First sentence: It always came to this, didn’t it? Amid the glittering swirl of music and gowns, I looked up into the handsome face of Lord Cumberland and forced a smile as if nothing at all were about to happen.

Premise/plot: Willa Duvall is a determined, strong-willed heroine who has one thing and one thing only on her mind: becoming a doctor. The problem? The year is 1859 and she hasn't found a medical school to accept her into any program. So she nurses and continues to pursue knowledge and provide the best possible care for patients. Another problem? (You didn't think they'd only be one problem to solve, did you???) Her father is determined that enough is enough is enough. It's time for his daughter to MARRY. And since she's turned down the last five--possibly four or six (since math isn't my subject) proposals, it's his turn to pick. The solution? Well, a trial of sorts. Willa gets her father to agree that she can keep on nursing--for a bit--and if she has one successful patient, she'll get to keep pursuing her dream of medicine. (But who determines what makes a case successful??? The patient living? The patient getting better? The family agreeing that you've helped a patient??? Reaching a point where your services are no longer necessary????) She chooses a case that will take her to Crestwicke. Her patient is Golda Gresham. She lives with her son, Gabe, and her stepchildren, Burke and his wife, Clara, and her spinster daughter, Celeste. Why did she choose Crestwicke, well, THE LOVE NOTE, of course. She discovers a letter from a secret admirer hidden within a secret compartment in her writing desk that mentions Crestwicke, I believe. Plus the writing desk originally came from there. The letter doesn't say WHO it is for or who it is FROM, but she's determined to find out because it is a mighty powerful letter.

My thoughts: I really LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. That being said, I wish it didn't include a jarring error: having the characters be familiar with Alice in Wonderland and discussing it like it was a beloved classic or even a new classic. NEWS FLASH: Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865 and the book opens in 1859 and the epilogue brings us to three years later. Still way too many years before its actual publication. What makes it even more cringe-worthy is the fact that they are specifically talking about the second book which was published in 1871.

“Oh, it is. Wonderfully so. Have you read Alice’s Adventures in the Looking Glass? It’s something like that, I believe. A person simply falls down this hole, completely against his will, and finds himself in this foreign yet completely enchanting world.” “Crestwicke doesn’t have those sorts of holes,” Celeste mused. “The people here all remain on solid ground, I’m afraid.”

Someone had fallen in love the way Alice fell into that rabbit hole. I would find them, and the letter would be delivered—it was merely a matter of time.


Now that negativity is behind, I will just say that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the storytelling, the writing, the relationships. Not just the potential romantic ones--but ALL of the relationships. The character development is strong in this one.

Highly recommend.

#netgalley #thelovenote

I love this story of true love and finding what really matters. The storyline was sweet and a little gothic, which I loved. Definitely check this sweet romance out!

"Matched souls always find their way back to one another, for they seek refuge in the same place."
"The Love note" is my favorite of all of Mrs. Politano's books!! Such a beautiful story that shows how God alone can bring you true happiness & love! I would give it 10 stars if I could!
Willa Duvall is our heroine who travels to Crestwicke Manor with the intention of returning a love letter that she found in her desk. Willa dreams of becoming a doctor, thinking that alone can fulfill her dreams.
Here we meet the whole Gresham Family and get to know each member. The love letter ends up circulating throughout the house and it is so interesting to see how it affects everyone. Who wrote the letter and why? The mystery is sooo good and will keep you turning the pages until the end!
Willa & Gabe's story is beautiful and I loved seeing how what Willa thought would make her happy, in the end was something completely different and far more beautiful!
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and was not required to leave a positive review.

I love this author. If fact I have read everything she has published. I have never cried so much through a book before. It was passionate, sweet, deep and some times very sad. But worth every minute of it. I honestly don't know where to start with this review. Ms. Politano gripped me in the first few paragraphs and I didn't want to let go. I found myself constantly trying to figure out who wrote the love note, also to whom it was written. I closed the book wishing it would never end. I received a copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Love Note is a beautifully written inspirational book. Great plot and character development and a bit of mystery. I highly recommend this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Sublime!
I've loved this author's previous books, but this one is my favorite so far. It's so beautifully written, I cherished every word. The story was totally engrossing and kept me guessing. The author takes us on a wonderful, romantic adventure, making you long for that one perfect love that is worth waiting for. These beautifully crafted characters will stay with me for a long time.

I always enjoy Politano books. This story was very well done and entertaining. Another highly recommended book!

This book was not quite what I was expecting.

Willa wants to be a doctor, like her father, but he wants her to marry. When she discovers a sealed letter hidden in her desk, she manages to strike a deal with her father to go work at Crestwicke Manor as a nurse.

When she arrives, she wants to discover who wrote the letter and who the letter was intended for. But problems when she misplaces the letter and we get a glimpse POV from several characters and the effect the letter has on them.

The cast of secondary characters make the story interesting as we see their reaction and the power of the words. Willa is at the center of everything, as she tried to unravel the mysteries at the manor and surrounding the letter. It kept me reading late into the night.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I found The Love Note by Joanna Davidson Politano to be a fascinating book. Willa Duvall wants a career in medicine, but her father wants her married off. While sitting at a secretary desk in her home, she finds a love note hidden in a crevice. Willa remembers where the secretary came from and decides to make a bargain with her father to be a long term nurse and if she's successful, she will be able to pursue medicine. She goes to Crestwicke Manor to nurse the dowager there. One of the maids finds the note and believes it was written to her. How this note found its way around the Manor into various hands, each reader believing that the note was written to her. But the note was written to the dowager of the estate, and with caring and patience, Willa hears the story behind the note and all the history that went along with it.




Like I said, this is a fascinating read that keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end. It is definitely a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a most definite love requited.

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was gorgeous! I loved the premise, the writing, the atmosphere, the characters . . . and the final chapters definitely surprised me. I loved that the author let the story go a little longer, a little farther than what many a romance would. The strength and intelligence of the heroine coupled with her romantic heart made for a character I just adored. Plus, I enjoyed the author's unique approach to side characters and subplots, giving other characters brief POV moments in the spotlight.

All in all, a completely beguiling read! Definitely my favorite Politano book so far!

This is a beautiful story of the power of our words – how they can either break relationships or build them up, and when they’ve broken one how they can begin building again.
There were so many wonderful things about this story that I feel I can’t do the novel justice by listing things in short order. You just have to read the novel yourself to appreciate the deeper meanings Joanna Davidson Politano weaves through the pages.
It’s a story about love, but not just romantic love. It’s about the love of our heavenly Father and how real it becomes when we surrender ourselves completely to His will. It’s a story of friendship – how there are friends that bring out the best in us and are the relationships worth pursuing. It’s a story of broken families – and how kindness can bring about healing. It’s a story of expectation – how we set ourselves up for disappointment in others when we expect the impossible from others. It’s a story of redemption – how it’s never too late to make amends for past offenses. It’s a story about finding the right marriage partner – how once you’ve found each other, to never let go.
Yes. That’s really what I took away from the novel.
The narrative is easy to follow and switches between third person and first person points of view. It isn’t jarring as some novels I’ve read are, so it was a nice surprise to read something that was an easy transition between the two. The reader is pulled into the setting with vivid descriptions and one could easily picture Crestwicke and the ruins where our heroine spends quiet moments contemplating life.
Willa Duvall is one of those heroines you just want to see have a happy ending, but what the author does with her story is quite unexpected. But at the end, the reader can’t help but to agree with how Willa’s story plays out.
Gabe Gresham is a silent, but strong hero. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about him and I was happy for the conclusion of his story.
The characters are memorable and each have their own issue to work through. I like the story line of Golda. She’s such a strong secondary character who had been broken early in life and there’s a beautiful story arc that comes full circle at the end of the novel. I quite enjoyed the parallels between her story and the heroine, Willa Duvall.
This is an historical romance with quite a thread of intrigue. Willa discovers a love note hidden in her writing desk which sends her on a mission to return the note to the rightful owner, but when the note is misplaced in her new place of employ, the note creates a chain reaction of events that will upend the residents of Crestwicke Manor forever.
I received an ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Joanna Politano has topped all her previous books in her latest, The Love Note. So complex, so unexpected, so absolutely fantastic, I was immersed from start to finish. Featuring a nurse striving to become a doctor in an age where such a thing was frowned upon, she stumbles upon a long forgotten love note. As she seeks to uncover the author of the note and return it to the owner, she finds herself in deeper water than she bargained for.

Through all the twists and turns this story brings, I was enthralled with the prose, the depth, and the clever development of the story. My mind was kept whirring as I fought alongside the characters for truth and resolution. This will be a story I will not soon forget!

I highly recommend this and all of Politano’s books. They are a treasure to immerse yourself in!

I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.

Soaring to the status of my favorite book of the year, The Love Note touched my every emotion and reached into every crevice in my heart. I loved the gothic mystery that took place at Crestwicke Manor, and the anonymous love note was beautifully used throughout the story.

The book immediately reminded me of the movie Letters to Juliet, because of the long-lost letter angle. As it grew to maturity, this book reminded me of Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre; the layers of twisted, forgotten, and budding romance of Wuthering Heights; and the innocent sweetness of any of Jane Austen’s novels. I loved the complexity and how nothing and no one were what they seemed.

The voice in this novel was superb. Each sentence, each word choice seemed purposeful and important, and I highlighted so very many lines in my NetGalley copy of this book. I can hardly wait to read another of this author’s books, and the upcoming title, The Ballet Shoes, intrigues me by the title and author name alone. It’s leapfrogging to the top of my watch list, because I want that baby as soon as is humanly possible.

This book was delightful. The characters are charming and the plot is completely captivating. I highly recommend this wonderful read.

A beautifully envisioned and profoundly moving tale of interweaving lives and stories, all connected by the sentiments of a beautifully written anonymous letter.  The narrative is not always smooth, mirroring the bumpy paths of the journeys of so many lives we follow through the novel.  Politano endears her characters to the reader and the emotions and fears they struggle with become your own - this book sucks you in and is difficult to put down.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Cracking open the cover of a new novel is one of my favorite pastimes. With an abundance of books in my to-be-read pile, choosing a full-length book to read is also an investment of my time and something in which I take great pleasure. While I have read and been entertained by hundreds of books written by many talented authors over the years, there are a few authors whose books leave me feeling especially inspired, spiritually uplifted, and better off for having read them. Joanna Davidson Politano is one of those authors.

In her latest offering The Love Note, Ms. Politano weaves a delightful tale of lost love, longing, and second chances as aspiring doctor Willa Duvall seeks to bring not only physical healing to her elderly patient at Crestwicke Manor, but emotional healing by solving the mystery of an anonymously penned love letter. This book captivated me from beginning to end as I tried to keep up with the twists and turns brought forth by the multiple appearances of this love note within the Crestwicke household. The attention it drew to these secondary characters added a rich dimension to the story, as did the appearance of a well-known American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Along with the wonderful storytelling and interesting cast of characters, what I will remember most about this story are the inspiring words and nuggets of spiritual truths significantly woven throughout, like a featured color in a seaside painting: beautiful, inspiring, uplifting and memorable. Don’t miss this one, or any books by Joanna Davidson Politano. You are in for a real treat and a great investment of your time!

I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and Revell and was not required to write a favorable review. All opinions expressed are my own.

#TheLoveNote #JoannaDavidsonPolitano #NetGalley #Revell #ChristianHistoricalRomance #mustread

Willa finds a mysterious love note in an old desk she has. She knows the desk came from Crestwicke Manor. Her father had been the family doctor for many years, so she knew the family. The love note wasn't signed, and there were no names on it, so she takes a nursing job there to get into the house and try to discover who wrote the letter. Eventually she does discover not only who the author is, but the wonderful story behind it. But not before the letter stirs up chaos from the other members of the family that finds it.. It's an excellent story I enjoyed reading, with a great ending.