When Azalea, the beautiful Viscountess Trench, receives a note threatening to expose her adulterous love letters unless she pays up, she faces even greater anxieties than most blackmail victims. Not only is her marriage a little too frail to withstand such revelations at this moment, but she can’t actually remember the adultery, let alone writing the letters. In fact, there seems to be a great deal she can’t remember, which puts her at considerable disadvantage when facing down a blackmailer. In desperation, she turns to her sister Grizelda, recently returned from her honeymoon, to track down the culprit before her beloved husband finds out. But Eric, Lord Trench, has grown tired of waiting patiently for his wife to come back to him. When he finds her in a bizarre assignation, he sees red, and demands that she gives him her trust and her love.
This is the second book in the series & it cold be read on its own but to fully appreciate it I’d recommend reading the first book which is Dragan & Grizelda’s story. I just loved everything about this book, older married couple Eric & Azalea have been married eight years, misunderstandings, trauma, blackmail & of course romance & love. Strong characters & a fast paced story had me devouring this wonderful book in a sitting. It ticked every box for me, I just loved it
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Azalea, Viscountess Trench suffered with "the baby blues" after the birth of her daughter. That caused a rift between her and her husband. Now she finds herself the victim of blackmail. Did she do what the blackmailer says?? She can't remember, that is causing her to doubt her sanity.

Eric, Lord Trench loves his wife desperately, but they have drifted apart. He knows that something has changed and wants to fix it.

This is a lovely historical romance that has a big mystery to solve. Just how naughty has our heroine been in her "brain fog"??

Can our loving hero see past what might or might not have happened???

Really great fun,. This is the second book in this series but easily read on it's own. I don't know if the rest of the series has the Tizlas involved, if not I can see a possible series related to Griz and her husband's special talents being used by others.

I loved every page and can't wait to read more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this book; it was more a mystery than romance. There was a romantic storyline. However, it was secondary to the puzzle. The two subjects intertwined well; I would have preferred a little more emphasis on the romance. There were significant issues that were touched on during the story. Challenges such as marital estrangement and mental health issues were included and handled respectfully and contributed to the richness of the story.

Eric and Azalea’s relationship was complex. There were many complicated emotions and reactions. The couple had numerous challenges, yet their love was strong enough to persevere. I felt the loving connection between the couple. The more physical aspects of the relationship were handled off-page. Even with that, I felt the physical connection between the couple. The passion and romance were there; it was secondary throughout most of the book.

The mystery of the book was complex and multifaceted. There were a lot of different plot lines happening simultaneously. The mystery was entertaining, and I was engaged the entire time. The one issue I had with the mystery plot was that I felt there were too many suspects. I had trouble keeping all the characters straight in my mind. At times it was a little confusing. This was the only problem I discerned with this book. The plot moved very quickly. I was never bored or complacent. There was angst, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The ending and epilogue were quite satisfying.

The bottom line is I would recommend this book to mystery lovers. The romance was subdued yet satisfying. It was a fast, entertaining read. The characters were lush and vivid. I enjoyed how the characters were intertwined with the mystery. The book was an enjoyable read that I finished in one day.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and Dragonblade. This is my honest, voluntary review.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Letters to a Lover by Mary Lancaster is a fast-paced historical mystery/romance set in Regency London. It’s book two in the Crime and Passion series. I didn’t realize this when I requested it from Netgalley, and might not have requested it if I’d known, because I don’t like to read a series out of order. However, this book works very well as a stand-alone.

Unlike most Romances, this novel begins with an already-married couple: Azalea (Lady Trench) and Eric Danvers, Viscount Trench. They have been married for eight years, have two young children, and are still very much in love. However, after the birth of her daughter, Azalea suffered from post-partum depression. (Very much not typical Romance fare.) Though he had no idea what was wrong, Eric supported her. Eventually, she emerged from the darkness of depression, but overcompensated by throwing herself into the social whirl of London. As she grew busier and giddier, she and Eric spent less and less time together. Both want to regain their previous closeness, but pride and fear keep them apart.

That is the backstory. The novel opens with Azalea confronting the terrifying scenario of memory loss. A portion of her life, one party in particular, is a blank. Apparently, she behaved very inappropriately because a man she barely knows implies they have an intimate connection. If that isn’t bad enough, she receives a letter from a blackmailer who claims to have passionate love letters that she has written. If she doesn’t pay him, he will expose her.

Azalea doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t think she cheated on her husband, but she has this terrible blank spot in her memory, and something must have happened. Fortunately, Azalea’s sister and brother-in-law have some expertise in solving crime. (Backstory from book one.) Also, fortunately, her husband is devoted to her and is as determined as she is to figure out what is going on.

The plot is gripping enough and the pace was quick enough to keep me from dwelling on the bits that stretched believability. Amnesia plots are difficult to carry off, but her amnesia was limited enough and explained well enough that it worked. The relationships between husband and wife, and between Azalea and her sister, were heart-warming. The conclusion is satisfying.

And I must have enjoyed it because as soon as I finished I bought book one.

Well-written and intriguing, I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. With a frightening gap in her memory, Lady Azalea Trench is confronted with blackmail letters that not only threaten to expose her but the future of her marriage as well. Trying to hide the matter from her husband turns out to be most unwise as he is more astute than she gave him credit for. Although this book is not strictly a romance, it does reflect on a marriage relationship gone stale and finding the path back to one another again. Azalea is a light-hearted being who is used to receiving the adulation of society, but having to face a silent, evil force, she begins to see her life and the people around her differently. Eric, Viscount Trench is a charming character, with echoes of Sir Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel. He comes to the realisation that if his wife did in fact have an affair, he only had himself to blame, due to his own lack of attention. I was delighted to meet up with Griz and Dragan once again and am really hoping we will see more of them in the future. I received a copy of this novel from Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

This is slightly humorous, extremely treacherous novel.
The gist of the story is one of blackmail and attempted murder.
Azalea and Eric make a difference between right and wrong.
I've read Mary Lancaster books before but this is a first mystery by her.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Azalea is a young mother, whose marriage has been a bit strained. As you learn her story, you find that Azalea suffered from "melancholy" after the birth of her daughter. Her husband Eric was distant. I loved how this story developed from such a sad tale of a young couple very much in love, to a couple struggling to find their way back - and then trouble hit. I will not write a spoiler review, so I can tell you that the mystery is well written and I couldn't figure out who the villain really was till the end! Ms. Lancaster allowed Azalea to realize a few things about herself - things she wasn't pleased to realize - and that made Azalea even a better woman. When Eric decided that they had to work to get their marriage back, he was just about perfect. Loved reading this story!

I received a complimentary copy of Letters to a Lover in exchange for an honest review. I honestly think you'll enjoy this story as much as I did.

Letters to a Lover featured a premise I hadn't read before in a historical romance, which inspired me to pick it up: An already wed couple, with a heroine struggling with memory lapses, and a hero trying to win his wife back. The tension comes from their attempts to reconnect and a blackmailing scheme that possibly implicates her in infidelity--infidelity that she can't recall. Unfortunately, I struggled to stay engaged with the couple as the heroine made repeated bad decisions throughout, namely not trusting her husband but telling everyone else. Then the author strings out the drama longer than necessary. As a result, an interesting premise fell flat for me though it may still pique others' interest.

Netgalley generously provided an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

This story is more mystery to me than romance. I loved the mystery portion. Lots of suspects, many ways trying to catch them, and finally satisfaction getting to the bottom of it. It has one of my favorite tropes, second chance romance and this one was really nice.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

I absolutely loved this book. It was not what I expected it to be (keep in mind that I started reading it without knowing what it was about, I just read the title and was like "seems fun" and requested the arc).

I expected this to be a very sappy romance with a secret love, but it was everything BUT a sappy romance.
It was Romance, and mystery, and not sappy at all. I LOVED IT. Absolutely LOVED it.

It wasn't the best plot. Halfway through the book and I already knew what was going to happen, but despite that the book was very enjoyable and fun to read. I never had the feeling of putting this book down and just wanted to keep on reading (which wasn't great for me, because I'm in the middle of my exams at university).

3,5 stars!

This is the first book in the series that I read, but I didn't feel that hurt my enjoyment at all. In a sign of how much I enjoyed it, it made me want to go back and read the previous book - Dragan and Griz's story sounds really interesting.

I spent the first third of this book yelling at Azalea to tell Eric what was going on and completely understood his frustration with his wife. I really liked that this book is told from both Azalea and Eric's perspectives. I often found myself also yelling at Eric to just flat out ask Azalea what was going on. Once all of that was out in the open the story really picked up and the mystery over the letter and blackmailer was very enjoyable. The author does a good job of creating multiple suspects and keeping you guessing until the end. I appreciated the scene with the doctor because it so masterfully depicted how women were treated by the medical field in those times. I was so glad that Dragan convinced Azalea to talk with him about what she was going through. The way in which Eric and Azalea found their way back to one another was beautifully written.

Letters to a Lover was a delightful read. I enjoyed every page of this book. It has everything I enjoy in a book, mystery, angst, romance, and humor. The mystery kept me guessing the whole time.

The story follows Azalea who is being blackmailed for money because of a secret. She requests the help of her sister and her sister's husband to find out who is behind the blackmailing. All the while trying to keep all of this from her husband Eric, Lord Trench.

This is the 2nd book in the Crime and Passion series. I have not read the first but I downloaded it right after I finished Letters to a Lover.

This was also the first book I have read by Mary Lancaster but it won’t be my last. Letters to a Lover was such a pleasure to read.

I received a digital Arc of this book. All my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing! I enjoyed everything about this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💋💋

What did I Love about this book?
. It’s not about a young starry eyed, newly married couple.
This pair are slightly more mature, they have 8 years of marriage under their belts, two children, and a whole lifetime of experiences together, from courting to childbirth, from post natal depression to loosing their way in their relationship and drifting apart.
It makes the book interesting and different and is very unique.
. I adored the fact that Griz and Dragan from book one were a large part of the story, adding to its depth with their sleuthing techniques.
. Having such an in-depth mystery made it hard to pin down the culprit, it kept my attention throughout.

It was a pleasure to read Eric and Azalea’s story, and I’m anxiously waiting for the next book to be released.
Mary has always been a great writer and storyteller, this series is one of her best.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

Blackmailed by love letters Azalea doesn’t remember writing, she turns to her sister and brother-in-law for help. Her husband, Eric, looking to repair their marriage, supports her quest to find the blackmailer as well. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

5 Stars

An amazing read. Book 2 of the Crime and Passion series. Book 1 is excellent and introduces us to Azalea's sister Griz and her husband Dragan, so even though you could get away with launching into the series at this stage I think it would be more enjoyable to read both. Azalea has had a tough couple of years. After suffering post natal depression she's returned to society and has had periods of lack of memory. Someone's blackmailing her and as her marriage is fragile she pays up and then gets Griz to help her sort out what's happening. Eric, her husband, is devoted to her but jealous and unsure what to do. I liked the interaction between the 4 characters and I didn't guess the villain which highlights how carefully the author crafts her stories.

I'd recommend this book and especially this author. Eagerly waiting the next episode!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A story which has from the first to the last page in agony . A married couple which has driven apart for no real reason . Two couples trying to solve a mystery . A lovely story .
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.