I started this novel with high hopes that were quickly dashed when this novel went from one that piqued my historical and cultural curiosities to one of a passionate, self-absorbed relationship that was hard for me to read. Though it was told from only Kate's point of view I struggled to connect with either her or Ozzie, especially when I wasn't allowed to hear his side of the story. The selfishness of the heroine is astounding and the Kate/Ozzie dynamic so nauseating that at about the halfway mark I felt like giving up, but I held out hope that the narrative would improve. For me, it didn't.

Normally I am a sucker for a good romance but the entire story did not bode well with me. The writing was good but felt choppy at times and I found myself skimming quite a bit, especially the last half, fighting to make it to the end.

In saying that, I fell in love with the imagery and reading about Ireland and the Blasket Islands, and wish the love story wouldn't have tarnished this enchanting portrayal of a forgotten history. The story does go into an interesting direction, which at first showed promise, but then it quickly went back to being foreseeable.

I really wanted to love this story but sadly it was a huge disappointment for me.

Seven Letters by JP Monninger is a modern romance where everything doesn't exactly work out, which is what makes it different and so good. For some reason I connected to this book and can't rave about it too much. The letters are not connected at all. The first brings Kate to Ireland to research the inhabitants and history of the Blasket Islands on the coast. She is planning to write her dissertation based on her research there and on collected oral histories of immigrants in Massachusetts. As she travels she meets a variety of people, growing to love Ireland and its inhabitants. Especially one. Kate and Ozzie fall in love quickly. They marry. For their honeymoon they sail in Ozzie's boat around Ireland where the mistake they have made with one another quickly becomes clear to Kate and she leaves. She does write a wonderful dissertation, which is subsequently turned into a book, which sells well. Years later she gets a call from Ozzie's grandmother. It seems he had taken his boat to the Mediterranean where he was transporting migrants. There was a storm. He went down and never came back up. She rushes to Ireland to comfort her friend and discovers that, as his wife, everything Ozzie owns has come to her. She gets to know her husband all over again.

Kate is a wonderful character. She is young and idealistic but grows and changes throughout the story. Losing Ozzie, but then getting to know the mane her had been, the one she had never seen, nearly breaks her heart. She is strong and courageous and moves forward to continue his work. Ozzie is a damaged man, mainly, but not entirely, from his experiences at war. He is not a great communicator, which is what breaks up his marriage. This is a romance for the ages. It is about two people who met at the wrong times in their lives. It is scalding, heartbreaking, and inspirational. I recommend it with my whole heart.

I received a free ARC of Seven Letters from Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations herein are solely my own. #netgalley #sevenletters

3.5 stars
Seven Letters is beautifully written, and Monninger certainly knows how to paint a scene. It actually felt like more time was spent on the setting than on the love story, or maybe it was that those were some of my favorite parts. The romance was good, not great, but good, but that could be due to a lack of connection with Kate. I just never quite warmed up to her. I've seen that this one is headed for the silver screen, so I'm anxious to see how it all translates to film. I'm hoping to find Kate a little easier to like, and I can't wait for the terrific scenery described. In the end, Seven Letters fell just short of a really good story and landed somewhere in the mid-range for me.

Kate Moreton came to Ireland for more than just to complete the research needed for her dissertation. She also wants to discover more about her father’s early life before his family made their way to America.

His death left her feeling set adrift and she thought she would find answers and maybe even a tiny bit of solace on the Blasket Islands. But instead, she finds a man who is as beautiful and isolated as the Islands themselves.

Life for Ozzie Ferriter wasn’t always so peaceful. He returned to Ireland after war marked him both body and soul. Now his days consist of being out on his boat and with his beloved grandmother.

When he’s introduced to Kate, he suddenly feels like he’s whole again. As the sparks fly and their passion burns brighter, it’s only a matter of time before two shattered people threaten to fall apart again.

“Do you know,” he said when I passed the bottle back to him, “that if a man or woman drinks from the same bottle without wiping it first, it means they are going to make love? It’s an old Irish custom.”
“I thought it meant a man couldn’t keep a set of glasses clean.”
“That, too, of course.”
He took a solid drink. He didn’t wipe the neck of the bottle. His Adam’s apple bobbed twice.
“And the tweed cap?” I asked.
“I have one somewhere, but I can’t put my hands on it. Do you like Irish whiskey?”
“I do.”
“Well, that’s a point in your favor.”
“Am I trying to win points? I didn’t know we were playing a game.”
“I think Gran wants us to play a game. She was born with a caul, you know? She’s said to have second sight.”
“Cauls were sold to sailors to keep them from drowning,” I said, calling up what I knew about the subject. “They were talismans to defend against witchcraft.”
“I’d need one on both counts, then.”
“And they bring good luck. Are you lucky, Ozzie?”
“I met you, didn’t I?”

To say that I’m a Monninger fan is a massive understatement! Ever since being captivated by The Map That Leads to You, I have waited (not so patiently) for his next gem to be released. And Seven Letters was so much more than I ever hoped for.

The writing is lush and dream-like, almost hypnotizing. Even Ireland and the surrounding sea become characters in their own right. But it’s the undeniable connection between Kate and Ozzie that somehow jumps right off the page and gets a grip on your heart. Sometimes it holds it softly and sometimes it steals your breath away.

It’s an emotional deluge of the very best kind and I’ll never forget the way it made me feel…

My rating:

Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Character development: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Romance
Women’s fiction


Review:

This is a feel good story. The real treasure of the book is the writing. The author has managed to vividly depict the Irish landscape. While reading the book it feels like you are actually there, you feel the wet and cold, smell the ocean, and when you close your eyes you can almost see the rugged green landscape.

The character development is a little slow and didn’t really draw me in. The main characters were nice people but I found it hard to feel a connection with them.

Overall this is a pleasant story with kind characters that allows you to escape for a few hours and makes you feel good after you finish.

Review copy provided by NetGalley at no cost to me

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Seven Letters by J.P. Monninger and found it an emotional and amazing book. Kate Moreton take a sabbatical from her teaching so to research in Ireland the women of Blasket Island. In Dingle she meets Ozzie Ferriter, a fisherman and veteran of the American war on Afghanistan. The Ferriter family history is tied to the remote Blasket Islands and Ozzie, a citizen of both the US and Ireland, returned to the one place that might offer him peace from a war he is unable to forget and leave behind. Kate and Ozzie fit together like yin and yang, or two puzzle pieces. They each have so much love for the other, which brings them together; leaving their life in a world of their creation. When Ozzie’s demons drive him to become reckless with his life, and Kate’s, she makes the hardest decision ever; leave Ozzie and return to America instead of watching him self-destruct. When Kate receives word that Ozzie has been lost at sea she reacts as a woman still in love with her husband; searching for clues, evidence, answers to the truth of who Ozzie was. Warning: keep tissues nearby while reading this book.

Mr. Monninger wrote an amazing tale, using words to visualize the beauty of the location and history of the land. Kate and Ozzie were life-like character, sharing a love so strong, that their souls are joined. I highly recommend Seven Letters to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Falling in Love in Ireland

Kate Moreton has always been in love with Ireland from the stories told by her father. Now she has a research fellowship in Limerick to finish her dissertation about the Blasket Islands. She plans to work and immerse herself in the land, but almost immediately she meets Ozzie Ferriter, a man whose family has a long history in the islands.

Kate has no plans to fall in love, but Ozzie is an insistent suitor. Finally, on a whim she marries him thinking it will all turn out perfectly. Ozzie, however, is a man whose demons have followed him from the war in Afganistan. Finally, Kate retreats to the safety of her academic life in the US, but the story is far from over.

The best part of this book, for me, is the description of Ireland and the Blasket Islands. You can smell the peat fires, see the sea views, and the green hills. It made me want to go and see it for myself. The love story is also captivating.

Kate is a conflicted character. She starts the novel not wanting an attachment. She’s in Ireland to work, but Ozzie is insistent, and she falls prey to the magic of the area. Ozzie is an interesting character. He has his demons, but he’s basically a good person. I felt even with the difficulties that he loved Kate.

This is a wonderful romance. The writing is poetic and, if you enjoy a character driven novel, this is a good one.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Je découvre la plume de JP Monninger et j'ai été emportée par le lyrisme et la magie qui se dégagent de sa plume. J'ai été emportée en Irlande pour découvrir cette histoire d'amour atypique aux rebondissements très intéressants.



Kate Moreton est une étudiante érudit qui s'intéresse tout particulièrement aux légendes liées à l'île de Blasket près de Dingle. Dans le cadre d'une thèse sur les récits des femmes dans la littérature féminine, elle va se rendre sur place pour se plonger au coeur même de cette île qui va révéler de nombreuses merveilles. De part ses origines irlandaise, elle va partir à la recherche de ses racines tout en nourrissant son envie de découverte. Dès qu'elle va poser le pied sur les terres irlandaises, elle sent que les choses ne seront plus pareilles. Elle tombe lors d'un laborieux voyage en bus sur deux personnes déterminantes pour son séjour : Nora Crean , qui est un personnage quasi féerique et Seamus son fidèle allié. Ces deux là sont plus qu'adorables et on va adorer les voir interagir avec notre héroïne. Ils seront les porteurs à la fois de la bonne parole mais ils sauront aussi transmettre leur amour de leur pays et de ses légendes. Nora est la grand mère d'Ozzie et elle nous permettra de mieux l'appréhender.



Le roman se divise en trois parties qui correspondent à trois périodes distinctes : dans un premier temps, ce sera la féerie qui va dominer car elle va découvrir des gens merveilleux et des terres éblouissantes puis elle va foncer tête baissée dans une histoire d'amour qui sera transcendante mais aussi éprouvante et enfin , nous aurons la quête pour obtenir des réponses sur une réalité qui est à mille lieux de ce qu'elle pensait . Kate sera toujours bien entourée et elle a ce côté sociable qui lui permettra d'aller au contact des gens et de ressentir de l'empathie pour eux. Elle aura une destinée assez incroyable et ce qu'elle va vivre ne sera pas anodin. Peut on croire aux signes du destin? Saura t-elle trouver sa voie?



Ozzie Ferriter est un personnage que nous aurons du mal à cerner car il ne s'ouvre que très peu sur lui, ses sentiments et son vécu. Nous savons qu'il a vécu l'horreur de la guerre mais en ne s'ouvrant pas sur ce sujet qui l'a forcément marqué. Il met des barrières entre lui et les autres. C'est un pécheur qui vit sur les mers et on sent qu'il y est plus à l'aise que sur la terre ferme avec des gens. Sa rencontre avec Kate sera aussi inattendue que surprenante. Il pourrait dès lors laisser une femme entrer dans sa vie mais cette dernière devra avoir une patience à rude épreuve car il est assez renfermé et s'ouvrir aux autres n'est pas une chose naturelle pour lui. Je ne dirai pas que nous le verrons sous un mauvais jour mais ses démons pourraient bien le faire couler sans promesse de retour.



Bref, j'ai pris plaisir à lire ce roman en VO qui est étonnant , envoûtant car c'est une véritable épopée voire un voyage initiatique que nous découvrons. Les personnages ne sont pas lisses et ce sont leur faille qui nous donne envie d'en savoir plus à leur sujet. L'amour pourra t-il les sauver et sera t-il assez fort pour perdurer ?

Seven Letters by J. P. Monninger, a new to me author that I haven’t read any books by before. It wasn’t a top read for me but a still okay book. Enjoyed the setting and character development. I look forward to checking out future books by author.

I'm not usually one to read books that might be classified as a romance novel, but I really enjoyed this book. The information about the Blasket Islands, the different characters and Monninger's style of writing were extremely enjoyable to me. I was drawn into the book very quickly and became very invested in the characters.

3 1/2 ⭐️‘s
Monninger weaves a complicated love story set mostly in Ireland. While slow and character driven, the book was very well written. Monninger brings Ireland alive, as Kate tells her story of love, loss and hope. Unfortunately even with all that, I did not love the story, I could see where it was going fairly early on, but Monninger’s prose did keep me reading until the end.

Ireland was already on my bucket list of travel destinations, but after reading this captivating story, I would love nothing more than to drop my obligations, pack my bags, and hop on a flight.

Seven Letters was truly a lovely story. J.P. Monninger gave such great detail about Ireland and the Blasket Islands that I felt as though I was right there with Kate, feeling the wind in my face and smelling the salty sea air.

Kate Moreton was fulfilling a dream of researching the Blasket Islands. Taking a leave from her university position, she traveled to Ireland to immerse herself in the culture and to learn about the islands and the people who had inhabited them. What she didn’t expect was to grow close to a few people there, including a fisherman by the name of Ozzie Ferriter.

It was easy to get swept up in Kate and Ozzie’s story. While they had immediate chemistry, there was definitely a push and pull that made their initial interactions more intriguing. It was a whirlwind relationship that was high on passion, intensity, and love. They fell in love fast and hard, however, I felt the authenticity of it all. I believed in it. Despite their differences, I wanted true love to succeed. Ah, but where would the fun be in a book that was just smooth sailing? Their relationship wasn’t easy. They faced many obstacles not unlike any new relationship, but Ozzie had some demons, and he was holding back some painful memories and guilt, and these demons had the potential to eat away at him and his relationship with Kate.

I luxuriated in the writing, felt all of the emotions along with the characters, and held my breath in anticipation of what would become of Kate and Ozzie. I will admit that the author did surprise me with where the story went. I can honestly say that I didn’t expect it to take the direction that it did. There’s nothing better than being surprised and taking an unexpected scenic route. I am certainly glad that I went along for the journey.

*4 Stars

In this touching story by J. P. Monninger, Kate Moreton Has taken a sabbatical and is visiting Ireland. She is a New Englander and what she hopes to accomplish on this trip brings her a mixture of joy and sadness.

When Kate first meets Ozzie Ferriter, a fisherman there, and also a man that is a war veteran, he touches her heart. However Ozzie has an innate sadness that love cannot even conquer.

Ozzie and Kate spent an idyllic time together but things eventually fall apart. Kate feels she has no choice but to return home to leave Ozzie to fight his battles. However something happens that changes Kate’s entire outlook and ultimately her life.

Whenever you read a story with a character that has been affected by war, it is very hard not to be drawn into it. Such is the case with this thought-provoking book. As much is this story dealt with Ozzie’s situation, Kate’s story held quite a bit of depth that kept me turning pages.

The ending of the story was really, really good. I expected one thing and got another, and I applaud the author for keeping me at the edge of my seat page after page. I look forward to reading more by him in the future.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s for this book for review. This is my honest opinion.

Oh sigh. Kate, a PhD candidate doing research in Limerick, luckily meets Nora on a bus and then, more critically, meets her grandson Ozzie. This is really the love story between Kate and Ozzie (I thought there would be more about, ahem, the Blasket Islands, which I found most interesting). Ozzie came back from service in Afghanistan with issues, which Kate is warned about but doesn't fully understand. There's a fair amount of sweeping off her feet (complete with a cute puppy and steamy love) and then despair when things go awry. Ozzie's a heroic character by his acts, which aren't fully explained til the end. Some of the better characters, such as the bicycle women, appear and then are dropped, although Milly does stick through to the end. Much drama (almost but not quite of the heaving bosom variety) that might suit others more than it did me. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This one had me wanting to book a trip to Ireland.

Let me start by saying I’m not a big fan of most romance books. I like Nicholas Sparks and Christina Lauren but haven’t found many others that I really enjoy. That being said, this was not one of my favorite romance books. Kate is spending her sabbatical in Ireland learning all about her ancestors when she meets Ozzie and of course the two fall in fast, all-consuming love. Kate eventually sees Ozzie’s flaws which leads her to run away back to the U.S.

The book synopsis gives away more info about what ensues but mostly I found the quick whirlwind romance not very believable and I didn’t care or know enough about Ozzie to really root for him. I also didn’t enjoy the fact that the main characters said each other’s names like 50 times in every conversation and Kate and her best friend call each other “sweetie” all the time and always have these philosophical talks that I didn’t find to be believable. There were also points of what was supposed to be witty banter between the couple that just didn’t resonate with me.

The book also glosses over some violence and anger issues and the problems are basically swept away bc “omg I love him so much” and I just didn’t vibe with that.

I think 2.5 is a fair rating for me.

I was completely swept away by this captivating story, its complex characters, and the beautiful settings. This book is a love story, but is also an awakening, a journey for one woman to find her place in the world. Kate and Ozzie are two fascinating people, passionate and and driven in all aspects of their lives. Set in Ireland, Italy, and New Hampshire, each location lends its distinct personality to the story, becoming an integral part of this novel.

Seven Letters is a contemporary romance to warm and break your heart. Kate has a fellowship to travel to Ireland and research the narratives of the women of the Blasket Islands where her recently deceased father came from. The day she arrives she takes a bus ride and meets a gracious older woman who takes her out to the Islands, matchmaking perhaps Kate and her grandson Ozzie. Kate and Ozzie are drawn to each other, though Kate sees all sorts of problems. Ozzie seems unsettled and reckless to her and she has plans, a dissertation to finish, a job teaching to return to, and the academic life of a college professor to look forward to.

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” makes an appearance in Seven Letters and in a way it captures the story. Kate is a person of shoulds and oughts and Ozzie is a person of the moment, or so she thinks. The letters introduce different sections of the book and are not necessarily revelatory. For example, the book opens with a letter about Kate’s fellowship.

This story is very much of this time. There are references to the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Syrian refugee crisis and its effect on Itay and how that is feeding an growth in nationalist rightwing politics. The topicality of events in the story made the academic life Kate envisioned seem implausible as that academic world is long gone. Tenure track positions are a thing of the past for new Ph.D.s. At this stage, Kate would be an associate professor paid $1800 a month and need a second job to pay her school loans.

I enjoyed Seven Letters and my heart broke a bit over the story, more I think for Ozzie than Kate, who seemed to keep her love on a leash. She seemed also to think she was marrying down even though she met Ozzie’s respected and wealthy grandmother. Sometimes I didn’t like Kate very much, seeing how easily she gave up on love. However, she doesn’t pave paradise. She started to but decided she didn’t want a parking lot.

I received an e-galley of Seven Letters from the publisher through NetGalley.

Seven Letters at St. Martin’s Press | Macmillan
J. P. Monninger at GoodReads

This is a story that tugs at the heartstrings. Katie is on a working vacation in Scotland. She is a little lost and is trying to do research for a book. She is focused and determined to succeed in her career. On the journey there she meets Nora who introduces her to her grandson Ozzie. Ozzie is an Afghanistan veteran suffering the effects of all the evil he saw and participated in. He feels guilty and covers it by drinking. After a rocky start the two get married and start their life together. Things do not go well and while they are separated Ozzie is presumed dead at sea. The story looks at the regrets you can live with when you don’t take the time to get to know the person you love. Katie goes on a journey to try and find Ozzie and discover who he truly was. It also leads to self discovery and back to each other.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martins Press and J.P. Monninger for this ARC. The book is set mostly in Ireland, and the descriptions were very well done. I did find this story a bit silly though, and in most parts pretty slow. I wanted to really love this book, but I only just liked it.

Beautifully written romance story – and I am not a big fan of romances. The story itself did not grab me but I did enjoy the beautiful descriptions of Ireland and its Blasket Islands. While reading the descriptions I just had to do an image search online to see it for myself.

Kate Moreton goes to Ireland on sabbatical from Dartmouth College. As soon as she arrives in Ireland she meets Ozzie Ferriter, a fisherman and a veteran of the American war in Afghanistan. There are immediate sparks between them and before you know it they are married. Pretty much the entire first half of the book (or more) is focused on descriptions of the islands and the romance between Ozzie and Kate. I loved the descriptions but was bored with the romance.

It picks up a bit in the second half but is still very much focused on the romance. Overall I felt the story was just not very realistic. I guess that is part of why I do not care for romances. There was nothing about their relationship that had any depth to it. Ozzie had demons from the war he was trying to run from and I wish there had been more focus on that earlier in the book. His PTSD did not feel real; it was more of a device used to move the story along rather than showing a couple facing the effect of PTSD in a relationship. And the portion at the end set in Canada was just way too contrived for me.

I do not want to spoil the latter part of the book for you so will say as little as possible. Throughout the book Kate makes several very significant impulsive (and poor) decisions. She will come to realize that she didn’t fully know the man she married and flees back to the US without a final goodbye to her husband. Kate will now need to decide if she loves Ozzie enough to deal with his sometimes reckless behavior and the demons he harbors. The book is written entirely from Kate’s perspective. I think it might have been much more interesting if we had been allowed into Ozzie’s head from time to time. There were also some minor characters that I would have loved to have more of a role in the book. All the characters seemed to be there only to further the Ozzie and Kate storyline.

Thank you to Jordan Hanley at St. Martin's Press for a digital advance galley. These opinions expressed are my own.