I think people who enjoy love stories with heartbreak may enjoy this one. I had a hard time with their initial beginning. They barely spoke then the next thing I know they were kissing. There was no build up or anything to help me buy into the relationship initially. As a reader I personally need that to fully enjoy a love story.

Seven Letters is a great story about love and always keeping hope. I loved the descriptions of Ireland and later of Italy. I was disappointed when Kate left Ozzie. I felt like she gave up on him/them so easily. I was happy when she rushed home when she got the call from Gran and also to go to Italy to search for him. The ending was a little too fast for me. I would enjoyed more details.

Seven Letters was beautiful, complex and haunting. Set both on the shores of Ireland and Northern US, readers are introduced to Kate. Kate is working on her dissertation and studying the story of the Blasket Islands, which takes her on a journey across the Atlantic and into Ireland. Kate is in her thirties, single and a bit of a workaholic. Quickly into her journey, she is introduced to Ozzie and instantly they feel a connection. Ozzie is the opposite of Kate and deeply haunted by his time in Afghanistan. Seven Letters follows the story of Kate and Ozzie, Kate’s career and an unexpected love story that follows no script readers have ever known. There are many deep and riveting story lines embedded in Seven Letters and I find myself going back to untangle each one. Seven Letters is woven of love, history, war and what it means to live a “good” life and be a “good” partner. Kate, Ozzie and the Blasket Islands will be with me for a long time.

A sincere thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't expect to become as emotionally invested in this book as I was, but I enjoyed it tremendously! The author made me care about the characters as they loved and lost, rejoiced and grieved. The prose, with its descriptions of the various locations, is gorgeous, lush, and filled with beauty. I found the descriptions of the history of the Blasket Islands so interesting that I did some additional research. I And know this is going to sound a bit stereotypical, but I was also surprised to discover that JP Monninger is male, because I usually associate the descriptions of the emotions the characters experienced with female authors. The story was inviting and universal in the feelings in evoked. I'm sure other readers will feel the same way.

Although I lived in England for many years, I never got to see Ireland. Reading this book made me regret not seeing Ireland. The descriptions of the land were wonderful and I did have to look up many mentioned places to learn more. Kate is in Ireland doing research. She meets Ozzie, a fisherman, and there is an instand connection between them. The love becomes intense, so intense it engulfs them completely. There is a tragedy, a separation and finally Kate knows the real Ozzie. An emotional, heart-wrenching story with an absolutely perfect ending!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kate is a doctoral candidate. In order to truly get to know her research subject she travels to Ireland for a year long project on a scholarship. She's supposed to be studying the Blasket Islands and on her very first day there, happens to befriend a very elderly Irish bazillionaire who then introduces her to her smokin' hot American war veteran grandson who just wants to be an Irish fisherman with a heapin' helping side dish of raging alcoholism, but not like, the kind of alcholism that leads to blacking her eyes or anything, the handsome brood-y kind. /s. You're probably confused by the 4 star rating after that intro.

Honestly the I rolled my eyes through the first 1/3 of this entire book because of the above shenanigans. She marries this dude after knowing him for what seems like WEEKS. Even with knowing all of that. But then.....the CHARACTER GROWTH. It would cause spoilers galore for me to explain what happens, but I cried in the last 1/3d of this book. It went a lot of places I wasn't expecting it to, she spends a lot of time on her chic and elegant therapist's couch staring at birds and gorgeous scarves, she ends up in Italy with her best friend running down a rabbit hole trying to figure out what happened to above husband, Syrian refugee camps, but the protagonist undergoes some pretty deep growth and I ended up being pretty happy I didn't give up on it after the first 1/3rd.

4.5 Stars!!!
I love when a novel touches your heart! Seven Letters is J.P. Monninger’s second novel and just like the previous novel (The Map That Leads to You), I was completely captivated from start to finish! This novel was set in the picturesque and magical country of Ireland which is what initially had me excited to dive in, but the original and moving storyline is what kept me hooked. The cast of characters were extremely endearing and I really enjoyed feeling like a fly on the wall through the journey J.P. Monninger has created for them! Seven Letters is a fantastic romance novel packed with depth and emotion—I highly recommend this gem to everyone!

Kate is in Ireland, doing research for her higher education pursuits. She meets Ozzie and falls in love, both with him and with the land. There are struggles, times of bliss, and times of extreme pain as well.
For me, this book seemed a bit choppy. Pieces of the story may have been a little slow for me, then pieces sucked me right in. It also feel like a few of the transitions between time were a little abrupt as well, but I was still able to hang on to the overall story.

This is the story of Kate and Ozzie. Kate is an academic, researching the stories of the Blasket Islanders of Ireland. Ozzie is an American with dual citizenship, an Irish fisherman and a veteran of Afghanistan.

Their whirlwind love affair becomes a rush to the altar, but trouble soon breaks them. When Kate, back in America, hears that Ozzie has been killed helping Syrian refugees, she begins a quest to understand the man she married.

This book is mostly set in Ireland. The author vividly described it so well, it felt like I was there.

Some parts of the book were very enjoyable, but others, I thought were very slow. I liked it, but didn't love it.

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of this book for my honest review.

Beautiful setting. In fact, it's the reason I kept reading this book. I loved reading the descriptions of Ireland. However, the story fell flat for me. It dragged, and I wasn't swept up in the mystery and romance.

Many thanks to Net Galley, JP Monninger and the publisher for the ARC.
I can never resist a tale set in Ireland. Not knowing anything about the Blasket Islands intrigued me even more. It did not disappoint. The descriptions were so realistic that I became transported. Romance driven novels are not my usual genre but I did get swept up in the intensity, drama and genuine love between Ozzie and Kate.
A solid 4*

** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
This is a quiet story about a couple who has an instant connection but is not fully prepared for all that entails.
This book is beautifully written. There is nothing crazy or out of control but there is a real look at what can happen when you sink yourself into someone and then the world breaks in. It looks at the choices we make and how Pride and fear can get in the way. Everyone has broken pieces. Sometimes they cut those closest to them.
There were some places where the story drug a bit and the timeline was a little murky. All in all it is not only a love story about a couple but also one about a woman falling in love with a country.

Kate Moreton is a PhD candidate at Dartmouth who has an opportunity to go to Ireland to do research on the Blasket Islands. She is very serious about doing her research and vows not to get involved in a love relationship. Kate meets Ozzie, a handsome fisherman who is Irish-American, living now in Ireland and quickly forgets her promise! The two enter into a relationship that proves to be as rocky as the Irish coast! A powerful story that will have the reader turning pages as quickly as possible to see how the story ends. Endearing characters and beautiful locations that are described in such detail that you will see the landscape and feel the sand under your feet! A solid four stars for this emotional story!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review this book.

The plot of this story grabbed me from the beginning. A well-educated young woman, Kate Moreton, digging deeper into Ireland's history, which happens to be some of her family's history. She is granted a scholarship to fund her research. Once there she is unexpectedly swept off her feet by an unlikely prospect. While I enjoyed the overall story, Kate came across as a selfish brat. Maybe because it was only told from Kate's POV. Had some of it been told from Ozzie's POV it would have created more depth of the characters and enhanced the experience for me. I appreciate the opportunity given by Netgalley to read this book in advance.

This book was sent to me to review.

Ireland setting caught my attention
Ireland is the place I always want to read books set there. I dream of going myself,
for now I will books that take me there.

A PhD student is researching Blasket Island population.

The descriptions led me there.
I love her inner dialogue.
I loved the message of love-
there are no villains, just humans trying to be good at a difficult thing.

I enjoyed this book.

And now comes the hard part. Finding the words for a review. I enjoyed this book tremendously, but not in the traditional sense. It was slow - much more a character driven story. The writing was phenomenal. I could see every sight clearly. I could taste the sea air. I could feel the chill in the air. This is the story of Kate, who ends up in Ireland to write a research thesis (or dissertation, or one of the college-y things). She ends up meeting some pretty amazing characters, Ozzie being one of them. They quickly fall in love, consumed by each other and the bubble they've built around them. But they don't really know each other. Ozzie carries some baggage from time he spent in Afghanistan and some of the thing he saw and did. He hasn't shared that with anyone, Kate included, but just keeps it deep inside him. Things happen (trying to keep this spoiler free) and Kate and Ozzie decide they are better apart. During this time, Kate has a few revelations about life and what it means to love. But it may be too little too late. If you like beautiful writing, if you like an intelligent story, if you like wistful romance, this one is definitely for you.

I received an ARC of this novel from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in exchange for my review. The Map That Leads to You by J.P. Monninger was one of my favorite books of last year so I was thrilled to be given a review copy of Seven Letters and it did not disappoint. Monninger writes in a way that completely draws you into the characters and plot until you look up and hours have passed and you are still deeply engrossed in the story.

This is the complicated love story of Kate and Ozzie, who meet in Ozzie's home near The Blasket Islands in Ireland. Kate is writing her dissertation on The Blasket Islands and spends a semester in Ireland to research them. She falls in love with Ozzie, who is suffering from PTSD. Their love is beautiful and complicated, and it makes for a fabulous story. I highly recommend this one!

A surprisingly different story, one of lore and love but also of conscience and humanity. Kate is an intelligent and captivating character, even if I wanted to throttle her a time or two, and the supporting cast is as varied as they are enchanting. The plot is originally driven by a historical Irish settlement and Kate’s research, but twists and weaves itself into a richly social and humanitarian sea.
Monninger’s voice is heard throughout and whether I was chuckling at her witty dialogue or nearing tears with Kate’s heartache, I appreciate the journey she took me on.

A gorgeous novel the setting the people Kate ,Ozzie the rest.of the Island inhabitants I was drawn right into the story the lives of the characters the setting.This is the type of book you sink into and sail away from your life into the story,#netgalley #st.martinspress.