An intriguing gothic novel, Hannah Linder's "Never Forgotten" follows Simon Fancourt as he returns to England after twelve years away, determined to bring his wife's murderers to justice. Georgina Whitmore, the girl he left behind, decides to help him. Why, I have no idea.

As a reader, my problem was this: Simon rejects an arranged marriage to Georgina because she behaves like a shallow, flirty, fifteen-year-old. Well, she WAS fifteen. Therefore, in a supreme act of "how dare you dictate to me, I'll show you all!", seventeen-year-old Simon flees to America. Returning, he finds his family forever changed, although Georgina has been in love with him all this time. Again, I wonder why, as I found him unlikable throughout the entire book. Does he display any character growth? In my opinion, he does NOT. Perhaps Georgina doesn't either, but she's a lovely person from the start. True, she hides behind a shield, but whose fault is THAT?

That being said, characters are well-drawn. Simon's mother is a delight, and Alexander Oswald is a complex and flawed character whom I liked. There are various plot threads in this busy book, although the connection of a few is rather tenuous. Murder, blackmail, and suicide all play a part. In addition, there are a lot of players involved.

While I don't consider this one of Linder's better novels (and I have read them all), "Never Forgotten" is still a decent read. The author's prose is lovely, and the book is clean. There is some violence, however, given that murder is central to the plot. Most is offscreen. 3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for an ARC of this tale.

This is one of my favorite books by this author. She does a great job at portraying what was likely reality in this time period. The cover of this book makes it look like it will be a light and happy story but it is very mysterious and heavy and gothic. Linder does not shy away from really hard things and this book is no exception. While it isn't graphic there is murder and references to rape along with a lot of anger and grief. There is a good redemption story line also that made this book have a lot more depth. I really love the characters and the mystery is well written. Overall I enjoyed this book and I recommend if you are up for a little mystery that spans continents!



Four Stars.



"I received this book from NetGalley for free. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."

Loved reading the inspirational and heart-wrenching story. Even though Simon still doesn't want to marry Georgina years later, Georgina's love for Simon is unending, and she helps Simon try to find the people responsible for Simon's wife's death and wants to protect Simon's children from harm. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written full of mystery and intrigue and a must read riveting story by the amazing and awesome author, Hannah Linder.

I greatly enjoyed this read! This is my first book by author Hannah Linder and I was thoroughly mesmerized. I love a good “who-dunit?” plot and this one kept me guessing the entire way through. The character development was spot on. I absolutely adore a slow-burn romance and this one was executed perfectly. I also absolutely adored one of the main side characters - Mr. Alexander Oswald.

The faith was a bit light in this one - the characters praying here and there when in trouble was about it. There were some interwoven themes of forgiveness and reconciliation as well as a beautiful example of sacrificing oneself for another that more subtly (or maybe not so subtly) points out Christ too. Overall a very captivating, fast-paced read.

Thanks to the generosity of the author, the publisher, and NetGalley, I received an ARC for free. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Captivating, mysterious and romantic! There is heartbreak, loss and a beautiful discovery of new love. A compelling page turner! Highly recommend!!

NEVER FORGOTTEN by HANNAH LINDER is an exciting Regency novel which is so full of suspense and adventure that you will not be able to put it down. The characters are unforgettable and the author’s descriptions of their emotions makes us feel what they are feeling. We feel Georgina’s fear of rejection by those she loves after being rejected by her betrothed, and Simon’s feeling that he must do something great to show his father he is his own man……
Simon comes back to England from Marwicktow North Carolina, where he has been living happily in a cabin in the mountains with his wife and children, to find and kill those responsible for his wife’s gruesome murder. This leads him into all kinds of trouble……
There is a beautiful romance that unfolds in the story…….
I am not going to tell you any more for fear of spoiling things for you.
I highly recomend this thrilling and inspirational read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

What a wonderful moving story that had Ddepth in the characters. It was encouraging to read about how families can pull together and also at the same time hurt each other, very true to life.