My thoughts:

Rachel Fordham is becoming one of my favorite authors. I loved her debut novel The Hope of Azure Springs and hoped I would love this one just as much which I did!

Penny works in the Dead Letter Office where part of her job is looking for anything valuable for the Government as she opens mail day after day. When she opens a letter from Thomas, she finds something more meaningful and precious than she has found during the three years she has worked there. His letters have a profound effect on her which is frowned upon but she is determined to get his letter to the intended recipient if possible. After reading the letters Thomas wrote I cant say I blame her for trying to help him.

After much searching she winds up in Azure Springs where we reconnect with some of my favorite characters and meet Thomas who wrote those heartfelt letters. Penny is not only caring but I think she had a lot of spunk in her to go in search of a perfect stranger the way she did. Not only does she find Thomas, she finds new friends, a bit of mystery and more action than she ever could have imagined as she is drawn into a long held grudge that had me sitting on the edge of my seat.

Out of the many things I loved about this book is when Penny finally receives letters of her own which is something she has wanted for a long time. It's the little things that mean a lot, right?
Yours Truly, Thomas is a poignant and wonderfully written novel which is why I recommend it.

I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley and was under no obligation to write a review. All opinions are my own.

This release will be Fordham's second book. I was introduced to her first novel, The Hope of Azure Springs, through a friend and while it was fantastic, I loved this book even more than the previous! Characters from the first book make appearances in this one as well, but it can still be read as a stand-alone novel. However, I would suggest reading the first to get a good basis of secondary characters.

The research behind this book is SO well done--I had never read anything centered around a dead letter office, didn't even know they had existed, and thoroughly enjoyed learning about it! In addition to that, the book was well-written and the characters well developed. Penny (love that name!) was a bit naive, optimistic and a hopeless romantic. I loved that she claimed each of her traits and worked to accept herself and her desires throughout the book. It was a pleasure to watch her find her passion/direction in life and create her own love story. She was a bit hard to connect with at times because she was pretty "silly" but she was still a likeable character.

Thomas had a great story arc with a lot of growth. I appreciated the added mystery as we waited to find out what exactly had occurred in his past that so haunted him. I also appreciated that his growth came from within, not from wanting to impress his love interest. My only complaint with his character was that he was pretty "chatty". He may have just been written that way but sometimes he seemed to talk for much longer than needed and I occasionally got a little bored during conversations.

Overall the plot was great! It was believable and interesting, there was a fun little twist to the climax, and it flowed very well. I really enjoyed the use of letters for telling aspects of the story as well as the underlying significance they had to the heroine. Sometimes I wished for more explanation to better understand how a character said something or what they were feeling. I feel this would have helped me to connect better with the characters but that being said, every aspect of this book was so well-written! Overall I really enjoyed this book and will be keeping an eye out for future books from Fordham!!

Oh and as a side note, this cover is STUNNING! And, you should follow Rachel Fordham on social media because she is clearly just a gem of a person!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Revell Publishing for an advanced reader's copy of this book

“What if Thomas’s life is altered all because his letter came to me and not to Clara?”

In Rachel Fordham's latest novel, Yours Truly, Thomas, she charms her readers with a beautiful story of redemption, second chances, and discovering God’s grace and purpose for our lives.

The journey begins in 1883 at the dead letter office in Washington D.C. as Penny Ercanbeck sorts letters and tries to locate their recipients before the letters are disposed of. She finds several letters written by Thomas to his beloved Clara that are filled with pain and regret. Penny’s quest to deliver the letters to Clara takes some unexpected twists and turns. Suddenly Penny finds herself on a train headed to the town of Azure Springs in search of Thomas. Penny is immediately welcomed to the town by some familiar faces from Rachel Fordham’s debut novel, The Hope of Azure Springs. Readers will love the cameo appearances from many of their favorite residents of Azure Springs, including Em and Caleb Reynolds, Margaret, Abraham, and Eliza.

Rachel Fordham authentically weaves the faith aspects into the storyline, while incorporating the sweet romance developing between Penny and Thomas and the essential role that God has in their lives. Readers will wish they could live in Azure Springs and be friends with Penny, Em, Margaret, and the rest of the charming cast of characters. There is something for everyone in this novel…. romance, danger, faith, and rich historical details.

The beautiful letters penned in Yours Truly, Thomas will find a place in the hearts of the readers everywhere. Letter writing has become almost a lost art in the 21st century with email, social media, and smartphones easily accessible for instant communication. Handwritten letters from previous generations contain treasured memories of the past, and Rachel Fordham gives readers an opportunity to experience some of those memories firsthand through Thomas and Penny’s correspondence. Readers who enjoyed Rachel Fordham’s debut novel will not want to miss this delightful return to Azure Springs.

Yours Truly, Thomas is highly recommended for readers of historical fiction, especially those who enjoy books by authors such as Jody Hedlund and Carrie Turansky.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Additional Quotes:

“I think I fell in love with someone else’s love story.”

“He’d tell me it is my job to do all I can in this life to make each day better. He’d tell me to get in and change what I can. And what I cannot, he’d tell me to hand over to God.”

“Your very presence makes me believe I can be more than what I was before. I am not sure what led you to Azure Springs. But I believe God was in it. He must have been. There is no other way something so beautiful could be born of so much pain.”

Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham is a delightful western tale of romance through letters and a chance encounter. The writing is beautiful and Fordham does a wonderful job at creating a tale of romance and learning to move on from past mistakes. The plot moved seamlessly and captured my attention. It is a predictable romance with the predictable happily-ever-after. Thomas is a hero who needs to learn from his mistakes and comes out a better man on the other side. While I enjoyed seeing who Thomas was and learning about his past, I would have liked to see personally who he was before, so the transformation would have been a little more fulfilling. As for Penny, she is a brave woman to travel to a place unknown just because of a letter. I would like to have seen more of her past too. It seems readers are thrown into the middle of the transformation story while it is occurring without the beginning to show the transformation. Overall, Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham is a captivating western romance. Fans of Karen Witemeyer, Mary Conneally, and Regina Jennings would, I believe, enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Rachel Fordham's sophomore novel, Yours Truly, Thomas, is as delightful as her debut, The Hope of Azure Springs! From cover to interior formatting to the story itself, this historical fiction novel is a beautiful journey.

Penny and Thomas are wonderfully realistic and charming characters. I must admit, I struggled to get into the story in the beginning, but a few chapters in and I was hooked. Penny is a bit naive, but I think that only adds to the attractiveness of her character. Thomas is running from his painful past, and is finally ready to put it behind him when he reaches the small town of Azure Springs. These characters are quite the opposites, which brings about an engaging story.

Fordham's writing style is very simplistic and perhaps a bit unsophisticated, which is not usually my favorite style to read, but I think it lends a great deal of charm to the historical setting of her novels. And her descriptions are nonetheless beautiful and enjoyable. The small town of Azure Springs and its people that she has created (which is also featured prominently in her debut novel) is so darling and enchanting, I wish it were a real town I could visit. The supporting cast of characters from Margaret, Abraham, the twin girls, Dinah, and even Jeb and Eliza is unique and colorful, lending diversity to the story.

There is a bit of a mystery thread to the story that had me very intrigued, and the action towards the end wrapped up the story well. I won't lie, I'm a sucker for a sweet romantic storyline, and while it was not the main feature, the romance was incredibly sweet, pure, and realistic. I think that romantic storylines may be Fordham's greatest strength. I also enjoyed the inside look into the United States Postal Service's Dead Letter Office. That is a subject that has always fascinated me, and in this historical setting, even more so.

All in all, I highly enjoyed Yours Truly, Thomas and recommend it to all lovers of historical fiction and sweet romance.