The Letter - Sandra Owens

THE LETTER is a story of a betrayal that wasn't. Even so, it still tore two lovers apart for eleven years. Michael Jeffres, Earl of Daventry, found his betrothed, the woman who meant as much to him as the air he breathed, in bed with his cousin on the eve of their wedding. 
Diana, the daughter of a marquess, remembers nothing of that night. All she knows is she was forced to marry Michael's cousin, Leo, and then spent the next eleven years in hell. When the two lovers are brought back together by a letter from Leo a year after his death, they must struggle through all the lies and secrets before they can find a love that far surpasses that of their youth.

I don't exactly remember how I found this title but it may well be that it was free at Amazon. The premise interested me, I just can't resist stories about people who have met and separated in the past and that have to work at regaining each other's trust and regard once more. When those stories are filled with angst it makes it even better. This had the potential to be one of those stories.

When I started reading it I realised that this was a bit darker than what I had thought. It dealt with extreme domestic violence and that is something I definitely do not enjoy reading about. Even if it was in the past I was sure it would have a big influence in the heroine's behavior and I was curious to see how her feelings and reactions would change.

My problem with it was that I never felt the type of angst I was expecting at this kind of story. I thought the heroine would be angrier and more bitter towards the hero. Instead, after one or two rounds of apologies and conversations about the past she starts having feelings towards him. She also came across as a bit too good to be true. In what concerns the hero, I never warmed up to him. I felt he was too quick to judge and then too quick to want  his forgiveness. And he manipulated the heroine and society too easily.

I'm not overly fond of the the "other woman" villain of which we have an example in this book but I will read it if it helps the plot. However, here, the woman changes too quickly from being a determined villain to a victim herself when confronted by the heroine. I was hoping we would get more info about her and the demons that haunted her but it doesn't happen. I was wondering if there are sequels in the works not only for her but about the two other couples that have relevant roles in this story.

I thought we had the basis for a good story but we needed more depth and characterisation. Sadly a bit of a let down for me...

Grade: 2.5/5