Saving Prince Regent’s godson on the battle field Evan Eldridge is knighted, given an estate, land and money. Duke’s daughter Diana Seaton is also selected by the Prince Regent to marry the new Earl of Whitelock, wildly against her father’s wishes. The married couple hides serious secrets, but is forced to trust each other when life threatening events occur.

The Lost Lieutenant is first installment in the new (Serendipity & Secrets) by Erica Vetsch which is set in London and Berkshire 1813. It’s about War Veteran Evan Eldridge who is knighted for bravery in the Peninsular War. I find this book to be interesting and unusual as it focuses on a male main character. In all similar stories I have read the main character has been female, which makes this a novelty.

Main character Evan Eldridge is a traumatized ex sharpshooter. Following the Prince Regent’s gratitude he has to suddenly learn how to be a gentleman and. I like him a lot as he seems a well rounded character with good values who is a believer in God. He is my favorite of this story.

Secondary character Diana Seaton is pressured to do her father’s bidding to marry someone chosen by him. She seems assertive and strong despite the way her father treats her.
I felt sorry for her trying to deal with an impossible situation.

There is some impressive character building in The Lost Lieutenant (Serendipity & Secrets #1) by Erica Vetsch. The characters seem to be built from a combination of the most problematic character traits of the time.

Evan suffered memory loss related to events on the battle field. My favorite part of the story was clues to the mystery of what happened. This part of the plot included a surprising development.

Plenty of complications prevented Diana and Evan from getting close. Nothing much happened in the way of romance until the second half of the book, which I found in keeping with the development of the plot. It made room for other dramatic elements to remain in the foreground.

I enjoyed that some of the spiritual message was conveyed through song (or poem) and that both Evan and Diana prayed for strength throughout the story.

The Lost Lieutenant (Serendipity & Secrets #1) by Erica Vetsch is excellent entertaining in an interesting plot with captivating character building and enjoyable, vivid writing. The ending is exciting as well as satisfying and ties up loose ends while still leaving enough to build a plot for the next book. I will eagerly be watching out for the next installment in Serendipity & Secrets Series by Erica Vetsch.

Fans of Erica Vetsch will love this new series. Readers of historical romance fiction might enjoy it as well. Similar authors to explore might be Julie Klassen, Carolyn Miller, and Kristi Ann Hunter.

Thank you to publisher Kregel Publications and NetGalley for this eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review.

My rating: 5 stars / 5
Main reason: interesting plot, excellent character building, great writing