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.
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.
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.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a few books from Lucinda Riley and have enjoyed them. I enjoyed this novel but found it a little far fetched and at times unbelievable. I still read it from cover to cover though!

Having recently read The Italian Girl by the same author I was really looking forward to this book. I was, however, disappointed. I nearly gave up on it several times and only the last 10% of it really held my attention but to be honest by then it was too late. I found the characters unappealing and the story too ridiculous to have any credibility. Give it a miss.

Fantastic book, a real page turner that had me totally engrossed from the start. A mixture of love mystery and suspense.
Will certainly look out for more Lucinda Riley books.

Wow. This book was NOT what I was expecting, but in a very good way. It’s at once a romance, a spy thriller with a twist of historical drama. It’s so full of intrigue and twists in the plot that I was left guessing constantly.. Joanna is a young journalist working her way up the rungs of the ladder, sent to cover the funeral of a famous actor, when she stumbles across a story that’s much more interesting than a funeral. It’s a plot which goes back almost a hundred years, and is far more dangerous than Joanna could ever imagine. A perfect summer read that’s a real page turner.

(Thanks to the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review)

Lucinda Riley is definitely one of my favourite historical fiction writers. Her writing is just so beautiful and captivating. This is no exception.
Our story is set in London, 1995. Sir James Harrison passes away with a devastated family and a secret behind, a big one!
Joanna Haslam is our ambitious journalist, who is assigned to cover the actor's funeral. But, along the way, she discovers some clues that there's more to this funeral. But, of course there are other forces that doesn't want Joanna to uncover this secret.
This book was full of suspense, secrets. twists that I loved it. I would definitely recommend.
Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the publisher Pan Macmillan for granting a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having read all of Lucindas other books and loved. I was hoping to enjoy this as much.This is a very different topic from all her previous novels.I did enjoy book but not as much as her other books.I think this is an old book republished under a new title so maybe that explains the content.I look forward to more of Lucinda books.

I really enjoyed this book. Yes it is far fetched and a complete work of fiction based on some historical known facts, but it is fun! A real adventure mystery for adults. I enjoyed most of the characters, especially Jo and Simon. I guessed many of the twists but even that did not take away from the pleasure in this read.

This book was originally titled Seeing Double and was written by Lucinda Edmonds. I loved Riley’s earlier work and had no idea she had published under another name. I read that this book caused such a scandal when it was released in 2000, that Riley didn’t write anything else for a decade, and then under another name. The story revolves around the passing of 95-year-old Sir James Harrison and the letter that he has been trying to keep under wraps for 70 years. Enter journalist Joanna Haslam, who smells a big story and will do nothing until she uncovers the truth, even if it rocks the very foundations of the U.K. I really enjoyed this page turner, it harkens back to Riley’s earlier books that were big on substance and character, not fluff and fashion

James Harrison the famous actor has died. At his funeral an elderly lady feels unwell & asks a young journalist, Joanna Haslam, to take her home. What follows is a twisty tale of intrigue and love. Jo ends up tangled up in a complicated story which affects, and possibly even threatens, her life.

This book was headed for a five star review but during the last quarter the author got a bit carried away and pushed it down to just under a four star. I am happy to take steps of faith, amazing coincidences and suspend belief as a reader - to some extent. The last part of this book pushed me a little too far. Such a shame.

I find Lucinda Riley a bit of a hit and miss author. I am a great fan of her Seven Sisters series but have found other books not at all to my liking. This book lies somewhere in the middle.

The characters are generally well constructed throughout this book. They are a little stereotypical in places, especially Markus the grandson of James Harrison and Simon, Jo's best friend. However, I could imagine meeting them and although I may not always like eveything they did, they did seem to be generally nice characters. I do struggle with books where I don't like any of the major characters.

The central plot was good and well structured. I just felt the author got a little carried away with herself as the book progressed. She tried to fit too much into the book when I would have preferred a bit less.

I apologise if the review is a bit sketchy but I was trying to avoid spoilers!

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

Wow what a page turner first book I've read by Lucinda Riley but won't be the last a brilliant, gripping novel that hooks you from the beginning a great story told brilliantly with plenty of twists and turns all the characters are believable and make this a fantastic read

Wow, this book kept me constantly guessing on what was going to happen next. Well done author, this is looking to be a massive hit.

Thankyou so much to netgalley for this ARC.
Rarely do you come across a book that simply has it all!
Romance, a pageturning plot, likeable characters that you are routing for all the way through and so many twists and turns that you read into the small hours without realising it’s getting light outside!
Lucinda Riley has all the bases covered and no matter what genre you prefer there’s something for everyone.

Cannot wait to read more from this author!

I loved this story. Sir James Harrison, famous actor, dies and Joanna Hallam, journalist, goes to his funeral. At the funeral an old lady hands Jo a letter tell ing her to keep it safe and show no one. So starts a 70 year old mystery. At the end will Sir James Harrison’s legacy still be standing.
I loved how this story unfolded and the characters involved. The characters all become interlinked and you don’t which relationships you want to survive.
The story hooked me From page one and kept me reading until the very last page.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Net Galley for an ARC.
#NetGalley #TheLoveLetter

A superb read! I have always enjoyed Lucinda Riley's novels and this latest is no exception. Set in the 1990's this follows journalist Jo Haslam as she becomes entwined in uncovering what lies behind the strange letter and package she received from a mystery old lady Jo ends up sitting beside at Sir James' memorial service. What Jo needs to find out is what has the famous actor Sir James Harrison and his glamorous grandchildren Marcus & Zoe have to do with all this and why does a catalogue of disasters befall Jo and those around her as the story unfolds?

I could not put this down, a gripping read from start to finish and I really enjoyed the setting of the 1990's, taking me back to my teenage years! Highly recommend this fab book from Lucinda Riley.

Not a typical Lucinda Riley novel, with secret Agents and several murders! A dramatic read about a hidden secret and the desperate lengths the government will go to keep it hidden.
I found this novel quite long and slightly far fetched in places. Not one of Riley's best.

I am a big fan of Lucinda Riley and have read all of her books to date and I pre-ordered this book as soon as I spotted it on amazon, so receiving an advance copy to read and review made my day :-)

I put the book I had been reading to one side and started this book straight away and at once I was hooked. Joanna is impossible to not like, she is such a strong character and her relationships between the other characters is what makes this book i think.

Marcus however was not so instantly lovable but he does redeem himself in the end! His sister Zoe is another great female protagonist and it is her that I ended up wanting to know more about. The fact that she has her own storyline that's weaved and interwoven with Zoe's worked really well and it had me guessing at the underlying plots. 

There are a few plot twists and turns in both layers, Zoe's love life and the letter that has brought chaos and loss to everyone involved. That storyline with the letter added the mystery and a fairly sinister element to the romance and shows a darker side to people and what they are prepared to do to protect what they believe to be the right thing.

The mystery surrounding a 70 year secret unravels slowly and I thought I had figured it all out but NO, I can safely say that I never in a million years guessed the ending!! I can't say much about it otherwise it would be a major spoiler but I can say is that it will probably have you scratching your head as bemused as i was! A genuine WTF ending that I am sad to say im not sure i liked! There a few elements at the end that let the book down and made it way to far-fetched for me sadly. 

Not one of her greatest but still a great read and I would still recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good romantic suspense and mystery.

Joanna is a reporter working her way up through the ranks when she is sent to cover the funeral of James Harrison. Through helping an elderly lady, she stumbles upon a story which will lead her to unveiling a secret that has been kept for 70 years. But not everyone wants this secret in the public domain and they will stop at nothing to prevent it from becoming so.
I love Lucinda Riley's books