Review: Sweet Tale of Loss and Healing Love
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2014
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Sometimes when you make plans in life, fate decides to change them. The Letter by Mina Carter is a short but bittersweet look at one woman and one man’s journey toward a different life than the one they expected.Sergeant Rick Week’s military career ended when he was wounded one time too many. In addition to his physical wounds, he was suffering emotionally from a strong case of survivor’s guilt. He blamed himself for Billy’s death so he was determined to fulfill Billy’s last wish and deliver a letter to Billy’s fiancée.Hattie Jameson was just trying to move on after the death of her fiancé. She just wasn’t prepared for her reaction to the handsome Scottish soldier who delivered Billy’s goodbye letter. With a little help from an angel, Hattie and Rick may just realize that they are meant to be.Because The Letter is a novella, Ms. Carter hits you with the emotions from the very first page and doesn’t let the reader go until the book reaches its expected happy ending.  If you know about military tradition, then you know about the letter that a soldier writes to his or her loved one, just in case. Once I realized that this was what Rick was delivering, my heart became involved and I couldn’t stop reading until I finished the book.The characters are what kept me interested. Rick and Hattie are wounded souls who find healing with each other. I found their relationship to be so authentic and believable and couldn’t wait for them to fall in love.  Even the flashbacks to Billy and Rick were touching and caused me to shed a tear or two.This is the first book by Mina Carter that I have read and I was impressed enough to go back for more. I can’t believe how much I grew to care about characters in such a short read. I can only imagine what she can do with a full length novel.