This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
REVIEWED BY KIRA SLAUGHTER
With the bookshop where she works about to close, hopeless romantic Laura Horsley recklessly finds herself agreeing to help organise a literary festival deep in the heart of the English countryside. But her initial excitement is rapidly followed by a mounting sense of panic when she realises just how much work is involved- especially when an innocent mistake leads the festival committee to believe that Laura is a personal friend of the author at the top of their wish-list. Laura might be secretly infatuated with the infamous Dermot Flynn, but travelling to Ireland to persuade the notorious recluse to come out of hiding is another matter.
Determined to rise to the challenge, she sets off to meet her literary hero. But all too soon she’s confronted with more than she bargained for- Dermot the man is maddening, temperamental and up to his ears in a nasty case of writers block. But he’s also infuriatingly attractive- and, apparently, out to add Laura to his list of conquests.
The first book of Katie Fforde’s I read was Artistic License, and that was going back a good few years. It was funny, heart warming and easy to read, with good characters and plotlines. This book did not disappoint.
The main character Laura is a complete bookworm (hmm sounds familiar!) she loves reading and working at her local bookshop, yet is on the verge of becoming jobless when the owner of the bookshop decides to sell up. Panicking about her lack of job, she meets an agent at the bookshop’s literary event who asks her to help out with organising the book festival that her niece is having. This is where her troubles start!
Not knowing what she’s getting herself into Laura heads into the English countryside to help out with this festival. This is where you get to meet some of the main characters, such as Fenella and Rupert, the couple organising the festival, and Monica, a singer in a swing band who ends up travelling to Ireland with Laura to seek out an author they want to appear at the festival.
The introduction of Dermot Flynn, brooding novelist, really gets the story going and from this point I couldn’t stop reading. The chemistry between Laura and Dermot is instant from the moment they meet, and the banter between them really made me laugh. Of course it helps that he’s attractive and that Laura fancies him like mad. I’m going to believe my Nan (Who’s Irish herself!) the next time she says that you can’t go wrong with an Irishman!
I thought Love Letters was a brilliant read and the characters, very much like Katie’s past books, were loveable and heart warming, especially Laura who, even though she was very naive, wasn’t stupid and knew exactly what she wanted out of life.
Another great book from Katie Fforde!
I’m giving it an 8/10!