Wonderful story with multiple powerful messages. Past and present blended well together - seamless. A few twists added dimension to the narrative truly tugging at your heart.

Forgiveness, love, and trust in Him are powerful reminders brilliantly woven in a touching narrative.

Esther and Hamilton, Chloe and Jesse - both couples won my heart. The alternating of past and present was thoroughly enjoyed and really added impact to characters and narrative.

Another favorite by the very talented Rachel Hauck, looking forward to her next book.

I feel like I need to open today with a disclaimer. I am a bit of a Rachel Hauck fangirl. In my opinion she has never written a book that wasn't excellent. Since most of them hit the bestseller lists, I know I'm not alone in my adoration of her stories!

Rachel's latest book, The Love Letter, starts with a beautiful cover. For real, if I could insert emojis here, I would have to use all the heart eyes! Sometimes, simple and stunning is the best way to go. This cover is the best introduction for an amazing story.

I love historical fiction, but, honestly, The Revolutionary War is not my favorite time period. But in The Love Letter the time period really shines! It doesn't hurt that much of it takes place in South Carolina, where I live. I had no idea there was such a place as Ninety Six, but I am now dying to visit there. Road trip, anyone?

I'm getting ahead of myself. Like many of Rachel's other stories, The Love Letter is a dual time romance. In 1781, Hamilton Lightfoot and Esther Longfellow are on separate sides of the revolution. Hannah's father is a loyalist, while Hamilton's parents were killed by the Redcoats. A terrible tragedy drives Hamilton to join the rebellion. On the eve of a major battle, he writes a letter to Esther, hoping to send it himself, or to have it delivered after his death.

Fast forward to present-day Hollywood. Actress Chloe Daschle has been typecast as a dying girl for most of her life. When she reads the script by a new screenwriter, Jesse Gates, she just knows she can play the part of Esther. She's ready to shake off the embarrassment and mistakes of her past, and live. Jesse wrote Bound by Love based on the story of an ancestor and a never-delivered letter. He's hoping to give Hamilton and Esther the ending they deserved. But, Jesse has another reason for writing Bound by Love. He's hoping to right a wrong in his own past. As Chloe and Jesse work together on the movie, they draw closer together, but can they each let go of their pasts to find the future God has planned for them?

This book did not go how I expected. Ya'll, I cried at the end. Yes, I know it's just fiction. But it's so great to read a book that includes such a wonderful spiritual truth. Even though Chloe had come to Christ, and her life was certainly changed, she was still allowing her past to hold her captive. Seeing her realize that she was free in Christ, no matter what movie rolls she got or didn't get was an eye-opening moment for me.

It was also incredible to see Chloe share her faith with Jesse. He was so broken over what had happened in his past. Seeing his journey towards Christ was one of the best parts of this book. I don't want to give anything away if you haven't read it, (yet!) but his visit with Loxley's parents was such a pivotal moment for me. I think I started crying there, and barely stopped until the end.

I love, love, love to read. I think you know that by now. But when I read a book that I really enjoy and that also contains spiritual truths, it's so uplifting. I think we all have things in our past that we're ashamed or embarrassed about. But God says those things don't have to control us. When we trust Him, and follow Him, we realize that His plans are best. He has a way to make everything--even the stuff we'd rather not remember--work out for our good. When we release the plans we have for our lives, and trust His, He will give us things we never imagined possible. Esther, Hamilton, Chloe and Jesse all learned this lesson.

I finished reading The Love Letter, wiped away my tears, and realized that I felt encouraged in my spiritual walk. I realized I've let things hold me back--things that God says I'm free from. This book is a gentle reminder that in Him I am free, forgiven and loved. What a wonderful thought!

If you want to read great fiction, and a great love story, read The Love Letter. If you want to read a book that will help you become what God wants you to be, read The Love Letter. It's not often that a book like this comes along. It's a true feel-good story, with an underlying message that we all need to hear. You don't want to miss it.

You can order your copy of The Love Letter, here.



I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson publishers for sending me the book to read on netgalley. It's a nice story but predictable and the usual happy ever after ending.

This was a contrived book that never really seemed to go anywhere. For the love letter to be key to the novel, there needed to be some passion among Esther and Hamilton. The modern day love story was not romantic either. It seemed Jesus was thrown in as an after thought. The publisher and NetGalley allowed me to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In Rachel Hauck's latest dual narrative Christian romance, we move between Revolutionary War South Carolina and present day California. In the past, Esther Longfellow - daughter of a Loyalist - is in love with Hamilton Lightfoot, who leans Patriot. What will become of their love?

In present day, Chloe Daschle pours her heart and soul into an unlikely role, hoping to right her acting career. She is playing "Esther" in the screen play written by Hamilton's descendant, Jesse Gates. Is romance brewing there too?

Of course romance is brewing! Didn't I already mention the genre is Christian romance? The end result is generally predictable, but the journey there is what's important.

The characters, while I liked them, confused me with their decisions. Mainly in the current day plot line. Who leaves a wedding reception (when part of the bridal party) with a stranger to eat pizza at said stranger's house? Also, Esther is the only one who didn't waver in what she wanted.

I did like the Smitty character. I had my suspicions about him and am glad with how that character line ended up.

The historical plot was interesting to me. Revolutionary War books (and even history lessons) seem to focus on the New England colonies. In fact, I don't know that I've ever considered there were colonies in the south that were involved in the fighting. But there were. And I enjoyed the unusual, but still accurate, locale of the past story line.

This book overall was decent. I liked it and was engaged in the quick read. But I lean towards the "okay" side of I liked it instead of the "I really liked it" side of liked it.

If you'd like to read more of my reviews, visit my blog at https://mommyreadsbooks.blogspot.com/

This book had a different feel than previous dual-timeline novels I have read from Ms. Hauck. It is hard to explain exactly what it was about it that made it feel different for me, maybe it was the fact that we don’t really witness a lot of the budding romance or the fact that the way the past and present storylines interweave is obvious the whole way though. But whatever it was exactly, I could not put this book down I had to know what happened to each character.

I don’t know much about the Revolutionary War and at times found these scenes to be a bit hard to understand what exactly was happening, but I could feel the pain that the characters of Esther and Hamilton were going through. They loved each other but life seemed to be determined to keep them apart. I was rooting for their story to have a happy ending and even though it didn’t end the way I hoped, I found myself satisfied with the way things did turn out.

The present day setting has the characters of Jesse and Chloe. Jesse has written his first screenplay and Chloe gets cast as the leading lady. These two meet for the first time at a wedding and there seems to be an instant connection between them. I wondered if their feelings were hyped because of the setting or if something could really be there? I have mixed feelings about the way they told the stories of their past hurts to one another. I feel like the interweaving and sharing little pieces at a time helped them both relax enabling them to share, but I did find it to be a bit confusing to follow at times. I enjoyed the scenes between them and wish there had been more of their budding relationship. Both captured my heart and I was cheering for them to overcome their struggles. I loved that Chloe fights for what she wants but she also opens her heart to hear what God wants from her and is willing to accept whatever outcome He has planned. Jesse captured my heart the moment he stood his ground on an issue that felt important.

Each character is dealing with various forms of guilt and each one has to take their own path to discovering the powerful love and forgiveness that can only come from God. Love, redemption, sacrifice and loyalty are themes that resonate throughout this story. Overall I really enjoyed this book, but I do wish there was more scenes of the budding relationship. (I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Be still my heart! I absolutely fell in love with Rachel's writing in this book! This dual story line is told so beautifully that you will need lots of tissue as your ugly cry through this novel. I've never read such beautiful work written in this fashion before. This book was a major one click read! This story has so many emotions that you will have "all the feels" while reading it. The writing in this book is so smooth and fluid that it flows between each character and time period flawlessly. The romance in this book was so sweet and endearing! This is a definite recommendation from me. 5 stars,

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really wanted to love this book as I loved The Wedding Chapel and The Wedding Shop. But this book did not draw me in. I can only think it is because I could not identify with the main characters. They were actors and lived lives of the wealthy for the most part. I am not a big historical fiction reader so that part of the story didn't reach me either. It had some interesting parts but was just not the kind of book that I enjoy.

I received a complimentaary copy of this bookfrom Thomas Nelson through NetGalley.Opinions expressed in this rebiew are completelymy own.
An interesting book I liked as the story progressed from the past to the present,making it a very interesting read,liked the way the story and characters developed throughout the book a definately page turnet,can not wsit to read my books from this writer.

Rachel Hauck is an outstanding author and this book is evidence of that. It takes amazing talent to write a “split time” romance that’s told from the viewpoint of four characters—two in the past and two in the present day —and allow the reader to easily keep track and engaged in the story.

I thought the story flowed very smoothly between the two time periods. I loved both storylines, but the present day story was my favorite. Each of the four main characters were interesting. The guys were ok. I honestly didn’t have much sympathy for Hamilton, and I wanted Jesse to just move on with his life. The most interesting guy in this story was Smitty. There’s a mystery about him.

The “strength of character” award in this book goes to both the main leading ladies. The character that appealed to me most was Chloe. Her vulnerability about the mistakes of her past and her unwavering trust in God sets the stage for tying both storylines together. I’d love it if this book turned into a series. (A note to the author here: I think there needs to be a book about Chloe’s parents. I kind of felt that their story was unfinished, and that it could be a quite interesting one.). There’s a surprise twist at the end that adds a perfect touch to Jesse and Chloe’s story.

It’s a pleasure to read such a touching love story that has no bad language or embarrassing scenes. Don’t miss this one. I’ve enjoyed many of Rachel Hauck’s books, and this one has its place as one of my favorites.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to give a positive review.

Chloe Daschle wants to finally be cast in a role where she doesn't die--she's tired of being the actress who is always killed. When she reads a script about a love story from the 1700s, she desperately wants to play Esther Longfellow, a young woman who desperately loves Hamilton Lightfoot. When she meets the screenwriter, Jesse Gates, who wrote the movie script based on a letter from his ancestor, Hamilton, to Esther, Chloe finds herself wondering if Jesse just might be the man she's been hoping to find. But Jesse is haunted by tragedy, and while he cares for Chloe, if he can't forgive himself for his past, they'll have no chance at a future.

This novel is interesting because it has four narrators in two time periods--we get to see Chloe and Jesse in the present and Esther and Hamilton in the past. It can be difficult to straddle two time periods and keep the reader engaged, but Rachel Hauck does a great job with that. There are some unexpected twists and turns, meaningful themes (redemption, love, and even letting go), and the awesome element of real, handwritten letters combine to make a great story.

I read a copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the free review copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This is another fantastic love story told by Hauck. I loved how the Hamilton and Esther story intertwined with Jesse and Chloe's story. The Revolutionary War aspect of the story was amazing. I had never seen this at play before in a romance, and I liked how the conflict was created for Hamilton and Esther.

Chloe and Jesse were also unique. It's rare to read about a Hollywood actress believing in Jesus. I appreciated how Chloe viewed love and marriage. Her perspective added complexity and depth to her character.

My favorite part of this whole novel was that it was a true love story. Jesus and his love for us was reflected so well in this story. He loves us unconditionally, and I think this love and grace was shown so wonderfully on the pages. I was constantly reminded to love Jesus first, and everything else will work out, which is the best message any book, fiction or nonfiction, can send.

The Love Letter is a story of 4 different people in 2 different time periods. Hamilton and Esther, Jesse and Chloe.
On the brink of the Revolutionary War, Hamilton feels compelled to fight but also wants to be with Esther his childhood love. His choices will divide them and their families, so he writes a love letter to best express his devotion to Esther. Fast forward to our day, Jesse is the 6th Great grandson of Hamilton and has written a movie script based on Hamilton’s love letter to Esther. Chloe is the actress desperately wanting to play the part of Esther and looking for her true love. Little did each of the characters know how their lives would intertwine. I love that the author kept with this, I had my suspicions throughout the book, and was excited to see it was what I had expected. The choices that we make in life really do effect the rest of our lives and others. This is a story for all who believe in true love (just like Chloe wanted) and happily ever after.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received and ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. I really wanted to love this novel. I typically enjoy novels that flip back and forth in time, but I really didn't enjoy the "past" story of Hamilton and Esther. The characters just didn't ring true for me. However, I did like Chloe and Jesse's story in the present, and I feel that that could have been a better stand alone story than the back and forth one that I read. This one was just so-so for me.

The Love Letter is a pretty good read. I especially was intrigued with Hamilton and Esther’s plot of the book. It was fascinating how their centuries ago story intertwines with modern day characters Jesse and Chloe.
I would give The Love Letter 4 stars and recommend it.

The Love Letter is a split time inspirational fiction. I was drawn to this book because of the beautiful cover and it's author. I have read a few of Rachel Hauck's earlier books and now I feel like I have rediscovered her work. I plan on adding the books I've missed to my tbr pile.. This book was captivating from the first page and never let go, and was engaged in both story lines. I thought the author did a fantastic job presenting each story line so it flowed naturally and it was never confusing. I went into this story completely blind, so I had no preconceived ideas or expectations and I was pleasantly surprised at what a great novel this is. Therefore I will not share a synopsis of the book., and let you the reader discover it for yourself. I do want to share my favorite quotes. These quotes touched my heart and made me think about my life and my relationship with God and others.

"Fight in a time of war as the man you want to be in a time of peace."

"That marriage is the only place where two lovers can exist in a world all their own. that the deep places come from the commitment, the pledging of hearts and lives until death."

I received an advanced copy from Thomas Nelson fiction through NetGalley. This review contains my honest opinion.

This is one of the best love stories I have read! I will admit it was hard for me to get into the story at the beginning, but it soon pulled me in and I did not want to put it down. Ms. Hauck does a wonderful job fully developing the stories of Hamilton, Esther, Jesse and Chloe. I did not feel we were left with questions but given their entire stories beautifully woven together. This is a must read for any romantic!

Rachel Hauck writes complex plot lines and for a large portion of this book - despite the understanding the connection between the past & the present, I really didn’t get the feel for it. I actually feel like both would be fantastic stories in their own right. There were aspects that really bothered me about Jesse & Chloe. The insta-connection. The complete lack of ‘listening’ each time they had a very important and serious conversation. They say something about themselves. Then the other says something about themselves, and on and on. Very little acknowledging of what the other has said. So annoying. Appears selfish. Appears selfish. The story between Esther & Hamilton was less interesting, lots of historical bits from their war experiences. I enjoyed that element. It was a little harder to follow their romance because that didn’t develop as part of the story we are told. It was more the end product. I ended up skimming huge chunks of pages in order to move past something that lost my interest.

The idea though is clever. The way it ties together at the end, became predictable but still was kind of cool. Is it all that far fetched? Probably not. We have this cool app on our Church’s family search site that you can connect with others in the room - who are also logged in to their genealogy records and it will find out if you are related. I am yet to find anyone I am not connected to somewhere. The funnest was finding out I was connected to a friend 10 generations back through her armish line and my British. Totally crazy. This connection is obviously a lot closer than anyone I’ve found on the app. It’s appropriate for the story. The way the letters are involved also clever. It’s a dying art, and a tragedy I think. I have all the love letters my husband & I wrote to each other, I wonder if this generation will save their texts???!!!!! ;)

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC. This is my honest review.

The Love Letter had some moving portions - I really loved the inclusion of a character who had made past mistakes she couldn't seem to shake (not just mentally, but in actuality) and, as usual, Hauck's inclusion of faith into her writing is admirable. The dynamics of Hollywood were fascinating to read, and all in all, this book was solid. Fans of Rachel Hauck will find this right in line with her usual style.

I did feel the male main character lacked some authentic emotion and struggle - and the historical piece felt rather bland. Still, it was an interesting and entertaining read I would recommend to certain friends - just depending on their reading interests.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rachel has penned another swoon-worthy dual time line romance. Chloe and Jessie's story take place in present day Hollywood, where Chloe is an actress and Jessie is a screenwriter/actor. Chloe comes from Hollywood royalty and has been acting since she was a child. Jessie is new to the "business" and has written a killer screenplay based on a letter his ancestor wrote during the Revolutionary War. Chloe has been cast as the female lead and Jessie has a small part in the movie as well his writing the story of Hamilton and Esther. Woven in Jesse and Chloe's story is the tale of Hamilton and Esther.

This story was fun to read. I enjoyed the characters, Chloe being my favorite. It had several twists and turns along the way with a couple cool surprises at the end. All in all, a fun story and another great book by Rachel.


I received this book from NetGalley and wasn't required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.