The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck is a wonderful dual time story--a tale of two couples in love, generations apart. The author has expertly woven their stories together and had this reader enchanted by both. From present time to the Revolutionary War and from Hollywood to South Carolina, readers are taken on two journeys of faith and love that are each stymied by a number of circumstances, war, family, guilt, the past. The author has realistically brought growth and maturity to the characters and enabled them to go forward with their lives despite the difficulties. The characters are strong and vibrant, arousing a variety of emotions as the story unfolds. The scenes capture the imagination and the author has done a fantastic job of portraying the historical aspect of the book. There are a few twists and turns to the story and a couple 'wow, I didn't see that coming' moments that keep interest high. The Love Letter is a poignant story of faith and forgiveness and the legacy of love throughout the ages. "Truth is, we never know the how or why of our ancestors' decisions. We only know our present reality."Another excellent historical romance from a talented author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

COWPENS caught my eye! I live just a couple of hours away from the Cowpens battlefield, so I remember visiting it a few times as a kid and I just took my boys to visit it a few weeks ago. Usually when South Carolina is the setting for a book or movie, it’s down in Charleston, so it was refreshing to see an author write about the Upcountry.

What I liked:

The plot weaves together the story of a modern-day couple in LA and a Revolutionary War-era couple in Ninety Six, SC. The shifts between time periods and among characters’ viewpoints don’t follow a specific cycle; they flow with the events of the story. Hauck does well with this balance — it kept me reading because I was caught up in not one, but two love stories, but it wasn’t so much shifting back-and-forth that it became confusing or frustrating for me.
The premise of the family heirloom letter is realistic and compelling. I wish I had a family treasure like that!
What I didn’t love:

I was reading a preview ebook version, so I know it wasn’t the final polished product, but there were quite a few editorial issues that I hope were corrected before final release. Same for some layout issues, but I’m guessing those were cleaned up to make the flow between character shifts more effective.
Minor plot holes! There is a character who could be an angel (magical realism in a Revolutionary War Christian romance novel?), but this isn’t really clarified. It’s not a primary plot point, though, so it doesn’t disrupt the big picture, but it is a little awkward. There are some other loose ends that could’ve been wrapped up or edited out more effectively, but they didn’t stop me from enjoying the trajectory of the novel overall.
Bottom line: If you like Christian romance novels and/or historical fiction, it’s a good light read for you. If you’re like my mom and love the Christian romance but don’t like historical stuff very much, you’ll probably still like this book because it’s a good blend of both.

Rachel Hauck is one of my favorite dual timeline authors. She is able to write compelling stories set in different time periods and combine them into quick, easy, can't-put-them-down reads. However, The Love Letter seemed to be missing something. Exactly what was missing I can't put my finger on. I just know it wasn't there.

For me, the story started off a bit slow. I found myself more drawn to Chloe and Jesse than Esther and Hamilton. I liked the instant connection between Chloe and Jesse but then became a bit disappointed in them. Jesse has a secret from his past and readers are also clued into an embarrassing video of Chloe that's on the internet. I didn't like the way Jesse and Chloe told each other their secrets at the same time. Were they even listening to each other? I've been in conversations such as theirs and just gave up trying to tell my story but these two characters kept going on and on until they had finished. Also, I think the phrase "hot and heavy" was a bit overused. It seems like within a few pages I read this phrase several times. (Does anyone even say that anymore?)

As for Esther and Hamilton the more I read about them the more I enjoyed their story. I'm not a big fan of the Revolutionary War and thought the all the fight scene details slowed down the flow of the story, which was slow enough on its own. I did enjoy the aspect of the story as far as them being on different sides of the war but still maintaining their friendship.

All in all, this isn't a bad story and once I got into it I found it was a fairly quick read. I will admit towards the end I was ready for it to wrap up. While this isn't one of my favorite stories from this author she is still on my must-read list.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions are mine.

Welcome to the world of screenplays, romance, and actors. A compelling faith based story by Rachel Hauck fascinated me. Not only did I enjoy the main characters who were well rounded, but their ancestors as well. See, this particular story revolves around a screenplay Jesse made about his ancestors and an unrequited love. The main actress is Chloe, who is the Sean Bean of actresses - never living to the end.

The novel is broken into basically three parts - the here and now, the past love story of Ester and Hamilton, and the screenplay itself. I wish I could say the flow between the three was smooth sailing, but the screenplay inserts between the two love stories I think could have been done differently, such as making it part of the here and now and what it was like to be on set. As a filmmaker and writer, I appreciated the behind the curtain aspects of the story, most of which was pretty accurate.

Chloe is "born again" and believes after all the heart ache she has been through it's time to just let her faith guide her. When this script is given to her by Smitty (who may be an angel or someone who appears in several of the characters' lives), she runs over to a family friend to audition for the role of the lead actress. This is a chance for her not to die. In the meantime, she meets the screenwriter and the friendship/romance begins.

The hardest pieces for me was at the very end. I felt it was a bit rushed and then not. A letter sent to him disappears for months (which I thought was just bull) and Smitty kept appearing over and over which I had a hard time with - though Smitty is an interesting character, I thought he was a bit overused.

All in all, this is a sweet romance and appealing to read.

This book was given for me from Netgalleys for an honest and unbiased review.

A really good historical fiction. I loved the different stories and the mix of past and present.
The plot is fascinating and the mix of romance, history and religion works wonderfully.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for this ARC

Can I give this book 10 stars? It was hands down the best book I've read in the last few years. It's the first book by Rachel Hauck that I've read and definitely will NOT be the last. It is such a well crafted story. It's a time hop story that jumps between Revolutionary War time and the present. The two stories fit so well together. Hauck has this way of leaving the reader wanting more when she jumps from past to present. I couldn't stop reading. Loved the scene where Jesse & Chloe's stories are intertwining. It was brilliant. The story isn't one where you can guess the ending. It's one where you can see the potential ending and your rooting for that! Wanting it to happen so bad. And there are surprises all the way to the end. One that I guessed earlier in the story but wasn't quite sure that's what was actually being said. It's a clean romance with deep moving characters. Christian elements are subtle and natural but play a big part in the lives of the characters. It's a story of forgiveness, redemption, love, faith, death, and life. You don't want to miss this story. I was so pleasantly surprised by it and quickly came to love the story. It exceeded my expectations on so many levels. Definitely a book you can reread time and time again!
I received a digital copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher. I was in no way obligated to write a review. All opinions are my own.

The Love Letter is a historical romance about two couples in two different centuries: Esther and Hamilton are a couple split by familial conflicts during the Revolutionary War, and Hamilton’s modern-day descendant is a young man named Jesse who is inspired to write a screenplay about Hamilton’s forbidden love, and ends up falling in love with Chloe, the dazzling young actress who has been picked to play Esther. The novel touches on themes of destiny, faith, and true love.

Let me start by saying that I absolutely loved the concept of this book: leaps back and forth between the modern world and the 18th century, seeing Jesse’s interpretation of the romance between Hamilton and Esther, and the reality of their romance and conflict. And on this front, the book did marvelously well. There were quite a few places where that contrast was really tangible. In one chapter, Jesse and Chloe are standing on an old battlefield in the modern day, and Jesse notices that the road curves down so that the attackers likely could not have seen the defendants until the came up on them. Jesse comments that it probably would have affected the outcome of the battle, and he wonders whether Hamilton would have noticed. We then have a change of scene, and Hamilton does notice the curve of the path – not during the battle, but instead, during an encounter with Esther.

There was so much potential in the worldbuilding and the concept of the plot that I was really disappointed by the lack of overall plot realism. When I picked up the book I had not realised that this was Christian fiction, and while I am not opposed to Christian fiction as a genre, some of the religious premises sometimes struggle with realism. That was definitely a problem in The Love Letter. This book makes a strong argument that God can handle everything, and if we place our fates in God’s hands, he will solve our problems for us. I do like this as a religious belief, but it is a little lacking as a plot device. There were a number of times in the book when the characters basically give up on their goals, and their problems are solved for them. There just wasn’t enough of a connection between their actions and their results, and I found myself getting frustrated by characters that came across as not as believers, but as people that aren’t willing to work for results. There also were a handful of moments where Jesus actually appeared in a vision to the characters. This might not be abnormal for this genre, I’m genuinely not sure, but that really took me out of the narrative. I feel like there has to be a better way of showing a character’s spiritual progression than literally having Jesus show up. This is admittedly not my typical genre, so others might feel differently.

I feel so conflicted about the character development, because there are some fantastic developmental moments, especially for Chloe and Jesse, and then there are moments where huge changes are instated with little transition. Chloe in particular has a thorough background and some real, meaningful character changes through the novel. At the start of The Love Letter, Chloe is a few years out of a bad relationship with a rough, public break-up that was posted online. She wants to believe in true love and the institution of marriage, but feels that she is unlucky in love. She has learned the wrong lessons from her experiences – rather than learning how to be independently strong, she has instead learned to distance herself from others. Through The Love Letter, Chloe learns to trust the right people in her life rather than the wrong people, and she learns how to be happy with herself and to have strength in her faith. I really like this progression for her. However, towards the end of the novel she suddenly decides to trust God to solve her relationship problems for her, and she starts acting in a manner that might be best described as erratic – rather than consistently backing off of romance or changing her approach to romance, she instead just acts on opportunities that appear in front of her. To be frank, this sudden change seemed out of place for me, and really disrupted the character development that had been so strong until that moment. There are similar moments for Jesse, Esther, and Hamilton – they each have a moment of realization when they realize they need to trust God to do what is best for them, and then suddenly their behavior becomes rather erratic. To be clear, this did not feel like a difference in beliefs to me – I feel like there could still have been a change in beliefs without the characters’ behaviors seeming so random. That being said, this moment did pass in the book, consistency was resumed, and I was happy with the ending. So take that how you will.

In all, I will give The Love Letter a 6 out of 10. As a Christian romance, it was engaging enough to keep me invested through the end, but I just wanted more from the character development and plot realism.

I enjoy reading duel time line stories, multiple POVs, and Rachel Hauck’s writing, but I toiled with the choppiness of The Love Letter from time to time. A letter written by Hamilton Lightfoot to Ester Longfellow in 1802, but never mailed, brings the two generations together. Jesse Gates, Hamilton’s 6 times great grandson, writes a screenplay for a movie based on the letter which stars Chloe Daschle as Ester. There is much to tell about Chloe and Ester, however, my lips are sealed, as not to give away the ending. You will have to read this stirring story for yourself and trust me you will not be disheartened.

What drew me to this story was the historical side as little is written about the southern states involvement in the War of Independence. Here Rachel did not disappoint with her research and attention to detail. Picking the Cowpens battle a turning point in the American reconquest of South Carolina from the British was genius. I felt the animosity and conflict between Hamilton Lightfoot, Ester Longfellow’s father, Sir Michael Longfellow, and Lieutenant Twimball at each and every meeting, and Ester’s dilemma loving both Hamilton and her father who were on opposite sides of more than just the war.

Rachel Hauck’s stories are always filled with messages of wisdom. One such message in The Love Letter is: “Marriage is the only place where two lovers can exist in a world all their own”. This is such a divine sentiment and one every couple should always remember.

I received a complimentary ARC ebook of The Lost Letter from Thomas Nelson/HarperCollins Christian Publishing via NetGalley as part of the Celebrate Lit book tour. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck is about four lives intersecting over centuries. Esther and Hamilton grew up together in the South Carolina colony, but the prospect of independence inserts a wedge between them. Present day, Chloe and Jesse are both working on a movie based on a love letter by Hamilton to Esther. Written from all four perspectives, it delves into themes of love, fate, faith, and new beginnings.

This was a pleasant read and I found the story interesting. I found I preferred the present day sections over the past, which is rare as I am a huge fan of historical fiction. The subject of faith was presented as part of the characters and done very well.

Rachel Hauck is a brilliant author. I haven’t read anything by her in a while and I ask myself: why? Her stories pull the reader in with her true to life dialogue and real situations and human brokenness.

Chloe has this romantic idea of romance and nothing in her life has lived up to it, who can relate??

I honestly think I enjoyed the historical romance more then the contemporary one. Hamilton and Ester’s romance and tension was high. The struggle they are both going through so real.

I love the surprise encounters with what seems like Heavenly Beings. That is something Rachel is so good at, writing a romance but taking the reader deeper into their own spiritual journey.

Grab your copy at your local bookstore, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook.com or your favorite retailer.

A copy of this book was given to me through the Celebrate Lit Team. All opinions are my own.

This is actually two stories. One is present day and the other deals with the screenwriter's 6 greats grandfather during the war for independence from England. It's a love story and a sad story all in one.

The present day deals with the relationship between the screenwriter and an actress who had only ever died in all her films. Her one big hope is to live to the end of the film.

I absolutely loved this book. I did guess Chloe's part in the history, but still that didn't stop me from really liking this book. I even shed a tear or two at the end.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Wow, wow, wow!! I dropped right into this story and all of the historical elements of Esther and Hamilton’s love, and truly felt a connection to Jesse & Chloe. There was just the right amount of back & forth, and I’m so glad the mystery was solved in the end. Without giving away too much, I was really powerfully moved by the visitation that Esther & Hamilton each experienced. I love family history, and would love to someday find out that we have a letter like Jesse’s that could inspire an amazing journey. One of my top 3 for 2018!!

The story of three loves, one 300 years ago, one today, and one since the beginning of time. Faith plays a huge role in this multidimensional romance, which has you rooting for the characters throughout. Well written with an interesting plot what switches point of view and time period, yet all comes together quite beautifully at the end.

The Love Letter by Rachel Hauck

My rating is 4.5 Stars


Chloe’s dream of a forever marriage was born in her early childhood, despite the fact that her parents had never made that commitment themselves. They loved each other deeply and were still living together after 35 years, but never made the covenant to remain together – and that really bothered Chloe.

The Love Letter is a deeply moving story of four people, two who live in the present day, Chloe and Jessie, and two who lived during the Revolutionary War, Hamilton and Esther. Author Rachel Hauck intertwines their stories in such a beautiful way. The characters are rich and relatable, and their stories reached deeply into my heart.

I loved the way that reasons for some of the colonists joining the rebellion were brought to light beyond the one that I’ve always heard – taxation without representation. The added drama of friends and neighbors ending up with opposing views on the political issues and the way it ripped lives apart added a very rich dimension.

The spiritual journeys of each of these four were different, and yet they had a common element that was not revealed until the very end. Each of these people had hurts that were just too significant to be ignored, they had to be healed before anyone was able to sustain a relationship.

There were so many surprises throughout. While some things were hinted at enough that I knew how they were going to pan out, I was not expecting others.


This review was originally posted on AmongTheReads.net.

Get a preview of The Love Letter at amongTheReads.net


I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.

I enjoyed this Christian romance that alternated between a couple in the 1780s and one in a contemporary setting. There is a good Christian emphasis on the contemporary couple with a clear portrayal of forgiveness and character change. We learn a little about Revolutionary War battles in South Carolina and the tension between rebels and those loyal to the crown in the historical setting. We learn about the cutthroat business of making movies in the contemporary one. The two stories are told in the third person narrative style but through the viewpoints of five characters. Three of them are in the historical setting and two in the contemporary one. This has the potential to be confusing but I found it only mildly so.

There are several issues addressed in this novel. The major one, I think, is unrequited love. What do we do when we feel God has that one person for us yet we are prevented from fulfilling that love? Can we love another? Another issue was forgiveness for past deeds, forgiveness from God, others, and self. There was also the appearance of Jesus or an angel giving direction a few times. That is such a rare experience for Christians I thought it a bit much in this novel. A somewhat side issue that really bothered me was the character Smitty. He is a Christian who brought one of the characters to faith yet swindled another in a real estate deal. That was a real distraction for me with respect to the Christian witness of the novel.

I do recommend this novel to readers who enjoy an historical romance along with a contemporary one. Do have your tissues handy when you near the surprising and rewarding end to the novel.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Modern-day Hollywood connected to the Revolutionary War by a letter.

When Chloe Daschle reads the script for a movie, she wants the role. It’s the ancestors of screenwriter/actor Jesse Gates who penned the letter. The dialogue between Chloe and Jesse as they share their dreams and their failures (perceived or real), was one of my favorite parts of this book.

Esther and Hamilton’s story takes a backseat to that of the other couple, but it provides a strong comparison to Jesse and Chloe’s tale.

Rachel Hauck has a unique and special ability to make characters memorable. Whether one of the four main characters or some of the supporting cast like Smitty or Chloe’s family, each character has a place in the story.

Another thing Hauck excels at is writing memorable conversations and lines. I rarely highlight a book more than I do with those Hauck has written. There are always so many great words and insights into relationships, human nature, and God; I have difficulty choosing one or two (that’s why you’ll find all of them in the quotes section on Goodreads).

In the end, The Love Letter reminds us that while sometimes Hollywood creates the happily ever after, other times, life is so much more than can be imagined. And while our dreams are sometimes unrealized, God remains steadfast in replacing the death of one dream with the promise and joy of another.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Rachel Hauck is becoming one of my favorite authors. I didn't quite get into her book "The Wedding Chapel" as much as I loved her "Royal Weddings" series so I wasn't quite sure what to make of this one. But I was not disappointed.

Hauck weaves a interesting tale set in both the War for Independence and modern day Hollywood. Normally I don't like novels with two storylines because it tends to confuse me but this one I found easy to read.

In modern day Hollywood, Chloe is queen. The queen of the death scene. Typecast as the woman who never leaves in the end of the movie, Chloe wants a new start with a role where she lives to see the end.

This is Jesse's big break. Making a movie script out of an old letter his great great great grandfather sent to the woman that he loved is now being made into a blockbuster. And none other than Chloe Daschle is set to play the part of Esther.

Back during the War for Independence, Esther and Hamilton try to navigator their relationship through war torn America. Hamilton wants to fight for the Americans with Esther's father a loyalist and Esther caught right in the middle.

I highly recommend this book. It is appropriate for ages 13 and up for some violence.

I spent a few days pushing myself through this book. I wanted to like it, and there were some parts of it that I enjoyed. But for a lot of it I just couldn't get into it. It dragged. I wanted to skip pages to get to the more exciting parts of the story, but alas, there really weren't that many.

I didn't love the dual story, mainly because it killed any momentum the opposing story was building when it would change over. I think I probably preferred the story of Esther and Hamilton more than the present day relationship of Jesse and Chloe. I didn't like Chloe as a character. And the insta-love aspect between her and Jesse was a turn-off.

Perhaps the biggest annoyance I found was that the conversations between the characters would have each character telling their own story in an alternating fashion without really listening to the other, or engaging with them. Who talks like that? Even thinking about it now is making my head hurt.

All in all, it just wasn't for me.

*I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A love letter from Jesse's ancestor Hamilton inspires the script for a film portraying the romance between Hamilton and Esther - though Jesse's family history shows that the two never married. Chloe has been involved with Hollywood for many years, but has come to be the character who always dies. When she reads Jesse's script, the character of Esther resonates with her so strongly that she has to have the part - and break the curse that means her character always dies. As Jesse and Chloe work together on the film, the attraction between them grows - but nothing is that simple. Can Jesse overcome his past and open himself up to love again? And when things go pear-shaped with the film, will Chloe be able to deal with the possibility of her character dying yet again? Four people with two love stories, separated by many years - can the past be redeemed?

I enjoyed the story (stories), but not quite as much as previous books I've read by the author - I think having the four characters meant that each story was just that bit slower. Having said that, the two threads were tied together beautifully, especially at the end. The switches between characters were very clear and well managed, but I did feel a bit lost at times in the older storyline. All in all, a good book, but it didn't quite hit my list of top favourites.

Characters: Well developed, possibly more the 'current' characters than the past.
Storyline: A neat tying together of two stories from two different times. Well managed overall, but a bit disruptive at times.
Content and language: Clean and well written. No issues.
Message: Forgiveness of self and others, and the need to open oneself up to love.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

There are pros and cons to a novel with a split story line. The pros are that you practically get two novels in one, with two sets of characters, and in this case, two different time periods. Rachel Hauck takes these two complex romances and weaves them together to make one complete novel. Both were interesting and kept my attention, but I tended to drift towards the story of Chloe and Jesse. There was more closure with their story. I also enjoyed the romantic tension and plot line more with these two characters. Another pro is that the switch between time periods keeps the plot moving at a great pace.
The cons of a split story line are that you don't get as much information and detail that you would in a singular novel. You get basically half the amount dedicated to each aspect of the story. The two do somewhat converge, but I would've loved to know more, especially about Esther and Hamilton.
Considering these pros and cons, I would still highly recommend this novel! It was quite enjoyable and I had a hard time putting it down : ). The personal journey that Chloe took in this novel was especially inspiring.
Personal takeaway: Courage takes on many forms, even ways that we could not expect. To love takes courage, and it is worth facing our fears for.
**I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in order to share my honest opinions, which I did.**