Book Review: The Heiress of Winterwood

Author: Sarah Ladd
Publication Date: April 9, 2013
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Series: Whispers on the Moors # 1

Pride goes before the fall . . . but what comes after?

Darbury, England, 1814

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

Tragedy strikes when the child vanishes with little more than a sketchy ransom note hinting to her whereabouts. Fear for the child’s safety drives Amelia and Graham to test the boundaries of their love for this infant.

Amelia’s detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she examines her soul and must 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.

Both must learn to accept God’s sovereignty and relinquish control so they can grasp the future He has for planned for them.

“You, Captain Sterling. You and I should marry. Immediately.”

 

Helena’s warning resonated with Amelia. Had not those concerns crossed her mind? The thought of being bound in matrimony to a cruel man sent a shiver through her. But had Katherine not praised the captain’s fine qualities? His gentleness? His upright character?

 

Amelia reached out and patted Helena’s russet locks back into place. “I need you. Lucy needs you. And this is the last request I will make of you. You have my word.”

 

“As I told you before, it was a business proposition. Nothing more.”

Amelia Barrett has quite the situation on her hands. She has just suffered the loss of her closest friend and companion, Katherine Sterling, and is left with her infant daughter and a promise to stay with her always. The only problem with this is the fact that Amelia’s fiancé, Edward Littleton, forbids the child to stay at Winterwood after they are married. Upon the return of the child’s father, Graham Sterling, Amelia devises a plan that will allow her to stay at Winterwood and keep the child. She decides to ask Graham Sterling, whose job forces him to be away at sea, to marry her and allow her to continue mothering Lucille. Once he refuses the proposal, Amelia is exhausted of all options and has to make the ultimate decision; will she sacrifice all that awaits her in order to keep her promise to her dear, deceased friend?

 

Amelia Barrett is a strong, determined woman. Her love for the small infant that she is caring for is undeniable and her mothering instincts are as nurturing and loving as if the child were her own. I felt so sorry for her when she prepared herself to ask Graham Sterling to marry her and allow her to continue caring for the baby. Amelia’s character is constantly being made to feel vulnerable and belittled. I hated the situation that she was left in from the very start, but I was anxious to see her determined to keep the little girl. I did not like her fiancé, Edward Littleton, from the start either. He undermined Amelia and made her feel incompetent many, many times.

 

My heart goes out to Graham Sterling, whom I must admit that I wasn’t sure about at first. He soon became charming and chivalrous in my eyes. He immediately picked up on Amelia’s slimy fiancé and his greedy ways. Once Graham realized how much Amelia really did love and care for his child, he began to develop those same loving and nourishing feelings towards her. I wanted Graham to rescue Amelia from Edward because I felt that Amelia, who was always trying to save someone else, needed saving herself.

 

This was a beautiful Christian romance and I would recommend it to anyone, especially those who love the Regency period!

 

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review***