Lucky John by Ellie Thomas

Lucky John is a historical novella set in England around the time of the restoration

From the blurb:

Owen Montgomery has been a landless drifter since the Royalist defeat at the Battle of Worcester nine years previously when he was seventeen. Since then, he has lingered abroad as an insignificant follower in the retinue of exiled King Charles.

In the spring of 1660, Owen travels across England as an envoy on behalf of the King. Despite this important diplomatic mission, Owen regards himself as little better than the highwaymen he encounters on the lawless roads.

During a brief stop at an obscure roadside inn, he encounters Lucky John, a bullied skivvy with a sweet nature who makes a lasting impression. When Owen impulsively rescues John from his unkind employer, he has no idea of the impact the lad will make on his lonely existence.

Will Owen reject this chance to open up and share his life? And can Owen be convinced he deserves John’s love?

Sheena's Review:

I am a real sucker for anything historical romance. There's a lot of regency romance out there, which I love, but really anything that's set during interesting historical times will catch my interest. Lucky John is set in England on the cusp of the restoration of the Stuart monarchy, and it's an interesting time period. This is told from the POV of Owen, a second son of a landowner who was on the side of the royalists during Cromwell's war, and subsequently ended up on the wrong side of things when it was all over. Like Charles himself, Owen fled to the continent and only returned recently and is attempting to make a living as a courier for the government in their attempts to restore the monarchy, and order, to England.

As ever with Ellie's stories, this is short and sweet. Owen is a man of morals, and I loved that he immediately stood up for John when he saw how mistreated he was by his own family, no less. John himself is a ray of sunshine, and even over the short course of this story you see him beginning to blossom and come into himself. I loved this whole thing, each brings the other something they didn't know they needed and it's a complete joy to read.

I wouldn't be averse to more adventures of John and Owen. Just saying  😉

Rating: 4 Stars

Lucky John is available to buy as an ebook