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May 276 min read

Letters from Home by Regina Jeffers is a Salute Military Event pick #historicalromance #salutemilitary #regency #giveaway



Title:

Letters from Home

 

Author:

Regina Jeffers

 

Genre:

historical romance; Regency romance; second chance romance; British historical fiction; historical Regency fiction; classic romance fiction; clean romance

 

Book Blurb:

 

She is the woman whose letters to another man kept Simon alive during the war. He is the English officer her late Scottish husband praised as being incomparable. Even without the assistance of the spirit of Christmas attempting to bring them together, she stirs his soul; in her, his heart whispers of being "home." In him, she discovers a man who truly recognizes all she has to give. Unfortunately for both, the lady most fears no longer being invisible to the world and assuming a place at his side.

 

The lady wishes to remain invisible and in her place as her cousin's companion. Can Major Lord Simon Lanford claim Mrs. Faith Lamont as his wife or will his rise to the earldom and his family’s expectations keep them apart?

 

Second Place in Short Historical Category ~ 2019 International Digital Awards 

 

Excerpt:

 

Simon claimed the caroling opportunity to sneak from the room. The moment he recognized Mrs. Lamont’s intention, a bit of insanity had consumed him. The woman had been on his mind since he first laid eyes upon her. Up until this point, he had presented himself altruistic reasons for aiding the lady; but no longer. Since speaking with Riggs earlier, he had been considering providing her with an anonymous annual endowment that would rescue her from her current circumstances, and she would be none the wiser. An allowance left to her by her lieutenant husband or her late father could be set up, and she would never know the source of the money. However, as much as he did not want to admit it, his desire to assist her had nothing to do with charity. Whether the lady was aware or not, she had saved him by teaching him, through her letters, of the important things in any man’s life. Until he took her “acquaintance” upon the Continent, he would have characterized his nature as bitter. He expected to die in battle—even imagined, with the purchase of his commission, such was the wish of his father. To be rid of him as easily as had Lord Geoffrey had been rid of Simon’s mother. Had imagined an honorable, but bloody death; yet, no more. Now he wanted to live long and watch his children grow. He wanted to know that he had made a difference in this world beyond his ability to strategize against his enemy.

 

Through Mrs. Lamont’s letters to another man, Simon had fallen in love with the idea of the “letter lady.” He had wanted the “home” Mrs. Lamont had described in her letters.

 

While recovering in the hospital, he had planned the changes he would make at Clarence Hall to place his mark on both the manor and the title and to erase all memories left by his father and brother beyond their names in the latest edition of Debrett’s.

 

Upon learning of Richard’s passing, Simon had initially thought to shut up Clarence Hall and move the seat of the earldom to the estate belonging to his mother’s family—abandoning it all to the cobwebs and the field rats, but his sense of responsibility for those upon the estate prevented him from following through with his plan. Therefore, he decided his story would not end in his frustration and fears, but rather in a different type of glory, one felt deep in a man’s soul. He had had enough of medieval armor and dated decor that spoke of long-dead ancestors; he wished to add whimsical touches to the manor and the grounds, ones his mother would have adored and ones his children, if he were so blessed, would return to again and again. He wanted his children to love the Hall as he never had. To cherish it as part of their being.

 

Moreover, he wanted to change how his tenants did business, giving them a future, as well as providing one for his family. He had spent months in the hospital working and reworking his plans, but not thinking upon a wife to make the portrait complete. It was as if he could not replace the image of a “Scottish lass” in his mind.

 

But now he knew his secret desire was flesh and blood. A woman who had suffered, as he had, but who had not lost her spirit and her forgiveness. Now, he simply wanted Mrs. Lamont. She fascinated him. The lady was beautiful, but more importantly, she was intelligent, kind, and resourceful, all qualities he admired.

 

Slipping into the morning room, Simon struck a flint and lit a candle. Retrieving her note, he unfolded it to examine her response to his apology. He had no preconceived ideas as to her message, but he certainly had not suspected she would run away from the possibility of a connection between them. Although he understood her reasons, Simon did not approve of the lady’s willingness to accept her lot. Had the world broken her spirit? He prayed it was not so because her spirit attracted him as much as did her comely face. “You may not desire my notice, my dear,” he whispered as he returned the note to an inside pocket, “but the shadows do not deserve you. You should seek the light and be gloried by it.”

 

Stepping to the door, he motioned a footman in the hall to him and sent the man to fetch paper and pencil. While Lanley sought out the requested items, Simon constructed his response in his head. He would speak to her goodness and his dependence upon her being the vibrant woman he had come to know through her letters. When Lanley returned, Simon sat to write: I wish I could ignore you and permit the shadows to claim you, but my nature compels me to act otherwise, for through your letters to Lieutenant Lamont, I have come to know you, to cherish you. I have laughed with you in your description of the children’s antics on All Fool’s Day. I have marveled over your efforts to climb the fairy steps without touching the cliff’s walls and privately celebrated with you when you finally knew success. And I have grieved with you when you spoke of a mother’s loss of her newborn child. Because of you, I held hope of returning to my English home—not simply to a fine house with dozens of servants—but rather to a woman’s heart—a woman I had yet to meet, but as real as were your words. Even though I am certain we have both known deep loneliness, surely you must realize none of us are alone. And I will testify to the fact I felt less lonely when I heard Lieutenant Lamont read your letters aloud. Can you not say the same since arriving at Clarence Hall? Are you still so lonely? Please, my dear lady, keep your dreams. Keep your faith. Faith for me is not a matter of imagination, but rather of interpretation. The world is better with you in it. I am better at having known you. 

 

Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):

 

 

 

 

What makes your featured book a must-read?

 

At one time or another, we have all experienced a feeling of déjà, two different streams of awareness that collide: It is the experience of recognizing a current situation, alongside the feeling that what you are experiencing is an inaccurate recollection, for you have never experienced it previously. Simon knows this feeling, for Mrs. Faith Lamont’s letters, those her husband had openly rebuked for their sentimentality, were the letters that had kept Simon alive during his long European campaign. In his heart, Faith has become the woman who can heal his sorrowed soul. Is what Simon feels for Faith related only to his own need for the recognition never presented him as his father’s second son? Are his feelings hindsight bias as Faith has suggested? No one can say with any assurance; yet, Simon is set on carving out a new future, rather than simply recollecting the past.

 

Giveaway –

 

Enter to win a $20 Amazon gift card:

 

 

Open Internationally.

 

Runs May 22 – May 28, 2024.

 

Winner will be drawn on May 29, 2024.

 

Author Biography:

 

Before writing romance, Jeffers wore many hats, including that of a tax preparer, journalist, choreographer, Broadway dancer, theatre director, history buff, teacher, grant writer, and media literacy consultant for school districts and public television. Now, “supposedly” retired, she writes full-time, skillfully enveloping her readers in the hearts and minds of her characters.

 

Social Media Links:

 

Every Woman Dreams (Blog)  https://reginajeffers.wordpress.com

Always Austen (Group Blog) https://alwaysausten.com/

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