Review: Love by the Letter (An Unexpected Brides Novella) by Melissa Jagears

Love by the Letter is a delightful read. When the book begins, we meet Dex Stanton, who will be setting off with a wagon train bound for Kansas in a little over a week. He has decided that he will be needing a wife out in Kansas. But Dex has a problem. He needs to be able to write a good letter that will be well received by potential brides. Back in a time where learning problems were not understood, Dex felt that he must be dumb to not be able to read, write or spell well.

He resolves to ask Rachel Oliver, a woman who is helping his young nephew with his reading, to help him learn to read and write better. This is a rather embarrassing situation for him, as Dex has been interested in Rachel for years. She is extremely smart and Dex feels very inferior. What Dex doesn’t realize is that Rachel has loved him for years.

Will these two people be able to overcome their differences and find a life together? Can Dex really bring himself to tell Rachel that he struggles with learning? Would Rachel consider giving up the possibility of college for a farming life with him?

This is such a sweet story. The characters are very well written and I really enjoyed it. Even though it is a novella, it is not a super short book. It had good depth. The ending came a tad sooner than I expected. I could have enjoyed reading a chapter or two farther into Dex and Rachel’s life, but still felt happy with the way the book ended. I think I just liked these characters so much that I didn’t want the story to end. (5 stars)

Love by the Letter is free on Amazon and Barnes and Noble right now. I would definitely recommend downloading it. I am now moving on to read A Bride for Keeps, the first book in the Unexpected Brides series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am a stay at home mother on a tiny little farm with a fixer-upper house. As much as I love writing and reading about homesteaders, I am so glad I’m a homesteader during an era with modern grocery stores to take up for my slack. I am an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher by trade, and I still work occasionally in that field along with being my church’s financial secretary and writing novels.

My husband and I have been married since 2001 and have a daughter and two little boys. My husband shares my fascination with traditional living except for being more hands on. He loves blacksmithing, knife smithing, traditional archery, hunting, etc. Generally whatever a mountain man does, he does it or has or wants to attempt it. He comes in handy for research! And of course, the rest of the family gets involved. I have my own blackpowder rifle, named Calvin, that my husband made for me. And I’m pretty sure my daughter is probably one of very few her age who can instruct adults how to shoot a longbow properly. The boy digs random holes in my yard to make “cement” with dirt and water making our yard a tripping hazard. The baby does what babies do.

You can connect with Melissa at http://melissajagears.com/ as well as at Goodreads, Facebook and Pinterest.