by Samantha Hastings
July 9, 2019
288 pages
Goodreads Summary:
1861. Miss Lucinda Leavitt is shocked when she learns the author of her favorite serialized novel has died before completing the story. Determined to learn how it ends, Lucinda reluctantly enlists the help of her father’s young business partner, Mr. David Randall, to track down the reclusive author’s former whereabouts.
David is a successful young businessman, but is overwhelmed by his workload. He wants to prove himself to his late father, as well as to himself. He doesn’t have the time, nor the interest, for this endeavor, but Lucinda is not the type to take no for an answer.
Their search for the elusive Mrs. Smith and the rightful ending to her novel leads Lucinda and David around the country, but the truths they discover about themselves—and each other—are anything but fictional.
1861. Miss Lucinda Leavitt is shocked when she learns the author of her favorite serialized novel has died before completing the story. Determined to learn how it ends, Lucinda reluctantly enlists the help of her father’s young business partner, Mr. David Randall, to track down the reclusive author’s former whereabouts.
David is a successful young businessman, but is overwhelmed by his workload. He wants to prove himself to his late father, as well as to himself. He doesn’t have the time, nor the interest, for this endeavor, but Lucinda is not the type to take no for an answer.
Their search for the elusive Mrs. Smith and the rightful ending to her novel leads Lucinda and David around the country, but the truths they discover about themselves—and each other—are anything but fictional.
Review
It's been a while since I last read a historical romance and I've been eager for a new one. The Last Word was a short story but it did hit most of the marks for me.
I quite liked the setting of The Last Word. Societal expectations described in the book had my veins throbbing but I was glad to see the issues being tackled. The speech and action of the characters felt accurate to the time period. Though the writing style didn't much stand out, the characters were well-developed and easy to root for.
Lucinda was a rebel through and through. I loved how she did not conform to society's standard. Her quest got her in trouble more often than not but she was relentless. Lucinda's determination was admirable. While she may have been rash and overeager at times she was always well-mannered and respectful. Even with David she was civilized (most of the time).
I really like that we got a solution to the mystery of the novel's ending! Often times an author would leave things up to the reader's imagination. I always felt cheated since I like solid conclusions so I'm glad Ms. Hastings gave us a definitive end. It was perfect and on par with the theme of The Last Word.
While The Last Word didn't wow me I enjoyed my time with it. It's a quick historical novel with strong characters and a fiercely feminist tale.
*I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.
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