He’s back from the dead and she want to be financially independent. A great plot and delivery. Jane and Eli were a great match and the slow build up was great. Eli had to gain Jane’s trust again after getting engaged to her cousin before he was shipwrecked. Jane was a strong female character, dismissing marriage in favor of spinsterhood and having a successful club.
The narrator was very good, had an engaging voice and enthusiasm with the various character voices.

An absolutely lovely, delightful story of second chances! If your heart beats for a tender, tension filled friends to lovers trope, The Lady He Lost will have you swooning. Faye Delacour so beautifully executes this trope and I was rooting for Jane and Eli from the start. Although Jane and Eli have only had eyes for each other for years, there are small complications like Eli was presumed dead for two years following a shipwreck… and right before that, he was briefly engaged to Jane’s cousin. Lots to work through!

My heart ached for Jane! I understood Jane’s reaction to build walls around her heart - she was forced to grow up so quickly and her heart was tender from past hurt and unrequited love - and I loved how Eli slowly sought make amends and rebuild trust with Jane by prioritizing open communication and emotional intimacy. It was quite moving to see Jane and Eli bare their souls by sharing their fears, dreams, and desires while seeking forgiveness for past hurt, and working together to build a foundation of trust and support for their future to rest upon.

I love historical romance where FMC seeks an unconventional path to establish independence, while ignoring her family’s attempts at matchmaking, and embracing the title of ‘spinster’ to make a name for herself. Jane was such a clever, determined character and I relished seeing her fight back against her meddling, overbearing family members as they tried to shape Jane’s future into something genteel and ‘appropriate’. And I adored how Jane’s friends and Eli rallied around her, fully supporting her endeavors to establish a ladies’ only gaming club.

Blythe Fortune’s superb narration made for a most delightful listening experience and infused another layer of humor, tenderness, and joy in the story. This story has quite a large cast and Fortune had distinct voices for every character, and Jane and Cecily’s voices in particular were so perfect for their characters’ personalities.

This was such a sweet and soft story of second chances and friendship and I am looking forward to reading more from Delacour in the future!