Seven Letters is a bit wordy in some areas, but the characters were interesting and the plot was good. This book was a bit of a surprise for me.

Lovely setting. Immature characters. But i loved it anyway. I wanted to shake the pari of them to coommunicate better but overall I loved it.

Kate Moreton is a Dartmouth PhD student on an academic career path. She is on sabbatical from her teaching position at Dartmouth to research the indigenous people of Blaskett Island off of Ireland’s southwest coast. She is there to do research and write her dissertation. Temptation in the way of a tall, dark and handsome fisherman named Ozzie steps in and interrupts her plans. Did it take long for that interruption, did she fall in love in a heartbeat? Was she starved for romance when Ozzie came along, tempting fate and Kate all at the same time? Was it love or was it lust, or was it meant to be? There is more to this story, along with old Irish beliefs and sayings, along with relationships that at times don't work, that make you wonder about the differences between couples and how it all evens out.

My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't typically read romance novels, but I was offered a chance to read an e-arc of this book by St. Martin's Press/Griffin and NetGalley. This one sounded interesting, so I gave it a try, and I'm so glad I did. I loved the way the story tied so seamlessly to the Irish fable at the beginning of the book. I (mostly) loved the storyline, even though it was just a tad improbable at times. I did not care for the constant sex scenes, even though they weren't explicit, or several of the choices/decisions made by Kate, our heroine. I did love the fact that as she grew up and matured a little more, she recognized some of the bad choices and decisions she had made and owned them. I loved the emphasis on the power of love and family and destiny. I more than loved the writing! Just beautiful prose! And such great dialogue. Too wordy at times? Maybe. Sometimes I wondered where it was all going. But then I'd get sucked right back into the story. So thanks again, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, for introducing me to JP Monninger, my favorite new find of the year to date. I'll be finding and reading her first novel very soon! 3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

Romantic Twaddle

Kate Moreton is a Dartmouth PhD student on an academic career path. She is on sabbatical from her teaching position at Dartmouth to research the indigenous people, especially the women, of Blaskett Island off of Ireland’s southwest coast. She is there strictly for research and writing her dissertation or so she says. She is set up in an apartment on her visiting college campus along with a library carrel in which to do her work when she isn’t out in the field. Kate shows up all business but a chance meeting with an elderly woman on her tour bus to Dingle leads her to Ozzie, an Irish-American fisherman and ex-soldier with a dark past. He is written as too good looking for his own good. Yet another example of how looks excuse all sorts of behavior.
The prologue did not fit with the story and I failed to see the connection other than Ozzie’s references to Kate as a “selkie”. The dialogue, though descriptive, felt forced and not always in synch. The author seems to go in and out of a writing trance with very awkward segues that affected the story’s arc. Overly romantic and pat, there are some serious issues regarding the importance of communication and boundaries between couples that were abandoned for a cheap romantic thrill. Kate is compared to her flighty mother as being far more steadfast and realistic however she and her mother are more closely matched in their impulsivities than the book would have you believe. Kate is foolish and makes stupid choices that are not well thought out. She is a clear example of book but not street smart.
Though Kate’s naiveté and indecisiveness grates, this story will mess with your starry-eyed romantic side a little too much. The attempt to pass Kate off as a respectable career-academic makes it even worse. It’s entertaining to a point but what kind of message does it send to impressionable women? In a world where we desperately need to shed all aspects of patriarchy and teach women to move into their power, this book is a profound disappointment.
BRB Rating: Skip It.

“Seven Letters” by J. P. Monninger is more than a love story. It’s a story of survival, growth, friendship, and healing. It’s a story of Ireland and its beauty. And it’s a story of forgiveness– both of others and one’s self. This book is full of well-developed characters that you will come to care about and enjoy. And, who doesn’t love a book with a great dog as a character?!? If you’re looking for a well-written, not-too-sappy love story, look no further. “Seven Letters” is for you. Disclaimer– I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Publish date 10/08/19 #netgalley

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced read in exchange for this review. Kate is a doctoral candidate at Dartmouth studying Ireland and the history of Blaskets. She gets the opportunity to go to Ireland herself and does not expect to fall in love so quickly with a man named Ozzie. Tragedy strikes and soon their love is tested.
What I loved most was the author’s ability to describe the scenery of Ireland. I’m not sure I bought Ozzie and Kate’s love story. It all happened so fast and then suddenly it was fast forward to 2 years later. I was worried Kate was going to throw away her hard work for something that I wasn’t sure she was completely sure about. I think Ozzie’s character could have been more developed. This certainly would have helped me, as the reader, be more convinced of their love. I did enjoy the book overall, however.

Seven Letters by J. P. Menninger
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I don’t like to give negative reviews but this book was just not what I expected. Kate, a doctoral student at Dartmouth goes to Ireland to research the history of Blasket Islands. She immediately falls in love with Ozzie, a fisherman and marries him after knowing him just a few days or maybe weeks. Then, when things don’t go her way, she leaves him and goes back to the US. The story picks up two years later, when Kate goes searching for Ozzie, who disappeared and feared dead off the coast of Italy. Instead she does some sight seeing in Rome with her best friend. Give me a break. I didn’t like Kate’s poor decisions, I also would have liked more of Ozzie’s character developed. This story didn’t hold my attention, often found it boring, I only finished it to be able to write a review.
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Jordan Hanley of St. Martin's Press for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

Here I go again! Reading a book that won't be published for many months, but I fell into temptation. See I read J.P. Monniger's The Map that Leads to You in 2017 and that book abruptly knocked me off my feet and melted my cynical heart. Forgive me ARCs of April and May, I will read many of you this long weekend!

Synopsis: Irish-American professor, Kate Mereton heads to Ireland, researching the Blasket Islands, located in the Dingle Peninsula (which sound so interesting-where's my passport?) and meets many intriguing characters. Amongst them is a veteran of Afghanistan and local fishermen, Ozzie Ferriter. Ozzie and Kate have a tense first meeting but it isn't too long until they give into their feelings and begin a passionate affair.

In true Monniger fashion, his characters are as complicated as they are passionately in love. As the story is told completely from the point of view of Kate, we see her worries about balancing the work life she enjoys so much with the man she is still getting to know. Personally, I would have enjoyed getting a little bit into Ozzie's mind. I felt his absence greatly especially in terms of certain events that unravel in the second half of the novel. Honestly, Kate was hard for me to like, but I doubt I would have dealt with such a relationship any differently.

I am quickly becoming a fan of this author and I await further works with great longing. Although I had a difficult time buying into the relationship of Kate and Ozzie, I would still recommend this to contemporary romance fiction readers.

Goodreads review 19/04/19
Publication Date 10/08/19

A breathtaking view of love loss and Ireland. When the love of your life doesn't fit in your version of where life should be moving towards what do you do?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an ARC of SEVEN LETTERS, in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS

Kate Moreton is a Ph.D. student at Dartmouth who travels to Ireland to research the Blasket Islands for her dissertation. Immediately upon arriving in Ireland, Kate meets Ozzie, an Irish-American fisherman. Kate and Ozzie quickly fall in love and bond over their shared affection for Ireland. SEVEN LETTERS is the story of Kate, Ozzie, tragedy, and love.

MY THOUGHTS

Romance novels are not my first genre choice but I do pick them up when looking for a lighter, no thinking required book between "heavier" stories. Having said that, the synopsis of SEVEN LETTERS piqued my interest. 

I finished SEVEN LETTERS feeling the same as I did when recently finishing NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA- solid story that had the potential to be really good. I found SEVEN LETTERS to be unnecessarily wordy and by the 50% mark, veering away from the original feel and tone of the book. 

SEVEN LETTERS is branded as a romance novel. I expect romance novels to be fluff. Mindless, easy reads. I really thought and hoped SEVEN LETTERS would be that. In reality, SEVEN LETTERS is a mashup of love story and historical-ish women fiction, topped off with a humanitarian crisis, and sprinkled with pieces of a recent war. Halfway through, SEVEN LETTERS morphed into a story of mediocre characters and a kinda far out there, plot which became distracting and uninteresting.

My final issue with SEVEN LETTERS- the title and cover do not, in any way, fit the overall theme and mood of the book. 

Overall, SEVEN LETTERS isn't a horrible read. It's not a great read. SEVEN LETTERS is an unmemorable read that had the potential to be really good but missed the mark.

I loved this book. The cast of characters from Kate, Ozzie and Gottfried - to Nan and Seamus, just draw you in. Milly too. The story is lovely and gut wrenching at times. Good read, recommend to everyone:

This is a lovely story about the beauty and meaning of place and the ones we love despite ourselves. Kate Moreton has gone to the Blasket Islands of Ireland. She wants to work on her PhD about the famous writers who once lived there. She intends to finish her research and then head back home to Ireland. But instead she falls in love, with the beautiful, deserted islands and their wisps of memory. She also falls in love with Ozzie, a man who share her passion for the land. This is a book you can truly immerse yourself in, the kind where you lose track not only of time, but of where you are