› In November 1747, Bess Bright is a mother for not even a day. After giving birth to a baby girl in the morning, she finds herself leaving her baby at the Foundling Hospital. The baby is to be sent to a wet nurse in the countryside, then return to the city around 5 years-old to live at the Foundling until they are ready to work in service and labour. Bess has a plan to work hard and earn enough money to get her baby back in a few years.

› Bess lives with her father, Abe, and brother, Ned. Abe is quiet, Ned is unreliable. Bess sells fish with her father from 4:30 am to sundown. January 1754, when Bess returns to the Foundling to collect her daughter, they tell her she was claimed by her mother a few days after being dropped off. Bess is shocked and determined to find her child. The rest of the story is a compelling story that you won't be able to put down.

› The setting and world-building are top-notch and Halls writes some of the most interesting characters. This isn't an action-packed plot, yet it still feels quick, with twists and turns that will leave you wanting more.

Rating: ★★★★★

› Final Thoughts
• The Lost Orphan is a fascinating historical fiction novel with decisive, strong, independent women that portray mental illness and the lengths a mother will go for her child. It reminded me of The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos and The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker. I can't wait to read more from Stacey Halls.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was an intriguing story and overall was a book I quite enjoyed! It was a beautiful tale of motherhood and shows a fascinating and more in-depth look at London and the Foundling Hospital in the 1750’s. The whole premise of someone having claimed another woman’s child as their own and then searching for that child. Only to then find out you know the woman who has claimed your child as their own! But from there it fell flat for me as it’s then just a story of a child torn between two women! Which is totally fine but I found that I wasn’t expecting more and kept waiting for a bit more than that. But overall this is a enjoyable historical fiction novel.

3.5 stars.

An easy and entertaining historical fiction read.

This novel started off with a bang! I was fully invested and wholly engrossed from the start. London, 1748: Bess is a young woman whose family barely makes enough to survive. She registers her newborn baby at the London Foundling Hospital on the day of her birth since she knows, as a teenage single unwed mother, she cannot possibly provide for her. Bess has every intention of coming back for her baby once she gets enough money saved and can create a more stable life. Six years later when Bess returns to the hospital to pick up her daughter, she is shocked and devastated by what she discovers.

This book is split into four parts. If I could rate individual parts of the novel, Part 1 would get 5+ stars! It consumed me and had me feeling extreme sympathies for Bess and her situation. The atmosphere was thick and the tension was high. I loved it.

As the novel progressed, it lost steam. I enjoyed the story, but that strong connection I felt at the start faded (which is always disappointing). After Part 1, I felt as though as I was emotionally removed from the characters and simply reading an entertaining story. One of the main characters introduced in Part 2 distracted me from connecting with the storyline.

I enjoyed learning about this time in history. I did not know much about these types of hospitals. I found that storyline aspect very interesting and informative. I enjoyed the authors writing, although I think the pace of the book could have been quicker after Part 1 finished. The characters were unique and charming and I couldn’t help but root for Bess from start to finish.

Overall, an informative and interesting read that I would recommended to historical fiction fans who want a lighter, entertaining story, rather than a richly detailed intense plot.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy!

The Lost Orphan is very atmospheric read, and I found myself completely engaged in this one right from the start. That doesn't often happen with historical novels, but the combination of terrific characters and story flow pulled me right in. The story is emotional and it just has a quality about it. If you enjoy historical fiction, I'd certainly recommend this one.

The Lost Orphan by Stacey Halls has Bess Bright at the Foundling Hospital in late November of 1747. Bess had given birth to a little girl that day and her father is with her waiting her turn on lottery night. Bess is unmarried and unable to keep her daughter, Clara at this time. Six years later, Bess returns to reclaim Clara only to discover to that someone—using her name—reclaimed the child the day after Bess left her at London’s Foundling Hospital. She does not know how an individual knew the correct information to give to claim Clara. Bess is determined to discover who took her daughter and why they did it. Not far away, a widow of means lives a quiet life with her daughter. They only venture outside on Sunday for church. Her one friend is kindly local doctor. He suggests that she hire a nursemaid and introduces her to one. The widow is reluctant to add someone to her orderly home, but she agrees after seeing how the child and nursemaid get on together. The widow has a secret, though, that if discovered could change everything. The Lost Orphan is an engaging historical novel. I was drawn into the story and was reluctant to put it down to get chores done (the cats were determined to get their dinner though). I found it to be well-written with realistic characters. The author captured time and place. I could tell Stacey Halls did her research. I thought the plot was captivating. It is told from Bess’s and the widow’s point-of-views. We get to see the situation from both perspectives which I appreciated. There is some foul language (very little) in the story along with some violent situations (just so you are aware). The author provided vivid descriptions which really bring the story alive. The Lost Orphan is a raw and gritty story that draw you in from the very first page.

I did not like this one and ended up DNF-ing it about 25% of the way through. The writing felt very repetitive surrounding her situation. It also felt static, slow, and flat. There was nothing for me to hold on to plot-wise, and there was a little confusion on what was going on. Just not enough life in the first 1/4 of the novel..

I read a lot of books and rarely am I so riveted that I cannot put the book down, but this was the case for The Lost Orphan by Stacey Halls. My favorite genre is historical fiction and I am a stickler for accurate information. I actually had to do some of my own research, because I was unfamiliar with the setting.




I was carried away into this new part of English history that I was unaware of. The author wove the story beautifully and I was stunned when a major part of the story revealed itself, at the perfect time. I was enthralled by the author's description of the Georgian period in London. It is a complete picture, just like Dickens is to Victorian London.

The author did a lovely job of developing the characters. Bess is the lead, and we understand and feel for her situation in life. I hadn't heard of a shrimp vendor before and that provided an interesting detail to the story. Alexandra is a widow with some issues of her own, that limit her in developing loving and caring relationships.

The book is centered around how women at that time could not keep their children if they were unmarried. They are expected to bring them to the Foundling Hospital for the first six years of the child's life, after that, they can be reclaimed by their mothers. Bess works hard and saves to reclaim her child. This is where the story becomes very deep and dark.

And this, dear readers, is where I am going to leave you in this book. The poverty, depth of characters, superior writing and excellent ending are going to have to encourage you to purchase this book and read it yourself!

Stacey Halls has been the media editor at the Bookseller and the books editor at Stylist.co.uk. She has also written for the Independent and Fabulous magazine, where she is currently deputy chief subeditor. Halls grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire, and has always been fascinated by the Pendle witches. She currently lives in London. This is her first novel.

Bess Bright returned to London's Foundling Hospital in 1794 intending to retrieve the daughter she had left there six years before. To her shock, someone pretending to be her had already claimed her daughter. Nearby, the reclusive widow Alexandra is convinced by her close friend, a doctor at the Foundling Hospital, to take in a nursemaid to help her raise her young daughter.

It's heartbreaking to see what Bess has to go through as a working eighteen-year-old, giving up her daughter the very day she is born and then going back to work the next day. She scrimped and saved for years in order to reclaim her daughter and provide a place for her, only to find out that her daughter was claimed by someone else the day after she had been left there. Bess came back looking for an explanation and found her daughter with her former lover's wife. Alexandra is a recluse by choice, fearful of the outside world, being touched, and hadn't ever relished the idea of relations with her husband. She saw it as normal, given her brother-in-law's infidelities being excused by her sister, and preferred to have her neat and orderly life on schedule, even if it meant that she constrained her daughter and belittled the young girl's boisterous energy and need for companionship. It's a different kind of prison than Bess had lived through, indicating that money and status didn't always provide additional opportunities.

We discover more about Alexandra in the final third of the book, which is when Bess makes her move. There isn't anything neat and orderly about any of this for Alexandra, and it gives little Charlotte an eye-opener into a life that isn't so easy as it is for those of Alexandra's position. The final conclusion was a surprise for me, and really shows the love of a mother, whether biological or adoptive and how that love can shape children and their future.

1754 England was a different place and times were hard, a lot of people didn’t survive, and as you begin turning the pages of this book you will begin walking in two different woman’s shoes.
One gives birth and surrenders her child all in one day to a foundling home, for what she is hoping to return and get her in about six years.
The other has had a lot of tragedy in her life, including the death of her husband. She does not have to worry about where her next meal is coming from, having been left well off after the death of her parents.
Both endeavor to be parents to Charlotte/Clara, and we are along to see how this unfolds, and the heartache, and yes, the loving of others to help.
This book quickly became a page-turner for me, and I finished in one sitting!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher MIRA, and was not required to give a positive review.

Disclaimer: I received this book from netgalley and the publisher! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Lost Orphan

Author: Stacey Halls

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: April 7, 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: 15+ (mental health issues, sex references, possible rape TW)

Publisher: Mira Books

Pages: 352

Amazon Link

Synopsis: A mother’s love knows no bounds…

London, 1754. Six years after leaving her newborn, Clara, at London’s Foundling Hospital, young Bess Bright returns to reclaim the illegitimate daughter she has never really known. Dreading the worst—that Clara has died in care—the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl—and why.

Less than a mile from Bess’s lodgings in a quiet town house, a wealthy widow barely ventures outside. When her close friend—an ambitious doctor at the Foundling Hospital—persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her young daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her—and will soon tear her carefully constructed world apart.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of Georgian London, The Lost Orphan explores families and secrets, class and power, and how the pull of motherhood cuts across them all.

Review: I liked this book for the most part. The world building was masterfully done, I really loved the feel and flow of this book, and I felt like the book did well as part historical fiction and part thriller/mystery as the main character tries to figure out the pieces of what happened and as the reader is taken through a twisty windy turn through this world. The book also did well to showcase and discuss mental health issues like PTSD and agoraphobia!

However, I did feel like the book had uneven pacing and the story was kinda disjointed with going back and forth between the past and the present.

Verdict: It was a well done novel!

I was completely captivated by the end of the first chapter. The atmospheric writing allowed the reader to feel the desperation, longing, and loss of the characters. And of course, the secrets only added to the intrigue.

I enjoyed the commentary on motherhood, class, and moral dilemmas faced by many during this time. The time period was well-researched by the author and masterfully woven into a complex story.

There were a few parts that felt a bit contrived but overall, I enjoyed this book immensely.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Child Binds Two Women from Different Worlds

Bess works with her father selling shrimp from his stall. When she finds herself pregnant, he insists that she take the baby to the foundling hospital. The foundling hospital cares for the children and when they’re grown places then in domestic service, or other employment, but the mother can claim the child for a fee. Bess saves for six years to reclaim her daughter, Clara, but at the foundling hospital she learns that someone else pretending to be her claimed the child six years ago.

Alexandra is a rich woman, but she lives in fear. Her husband is dead and she keeps the house locked with only her young daughter, Charlotte, and the servants for company. Alexandra was brought up by a rigid controlling aunt, who made her life miserable, and now she is doing the same thing to Charlotte. A young doctor convinces her that Charlotte would be better off if she had a nursemaid and introduces her to Bess who she hires. It changes everything.

The story takes place in London in 1754. It’s a time when there was a wide gap between how the rich and poor lived. This story explores the differences through the viewpoints of the two women. The contrast shows not only the differences in living arrangement, but also differences in their conception of motherhood.

Beth is a very warm character, Alexandra is cold and rigid. As the story progresses, the author brings in the backstory that explains how the situation evolved. I thought the story dragged a little focused on the tension between the viewpoints of the two women, but the backstory is carefully woven in and keeps the book interesting.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A very quick book that I read in a matter of hours. I thought the first part was sad and depressing. The rest of the book was much better. I enjoyed the story. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

3.5
Bess, a shrimp seller, left her newborn at The Foundling Hospital, where babies were chosen on a lottery basis, based on the color of the ticket that was drawn. Bess’s baby, whom she named Clara, was accepted. Bess promised herself that she’d come back for Clara when she had saved enough money. Six years later she returned, only to find out that her baby had been claimed by someone posing as her. Shocked, dumbfounded and distraught, she sought help and was relieved when Doctor Mead, the grandson of the founder of The Foundling, offered his help.

The story then moved on Alexandra’s, Charlotte’s mother. Alexandra was portrayed as cold, distant and guarded, and obsessed with her map and the safety of her home, which we later found out why. Although she had a good relationship with her younger sister, Ambrosia who was her total opposite – loud, boisterous and carefree, her relationship with Charlotte lacked warmth and tenderness. Charlotte was never let outside, never allowed to behave like a child, never allowed to play like one; just never allowed to be herself, or she’d be told off.

Their lives changed when Eliza was hired to be Charlotte’s nursemaid. The dynamics in Alexandra’s household changed and she felt left out. There seemed to be an unspoken, invisible strong bond between Charlotte and Eliza, and Charlotte had shown Eliza more love than she ever did with Alexandra. And Eliza started showing behavior which Alexandra thought out-of-line for a nursemaid.

Just like The Familiars, Halls made 1700’s London come to live with her descriptive writing – from the sounds and smells from the Victorian slums to the privileges and prestige of the rich. Once again the author was able to transport me from one place to another.

Although I found the ending a little too ‘tidy’, and there weren’t any one character which I particularly loved (except Lyle, who only appeared towards the last quarter of the book), or even a heart-gripping moment that I look for in books I read, I enjoyed it overall, mostly because of its strong sense of place and the fact that I wanted to find out how this was going to get resolved in the end.

And one question still lingers – how did Eliza manage to convince Doctor Mead to help her get a job as Charlotte’s nursemaid, when Alexandra wasn’t even looking for one? I know she lied to get the job but is that all it took? I mean to ask for something as specific as a nursemaid for someone's child definitely needs more convincing than that. Am I missing something?

This is a story of motherhood and sacrifice, loss and love, and the lives of the poor and the rich in the 1700s. If you enjoy a slow-burn historical fiction, or if you enjoyed The Familiars (my review https://hookedonbookz.com/2019/03/06/jee-reviews-thefamiliars-by-staceyhalls-harlequinn-netgalley-earc-historicalfiction/), this one’s for you.

Thank you Harlequin MIRA and Netgalley for the invitation to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

This story most definitely hit the mark for me! I’m a fan of the historical fiction genre in general and both the 18th century setting in London and the plot itself were excellently developed in The Lost Orphan. Most historical fiction stories I’ve had the chance to read are set in Victorian London, so it was a nice change of scenery to go back one more century and get a proper glimpse of the 18th century. The descriptions and development of the setting are extensive and really set the right tone for the rest of the story. The story behind the The Foundling hospital and poor women giving up their babies is a tragic one… And Stacey Halls definitely raised an interesting question: in an era where the poor are mostly illiterate, how can the women be certain to ever see their babies again if they want to reclaim them, even if they have a token? This question is the base of the plot of this story, and it was intriguing to see it developed and have both sides of the story explained.

The Lost Orphan uses two different POVs, and this way we get to see both sides of London society as well as both sides of the story. Bess (Eliza) represents the poor and is the one who was forced to give up her baby six years ago as she wasn’t married and the baby’s father was dead. Alexandra represents the wealthy and shows us a widow with mental health issues (including a form of agoraphobia and OCD) trying to raise her only child. The story switches between the two women to help us show both their stories and give us a glimpse of how both the poor and rich lived back then.Their lives meet when Eliza starts working as a nursemaid for Alexandra’s daughter Charlotte… And although the truth about the situation can be guessed easily, the development of both characters, their background and reasons to do what they do really enhanced the story for me. The Lost Orphan is mostly character-driven and focuses on character development and growth rather than including a lot of action… Although the chapters involving Bess (Eliza) are a lot more lively.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but what I can say is that if you enjoy well written historical fiction with thoroughly developed and flawed characters and a story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, The Lost Orphan or The Foundling is an excellent choice.

I loved this very moving story! I really liked the setting and learning about the Foundling Hospital. The characters were interestingly complex. How heartbreaking it must have been for those women! I would definitely read more books by this author!

Betrayal, love, hardship and the unwavering love of a mother are central themes. We have elements of mystery, suspense, and a few unexpected twists as our tale unfolds. I admit I worried about the conclusion, but the author left me content.

Full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer April 9th and will be shared on all social media. A review will also be posted to Goodreads and Amazon. Link below.

I just could not relate to this story. Too far-fetched and predictable. The characters were not developed very well.

I read and loved the Familiars by Stacey Hall and I loved this book.
She can surely write historical fiction that will keep you hooked and entertaining.
It's a well written and complex story with a vivid historical background and a great cast of characters.
It's a character driven novel and the characters and their relationship are at the core of the plot even if it's full of action and fast paced.
It was an excellent read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

**Review will be posted on my blog on 3/30/20**

Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

This is not a title I would have requested on my own but I was sent a link to it by the publisher’s rep and I’m so glad I decided to read it.

Bess Bright is a girl who has a hard life selling shrimp in London. It’s a tough life she leads in one of London’s poor communities and she finds herself pregnant. There is no question about giving up the child to the London’s Foundling Hospital but she has plans of coming back for her baby girl when she has made enough money to get her back.

When she does earn money, it’s not enough and not only that her daughter is missing. Will Bess be able to find her daughter again?

What I Liked:
*The writing is so descriptive that I felt myself transported to 1754, London. Life for Bess is hard and she hawks cooked shrimp with her dad, Abe. Just the description of how the shrimp are cooked and the hot water dripping down Bess’s neck introduced me to Bess’s hardships in life. London is hard for those with no means and power. But everything about the book was well written and I could imagine life for Bess and Alexandra in London.

*The author included diversity in this book which was wonderful. Bess’s best friend is Keziah, a free black woman in London. We get a very small glimpse of her life as well.

*The alternating points of view between Bess and Alexandra paints a distinct portrait of two women, two different stations in life, tied together by a child. I loved how we get to know each woman, none of them perfect by any means, each having to live out some trauma in their life.

*It’s a happy ending, thank goodness. I was a bit emotional by the end of this book. I was happy for everyone!

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:
*It has a happy ending and I loved it but I wondered how realistic that would be? It did involve child kidnapping on both sides. But I guess that’s why it’s fiction!

*At times I would questions both Alexandra and Bess – they both wanted the best for Charlotte, but it made me wonder which situation kept the child safer. We saw both sides but in the end it worked out. As much as Alexandra’s wealth provided a well cared for life for Charlotte, that child was a prisoner! And yet if she lived with Bess, poverty could imprison Charlotte in a way as well. 😞

*Triggers: abuse, kidnapping

Final Thoughts:

This was a very enjoyable book and a quick read at that. Every time I read historical fiction, it reminds me I should read more of it! I was very drawn to both Alexandra and Bess, their different lives and how they both laid claims to Charlotte. In the end, Charlotte chose who she wanted to live with and thank goodness it was a happy ending, which made me want to shed a tear. If you like historical fiction, you may enjoy this one!