Lost love letters, lies, and betrayals separate a soldier from the woman he loves in this gripping, emotional Victorian romance from Matthews (the Parish Orphans of Devon series). Sebastian Conrad returns to the English countryside from India following the rebellion of 1857, covered in scars, wracked with night terrors, and convinced that Sylvia Stafford, the woman he loves, no longer loves him back. Why else would she have halted their correspondence while he was abroad? Before Sebastian left for India, Sylvia was a naive romantic, but in the three years since she last saw or heard from him, life has been cruel to the former baroness. Her father’s gambling addiction and suicide left her penniless, alone, and stripped of her title. Now Sebastian and Sylvia’s differing social ranks and years of misunderstandings stand in the way of their happiness, but Julia Harker, Conrad’s sprightly, nosey, and delightfully dramatic younger sister, is determined to bring them back together. The chemistry between these star-crossed lovers is undeniable, and Matthews imbues their sweeping romance with just the right amount of period detail to make the setting come alive. Historical romance fans should snap this one up. (Self-published)