy of "The Heiress of Winterwood" in a random selection from entries using the Rafflecopter form below. Begins April 13 and ENDS April 29 at 12:01 EDT. Open to USA mainland residents only.

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Author bio: 

Every word has a melody.
Every sentence has a rhythm. 

This truth has intrigued me since my early years. Even before I fully understood the meaning behind many of the words, I devoured literature and consumed poetry.

Austen, Alcott, Wordsworth: I left no piece of literature untouched, left no author unexamined. I continue to see magic in how a word is transformed by the word next to it and how written thoughts can incite emotion and evoke change.
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary in exchange for my honest review from Litfuse Publicity Group on behalf of the publisher, Thomas Nelson and the author Sarah Ladd. Opinions expressed are solely my own and a positive review was not required or expected.