The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah Ladd

The year is 1814; the setting, Darbury England.  Amelia Barrett is a capable woman.  She is strong-willed, determined, and keen to keep the promise she made to her friend Katherine shortly before her death: to raise the woman’s baby.  She takes the task seriously and even takes steps to secure the child’s future by proposing to its father, a sea captain named Captain Sterling.  Together, they plan to raise the baby.  However, the child goes missing and only a ransom note is left hinting at her whereabouts.  Amelia and Captain Sterling must listen to God and give up personal control in order to succeed in finding the one thing they both love the most.

As a historical fiction, The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah Ladd caught my attention right away.  I knew from the first few pages that it was going to be a good book, and I was right.  It was a fairly easy read and kept the story clipping along at a good pace, so I read through it pretty fast.  I thought the plot was good, but it could have been a little more complex.  I was able to predict what would happen, but there were a few little twists thrown in here and there that kept me on my toes.  Overall I was pleased with the development of some characters and the consistency of some.  There were some great lessons in forgiveness and mercy shown by one of the characters towards another, and that made me happy.  The bad guy was also very well done.  I can’t say too much without giving the plot away, but in my opinion they had a good motivation that drove them.  I recommend the book to those who like historical romances.  Although I feel it didn’t have a lot of historical references aside from the time period it was set in, the author did a good enough job of convincing the reader of the setting.  It was a happy ending, but I have a sense that there will be a sequel coming in the future.  (No spoilers, I promise.)

Thanks to BookSneeze.com for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.