Love and Loss at Whitmore Manor

by Anita Stansfield

For nearly three years, British Officer Tristan Whitmore fought bravely for King and Crown in America. But his loyalty came at a price, and after slowly recovering from battlefield injuries, it is finally time to return to his beloved England and his wife, Muriel. But there is to be no tender reunion at Whitmore Manor—instead, Tristan is stunned to learn of his wife’s deceit in his absence and her unexpected death. And to add to the shocking blow, this devastating news is delivered by the last woman Tristan ever hoped to see again.

Olivia Halstead lost everything after the death of her father but found refuge with her cousin Muriel while Muriel’s husband was at war. Now, with the loss of her cousin, Olivia feels she has trespassed too long on the hospitality of the family. But before she can depart, Muriel’s husband returns, and Olivia’s own thorny history with the man comes rushing in: years ago, theirs was a tender courtship—followed too soon by a bitter parting of ways.

Now two people divided by past betrayal find an unforeseen chance for reconciliation. But when Tristan and Olivia find themselves on opposite sides of a revolution, will their clashing allegiances tear them apart forever?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Historical Romance

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2017

About the author

Anita Stansfield, the LDS market's #1 best-selling romance novelist, is an imaginative and prolific writer whose romantic stories have captivated her readers.

"With sales approaching a half million, Anita Stansfield has clearly found a niche in this market," said Nicole Martin, Publicist for Covenant Communications. "Her popularity stems from her ability to empathize with and write about the issues that LDS women deal with on a daily basis."

"I always write for women like me. It's through my interaction with other women that I've found there are some personal and emotional struggles that are typical," said Anita Stansfield. "I hope my writing makes women feel better about themselves and shows them these real problems can be solved through gospel principles."

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I love about Anita Stansbury’s books is that there is always a moral to the story and there is also faith to be considered in her characters. It always makes me think about those things after I am done.

The very beginning of the book grabs you and makes you wonder what Tristan’s life has been like and why he would feel as low as he does. Then the story gives you Tristan’s character and that he is an honorable man but something is amiss in his life. Then we learn all about his life and his past decisions and the mistakes he has made. But it kind of makes you see him as human and not some romantic superstar with all the faults most of us make.

The romance between Tristan and Olivia is different than most. They had a past and are trying to reconcile that past and mistakes that were made and some of the new pieces of their lives and beliefs.

I love the connections they all have to Tristan’s father and the way they love and care for his ailing father.

There was some suspense and it kept the pace of the book moving. The characters are all believable and I enjoyed the friendships and the way the servants all interacted with one another.

Overall, it is a very enjoyable story!

You and I need to be together; we need to share our lives in every respect. I need you. More importantly, I love you. And I want to devote my life to caring for you and making you happy.

If you like honor and duty, treason, faith, making up for past mistakes, apologies, some people who are without honor, medical skills, friendships of a lifetime then this might be for you

[Michelle Llewellyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just when you think Anita Stansfield can't get any worse, her editors allow the publication of a "first draft" to be dumped on her poor readers.

First thing you need to know about this novel, everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) spends the first half talking about a character named Muriel who was killed off in the first chapter. We don't really care about her. Sure, she was a sociopath who deceived everyone, committed adultery and broke poor Tristan's heart. Never mind all the other characters were such doormats they allowed Muriel to walk all over them. Tristan dumped Muriel's favorite cousin, Olivia, for Muriel then left to fight in the Revolutionary War in America after the wedding. Tristan was wounded. Now, three years later, he's back to learn Muriel died in childbirth with another man's baby and Olivia is still here and conveniently available. That's all you need to know. Can anyone let Muriel's terrible deception go and admit they were all fools? No. ("All I hear about is how great Muriel is: Muriel Muriel Muriel!") Olivia and Tristan dance around their awkward relationship before finally reconciling.

Seemingly bored with that first plot device, the author spends the remainder of the book involving the characters in a smuggling plot. Turns out everyone at Whitmore Manor was a traitor with a burning desire to help aid the poor colonists' cause back in America. Never mind this story takes place mostly in England and Tristan was the only one who fought there. It's hardly exciting or page turning. Nothing that wasn't already covered in this author's previous Buchannan Saga from 2004 (because the story contained an out-of-wedlock birth, Deseret Book wouldn't touch it so it was published independently) in which two male characters from England also went to America and became turncoats yet managed to thwart arrest and hanging. Here, Tristan and Olivia also manage to throw the authorities off the scent, nobody is arrested and everyone lives happily ever after.

I've said it before, I'll say it again. This author's best work was from 1994 (First Love and Forever) to 2000 (Towers of Brierley). Please, please read these novels before picking up any of her recent books. Anita Stansfield's "golden years" produced some of her best and finest work and it's a shame Covenant has to rely solely on her name to guarantee any book sales. First time writers with such poor quality plot and character arcs as found in this book would never make it in today's market.

There is nothing offensive at all in this book. Read it, but don't feel bad about skimming pages waiting for the story to pick up.
Audible fans, you have been warned.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storyline was actually pretty good. The conversations and internal thoughts of characters was tedious. The language was not of the time period. Maybe I read too many Regency Romance, but in comparison the men did not speak as men of the time. I prefer a time period Piece to reflect the vocabulary and vision. I definitely would not recommend this book. It would have been very easy to make this a historical fiction, but it just read so poorly.

[Katie Allen]

Did I read this book? No. Did I read one with a remarkably similar title and vibe? Yes. Do I remember the title or author? No. Was it truly horrible and embarrassing that I read it? Yes. Do I want to add it to Goodreads so I get credit for reading it? Obviously. Can I find it? Obviously not.

Here is my solution.

PS: it's nothing personal, Anita, and I'm sure your book is great!

[Sonya Wasden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an epic story of loss, betrayal, trust, loyalty and ultimately love. Tristan Whitmore had been a soldier in the British Army and had fought in the American Colonies for three years before being injured and returning home. He was excited to finally be going home to his wife, Muriel and his father. Upon his return he learned of his wife's death and ultimate betrayal. He was also faced with the one person he did not want to see, Muriel's cousin, Olivia. He had been convinced by his wife that Olivia could never be trusted but in light of his wife's betrayal, he began to see that Olivia was not the person that Muriel had painted her to be. He had known and loved Olivia before Muriel and he knew her to be a kind a good woman. But, would he ever be able to trust anyone again?

I enjoyed this story along with the many characters of this story. There were deep friendships and loyalties among those who lived at Whitmore Manor. The story was clean, with no foul language or gratuitous sex. The story was genuine and real and wonderful.

I was given an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Bethany Swafford · Rating 2 out of 5]

After three years of fighting for king and country, Tristan returns home after being wounded. What he finds are secrets revealed and loss he never expected. Olivia has been running the house and the return of Tristan threatens everything she holds dear.

The plot and description were what drew me to this book. I've never read anything by this author before and after reading this book, I am not inclined to pick up another by her. The intrigue of the plot was not enough to cover for uninteresting characters. There were times I was so bored I would skim the pages, trying to find something to catch my interest again.

Tristan was forgettable and though he goes through what should very emotional circumstances, I didn't feel any emotion coming off the page. Olivia was not a consistent character. She would think one thing and then say another.

The narrative style was repetitive and I became annoyed with how often I was told something I'd already been told on a previous page. The dialogue was stilted and I didn't have any feel for the time period.

Overall, I did not enjoy this one, though there are readers, I am sure, who might. I received a free copy from NetGalley for reviewing purposes.

[Reviews by the Mrs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good clean romance and how can I resist a Revolutionary War era novel! While I had very high hopes for this story, it ultimately was too scattered for enjoyment.
Tristan has fought bravely for King and Country in the colonies for several years but upon wounding, he returns to his home Whitmore Manor. Upon arrival he is met with Olivia, his wife's cousin and a woman he despises; and is told of his wife's death. Tristan spends little time grieving her death because their relationship was quite strained and finds his heart softening for Olivia. The problem....I didn't buy their romance one single bit! The author attempts to have major plot reveals about Tristan and Olivia's past but it does not work. The reveals felt very forced and sudden. The story would have been served better if the author discussed the past in detail PRIOR to their declarations of love.
With the romance feeling not believable, the remainder of the story just began to drag. I also found some of the language used to not fit the era. The initial storyline had the promise of being a very intriguing novel but without the necessary editing and cultivation of the plot, this story didn't work for me.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm normally pretty easy to please, and not very vocal when it comes to reviewing anything, but I felt driven to speak out. Where to start? Far too much preaching, analyzation and repetition from the author. I read ahead and skipped so much, yet didn't feel like I missed anything. The characters were weak and shallow. Their thought processes and communication were far too modern. It was entirely unbelievable that they could be participating in the activities they were for the reasons they were. I could go on. I knew I quit reading Stansfield a long time ago for something, and now I remember why. It's too bad, really, seeing as how she is the godmother of the modern LDS fiction scene. Sorry to be so harsh, Anita! You have done good work in the past. But, readers, do yourself a favor and skip this one. And perhaps others.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really loved Anita's work from a decade ago. Now I feel like all her books are the same-you just need to change the characters and setting. However, I feel like she is preaching about forgiveness and redemption and using a story as her method of delivery. I literally found myself skipping pages because it was SO repetitive.
This story was a good story. I liked the premise a lot. Unfortunately the pages of angst killed any suspense that was built up. The characters were good, the plot engaging, even the happily ever after ending was well done. If you don't mind reading pages of inner struggle with forgiveness and guilt, you may really enjoy this one.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my third book I've read by Anita Stansfield. I find that I struggle with elements of her books and characters. I also find things repeated quite frequently until I start thinking, "Okay, I get it already". With that said there were some characters I did enjoy in this book and a few scenes that entertained me (mostly the doctor and the father).

[Kelly Tyree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love and Loss at Whitmore Manor is a well written book that really captures your interest right at the start and keeps you interested throughout. It really is a story about love and loss but has a much deeper meaning to each of those experiences.

Tristan Whitmore is a British soldier who fought for three years but was wounded on the battlefield. As he heals, he meets a doctor who he befriends. Tristan also begins to assist the doctor as he sees the overwhelming amount of injured that come into the makeshift hospital. Tristan gains great medical knowledge but receives his papers to go home. He returns home to a home that is very different from the one he left. But Tristan is also not the same man he was when he left home. Upon returning home he learns his wife has died but was unfaithful to him while he was gone. He also sees his father's health has declined. Tristan begins to have a deeply fulfilling relationship with his father.

Olivia Halstead is the cousin of Tristan's late wife. Tristan's late wife was not a nice woman at all but she took Olivia in when Olivia's father died. While Tristan has been gone, Olivia and Tristan's father have become close. Olivia has strong feelings for Tristan and he also has feelings for her. They courted before Tristan's late wife manipulated him into marriage. Olivia and Tristan begin a relationship once they realize the feelings they had for one another had not gone away. But Olivia has a secret. Most of the staff are also aware and participants in the secret. When Tristan discovers the secret one night, will his trust and love for Olivia be enough? And when Olivia's life is threatened, will the medical skills he gained be enough to save the woman he loves?

This is the first book I have read by Stansfield but it will not be the last. She is a talented author who really made the characters easy to like.

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author really puts her characters through an obstacle course of the heart. In this one, Tristan Whitmore has been a soldier for three years fighting against the colonists in America. When he is wounded, he makes a friend of the doctor and apprentices to him during the remainder of his convalescence once he’s up and about. He doesn’t want to return home. He left his house in disorder. An unhappy marriage. A disappointed father. And other troubles he does not care to think about. But when his doctor friend urges him to return home and put his house in order, Tristan decides to do his best. He has grown up in the three years he has been away, and is a better man. Meanwhile, back at Whitmore Manor, Olivia prays for Tristan’s return for his father’s sake, but dreads his return herself. When he married her vain, selfish cousin, he shattered her heart. But horrid circumstances have left her destitute and put her at his mercy.

The twists and turns in this story takes the reader through soul-tugging waters. Tristan and Olivia must reunite, but they have many wounds and deep distrust to overcome. This book can be long, and the author’s writing style has much more thought provoking questions and soul-searching than most books that use dialogue or scene to push the characters along. But the characters grow a lot, and endure much, and come out triumphant in the end, like a good romance should. It’s hard not to want to finish one of Stansfield’s books once you start because you can’t figure out how the characters will overcome their challenges. And when you think they’ve finally done it, something else arises to keep you turning the pages.

[Sheila (sheilasbookreviewer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting when a romance book with a little mystery has the best character end up being someone not part of "The Couple". My favorite character in this novel was Tristan's father, Walter. I liked how he treated everyone, Olivia, his son Tristan, and all of the servants/help. I felt like he was so genuine and his character jumped out of the pages and into your heart. His ideas and his ideals made him a favorite from the start.

The main characters of Tristan and Olivia are a nice couple. It may appear they come together quickly, but you realize from back story that they were a couple many years before the story even began. There seemed to be a lot of dialogue with Tristan and Olivia making amends over their prior breakup and I felt liked it dragged at times. It was nice though to see how with the gift of forgiveness they were able to come together again.

Another part of the story I really liked had to do with Dr. Jack Barburry, Tristan's friend from the war in the colonies and he was very likable. The mystery part of the book revolved around treason and I'm not going to say any more without giving away too much. I find that giving away secrets in a book that spoils the end are infuriating. Just know it's interesting and exciting.

Love & Loss at Whitmore Manor is a deep thinking story of love, forgiveness and intrigue. This novel has a little of everything that will attract readers of many genres.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the characters in this book! There's Tristan, who as the book opens is fighting in America against the colonists. Olivia, the cousin of Tristan's deceased wife. Tristan's father, Walter. And many other servants, and friends who live at Whitmore Manor.

I liked the foreshadowing at the beginning of the book with Olivia. You can tell she has some anxiety about Tristan coming back from America, but it doesn't become clear as to why for quite a while. I was quite curious as to why she wasn't thrilled about him coming home, and that helped me want to keep reading. I liked the way Olivia was so willing to forgive for past ills and move on in a happy direction.

I liked the way Tristan was also able to forgive. His wife, Muriel had done some things that she shouldn't have before her death, but he was able to move past that. I liked also that he was able to be honest with himself and with Olivia as to how he was feeling. Sometimes I felt like the characters were a bit "clinical" there wasn't a whole lot of feeling behind where they were coming from. But it didn't limit how much I liked the book.

The plot of this one is really good. I liked the flow of the whole book. There was danger and intrigue. Treason and love. This book has tons going for it. I really enjoyed it!

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

::sigh:: Another one where the heir to the family estates went off to war. That aside, his reluctance to go home to his unpleasant wife is a nice twist, as is the guilt he experiences over being relieved at her death. He and Olivia have real issues to sort out. I think they sort them out too easily, but it’s nice to see a little conflict and growth there.

There is some involvement with smuggling, but that problem is resolved pretty easily in the end. The people just…stopped smuggling.

And that’s really all there is to this story. I can’t remember much else happening. It just didn’t make an impact on me.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Infidelity, an unwed pregnancy, smuggling.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2...
Thank you to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for providing advanced reader copies in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Kaela Batson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will start this by saying, this is not my kind of book at all. I don't love victorian romances much. But my grandma did. She loved Anita Stansfield's work. While Christmas shopping she commented how much she wanted to read this one when she had extra funds for it. So my husband and I got it for her Christmas gift. Sadly she passed before she got to read it. So I decided to read it in her honor.

She would have loved every part of this book. She would have talked about it for days and how perfect the two were. And so for that reason I loved it. It brought me close to her again and was a wonderful experience. Thank you for writing a book I know Grandma would have loved.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although there were somewhat unbelievable events that occurred in this book, it was still a wonderful read. So many of the characters were such good people with a faith in God or searching for that faith. Their attitude in times of extreme trouble is something that was uplifting and something from which we can all learn. The story was engaging with some twists/turns that kept me interested until the very end. No sex, no profanity.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven’t read on of stansfield’s books in a while. This novel was enjoyable. I liked the characters, especially Olivia. Strong woman characters are rare. The story line dragged a little in my opinion. I put the book down for a little and even considered not picking it back up. In the end, I finished it, but just a different experience than what I expected.

[Sharee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give this book 2.5 stars. I love regency books and it bothered me that this one had a lot of language and dialogue that doesn't match with the time period. "Get some rest, old man." Those words never would have been spoken! Also, to agree with another review, there was a lot of preaching in this book. It just didn't quite match the level of other regency romance novels.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book ranks as one of Stansfield's best books. I didn't review it for my column because I recently reviewed another one of her books, but I liked characters dealing with problems not often found in Regency era stories. It was fun to see this popular romance author stray into mystery territory.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story once I was 1/3 of the way through. Anita has the tendency to let her characters mull and overthink. However, once Tristan and Olivia meet up and dialogue set in, it had an intriguing story, setting and even a mystery.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about the British war in the colonies. A story of love, friendship and treason, with a little bit of suspense. There is quite a bit of detail about life in a hospital in the midst of war. Anita Stansfield has written quite a few books, this is her fourth Regency romance novel.

[Abbie Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just another Stansfield novel. Same characters, same mannerisms, same everything. I shake my head at her ability to change some words around and produce the same story time and time again. Each book seems more familiar and like I've read it before.

[Elizabeth Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very entertained by this storyline. it might be because its very different then anything I have read recently so it was a good contrast. there are times where repetitive thoughts are over done but I really enjoyed it.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute story and had its fair share of twists, turns and happiness.

[Angieluila Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good I don't remember it. I have to read it again.

[Kristi Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Random find. It was good to read of betrayal, a fraud, and someone who has evil intentions when seeing it in my own life. Overcoming and moving on 👍

[Marlene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unbelievable—no character development where there were so many opportunities for it. I started skimming pretty quickly.

[LPR · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would definitely appeal to a very specific type of romance reader. Someone super into introspection and characters working through their issues for pages at a time in internal monologue alone in their room. Maybe someone who has been yelling "please just Communicate!!" to one too many books lately, this might hit the spot.

Olivia and Tristan basically *think about their feelings for six straight pages* *come to the emotionally mature conclusion* *have a two minute conversation explaining to the other person where they are at* *repeat cycle*

They loved each other, but like...... they didn't spend a lot of time together, and the dialogue was really lacking, neither of them were very interesting, and there wasn't a lot of chemistry. Plus... they already said they loved each other. Like.... what is the point. why am i still here if you've already had that convo. what I personally consider a squandering of a second-chance romance potential. The other ~themes~ the book was working with just didn't seem that fleshed out. BUT a weird plus is that, with all the talk of the ton, and the scandal sheets, and someone being ruined for walking into a garden one time, and all that that happens in nineteenth century romance novels, which always seems centered around a woman doing nothing who gets accused of doing something bad... it was super weirdly refreshing to have a woman character central to the plot in this book who really DID do something bad and awful and who deserves to have our nose turned up at her. Weird sensation, but an interesting trope turning.

All while the rest of the plot is like *characters are vagueing about a secret* *when will the readers/the other characters find out what the secret is* *we find out* *they start vagueing about something else* * repeat cycle* and by the time we reached step three the third time I just realized I wasn't invested at all.

Which was funny bc I still got all the "okay what I need rn is one of those extreme-G rated romances" benefits from the first half of this book even though I didn't finish it lol.
I am going to come back to Stansfield, because I am TRULY becoming nervous about working through Sarah Eden's whole backcatalog, and Stansfield's backcatalog is sooooooo deep, I would love to become a Stansfield fan. So I'm going to find one of her notable best books or an approach to a trope/premise I am a noted fan of and pray really hard bc this subgenre is a VERY important part of my reading ecosystem and everything will collapse if I can't find another trusted author in this space. (Julianne Donaldson, please write another book, I am on my knees, please, I will send you a cake.)