The Love Letter

I found this espionage mystery by Lucinda Riley a bit a mixed bag of an uneven read. At the grand old age of 95, Sir James Harrison, a celebrated actor, dies leaving behind a heartbroken family, none more so than his beloved granddaughter, Zoe, single mother and up coming actress. For Zoe, James was more of a father than her actual famous actor father, Charles. Her brother, Marcus, an aspiring film producer has endured career flop after flop, constantly being financially rescued by his father and looking for a large sum of money to financially back his latest project that he is sure will turn his fortunes around. An ill and heartbroken Joanna Haslam, an ambitious tabloid journalist, rises from her sick bed to cover Sir James funeral, attended by famous celebrities. To Jo's dismay, an elderly woman, Rose, sitting next to her takes a turn for the worse, so she accompanies her home. Rose dies but a letter from her has Jo delving into secrets from the past that promises an exclusive that could make her career and shatter the establishment. It also places Jo's life and those of others in danger.<br /><br />For a while, I thought this novel wasn't for me, but I found my interest engaged after more than a third of the way through. However, the meandering story and plot got too messy occasionally, making for a less than clear narrative. Zoe has a past and secrets in the present that echo what happened earlier with her grandfather. The intelligence services are all over the Harrisons and Jo, determined to prevent the leakages that threaten a nation, willing to eliminate all threats as we see from the rising tide of dead bodies but also having to cope with a rogue agent. Simon, Jo's best friend from Yorkshire, finds himself facing personal and professional quandries that challenge his friendship with Jo. In this intricately plotted tale with twists, a story of lies, deception, love, loss and secrets, Jo is going to need all her wits about her if she is to survive. I found this to be an uneven and a confusion of a novel, but enjoyed it overall though. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley was a story of a secret so important that it had to stay out of the public eye at all costs. An historical novel that had it all, action, adventure, romance and danger.<br />Joanna Haslam a junior reporter is sent to write a report on the funeral of the actor Sir James Harrison. At the church she meets an old lady who passes her information than will eventually lead to a shocking discovery.<br />I really enjoyed this book all seven hundred pages. The characters were excellent and the story had me hooked from the beginning and I did not want to put it down.<br />I would like to thank NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review. <br />

EXCERPT: It was the morphine turning his brain to jelly. Tomorrow he'd have none, and then he'd remember what it was he must do before he died. <br />'Okay. You just relax and try to get some sleep,' she soothed him, her hand stroking his forehead. 'The doctor will be here soon.'<br />He knew he mustn't go to sleep. He closed his eyes, desperately searching, searching . . . snatches of memories, faces . . . <br />Then he saw her, as clear as the day he'd first met her. So beautiful, so gentle . . .<br />'Remember? The letter, my darling,' she whispered to him. 'You promised to return it . . .'<br /><br />ABOUT 'THE LOVE LETTER': 1995, London. When Sir James Harrison, one the greatest actors of his generation, passes away at the age of 95 he leaves behind not just a heartbroken family but also a secret so shocking, so devastating that it could rock the English establishment to its core. <br /><br />Joanna Haslam is an ambitious young journalist assigned to cover the legendary actor's funeral. The great and the good of the celebrity world are there.<br /><br />But Joanna stumbles on something dark beneath the glamour: the mention of a letter James Harrison has left behind, the contents of which others have been desperate to conceal for over 70 years. <br /><br />As she peels back the veil of lies that has shrouded the secret, she realizes that there are other forces attempting to prevent her from discovering the truth. And they'll stop at nothing to reach the letter before she does. <br /><br />MY THOUGHTS: The Love Letter took a bit more for me to become fully immersed in than is normal for this author. At first I thought the storyline very similar to The Angel Tree, which I had just finished. But then the story took a turn that I wasn't expecting, and everything changed. <br /><br />The Love Letter is a sweeping novel that encompasses secrets, murder, treachery, love, lies, and questions of identity and loyalty spread over two timelines - the period immediately before and after George VI coming to the throne, and 1995 when actor Sir James Harrison dies without fulfilling a promise he had made many years earlier. <br /><br />A blend of thriller, drama and romance involving MI5, the royal family, an acting dynasty and a young investigative reporter eager to make a name for herself, Lucinda Riley seems to have added a new dimension to her writing with the Love Letter, not entirely successfully in my honest opinion. <br /><br />The narrative doesn't flow as smoothly as it should and I had some problems with the ending where I was required to suspend my belief and just go with the flow. It then finishes on a bit of a cliffhanger which, in this case, I enjoyed. <br /><br />Despite my reservations regarding the choppy nature of the narrative at times, I did enjoy this read, although not to the same extent as other titles I have read by Riley. The Butterfly Room remains a clear favourite. <br /><br />Camilla Rockley is a superb narrator. I don't think this particular cover does the book justice. <br /><br />⭐⭐⭐.7<br /><br />#TheLoveLetter #WaitomoDistrictLibrary <br /><br />I: @lucindarileybooks @wfhowes<br /><br />T: @lucindariley @WFHowes<br /><br />#historicalfiction #mystery #romance #thriller <br /><br />THE AUTHOR: Lucinda Riley is an Irish author of popular historical fiction and a former actress. She spent the first few years of her life in the village of Drumbeg near Belfast before moving to England. At age 14 she moved to London to a specialist drama and ballet school. She wrote her first book aged twenty four. Lucinda died in June 2021.<br /><br />DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Waitomo District Library for the loan of the audiobook The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. <br /><br />For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com<br /><br />This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon,Instagram and my webpage <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/2023/01/26/the-love-letter-by-lucinda-riley-narrated-by-camilla-rockley/">https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...</a>

4,5 Sterne<br /><br />Ich weiß gar nicht was ich zu diesem Buch sagen soll... Ich hatte ja mit vielem gerechnet, aber nicht mit dem, was ich hier bekommen habe. Bisher kenne ich nur die Sieben-Schwestern-Reihe der Autorin (und mag sie auch sehr!), aber das hier war was ganz anderes. <br />Erwartet hatte ich einen Roman über ein Familiengeheimnis, bekommen habe ich aber einen so krass spannenden Roman! Ich habe immer direkt mehrere hundert Seiten am Stück gelesen, weil ich das Buch einfach nicht aus der Hand legen konnte. Gestern habe ich die letzten 300 Seiten am Stück gelesen und musste das Buch nachts um halb zwei noch beenden, weil ich einfach wissen musste wie es ausgeht.<br />Das einzige was mich nicht zu 100% überzeugen konnte war das Ende, auch wenn ich die Auflösung echt gelungen fand. Ein paar Prämissen/Ergebnisse waren mir dann doch etwas zu drüber.<br />Ansonsten muss ich echt meinen Hut vor Lucinda Riley ziehen, da sie es meisterhaft geschafft hat den Leser immer wieder im Dunkeln zu lassen und es gab für mich unendlich viele unvorhersehbare Plottwists. Auch die Gefühle blieben hier nicht zu kurz und ich konnte mit allen Charakteren total mitfühlen und mitfiebern.<br />Ich fand dieses Buch wirklich einfach nur grandios! Gerade weil ich nicht mit einer so spannenden Geschichte gerechnet hatte!

*<a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com">https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com</a><br />The Love Letter is the latest historical crossed with romance and thriller elements from saga queen Lucinda Riley. Originally published in 1998, as Seeing Double, it received fairly mediocre reception twenty years ago. Conditions of the time and the main storyline crux, which is closely linked to the British monarchy, contributed to this book’s downfall. Now, twenty years later and due to the success of The Seven Sisters series, along with seven other well received saga novels, Lucinda Riley has provided The Love Letter (aka Seeing Double) with another chance.<br /><br />The Love Letter opens in London, in 1995. The world has just lost one of its finest and most enduring actors, the late Sir James Harrison. Sir James’ death leaves his family with a broken heart and it marks the revelation of a shocking secret that has links to the royal family. Involved in the revelation of this secret is an ambitious young journalist, Joanna Haslam. When Joanna is tasked to cover the funeral of Sir James Harrison, she discovers the existence of a letter, penned by the late actor. This letter and the contents inside has the power to shake those at the very top of the establishment, as well as those close to Sir James. As Joanna becomes more and more determined to set the contents of the letter right, her life suddenly comes under fire. Will the love letter destroy Joanna?<br /><br />I consider myself a big fan of Lucinda Riley, I tuned to her work when I had read all of Kate Morton’s work and I was looking for a similar style author. After years of closely following Riley’s work, especially The Seven Sisters series, The Love Letter filled my Riley gap while I sit waiting for The Moon Sister, which is the next chapter in The Seven Sisters series.<br /><br />Reading the opening author’s note was rather enlightening. The Love Letter has had an interesting road to publication and re-publication. Originally published as Seeing Double in 1998, it seems this novel did not receive a great first reaction from readers and publishers alike. Riley uses the climate at the time in Britain and the themes of the book, which are closely tied to the monarchy. I can see this as being an issue, as I did live in the UK at this very point in time. There was no confidence in the monarchy and public opinion was at an all time low, following the tragic death of the Princess Diana. Riley has patiently sat on her novel and has now re-released her book to a very different audience and perhaps a more receptive climate. The popularity of the modern royals, the release of the award winning Crown series and the time that has passed since Princess Diana’s death may help to re-energize The Love Letter.<br /><br />There are some great themes covered in The Love Letter from espionage, to intrigue, history, drama and romance. There are links to the monarchy, media and MI5, along with ties to the entertainment world. The Love Letter will be sure to capture the hearts and minds of many readers due to the broad themes. I believe it will particularly appeal to fans of the royal family.<br /><br />Riley has composed a great character set. Joanna was a standout. Riley does an excellent job of outlining Joanna’s journey, which covers her career, friendships, love life and her key involvement in exposing the truth behind the love letter. Joanna is joined by a set cast of well defined individuals, from Zoe, to Simon and Marcus. There is not much I can fault by way of characterisation. Riley also manages to balance good and bad figures throughout the proceedings of her novel.<br /><br />Setting is always Riley’s strength. In all of her novels the setting has a strong presence. The Love Letter is situated mainly in London in 1995. This is a time and place I know very well and I thought Riley nailed it. A sense of nostalgia washed over me as I read this novel. I really enjoyed the historical moments that were delicately woven through this set piece.<br /><br />It was interesting to see Lucinda Riley take on quite a different format with The Love Letter. There is much more of an emphasis on action, thrills, adventure, espionage and deceit. It marks a different direction for Lucinda Riley and I enjoyed it very much. Who would have thought that the contents of a letter written seventy years ago would be so explosive! Lucinda Riley lets us know. And the ending? Well, it was tied up neatly, but for me it was just a touch too unbelievable !<br /><br />The Love Letter is a saga indeed, at almost 600 pages long, it will consume you. It is full of romance, secrets, lies, treachery, betrayals, twists, turns, unexpected revelations and a good old historical mystery. I’m sure this response to The Love Letter won’t surprise you, I will be back for more of Riley’s work and I recommend The Love Letter to all readers.<br /><br />The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley was published on 31st July 2018 by Pan Macmillan. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.<br /><br />*I wish to thank Pan Macmillan for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.<br /><br />*Book ‘R’ of the a-z author challenge 2018<br /><br /> <br /><br />

The plot is wildly convoluted and improbable. The characters...many of whom apparently aspire to be James Bond...are unbelievable as well as unlikeable. In spite of that there is something about it that keeps the reader staying with it. Maybe it's the assumption and unfounded hope, that it just HAS to get better at some point. After all, it is Lucinda Riley, who is a wonderful author that has been responsible of a number of books that I have really enjoyed. This book was very wordy and oh so frustrating. The plot intricacies got in the way of showing relationships actually develop, making the character motivation feeling rushed. Ms. Riley didn't even attempt to tie in some aspects of the mystery. It was for a challenge so it did serve a purpose,

2 stars! ⭐️⭐️<br /><br />Sigh. This is going to be brief. <br /><br />I absolutely adore Riley’s Seven Sisters series. So, when I saw The Royal Secret on NetGalley, I really wanted to read it. The premise was great and - let’s face it - the title is super intriguing! Sadly, this book did not meet my expectations. I found it to be super slow, boring at times, too long and a chore to read. I just didn’t get it. Trying to keep up with all of the characters just added to my confusion. <br /><br />This was the first standalone novel I’ve read by this author. Although it was not enjoyable, I plan on reading some of her other books because I’ve heard they are very good. <br /><br />Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and Lucinda Riley for my advanced copy to read and review.

This was my first Lucinda Riley book, and I really enjoyed it. You definitely have to take into account that it was written over 20 years ago and rereleased. It could have used some editing (it didn't need to be 500 pages to tell this story), but I ended up really liking it. I'll definitely read more of her books in the future.<br />

Originally published as <i> The Love Letter</i> this was just a good mystery mixed with some royal family intrigue that kept me captivated. Although a little too long, this had the makings of a good limited series on Netflix or Prime. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Goodreads review published 08/07/20

Ooookay, das verbuche ich dann mal als das absurdeste Ende aller Zeiten... Was für ein blöder Abschluss. Und ich muss ehrlich zugeben, dass ich nicht kapiert habe, was nun das große Geheimnis war, das Joana aufdecken wollte?! Ich wäre euch seeeehr dankbar, wenn ihr mir eine Nachricht schreiben würdet und erklärt, was sie da nun herausgefunden hat o.O