I requested Yours Truly, Thomas for review because I was intrigued by the idea of a dead letter office and how that would play into a romance novel. I didn’t get far into the novel before I realised it was the second in a series … and that I already own the first (The Hope of Azure Springs), but hadn’t read it.
Yours Truly, Thomas is Rachel Fordham's second novel, following The Hope of Azure Springs. Recommended for fans of Christian historical fiction. #ChristianRomance #WesternRomance Click To TweetSo I decided I’d read The Hope of Azure Springs first. That was a good idea, and a bad idea. Good, because The Hope of Azure Springs was excellent. Bad, because it set a high standard for Yours Truly, Thomas to live up to. And, unfortunately, it didn’t.
The main issue was that Yours Truly, Thomas took a long time to get going.
The nature of the story—the dead letter office—meant it had to start with Penny and Thomas in different places, and for there to be a reasonable period of time before they met. But I found the opening dragged as a result.
The story picked up pace and got a lot more interesting once Penny arrived in Azure Springs and met Thomas—and some of the other townspeople.
Penny—Penelope Ercanbeck—grew up in a privileged home, but now works in the dead letter office following her father’s death and the loss of his fortune. Thomas bought a farm in Azure Springs after becoming stranded in the small town. He writes letters to his beloved, Clara, describing his situation.
They aren’t delivered and end up in the dead letter office … where Penny reads them and becomes engaged in Thomas’s romance. Once the story got going, it was very good.
There was a mystery around Thomas and Clara’s relationship.
We know something happened between them, and Penny tells him Clara died, although doesn’t say how. Also, I wasn’t entirely sure Clara was dead, and we don’t find out what happened until close to the end of the story. I don’t think it would have affected the overall story to know the truth of that earlier, and it would have meant the story ran more smoothly in the beginning. After all, this mystery wasn’t central to the plot. There was also a light suspense thread, as someone appears to be trying to sabotage Thomas’s farm.
I enjoyed watching Penny’s developing relationship with Thomas. I loved Penny’s rambunctious dog, Honeysuckle, and I enjoyed revisiting some of the characters from The Hope of Azure Springs.
Yours Truly, Thomas does work as a standalone novel, and there is no need to read The Hope of Azure Springs first. (Although I still think The Hope of Azure Springs is a better novel).
Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Rachel Fordham
Rachel Fordham is the author of The Hope of Azure Springs. She started writing when her children began begging her for stories at night. She’d pull a book from the shelf, but they’d insist she make one up. Finally, she paired her love of good stories with her love of writing and hasn’t stopped since. She lives with her husband and children on an island in the state of Washington.
Find Rachel Fordham online at:
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About Yours Truly, Thomas
For three years, Penny Ercanbeck has been opening other people’s mail. Dead ends are a reality for clerks at the Dead Letter Office. Still she dreams of something more–a bit of intrigue, a taste of romance, or at least a touch less loneliness. When a letter from a brokenhearted man to his one true love falls into her hands, Penny seizes this chance to do something heroic. It becomes her mission to place this lost letter into the hands of its intended recipient.
Thomas left his former life with no intention of ending up in Azure Springs, Iowa. He certainly didn’t expect a happy ending after what he had done. All he wanted to do was run and never look back. In a moment of desperation, he began to write, never really expecting a reply.
When Penny’s undertaking leads her to the intriguing man who touched her soul with his words, everything grows more complicated. She wants to find the rightful owner of the letter and yet she finds herself caring–perhaps too much–for the one who wrote it.
Find Yours Truly, Thomas online at:
Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong
