“The Love Letter” by Rachel Hauck

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes a story of long-lost love and its redemption in future generations.

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.

I love The Love Letter.  Hauck has penned a story that’s realistic from the first page to the last.  The action jumps off the page to play before you, just like the movie Chloe is making.  Chloe and Jesse don’t always take the expected path, and they don’t behave the way you’d expect Hollywood stars to behave, but you’ll fall in love with them as they find true love in unexpected places.

My favorite main characters are always the ones with something big to overcome and a visible weakness, but those who push through that weakness valiantly to find victory.  In the beginning, though, I didn’t like Chloe that much because she didn’t appear to be that kind of character – she seemed too desperate; I was wrong, though!  Her inner steel shows through later as she finds the strength she needs to make a hard choice, and I was cheering her on all the way!  Hauck has really crafted amazing characters who feel completely real.  It takes serious talent to write someone who is flawed and broken but beautiful and have her become a heroine, but Hauck excels at it.

I love the time slip aspect of the story, as well.  I feel as if both parts would make excellent stories on their own, but the way that Hauck weaves the spiritual lessons and the journey that all players are on together is masterful.  She seamlessly ties together the plot and all characters without ever dropping a beat, switching dialects and settings effortlessly.  The realism of each was fun to read, and having listened to my kids chatter on enthusiastically about King’s Mountain and Cowpens after they studied it at Epic Patriot Camp, I was excited to read so much about it in this story.  The Love Letter is definitely my favorite Hauck story in terms of historical time period, and I appreciate the work she put into getting the details right.

I have to share about my absolute, very favorite part of the story, but it’s hard because I don’t want to give out any spoilers; so suffice it to say that a character is asked a question about marriage, and that character gives an amazing answer.  Reading it, I wasn’t sure whether to cry over it’s beauty or stand up on my chair and shout for joy; it’s that good.  

My Big Helper is reading many of the same books I do these days, and she’s eager to read this one.  Know that Hauck’s books, and this one in particular, are not written for kids or tweens, though; while they are clean, there are nuances of adult issues (because the main characters are adults and it’s set in Hollywood).  I will personally allow My Big Helper to read this one provided that we discuss it afterwards, and I look forward to that.  I did have the opportunity to correspond with Hauck about her perspective, and it was fascinating to learn more about how an author deepens the story through spiritual journeys and modern culture.  Hauck herself recommends her books for older teens and adults.

There are far more great aspects of The Love Letter than there is space to talk about them here; but I loved every part of it.  The story was deep but exciting with great moral lessons, too.  Chalk up another win for Rachel Hauck.

I received a free copy of this book from the author.  All opinions are my own.