Lost Fortune

The Unbridled Series, Book 1

By: Sandra E. Sinclair

Narrated by: C. J. McAllister

Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Lost Fortune - a historical western romance.

"What do you do when the world as you know it is ripped from under you, and everything you believed to be true, no longer makes sense?"

Rilla travels across the pond to Boston, the place of her birth. After eight years away, she discovers her very existence has been a lie. The people she thought she knew, and those she loved, had kept secrets and lies that could bring scandal and shame if they are discovered. Everything she holds dear could be taken from her. Making matters worse, she is being hunted by a stranger whose sole purpose is to separate her from her inheritance, leaving her in ruin.

Left with no other choice, Rilla must flee for her very life.

Calvin Dalton has been sent by the Pinkerton Agency to recover a lost fortune. A chance meeting with a beautiful woman on the train into town left him breathless, and unable to get the exotic beauty out of his mind. He is delighted to discover they are staying at the same boardinghouse, even though he knows he has no time to become sweet on the girl. He'd been sent there to do a job, so he'd have to fall in love on his own time. However, when he agreed to take on the job, he had no idea where this journey would lead him, or the lives he'd ruin with his investigation. Calvin's heart and his job were on a collision course of disaster.

What will happen when the mysterious woman he'd met on the train becomes his prime suspect? It appears his heart wasn't the only thing she'd stolen.

Lost Fortune is the first book in Sandra E. Sinclair's unbridled, historical, western romance series - where the females are all strong, capable, and sassy, but most of all - unbridled. If you like escaping into bygone days when the west was wild and women wore big dresses, you will love the Unbridled series.

©2016 Sandra E Sinclair (P)2017 Sandra E Sinclair

Delightful, refreshing and humorous

Any additional comments?

This was a fun read full of sparks and passion. I loved the plot it is full of suspense, mystery and secrets. Rilla is one determined women lord help who ever tries to stop her she isn’t about to let anyone get in her way of what is rightfully hers. This was really a very intriguing read that pulls you in from the first page.

Back in that time period what Rilla had to go through when she found out she had be lied to for so many years is just heartbreaking. I am sure her parents didn’t plan on dying or they would have planned better. If things weren’t bad enough now she finds some man is looking for her as her heart goes out to him he tears hers right out of her chest. Add the man she plans to marry who is really a mothers boy and his evil mother to mix and you have one intriguing story. Calvin is a man of few words with his back ground he doesn’t need them. When he takes on a job he sees it through to the end. With the job he is on nothing is adding up and he really cannot stand the man who hired him. Things really goes crazy when he finds out the women he plans on courting is the women he has been hired to find. Things really get crazy when said man comes in and lays down the law leaving poor Rilla with few options.

I thought Mr. McAllister did a really good job with the narration. The only problem I really had was his character voice for Rilla sounded more Chinese than French. It was pleasant but just not what I had pictured her voice to be like. He does put a lot of emotion into the listen really making you feel the emotions he is trying to bring to the story. He male voices are as good as his female ones. You know have no trouble knowing who is talking and what they are feeling. This is a three and a half hours listen and you have no trouble getting into it listening to it all at one setting. There was one place towards the beginning where he did repeat a few words but it isn’t a big deal it is just noticeable. There are no background noises and no volume changes, if any breaks were taken I could not tell. It is really a very clear and clean audio that I enjoyed very much.

This was a very refreshing read with new twist and characters you will fall in love with. It was a story I could not put down. I loved how the author twist the plot giving you a very highly entertaining read that has you racing turning the pages to see what new twist is in store for you. For a debut novel the writing is great, the plot very interesting and it holds your attention.

Fortunes gain and Fortunes Lost

Rilla returns to Boston from France only to find out that her whole life has been a lie. After the death of her parents, she finds that her inheritance may be in jeopardy as well as her life. Her jealous brother is unaware of Rilla but knows that someone has inherited what he feels is his and he wants it all and will do anything to get it all.

Calvin Dalton has been hired by her brother to find out who inherited, or in his eyes, stolen the inheritance he sees as just his alone. Cal unknowingly meets the very person who becomes his prey, but then loses both her and his heart.

When these two hearts collide again, who will win and who will lose?

I read this first historical western by Sandra Sinclair a while ago and was impressed by the story and the research she did to get American history just right. :) C.J. McAlister did a wonderful job telling the story and even had a slight John Wayne accent which was fun to listen to!

Great historical!

I really enjoyed this quick and light historical romance! This is a first for me by this author and I can't wait to check out more. I also really liked the narration on this one - the narrator did a great job with the various voices. I highly recommend this one to anyone who is looking for a fun historical romance!

**A copy of this audiobook was provided in exchange for an honest review**

good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! good overall

Romance and Adventure

I don't want to write spoilers in my review so I will keep things pretty general. This is a page turner (if an audio book had pages). I was hooked from the beginning. I love the mystery, adventure, good guys and bad guys (both who get what they deserve), sweet romance, a little humor, and a happily ever after. Best of all clean reading.

I requested this audio book from Audiobooks Unleashed and have voluntarily left this review.

Quick, fun listen with a strong female lead

If you could sum up Lost Fortune in three words, what would they be?

I have no idea. It was a quick, satisfying listen though and I would recommend it. Rilla is a strong female lead and the characters in the story are all for the most part likable. Those that aren't are definitely supposed to be unlikable. Cal seems like he's a pretty stand-up, likable guy too.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lost Fortune?

I think the most memorable moment if Lost Fortune for me was the ending when everything comes together and Rilla's brother realizes that he may have misjudged people. That's all I'll say w/o giving anything away, but I was happy to see he wasn't a total jerk.

Have you listened to any of C. J. McAllister’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to any of his performances prior to this novel. I think he did a great job with the exception of the main character Rilla's accent. It drove me a little crazy. She was supposed to have had a french accent, having lived abroad for a bit, but sounded more Chinese than anything. Though it was easy to ignore and didn't take away from the book, so I'm not too bothered by it.

If you could take any character from Lost Fortune out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I think I would like to take Cal out to dinner so that I could hear about some of his other adventures with the Pinkerton's and with his family growing up. I just think that it would be a fun dinner conversation.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

A Journey Well Taken

Such a truly mesmerizing story that held me in it's grip until the end! Rilla Staub has finally returned from France where she had been in boarding school since she was 8. Now back in Boston, at the train station she was excitedly looking for them to claim her, but instead it was their lawyer. He had to tell her they had both been killed in a carriage accident and he proceeded to tell her the truth about her parentage and what they had left to her.
She finds out she has a half brother and that he will inherit their home and other things there and she decides to go to California to her inheritance there, trying to outrun what she knows will ruin her in Boston. So she wants to start a new life and figure out how to meet the further stips in the will.
Just an amazing story and I loved every word of C J McAllister's narration. He is truly amazing and made the story come alive with the magical words of Sandra E Sinclair. I cannot wait to listen to the next in this series and trust me, you do not want to miss this one or any by this duo!

A Comedy of Errors with a Fist Full of Propriety!

A Comedy of Errors with a Fist Full of Propriety!

Good writing and Good story.

A historical romance in case the cover left any doubts. 🙂

Book #1 in The Unbridled Series.

This book has no steam what-so-ever. Its more Good Chemistry. For those of you out there that don’t like the sexy stuff but still want to read a romance, this is the book for you. Personally I would of like at least a heated embrace and/or kiss or two. Despite being on the chaste side, it was still a good story.

The story opens with our heroine, Rilla Staab, pondering the parents she barely knows. They sent her to a boarding school in France at the age of 10 and she hasn’t seen them since. It is now 8 years later and the only communication she has had with them has been through letters. They were supposed to meet her at the train station, but that never happens. Her parents have met their untimely ends in a carriage accident and their lawyer fills her in on all the things her parents have been keeping secret.

Rilla’s world is turned upside down, and to add insult to injury, her inheritance comes with stipulations that are made difficult to accomplish because of the secrets her parents kept from her. Fleeing Boston for California, she hopes to hide her questionable past for long enough to meet the requirements laid out in her father’s will.

A comedy of errors ensues as Rilla’s half-brother Wyatt Worthington fights for what he deems is his, handsome private detective Calvin Dalton fights to win Rilla’s heart, and her best friend Jewel Inghram just fights because she wants her bestie to be happy.

The story sets up book 2 about mid-way through, when we are introduced to Cal’s younger twin brothers Cole and Colt. There are a total of 10 Dalton sons, and they are all single, so I would think that all of the Dalton brude will be getting stories as well considering book 3 is also about a Dalton.

This was my first read by Sandra E Sinclair and it was good. If this book is a representative of what her other works are like, then this would be a good candidate for the shelf I call “The In Between”. It is the books I listen to in between the heavier, darker reads that you need a brain break from, while you lock up the killers, clean off the blood, and put your heart back in your chest.

C.J. McAllister’s narration was good. He is articulate and understandable, but a bit clipped. His voice is smooth and masculine, just needs a little more polish to truly live up to his ability

4 Stars!

Ebook purchased through Kindle store.
Audiobook obtained for free at my request and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review
More Reviews @ GoodReads Id: AudiobookRomance

Good book

C. J. McAllister has a way of telling a story! So much that you feel like you are there.

John Wayne-like delivery. Fun story

Would you consider the audio edition of Lost Fortune to be better than the print version?

Honestly, I believe I would have been very satisfied with reading the book. Unfortunately, the narrating style Mr. McAllister chose never really connected with me.

I liked the story of Rilla and Calvin and Rilla's money hungry step-brother. There's romance, mystery and comedy. It was fun to picture the lawyer. He sort of offered some comic relief as well as Rilla's dear friend. I liked the various story lines and how Ms. Sinclair crossed them at various points in the story. Having just watched, 'Support Your Local Sheriff', I kept wanting to picture this story being played out by James Garner and Joan Hackett.

Ms. Sinclair promised a strong and sassy leading lady...and she delivered.

What aspect of C. J. McAllister’s performance would you have changed?

I enjoyed Mr. McAllister's voice. It was always clear and easy. I knew when males were talking versus females. Mr. McAllister gave each character his/her own style. However, the overall John Wayne cadence of the narrator parts was hard to listen to. I always looked forward to the dialog parts, but not the narrative parts of this audiobook. This audiobook was hard for me.

Any additional comments?

I received a free copy of this audiobook via audiobook boom. I voluntarily submitted an unbiased review. Thank you.