Rachel Hauck: The Love Letter

By Kelly Bridgewater

Romance has never been actress Chloe Daschle’s forte—in life or on screen. But everyone knows who to call for a convincing death scene . . . and it might be killing her career.

When Chloe is given a peek at the script for an epic love story, she decides to take her destiny into her own hands and request an audition for the lead female role, Esther Kingsley. The compelling tale, inspired by family lore and a one-page letter from the colonial ancestor of scriptwriter Jesse Gates, just might break her out of this career-crippling rut. Jesse would rather write about romance than live through it after his past relationship ended in disaster. But once on-set together, the chemistry between Jesse and his leading lady is hard to deny.

Centuries earlier, in the heart of the Revolutionary War, Hamilton Lightfoot and Esther Longfellow wrote their saga off the silver screen. Esther’s Loyalist father opposes any relationship with Hamilton, but Esther must face her beloved father’s disapproval and the dangers of war in order to convince Hamilton of their future together. Hamilton has loved Esther for years, and on the eve of battle pens the love letter she’s always wanted—something straight from the heart.  

Set in stunning upcountry South Carolina, The Love Letter is a beautifully-crafted story of the courage it takes to face down fear and chase after love, even in the darkest of times. And just maybe, all these generations later, love can come home in a way not even Hollywood could imagine.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I have read a majority of Rachel Hauck's books. Majority of them I have liked, but a few of them have not hit the mark for me. I LOVED The Writing Desk and The Wedding Shop but didn't like The Wedding Chapel. With The Love Letter, I knew I was getting a time slip novel like the previous three books, so I knew what I was getting into when I read the book. But unfortunately, The Love Letter did not really work for me.

Hauck's writing is great. I have no problem jumping into the character's skin and seeing and feeling their emotions as they move through the story. She does a great job at inviting into the setting and making me feel like I'm right there with the characters. Her story is definitely told between the quotation marks.

But as for the plot, I wasn't really drawn into the novel. The past story appeared to be more interesting than the modern day story. I enjoyed watching Esther and Hamilton's story, but it felt way too soap opera for me. Do they love each other or not? They both claim to be, but there were moments when Hamilton would push Esther away. Their romance was forbidden, so I believe that was its only appeal. In the present story, I didn't really like it at all. It bored me to tears. I kept flipping through the plot, hoping something wonderful would happen, but the story dragged on and on. The ending did surprise me, but it felt a little jarring. I didn't see it coming, so I don't know what to make of it.

In conclusion, The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck did not have the wow factor that The Wedding Shop and The Writing Desk had. I wished for more to the plot and the romances.

I received a complimentary copy of The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars