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9 Letters
Luke Cawley is a broken man. After his wife's tragic death, he lost everything that mattered in the world. Now, his life is filled with hard days, harder nights, and a steady stream of alcohol and the wrong kind of women. Nothing helps.
Until the letters arrive on Luke's doorstep.
Nine envelopes. Nine messages. Nine chances to find his way back.
Rae Goode is looking for the real thing. After fighting her way out of a string of bad relationships, she's ready for something different--something true.
She meets Luke while piecing her life together, and right away she can tell that he's different. Drawn together by fate and the desire to heal, Rae and Luke discover new ways to mend their broken hearts--one letter at a time.
Discover Blake Austin's debut novel of loss, redemption, and ever-enduring love.
Until the letters arrive on Luke's doorstep.
Nine envelopes. Nine messages. Nine chances to find his way back.
Rae Goode is looking for the real thing. After fighting her way out of a string of bad relationships, she's ready for something different--something true.
She meets Luke while piecing her life together, and right away she can tell that he's different. Drawn together by fate and the desire to heal, Rae and Luke discover new ways to mend their broken hearts--one letter at a time.
Discover Blake Austin's debut novel of loss, redemption, and ever-enduring love.
326 pages, Paperback
First published January 21, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
February 28, 2016
3.5 Stars!!
First and foremost you have to know this one was not exactly a romance. At least not for me. It was a lovely, emotional story about life, falling in love, moving on and finding yourself and while there are some romantic elements, I can’t say it was a love story.
“9 letters” tells the story of Luke Cawley, a young man who at the edge of 26 he already experienced loss and grief. He was supposed to be with his high school sweetheart, with his wife forever, but sometimes life can be cruel. Luke’s life shattered when Emily passed away from cancer a year ago. Luke still suffers. He’s lonely and sometimes the grief seems to be too much for him. On top of that he blames himself for Emily’s death.
Everything changes for Luke when on the first anniversary of Emily’s death on his front porch he finds a package – 9 letters from his deceased wife, numbered from 1 to 9.
Luke has to read the letters in order, because each one of them has a task for him to complete. While trying to complete the tasks, Luke meets Rae, a young woman who makes him really feel for the first time in a year. He is drawn to her from the start, to her beauty and to her kindness. She makes him try to live again and hope and also realize that ‘life is made out of little steps.’
I liked this one even if it wasn’t exactly what I had expected. The entire story is told from Luke’s POV which I really enjoyed it, because Luke’s voice was honest, believable and felt so real. I felt his sadness, but I also felt his love for his deceased wife. He was a likeable character from the start and I really sympathize with him. While the story is mainly written in the present there are snippets of Luke and Emily’s life. You will find out how they met, how they fell in love in love with each other and how lovely their relationship was.
Like I mentioned above, Rae makes a difference in Luke’s life, but first Luke has to want to move on and find the best way for him to do that. I think his healing process was done really well. It felt believable and nothing felt rushed which I appreciated. Rae was a likeable character and everything, but I can’t say I got to know her very well. I never connected with her. I’m sure if the story would have been longer, I would have felt differently. Through the letters you will meet Emily, who was a very enjoyable character to me. She clearly loved Luke with all her heart and I liked the fact that she wanted so badly for him to move on and find peace.
Luke and Rae’s relationship felt really underdeveloped. IMO the author focused a little too much on Luke’s past. I really would have wanted to feel a stronger connection between these to ‘present’ characters. Unfortunately, I couldn’t.
Overall, a nice enjoyable read!
First and foremost you have to know this one was not exactly a romance. At least not for me. It was a lovely, emotional story about life, falling in love, moving on and finding yourself and while there are some romantic elements, I can’t say it was a love story.
"Losing your wife is like losing your whole future, present, and half your past."
“9 letters” tells the story of Luke Cawley, a young man who at the edge of 26 he already experienced loss and grief. He was supposed to be with his high school sweetheart, with his wife forever, but sometimes life can be cruel. Luke’s life shattered when Emily passed away from cancer a year ago. Luke still suffers. He’s lonely and sometimes the grief seems to be too much for him. On top of that he blames himself for Emily’s death.
"I couldn’t handle getting better. I didn’t even want to get better. Easier to just stay at rock bottom, you can’t fall again when you’re at rock bottom."
Everything changes for Luke when on the first anniversary of Emily’s death on his front porch he finds a package – 9 letters from his deceased wife, numbered from 1 to 9.
"I knew Emily was dead. But these letters, they were probably the last words she’d committed to paper, and they traced her downfall as she’d come to terms with her own death. I was reliving her last days, and I wanted her story to end differently. I wanted our happily-ever-after."
Luke has to read the letters in order, because each one of them has a task for him to complete. While trying to complete the tasks, Luke meets Rae, a young woman who makes him really feel for the first time in a year. He is drawn to her from the start, to her beauty and to her kindness. She makes him try to live again and hope and also realize that ‘life is made out of little steps.’
I liked this one even if it wasn’t exactly what I had expected. The entire story is told from Luke’s POV which I really enjoyed it, because Luke’s voice was honest, believable and felt so real. I felt his sadness, but I also felt his love for his deceased wife. He was a likeable character from the start and I really sympathize with him. While the story is mainly written in the present there are snippets of Luke and Emily’s life. You will find out how they met, how they fell in love in love with each other and how lovely their relationship was.
“I met the love of my life, and then thought she was the only chance I had to be happy. Then she died. And now? Now I'm learning a whole new way to be happy.“
Like I mentioned above, Rae makes a difference in Luke’s life, but first Luke has to want to move on and find the best way for him to do that. I think his healing process was done really well. It felt believable and nothing felt rushed which I appreciated. Rae was a likeable character and everything, but I can’t say I got to know her very well. I never connected with her. I’m sure if the story would have been longer, I would have felt differently. Through the letters you will meet Emily, who was a very enjoyable character to me. She clearly loved Luke with all her heart and I liked the fact that she wanted so badly for him to move on and find peace.
Luke and Rae’s relationship felt really underdeveloped. IMO the author focused a little too much on Luke’s past. I really would have wanted to feel a stronger connection between these to ‘present’ characters. Unfortunately, I couldn’t.
Overall, a nice enjoyable read!
“You can't destroy the memory of someone, not without destroying a bit of yourself. “
February 24, 2016
*****FOUR STARS*****
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}
I knew Emily was dead. But these letters, they were probably the last words she'd committed to paper, and they traced her downfall as she'd come to terms with her own death. I was reliving her last days, and I wanted her story to end differently. I wanted our happily-ever-after.
When I heard the buzz about this book, my interest was piqued. I usually stay away from novels written by first-time authors because I just assume the story won't be anything special, or will read like it was written by an amateur. Let's face it, there's a lot of crap books out there. Also, the last time I read a supposed sad story written by a man, I hated it with all of my heart. I'm happy, in this instance, that I took a chance on this book. I really enjoyed it, even though the story was incredibly sad.
Have you read or seen the movie P.S. I Love You? Well, this book right here was like the male version of that movie. In this story, it is the wife that dies way too soon and leaves behind her devastated husband. It's a year to the day that Luke Cawley's wife, Emily, passed away from cancer. He has become an empty shell of the man he used to be, after having lost the love of his life, his high-school sweetheart. Luke's given up on pretty much everything that brought him joy and has become somewhat of a recluse, shutting out all of his friends and family. Then one morning he finds a package on his front porch and the contents turn out to be nine labeled letters from his deceased wife.
Emily knew Luke so well, that on her death bed she decided to write him a series of letters to help him find his way back to the man he used to be. Each letter either had a task for Luke to complete or a truth to help ease his guilt. He was not allowed to read each subsequent letter until he fulfilled the task requested of him from the previous one. Slowly, Luke realizes that he let his grief take over his life and that he had been making some poor choices.
While trying to complete a task from one of Emily's letters, he meets a beautiful and sweet woman named Rae. She ends up making him feel something he thought had died along with his wife. But he struggles with guilt where Emily is concerned and at times his temper gets the best of him, which has him acting like an ass on more than one occasion. Will Luke let his bitterness ruin his second chance at happiness or will he find the inner strength and clarity to move on?
This was a very good story by a debut author. One that I was completely engrossed in and that I do highly recommend.
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}
I knew Emily was dead. But these letters, they were probably the last words she'd committed to paper, and they traced her downfall as she'd come to terms with her own death. I was reliving her last days, and I wanted her story to end differently. I wanted our happily-ever-after.
When I heard the buzz about this book, my interest was piqued. I usually stay away from novels written by first-time authors because I just assume the story won't be anything special, or will read like it was written by an amateur. Let's face it, there's a lot of crap books out there. Also, the last time I read a supposed sad story written by a man, I hated it with all of my heart. I'm happy, in this instance, that I took a chance on this book. I really enjoyed it, even though the story was incredibly sad.
Have you read or seen the movie P.S. I Love You? Well, this book right here was like the male version of that movie. In this story, it is the wife that dies way too soon and leaves behind her devastated husband. It's a year to the day that Luke Cawley's wife, Emily, passed away from cancer. He has become an empty shell of the man he used to be, after having lost the love of his life, his high-school sweetheart. Luke's given up on pretty much everything that brought him joy and has become somewhat of a recluse, shutting out all of his friends and family. Then one morning he finds a package on his front porch and the contents turn out to be nine labeled letters from his deceased wife.
Emily knew Luke so well, that on her death bed she decided to write him a series of letters to help him find his way back to the man he used to be. Each letter either had a task for Luke to complete or a truth to help ease his guilt. He was not allowed to read each subsequent letter until he fulfilled the task requested of him from the previous one. Slowly, Luke realizes that he let his grief take over his life and that he had been making some poor choices.
While trying to complete a task from one of Emily's letters, he meets a beautiful and sweet woman named Rae. She ends up making him feel something he thought had died along with his wife. But he struggles with guilt where Emily is concerned and at times his temper gets the best of him, which has him acting like an ass on more than one occasion. Will Luke let his bitterness ruin his second chance at happiness or will he find the inner strength and clarity to move on?
This was a very good story by a debut author. One that I was completely engrossed in and that I do highly recommend.
February 24, 2016
25 year old Luke has been just existing since his beloved wife Emily died from cancer a year ago.
He's recently started having meaningless, drunk sex with a co-worker from the bar ....but he doesn't want that anymore.
He has to get his life back on track. His wife wouldn't want to see him acting like he has been these last months.
Just the perfect time for those NINE LETTERS to arrive on his door step.
Letters his wife wrote to him before she died, knowing he would probably not be able to deal with losing her.
The letters are tasks.... things he has to do. And unless he finishes one task, he's not allowed to open another letter.
The first letter tells him to go and buy - or rather rescue - a dog.
He doesn't want or need a dog - he can barely take care of himself right now...a dog would be stupid.
But of course he finds himself at the local animal shelter the next day....
That's where he meets Rae...
Rae.
A girl not without some problems of her own....
And of course Luke is not ready for something serious yet...
WILL HAPPEN TO LUKE & RAE??
WHAT WILL THE LETTERS TELL LUKE?
WILL HE BE READY FOR HIS SECOND HEA???
WILL THERE BE A CLIFFHANGER o.O
NOPE, I'm not telling you ☺
═════════════════════════════════
GREAT BOOK!!!
I was really excited to get started with this book.
I LOVE the cover...
Ok - this 'letters from a dead spouse' thing is not really anything new...BUT - I really loved the way it was done here.
Luke is a really great guy.
And to lose the love of his life at such a young age...the poor guy.
I cried A LOT while reading this book! Basically all through it!!!
King - Luke's new dog - is so sweet too - and they're both so adorable together!
I really enjoyed reading this story...
It was sooo beautifully moving and adorable and full of hope ...
I felt that the whole romance thing with Rae was pushed too much into the background by Luke always talking about Emily - always going back in time to tell us how he met her, how they got married etc. The love between Emily and Luke was sooo huge, that the future romance with Rae appears to be less somehow. Even though towards the end, we hear how different she is to Emily, and how Luke loves that, but with all that talk and grieving about Emily, we just can't accept Rae as the new big love of Luke's life. Or rather we don't really want to :///
The book is not really about his new romance, his second chance at love, but rather about how he finally deals with losing his wife. The new romance is just a little added bonus for the future!
Also, I didn't care for the many times GOD and CHURCH was mentioned - I HATE that in my books, but it didn't stop me from reading this time. And while I hate it, at least in a book about death and grief, I can at least halfway understand it. No, I can't, but ugh - I don't care - I don't want to start another anti-religion rant! Sorry! ☺
NINE LETTERS was a very beautiful & moving & adorable romance about a widower slowly fighting his way back to a happy life again!
♡
♡
♡
♡
February 25, 2016
You can't destroy the memory of someone, not without destroying a bit of yourself.
When the request came through my blog to review 9 Letters, I was immediately intrigued by the its blurb. There's nothing I'd like more than a broken man trying to move on from a tragic event in his life with the help of a good woman, and on one hand, this book was about that. But on the other hand, it wasn't.
9 Letters is genre-bending debut novel by Blake Austin. I say genre bending because while there was a strong romantic element in the book, it wasn't quite romance in my opinion. It's not necessarily a bad thing; it's just different. It certainly didn't follow the usual romance convention and I was okay with it because it served the story well.
I needed to learn to accept who I was. Where I was. Single, widower. Bartender. Homeowner. Dog owner. Volunteer. Terrified wreck.
Luke Cawley lost his wife, the love of his life, and he finds himself unraveling, not being able to handle the loneliness and the grief he felt at her passing. The book shows snippets of Luke's life prior to the death of his wife. It made for a stark contrast to his present state of mind. The story really picked up pace the moment Luke received the letters from his deceased wife. They became the catalyst for his eventual recovery, so to speak.
One of the things that I really loved about this book was the way the author showed how it can take over your life. And when I say showing, I meant the author "showed" it as opposed to just telling it. You could taste Luke's sadness jumping off the page that there are instances where I had to put the book down because I was overwhelmed by what the character is going through.
But it's not all sadness and dreariness. There were some life-affirming and touching moments, too. We get to see Luke's happier times with his wife and then later on, we get to see him move on on his own terms. But he had to deal with a lot of things. He had to fix the things he broke including his relationship with his family and Emily's family. Same goes for the people in his life, namely his co-workers. It was painful and not at all easy to read but the emotional payoff was worth it.
Now I have to warn all my romance-loving friends about the romance. Like I said previously, you're not going to get a straightforward romance here. In some ways, you're getting two romances. First, with Emily, his first love and then with Rae but I feel the connection between Emily and Luke more. This is probably because we're in Luke's head and for the better part of the book, Luke was dealing a lot about his feelings. We do get a lot of Rae and Luke too but in a way, their relationship isn't as developed. But I actually respected how that's dealt with because it would have felt fake and forced if Luke was suddenly diminishing or undermining his first love. It never happened. His relationship with Rae was just different.
I did wish that Rae was a bit more developed though. I wasn't able to connect deeply with her. Maybe because the book was told in Luke's POV that's why I couldn't connect. And while Emily was essentially a dead character in the book, we get her letters which revealed a lot about her. Rae being shown through Luke's POV was good but I was looking for more.
I'm hoping this won't the end of Blake and Rae though. The book ends on a happy-for-now note, which again fits with the whole narrative, but I want more. I want to have a chance to fall in love with Luke and Rae as a couple. Plus, there's this one storyline which I needed closure on. I'm not going to give details but it involved I should clarify that we do know what happened but I wasn't convinced that that was all there is to it. Maybe in the book, hmm?
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
February 22, 2016
4 STARS
While this took a little bit for me to get into, once I did, I lost myself in Luke Crawley’s journey of loss, love and healing through Emily’s letters.
Luke is a young man, who loses his wife, Emily, at the very young age of 23 to cancer. He’s in utter despair. His life’s a mess and try as he might, he doesn’t see any hope or light ahead.
On the first anniversary of Emily’s death, he receives 9 letters from her. They’re numbered 1 to 9. She clearly states her intent with the letters. He can’t read all the letters at once. Each letter sets out a task and it’s only once completed that he can read the next one. Within the letters and Luke’s memories, we get to experience their relationship and love, and it’s clearly evident that Emily truly knew her husband.
"I wanted letters from now until I died.
I wanted to devour her words.
I wanted to stare at her handwriting.
I wanted to see her little turns of phrase.
I wanted to never open them.
I wanted to always have them, in case I needed them
I wanted to read them at ninety on my death bed."
It’s through Emily’s words that Luke becomes unstuck in his grieving process and begins to move forward and heal.
I wouldn’t call this a traditional romance novel. There is romance and love but it’s in Luke’s words and memories of Emily.
"I met the love of my life, and then thought she was the only chance I had to be happy. Then she died. And now? Now I'm learning a whole new way to be happy."
While Luke meets Rae and there’s potential for something there, this story is truly about Luke, told in his words, and his return to the living. It’s his passage; one man’s grieving, self-forgiveness and healing, with the love and guidance of his deceased wife.
There’s no right or wrong in dealing with loss and finding your way out of the darkness. Losing someone you love never makes sense and is never easy. Luke’s struggle and slow emergence from the darkness was real, poignant and hopeful.
This was a good debut novel by Blake Austin and looking forward to more.
**ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.**
While this took a little bit for me to get into, once I did, I lost myself in Luke Crawley’s journey of loss, love and healing through Emily’s letters.
Luke is a young man, who loses his wife, Emily, at the very young age of 23 to cancer. He’s in utter despair. His life’s a mess and try as he might, he doesn’t see any hope or light ahead.
On the first anniversary of Emily’s death, he receives 9 letters from her. They’re numbered 1 to 9. She clearly states her intent with the letters. He can’t read all the letters at once. Each letter sets out a task and it’s only once completed that he can read the next one. Within the letters and Luke’s memories, we get to experience their relationship and love, and it’s clearly evident that Emily truly knew her husband.
"I wanted letters from now until I died.
I wanted to devour her words.
I wanted to stare at her handwriting.
I wanted to see her little turns of phrase.
I wanted to never open them.
I wanted to always have them, in case I needed them
I wanted to read them at ninety on my death bed."
It’s through Emily’s words that Luke becomes unstuck in his grieving process and begins to move forward and heal.
I wouldn’t call this a traditional romance novel. There is romance and love but it’s in Luke’s words and memories of Emily.
"I met the love of my life, and then thought she was the only chance I had to be happy. Then she died. And now? Now I'm learning a whole new way to be happy."
While Luke meets Rae and there’s potential for something there, this story is truly about Luke, told in his words, and his return to the living. It’s his passage; one man’s grieving, self-forgiveness and healing, with the love and guidance of his deceased wife.
There’s no right or wrong in dealing with loss and finding your way out of the darkness. Losing someone you love never makes sense and is never easy. Luke’s struggle and slow emergence from the darkness was real, poignant and hopeful.
This was a good debut novel by Blake Austin and looking forward to more.
**ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.**
February 22, 2016
4 Writing What You Feel Stars
* * * *
They say (who ever they are) "write what you know"....and in this book about gut-wrenching loss and then recovery...a lot of it felt very authentic to me.
Those of us who have been touched with the risk of major surgery, think to write to our loved ones in case things don't turn out as perfect as hoped. Having to put on paper all the things unsaid; hopes and dreams for your family, wishes for them... and your deepest love...it is a humbling experience. As someone who luckily was able to tell my family in person my thoughts, I was able to understand very clearly the premise of this book.
The most impressive part of this read from the start was the voice of Luke and how it struck me as more masculine then other books with Male POVs....and with the author's name as Blake... it could be either gender who wrote it...yet it felt Guy throughout.
This is a retelling of sorts... it is the story of Luke and Emily- High School Sweethearts. The book excels when we are taken by the hand and relive all that is this very sweet, charming tale through Luke' memories. They were very young when they met. They came from opposite families; she from the life of Rodeo and Country living, him from a city life... yet they supported each other, were meant for each other; marrying and starting a life.
They didn't have much materially but had all they needed love wise. They had a very short time, only 3 years as husband and wife...and she became ill and lost her battle with cancer. Leaving him devastated...inconsolable.
For the first 6 months he was a wreck and only recently had been a little bit better. He is bartending but messing that up by barely showing up to cover his shifts. The problem is nothing makes sense... him being here without Emily. He is existing; drowning in the booze and hooking up with the other bartender, Maggie...The relief brief and then he is slammed with guilt and shame.
The anniversary of Emily's passing happens and after a fight with his boss over something stupid, he is told to get a grip and come back in a couple of days...everyone knows of his pain... but him behaving like an ass has to stop.
On the stoop of his house was a box with only his name, no postal markings or identifying handwriting. Luke had found it before going into work so there it was when he returned. Picking it up, he goes into the kitchen and cuts the twine, pulls the paper away and opens the box.
Inside are 9 standard size envelopes, numbered from 1-9 written in Emily's handwriting. Taken aback, he goes and gets a shot of whiskey for some liquid courage, knowing his is going to need it.
As he reads this first letter from Emily, he hears her voice so clearly, it hurts his heart...Here she is reaching out to guide him... to take him by the hand and help in his recovery...as only she could. Her first letter lays it out...in order for him to read all of the other ones... he must complete whatever task she has said in this letter... Before he can read the next one, Emily knowing him like no one else...knows he needs to have a living responsibility to break through this darkness....
His task is to get a dog... and the dog has to pick him out...
Luke at first is not having this, yet he knows he won't cheat and read all the other letters without doing as Emily asked.... so he finds himself at the rescue shelter. There he enters and is telling the worker he is just looking around and not really thinking of adopting....He is directed to the back where a volunteer will show him around.
This is how he meets Rae. She is lighthearted and can tell before Luke has figured out, he will be adopting a mutt. As they walk the length of all the different dogs in their cages/glass cubicles... at the end is a bloodhound... droopy, drooling and quiet in his corner.
Match made in heaven...King was from a family that had a terrible car accident and the survivors were heartbroken from their loss to keep him, the memories too much. King, seems to have taken to Luke, responds to him and both are bonded. Rae helps with all of the necessities and gives her phone number to Luke should he need any help with King.
What happens next is the progression of Luke's re emerging from his deeply depressed mourning through the assistance of Emily's letters. She is guiding him back from the brink, step by step and we experience the peeling of these layers... like he was wrapped up in this pain cloak and slowly he opens it, letting air circulate around him till he is able to throw it off completely.
There were times when it was two steps forward and then one step back... but eventually Luke was able to see life needs to move forward and Emily wanted that for him.
There were strong moments, feelings of deep love and loss... a perfect understanding of walking into a house and knowing your partner is never going to be there again. But with all of that, the most impressive for me was the feeling this had really been lived. This wasn't some made up deal. Yes, it is fiction and other books have covered the same issues of loss... but it wasn't just the use of the letters which made it feel real... it was the writer's understanding of this guy... this guy who was a terrific husband... and how he knew that was his calling.
The relationship with Rae was ok....but it didn't flow quite as strongly as the rest of the story for me. Their time romantically took on a different dynamic, too... as she had crappy experiences with ex's and his times were either with Emily... or with Maggie. Rae was hard to get a handle on...and although Luke was smitten and happy to pursue her...it was difficult to warm up to her. Her actions were not always the best when it came to Luke.
There were some underlying concepts in this tale. The fact his wife did not have health insurance because he was starting his own business played a huge factor in his guilt and pain. He felt he had let her down as Emily did not tell him of her illness right away. He felt she sacrificed because she allowed him to work for himself, not at a big company where he would have had her insured. At 20, he never thought they would need it. This is a very timely concern; those without means deny themselves care every day and only recently have many had the options now available.
The other part of this journey was the faith-side. It was part of Luke's family as his older brother was a minister; however there were a few times towards the end it felt a bit forced. The willingness to accept love and help from those around you is important; it can be spiritual, faith based or whatever is needed... The main thing is to understand you are not alone and to reach out when in pain...
This read was a journey I am glad I experienced. It touched on so much of what we experience when we lose the ones closest to us. The way we mourning takes on all kinds of behaviors and there is no set perfect time to move on....but what I think is the most important lesson learned ...is to honor those we have lost by living fully while we are still here...It is what they would tell you if they could.
~~~~~ Before Reading ~~~~~
New Author, New Book...
Intrigued by the idea of letters...
But
People... this cover would draw anyone in...
A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
* * * *
They say (who ever they are) "write what you know"....and in this book about gut-wrenching loss and then recovery...a lot of it felt very authentic to me.
Those of us who have been touched with the risk of major surgery, think to write to our loved ones in case things don't turn out as perfect as hoped. Having to put on paper all the things unsaid; hopes and dreams for your family, wishes for them... and your deepest love...it is a humbling experience. As someone who luckily was able to tell my family in person my thoughts, I was able to understand very clearly the premise of this book.
The most impressive part of this read from the start was the voice of Luke and how it struck me as more masculine then other books with Male POVs....and with the author's name as Blake... it could be either gender who wrote it...yet it felt Guy throughout.
This is a retelling of sorts... it is the story of Luke and Emily- High School Sweethearts. The book excels when we are taken by the hand and relive all that is this very sweet, charming tale through Luke' memories. They were very young when they met. They came from opposite families; she from the life of Rodeo and Country living, him from a city life... yet they supported each other, were meant for each other; marrying and starting a life.
They didn't have much materially but had all they needed love wise. They had a very short time, only 3 years as husband and wife...and she became ill and lost her battle with cancer. Leaving him devastated...inconsolable.
For the first 6 months he was a wreck and only recently had been a little bit better. He is bartending but messing that up by barely showing up to cover his shifts. The problem is nothing makes sense... him being here without Emily. He is existing; drowning in the booze and hooking up with the other bartender, Maggie...The relief brief and then he is slammed with guilt and shame.
The anniversary of Emily's passing happens and after a fight with his boss over something stupid, he is told to get a grip and come back in a couple of days...everyone knows of his pain... but him behaving like an ass has to stop.
On the stoop of his house was a box with only his name, no postal markings or identifying handwriting. Luke had found it before going into work so there it was when he returned. Picking it up, he goes into the kitchen and cuts the twine, pulls the paper away and opens the box.
Inside are 9 standard size envelopes, numbered from 1-9 written in Emily's handwriting. Taken aback, he goes and gets a shot of whiskey for some liquid courage, knowing his is going to need it.
As he reads this first letter from Emily, he hears her voice so clearly, it hurts his heart...Here she is reaching out to guide him... to take him by the hand and help in his recovery...as only she could. Her first letter lays it out...in order for him to read all of the other ones... he must complete whatever task she has said in this letter... Before he can read the next one, Emily knowing him like no one else...knows he needs to have a living responsibility to break through this darkness....
His task is to get a dog... and the dog has to pick him out...
Luke at first is not having this, yet he knows he won't cheat and read all the other letters without doing as Emily asked.... so he finds himself at the rescue shelter. There he enters and is telling the worker he is just looking around and not really thinking of adopting....He is directed to the back where a volunteer will show him around.
This is how he meets Rae. She is lighthearted and can tell before Luke has figured out, he will be adopting a mutt. As they walk the length of all the different dogs in their cages/glass cubicles... at the end is a bloodhound... droopy, drooling and quiet in his corner.
Match made in heaven...King was from a family that had a terrible car accident and the survivors were heartbroken from their loss to keep him, the memories too much. King, seems to have taken to Luke, responds to him and both are bonded. Rae helps with all of the necessities and gives her phone number to Luke should he need any help with King.
What happens next is the progression of Luke's re emerging from his deeply depressed mourning through the assistance of Emily's letters. She is guiding him back from the brink, step by step and we experience the peeling of these layers... like he was wrapped up in this pain cloak and slowly he opens it, letting air circulate around him till he is able to throw it off completely.
There were times when it was two steps forward and then one step back... but eventually Luke was able to see life needs to move forward and Emily wanted that for him.
There were strong moments, feelings of deep love and loss... a perfect understanding of walking into a house and knowing your partner is never going to be there again. But with all of that, the most impressive for me was the feeling this had really been lived. This wasn't some made up deal. Yes, it is fiction and other books have covered the same issues of loss... but it wasn't just the use of the letters which made it feel real... it was the writer's understanding of this guy... this guy who was a terrific husband... and how he knew that was his calling.
The relationship with Rae was ok....but it didn't flow quite as strongly as the rest of the story for me. Their time romantically took on a different dynamic, too... as she had crappy experiences with ex's and his times were either with Emily... or with Maggie. Rae was hard to get a handle on...and although Luke was smitten and happy to pursue her...it was difficult to warm up to her. Her actions were not always the best when it came to Luke.
There were some underlying concepts in this tale. The fact his wife did not have health insurance because he was starting his own business played a huge factor in his guilt and pain. He felt he had let her down as Emily did not tell him of her illness right away. He felt she sacrificed because she allowed him to work for himself, not at a big company where he would have had her insured. At 20, he never thought they would need it. This is a very timely concern; those without means deny themselves care every day and only recently have many had the options now available.
The other part of this journey was the faith-side. It was part of Luke's family as his older brother was a minister; however there were a few times towards the end it felt a bit forced. The willingness to accept love and help from those around you is important; it can be spiritual, faith based or whatever is needed... The main thing is to understand you are not alone and to reach out when in pain...
This read was a journey I am glad I experienced. It touched on so much of what we experience when we lose the ones closest to us. The way we mourning takes on all kinds of behaviors and there is no set perfect time to move on....but what I think is the most important lesson learned ...is to honor those we have lost by living fully while we are still here...It is what they would tell you if they could.
~~~~~ Before Reading ~~~~~
New Author, New Book...
Intrigued by the idea of letters...
But
People... this cover would draw anyone in...
A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
February 20, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Type: Standalone
POV: First Person - Male
Rating:
Luke Cowley was an ambitious young man with a whole future in front of him. But the death of his beloved wife tipped his life off balance. He filled his life with meaningless acts, no longer caring for anything that used to be important to him. On the anniversary of her death, he found a box on his doorstep containing nine letters written by his late wife, taking his life into another turn.
I was first attracted to this book by the cover. Man bun and tattoos are very sexy lol! Then I read the blurb, I knew I need to read it because I just can’t resist the lure of a sad book.
I love everything about Luke. He grieved on his own, letting the pain fester inside him. He shut off from everyone and moped in his own misery, until the letters urged him to do tasks to take back his life.
Rae Goode became a burst of silver living when she came into his life. She made him started to care again.
I really love the story, but I’m having a really hard time reviewing/rating this one because I feel like this book has some kind of identity crisis. If it’s supposed to be a romance, it certainly not the traditional kind.
The book focused on Luke and his past – the love between him and his wife. It’s about how his dead wife guided him to heal through the letters. Rea became a secondary character because there wasn’t enough of her to be the lead. It’s a story about him, not about them. Whether it was on purpose of not, I am not sure. There’s also the unresolved issue with the sister. Despite all that, I still think it’s a beautiful story.
Nine Letters is a sorrowful yet uplifting journey of a man rediscovering life after losing half of his soul, giving him hope that healing can come from an unexpected method.
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
Type: Standalone
POV: First Person - Male
Rating:
Luke Cowley was an ambitious young man with a whole future in front of him. But the death of his beloved wife tipped his life off balance. He filled his life with meaningless acts, no longer caring for anything that used to be important to him. On the anniversary of her death, he found a box on his doorstep containing nine letters written by his late wife, taking his life into another turn.
I was first attracted to this book by the cover. Man bun and tattoos are very sexy lol! Then I read the blurb, I knew I need to read it because I just can’t resist the lure of a sad book.
I knew Emily was dead. But these letters, they were probably the last words she’d committed to paper, and they traced her downfall as she’d come to terms with her own death. I was reliving her last days, and I wanted her story to end differently. I wanted our happily-ever-after.
I love everything about Luke. He grieved on his own, letting the pain fester inside him. He shut off from everyone and moped in his own misery, until the letters urged him to do tasks to take back his life.
I met the love of my life, and then thought she was the only chance I had to be happy. Then she died. And now? Now I'm learning a whole new way to be happy.
Rae Goode became a burst of silver living when she came into his life. She made him started to care again.
I really love the story, but I’m having a really hard time reviewing/rating this one because I feel like this book has some kind of identity crisis. If it’s supposed to be a romance, it certainly not the traditional kind.
The book focused on Luke and his past – the love between him and his wife. It’s about how his dead wife guided him to heal through the letters. Rea became a secondary character because there wasn’t enough of her to be the lead. It’s a story about him, not about them. Whether it was on purpose of not, I am not sure. There’s also the unresolved issue with the sister. Despite all that, I still think it’s a beautiful story.
Nine Letters is a sorrowful yet uplifting journey of a man rediscovering life after losing half of his soul, giving him hope that healing can come from an unexpected method.
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
February 24, 2016
★★★ 3.5 Stars ★★★
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A debut novel from author Blake Austin, which takes the reader on a journey of a man trying to overcome the grief of losing his wife of five years, Emily.
Luke Cawley is only twenty six, but has already suffered an unimaginable loss. It's been a year since the love of his life died of cancer and he is finding life hard without her. On the anniversary of her death, Luke receives a package containing nine letters, each one to be opened after he has completed the task from the previous and each one designed to help Luke move forward and live a full life once again.
When he visits the local dog shelter he meets a woman named Rae who he is immediately drawn to, and discovers that for the first time in a long while, he has a little bit of hope back in his life.
This story was more about Luke and Emily, I found his and Rae's relationship to be secondary and would have loved for Nine Letters to be more about them as a couple. The love that Emily and Luke shared was beautiful and it was a young first love that was a joy to read, but I felt that it overshadowed the blossoming feelings that he had for Rae. I loved their moments together but they were too few and far between for my preference.
Also, there were quite a few Christian undertones to this book and I generally don't like to mix religion and romance.
Overall, it was a wonderfully written and emotional story and would definitely read something from Blake Austin again.
Nine Letters is a standalone contemporary romance, told in the male POV.
ARC gratefully received from the author in exchange for an honest review
Images featured in this review were created by me using stock images either purchased from deposit photo or from free stock sites.
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Now LIVE!
Amazon US | Amazon UK
A debut novel from author Blake Austin, which takes the reader on a journey of a man trying to overcome the grief of losing his wife of five years, Emily.
Luke Cawley is only twenty six, but has already suffered an unimaginable loss. It's been a year since the love of his life died of cancer and he is finding life hard without her. On the anniversary of her death, Luke receives a package containing nine letters, each one to be opened after he has completed the task from the previous and each one designed to help Luke move forward and live a full life once again.
When he visits the local dog shelter he meets a woman named Rae who he is immediately drawn to, and discovers that for the first time in a long while, he has a little bit of hope back in his life.
"I'd also told myself there was only one girl in the world for me, and I was starting to wonder if that was the whole truth, or if it'd really feel that way forever."
This story was more about Luke and Emily, I found his and Rae's relationship to be secondary and would have loved for Nine Letters to be more about them as a couple. The love that Emily and Luke shared was beautiful and it was a young first love that was a joy to read, but I felt that it overshadowed the blossoming feelings that he had for Rae. I loved their moments together but they were too few and far between for my preference.
Also, there were quite a few Christian undertones to this book and I generally don't like to mix religion and romance.
Overall, it was a wonderfully written and emotional story and would definitely read something from Blake Austin again.
Nine Letters is a standalone contemporary romance, told in the male POV.
ARC gratefully received from the author in exchange for an honest review
Images featured in this review were created by me using stock images either purchased from deposit photo or from free stock sites.
March 2, 2016
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AMZ UK ~ http://amzn.to/21Eoely
3.75 Stars
This is going to be a quick review as way behind with my reading as had a hectic week, so this will be short and sweet.
So what's it about
This is about a man (Luke) who is now a widow and struggling with life, with living and is spending his time drinking in bars and having meaningless sex to numb the pain. He is not living and he just doesn't know how to get out of the black hole he is in. Then on the 1 year Anniversary of his wife's Emily's death he gets 9 letters to open and read and here we have Emily pulling him out of Grave.
So slowly and surely with the help of his bloodhound Dog haha She brings him into the NOW rather than the past. I honestly don't know how people cope with loosing their life's and LOVES, its got to be the hardest job to get out of that pain and let go of what was. So for that alone I feel Blake did a good job and writing about this topic in a beautiful way.
"When everything's dark for so damn long and your eyes get used to it," I said, just a little glimmer of sunshine lights up the whole world."
Rea works in the Dogs shelter and there's something about her that Luke is attracted to and on that they embark a friendship that grows over time.
Ok I'm just going to explain a few of my thoughts..
My honest opinion? This is a book about building strength, about letting go and about LIVING. It's about a beautiful warm hearted man than needed to wake up a little. It's about a man who kind of learns to put himself out of the box and let himself heal over time. It's emotional in parts and then just calming in others...
Then there's Rae.. I wasn't that connected to her honestly, I connected more so with Emily and Luke's marriage. That's just me, I just didn't feel like the romance was the number one goal of this read, but more so was Luke's journey, that's what mattered most.
I really loved Blake's writing style though, easy and enjoyable enabling me to understand all sides of the coin. I just felt this wasn't a romance read but more a book on recovery and healing but that's just my opinion. For a debut novel this was definitely a page turner and yes I'd definitely recommend it but I feel the blurb is slightly misleading..
Will I read this author again and recommend him? Yes absolutely.
Will I recommend this read? Yes just maybe not see it as a romance book, even if there is some it didn't come as the core and once I saw it as that I enjoyed it for what it was.
That. Is. All
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3.75 Stars
This is going to be a quick review as way behind with my reading as had a hectic week, so this will be short and sweet.
So what's it about
This is about a man (Luke) who is now a widow and struggling with life, with living and is spending his time drinking in bars and having meaningless sex to numb the pain. He is not living and he just doesn't know how to get out of the black hole he is in. Then on the 1 year Anniversary of his wife's Emily's death he gets 9 letters to open and read and here we have Emily pulling him out of Grave.
So slowly and surely with the help of his bloodhound Dog haha She brings him into the NOW rather than the past. I honestly don't know how people cope with loosing their life's and LOVES, its got to be the hardest job to get out of that pain and let go of what was. So for that alone I feel Blake did a good job and writing about this topic in a beautiful way.
"When everything's dark for so damn long and your eyes get used to it," I said, just a little glimmer of sunshine lights up the whole world."
Rea works in the Dogs shelter and there's something about her that Luke is attracted to and on that they embark a friendship that grows over time.
Ok I'm just going to explain a few of my thoughts..
My honest opinion? This is a book about building strength, about letting go and about LIVING. It's about a beautiful warm hearted man than needed to wake up a little. It's about a man who kind of learns to put himself out of the box and let himself heal over time. It's emotional in parts and then just calming in others...
Then there's Rae.. I wasn't that connected to her honestly, I connected more so with Emily and Luke's marriage. That's just me, I just didn't feel like the romance was the number one goal of this read, but more so was Luke's journey, that's what mattered most.
I really loved Blake's writing style though, easy and enjoyable enabling me to understand all sides of the coin. I just felt this wasn't a romance read but more a book on recovery and healing but that's just my opinion. For a debut novel this was definitely a page turner and yes I'd definitely recommend it but I feel the blurb is slightly misleading..
Will I read this author again and recommend him? Yes absolutely.
Will I recommend this read? Yes just maybe not see it as a romance book, even if there is some it didn't come as the core and once I saw it as that I enjoyed it for what it was.
That. Is. All
For more reviews and blog posts
February 16, 2016
༺**Complimentary Copy**༺ Provided by the author
"Blake Austin" in exchange for an honest review..Thank you!!
TITLE: Nine Letters
AUTHOR: Blake Austin
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: 16th February, 2016
MY RATING:
An enjoyably debut novel by Blake Austin, love, loss, redemption, and ever-enduring love..
NINE LETTERS: is told entirely in Luke Cawley's words, how he met his wife, to her dying days, his downward slope into drinking and sleeping with numerous nameless woman..
On the day of his dead wife's one year anniversary a package arrives on his doorstep with 9 letters in it with strict instructions/tasks he has to complete in each one before he can read the next letter..
Here's the deal. Each letter comes with instructions, a specific task, you can only open the next letter when you finish doing what the last one says.
I wanted letters from now until I died.
I wanted to devour her words.
I wanted to stare at her handwriting.
I wanted to see her little turns of phrase.
I wanted to never open them.
I wanted to always have them, in case I needed them
I wanted to read them at ninety on my death bed.
9 Envelopes
9 Letters
9 Chances to find himself again.
Another letter opened, another task done, another step towards recovery
What makes this such a heartfelt story is that they met in high school, fell in love at the age of 16, married when she was 18, he was 20..
“Luke Cawley,” Emily said. "You are my heart.”
"You are my own, beating heart, as much a part of me as the earth I walk on, as much a part of me as the heaven above. You are the best thing I’ve found here in this world, and if you’d have me, I am yours”
“I wrote this song for you,” I said, and then I sang.
I sang her a simple song, a short song.
The chorus, I sang twice.
I will be yours / I will always be yours.”
From the time I was seventeen to twenty-three. I'd lived with Emily at my side.
Rae Goode volunteers at the animal shelter where Luke went to, to complete his first task "Find a dog."
I met the love of my life, and then thought she was the only chance I had to be happy. Then she died. And now? Now I'm learning a whole new way to be happy.
MY THOUGHTS: I like the simplicity of the story from a males POV of going through the motions of trying to move on from being married to widowed, it's not sugar coated or made fluffy, it's easy to get into, few laughs where King is concerned, unique storyline..I can probably count on one hand the amount of books I've read written by a male author *gasps*
The only thing that I found in this book was my non existent connection with Rae, I connected more with Emily who was dead and Luke which you expect with him being the main character..
"Blake Austin" in exchange for an honest review..Thank you!!
TITLE: Nine Letters
AUTHOR: Blake Austin
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: 16th February, 2016
MY RATING:
An enjoyably debut novel by Blake Austin, love, loss, redemption, and ever-enduring love..
NINE LETTERS: is told entirely in Luke Cawley's words, how he met his wife, to her dying days, his downward slope into drinking and sleeping with numerous nameless woman..
On the day of his dead wife's one year anniversary a package arrives on his doorstep with 9 letters in it with strict instructions/tasks he has to complete in each one before he can read the next letter..
Here's the deal. Each letter comes with instructions, a specific task, you can only open the next letter when you finish doing what the last one says.
I wanted letters from now until I died.
I wanted to devour her words.
I wanted to stare at her handwriting.
I wanted to see her little turns of phrase.
I wanted to never open them.
I wanted to always have them, in case I needed them
I wanted to read them at ninety on my death bed.
9 Envelopes
9 Letters
9 Chances to find himself again.
Another letter opened, another task done, another step towards recovery
What makes this such a heartfelt story is that they met in high school, fell in love at the age of 16, married when she was 18, he was 20..
“Luke Cawley,” Emily said. "You are my heart.”
"You are my own, beating heart, as much a part of me as the earth I walk on, as much a part of me as the heaven above. You are the best thing I’ve found here in this world, and if you’d have me, I am yours”
“I wrote this song for you,” I said, and then I sang.
I sang her a simple song, a short song.
The chorus, I sang twice.
I will be yours / I will always be yours.”
From the time I was seventeen to twenty-three. I'd lived with Emily at my side.
Rae Goode volunteers at the animal shelter where Luke went to, to complete his first task "Find a dog."
I met the love of my life, and then thought she was the only chance I had to be happy. Then she died. And now? Now I'm learning a whole new way to be happy.
MY THOUGHTS: I like the simplicity of the story from a males POV of going through the motions of trying to move on from being married to widowed, it's not sugar coated or made fluffy, it's easy to get into, few laughs where King is concerned, unique storyline..I can probably count on one hand the amount of books I've read written by a male author *gasps*
The only thing that I found in this book was my non existent connection with Rae, I connected more with Emily who was dead and Luke which you expect with him being the main character..
February 25, 2016
9 Letters is filled with profound insight and gut wrenching truths on loss, coping and grief in general. It swept me up and moved me to tears.
This book is real. Not dramatize, over exaggerated, or fantasized in any way. Just real. Really profound, sincere, earnest. There are not enough words to full describe the incredible way 9 Letters is written. It isn’t written with the biggest words in the dictionary or in a poetic way. But rather the author takes on the voice of the hero fully and wows the reader with absolute truths that will stay with them long after they close this book.
The romance in this book manifests itself in more than one way. Luke and Emily, the wife he tragically lost; Luke and Rae in a new love; and Luke and the things he finds along the way. Yes, that is vague, but it was meant to be.
I completely lost myself in this story, in the pain, but had to read in shifts. This is not a soft story. To me, I had to take it in doses to fully digest the intensity. The message and truths hidden in the words on these 362 pages will completely rock you to your core and make you look at life in a whole new light.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a book that will teach you about life, love and loss.
5 deep-seated, beautiful stars for 9 Letters. I am eager to see whatever Austin has in store for us.
**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed on behalf of The Read Report. **
This book is real. Not dramatize, over exaggerated, or fantasized in any way. Just real. Really profound, sincere, earnest. There are not enough words to full describe the incredible way 9 Letters is written. It isn’t written with the biggest words in the dictionary or in a poetic way. But rather the author takes on the voice of the hero fully and wows the reader with absolute truths that will stay with them long after they close this book.
The romance in this book manifests itself in more than one way. Luke and Emily, the wife he tragically lost; Luke and Rae in a new love; and Luke and the things he finds along the way. Yes, that is vague, but it was meant to be.
I completely lost myself in this story, in the pain, but had to read in shifts. This is not a soft story. To me, I had to take it in doses to fully digest the intensity. The message and truths hidden in the words on these 362 pages will completely rock you to your core and make you look at life in a whole new light.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a book that will teach you about life, love and loss.
5 deep-seated, beautiful stars for 9 Letters. I am eager to see whatever Austin has in store for us.
**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed on behalf of The Read Report. **
February 27, 2016
It is a little different book than you can usual read, with a pretty normal life subject. It's not even really a romance, more a book about life, mourning and finding yourself again. Yes, on the way you can find here pretty cool love story.
I completely love this quote that actually perfectly describes this book.
About the plot: Luke Cawley lost his wife. He is a 24 year old widower, and the love of his life lies in the grave. He blames himself for the death of his beloved, who died of cancer. He can't cope with life in the new reality. On the first anniversary of death, he gets letters from her, that she wrote to him before she died. The letters are really a list of challenges that he must pass in order to be able to read the next. It is what slowly allow him to go through mourning and during one of these tasks he meets Rea, our heroine.
Final thoughts: If you think that in this book new love changes his life is not, not entirely. More on that have an impact the letters, and the same process of mourning and anger and then a new love. I really like the idea of the letters and what they represent. It was really touching and clever. It is heartbreaking, but it is not overdramatic. You may be a little disappointed because there is not so much romance. But the same simple story of a fallen human being, who is trying to raise is enough addictive. And the character of Rea is a good addition, she matches it with her own past and attitude. And please do not make me write about the-dogs, my heart pounding!
Beautiful, true story is a great debut of Blake Austin. But don't kid yourself, that what first attracted to read this is that it wrote the guy. I'm sure it's not just me. And the writing is great. It was nice to read something from the perspective of the man author. I certainly will follow the progress of the next book.
***
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
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I completely love this quote that actually perfectly describes this book.
“Nothing too sappy, nothing too full of explosions. Something full of characters just doing their best to get through life.”
About the plot: Luke Cawley lost his wife. He is a 24 year old widower, and the love of his life lies in the grave. He blames himself for the death of his beloved, who died of cancer. He can't cope with life in the new reality. On the first anniversary of death, he gets letters from her, that she wrote to him before she died. The letters are really a list of challenges that he must pass in order to be able to read the next. It is what slowly allow him to go through mourning and during one of these tasks he meets Rea, our heroine.
Final thoughts: If you think that in this book new love changes his life is not, not entirely. More on that have an impact the letters, and the same process of mourning and anger and then a new love. I really like the idea of the letters and what they represent. It was really touching and clever. It is heartbreaking, but it is not overdramatic. You may be a little disappointed because there is not so much romance. But the same simple story of a fallen human being, who is trying to raise is enough addictive. And the character of Rea is a good addition, she matches it with her own past and attitude. And please do not make me write about the-dogs, my heart pounding!
Beautiful, true story is a great debut of Blake Austin. But don't kid yourself, that what first attracted to read this is that it wrote the guy. I'm sure it's not just me. And the writing is great. It was nice to read something from the perspective of the man author. I certainly will follow the progress of the next book.
***
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Thank you!
March 18, 2016
I decided reading Nine Letters out of the blue. It’s no secret I like to take chances on new author and when the blurb is appealing I rarely second guessed myself.
Nine Letters has the potential to be the first book to many more to come. Austin Blake is one true talented author. The writing is excellent, the book will captivate you and Luke's story is gripping! Managing to write about such a heavy and real subject can be tricky but Austin Blake delivers a beautiful tale about the journey of a man who needs to continue his life.
"I couldn’t handle getting better. I didn’t even want to get better. Easier to just stay at rock bottom, you can’t fall again when you’re at rock bottom."
When the story starts, it’s been a year Luke lost Emily, his wife. I wouldn’t say he’s a mess but he’s lost for sure. When he receives 9 letters, he doesn't know it's the first step for his reconstruction. Those letters are going to change him, but most importantly there are going to help him find his way back.
This is the story of a man who needs some guidance. It's the journey of a man who loves his wife so much and feels guilty about everything he’s done in the past. He feels responsible for her death and he doesn't know how to accept it and move on.
I devour this book and I wanted to know what was in the next letter. The pace of the book is so good. With each letters, Luke has actions to accomplish before reading the next. He could have cheated but he's so faithful to his wife's memory that he follows each and every one of them carefully.
"Let the memory of me, but not the weight of me, stay with you.
You’ll get to see how low Luke is and how many steps he has to be himself again. Like I said, at the beginning he was more lost than broken but there's a scene that totally broke my heart. I felt his emotions while turning the pages and I wanted to jump on his lap and comfort him.
"Losing your wife is like losing your whole future, present, and half your past."
The romance aspect was IMO just a background. He meets Rae, a connection is made and there's hope for the future but this is not the purpose of the book. It's a way to show that there's still hope when you don't see any good, that even if you have one true love, there are other types of love who can make you happy.
I didn't give it 5 for two specific reasons. In the book there are some religious innuendos that were too present and I felt it to be a little too pushy.
The other reason is Rae. I didn't feel connected with her and her reactions were excessive. As the book is not focus on the romance between her and Luke, I was also laking some background and I didn't get enough of them as a couple.
But as I said, it wasn't the focus on this book and I prefer it that way. I would have prefer she wasn't mention in the blurb.
To sum it up, Blake Austin brings us a strong first novel with lots of grief and pain but also full of hope and love. I can't wait to read other stories this author has in store.
~Arc provided in exchange of an honest review ~
Nine Letters has the potential to be the first book to many more to come. Austin Blake is one true talented author. The writing is excellent, the book will captivate you and Luke's story is gripping! Managing to write about such a heavy and real subject can be tricky but Austin Blake delivers a beautiful tale about the journey of a man who needs to continue his life.
"I couldn’t handle getting better. I didn’t even want to get better. Easier to just stay at rock bottom, you can’t fall again when you’re at rock bottom."
When the story starts, it’s been a year Luke lost Emily, his wife. I wouldn’t say he’s a mess but he’s lost for sure. When he receives 9 letters, he doesn't know it's the first step for his reconstruction. Those letters are going to change him, but most importantly there are going to help him find his way back.
This is the story of a man who needs some guidance. It's the journey of a man who loves his wife so much and feels guilty about everything he’s done in the past. He feels responsible for her death and he doesn't know how to accept it and move on.
I devour this book and I wanted to know what was in the next letter. The pace of the book is so good. With each letters, Luke has actions to accomplish before reading the next. He could have cheated but he's so faithful to his wife's memory that he follows each and every one of them carefully.
"Let the memory of me, but not the weight of me, stay with you.
You’ll get to see how low Luke is and how many steps he has to be himself again. Like I said, at the beginning he was more lost than broken but there's a scene that totally broke my heart. I felt his emotions while turning the pages and I wanted to jump on his lap and comfort him.
"Losing your wife is like losing your whole future, present, and half your past."
The romance aspect was IMO just a background. He meets Rae, a connection is made and there's hope for the future but this is not the purpose of the book. It's a way to show that there's still hope when you don't see any good, that even if you have one true love, there are other types of love who can make you happy.
I didn't give it 5 for two specific reasons. In the book there are some religious innuendos that were too present and I felt it to be a little too pushy.
The other reason is Rae. I didn't feel connected with her and her reactions were excessive. As the book is not focus on the romance between her and Luke, I was also laking some background and I didn't get enough of them as a couple.
But as I said, it wasn't the focus on this book and I prefer it that way. I would have prefer she wasn't mention in the blurb.
To sum it up, Blake Austin brings us a strong first novel with lots of grief and pain but also full of hope and love. I can't wait to read other stories this author has in store.
~Arc provided in exchange of an honest review ~
February 20, 2016
3.5 stars
Nine Letters is an emotional, soul-touching story. Mr. Austin’s characters feel human and vulnerable. This book definitely touched my heart and made it ache more than once.
The nine letters that Luke receives one year after his wife (Emily) dies say the unthinkable. Emily makes her last wishes and hopes for Luke to move on and survive his grief. Both Luke and Rae have issues in coming to terms with the reality of their situation. He is still grieving, and she's been burned by a man in the past. Broken hearts and learning to trust all play a part here. As you can imagine simply from reading the blurb, this is a very intricate and tragic storyline. It was really interesting to get to see a man struggle with his grief throughout a book, instead of just shoving all the emotions aside.
The writing is beautiful, and I can't wait to read more by this author. Why 4 stars? I'd love to have known more about Luke and Rae’s backgrounds, plus I’d like their love story to have been better developed. I would have liked to see more interaction between them and to feel the electric spark and attraction between these two broken souls. Don’t expect a hot sexy read, that is not what this one is about…but it doesn't need to be. If you crave a good heartbreaking yet heartwarming story, this one is for you.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Nine Letters is an emotional, soul-touching story. Mr. Austin’s characters feel human and vulnerable. This book definitely touched my heart and made it ache more than once.
The nine letters that Luke receives one year after his wife (Emily) dies say the unthinkable. Emily makes her last wishes and hopes for Luke to move on and survive his grief. Both Luke and Rae have issues in coming to terms with the reality of their situation. He is still grieving, and she's been burned by a man in the past. Broken hearts and learning to trust all play a part here. As you can imagine simply from reading the blurb, this is a very intricate and tragic storyline. It was really interesting to get to see a man struggle with his grief throughout a book, instead of just shoving all the emotions aside.
The writing is beautiful, and I can't wait to read more by this author. Why 4 stars? I'd love to have known more about Luke and Rae’s backgrounds, plus I’d like their love story to have been better developed. I would have liked to see more interaction between them and to feel the electric spark and attraction between these two broken souls. Don’t expect a hot sexy read, that is not what this one is about…but it doesn't need to be. If you crave a good heartbreaking yet heartwarming story, this one is for you.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
February 26, 2016
Nine Letters is a story of a young man who is overcoming the devastating loss of his wife to cancer. It's been a year and Luke Cawley is still a shell of a man. He gave up his career and instead is working just a couple days a week as a bartender to put food on the table to survive but that's it. Until the one year anniversary of Emily's death arrives and he finds a package on his doorstep...
9 Letters.
Nine letters written in Emily's hand. Each letter with instructions, a challenge of sorts. Each letter he must do what she says before he can open the next. Each letter one step closer to healing. Even from the grave, Emily knows him best. She knew he wouldn't be any better that day than the day she departed this life. So with letter one, his journey to healing begins. First challenge...rescue a dog. A dog? Well maybe, just maybe Emily knew how lonely he'd be and maybe just finding the strength to get up each day to care for someone else was just what the doctor ordered. Because the loneliness was killing him...
This is the part of the book that I connected with so wholeheartedly. I thought, "Oh sweet Jesus I'm crying and it's only 10%." Even that damn hound dog he adopted, King, made me ugly cry because dammit, the dog too was lonely and grieving the loss of his two owners to death. I was pretty darned sure this book was going to send me over the edge to insane depression. And it's the dead of winter in Michigan...I don't need much help being sadz.
Gradually Luke reads letter after letter, each challenge he faces with a bit of apprehension but quickly realizes Emily knows him best. Instead of a love story, I'd consider this more so a journey to recovery. The road is not easy for Luke and the author didn't sugarcoat his "dips in the road." Blake Austin did a great job showcasing his struggle to move on. I felt every ounce of his loss, of his inability to even care anymore about waking up and living another day without his wife. Couple that with intense guilt because he chose HIS dreams in life and didn't have medical insurance for his wife... All these "if only's" are killing him.
Is this a love story? Well Luke does meet a woman, Rae, at the animal shelter. It's a gradual process that will lead to a relationship but I still felt the book's focus was more on Luke. The entire book is in his POV; he had a long way to go to find happiness with anyone else. Which is realistic...
I have two issues that prevented this book from being a five star read. One, I didn't feel Luke's connection with Rae at all. In fact, there's a scene where she blows up at him and I'm still a bit befuddled as to why she did it. It likely rubbed me the wrong way with her, and her lack of an apology, I didn't attach to her at all. Well, she did apologize but way later...too little too late for me.
Second, I felt the religious undertones were a bit more than undertones and it almost felt preachy. A lot of the use of He, Him, Lord, etc. Instead of it being spiritual, as death and grieving can be, I felt it a bit pushy and...well...as I said, preachy. Religious undertones don't typically bother me but in this instance, they did.
All in all, a solid debut novel for Blake Austin. Well done.
Advanced copy received by author in exchange for my honest review.
February 24, 2016
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review
Nine letters. Nine hopes. Nine chances of redemption. Nine letters to live again. In Blake Austin's debut novel, Nine Letters, Mr. Austin immerses his readers with a heartfelt raw emotional tale on the struggles of dealing with grief and loss in the eyes of Luke Cawley.
Broken. Lost. Hurt. Angry. Luke Cawley is half the man he used to be. He lost his reason. His love. His wife. Five years of love was abruptly stolen from him. His world, his dreams, his life, and his reason is an empty void after losing his Emily. Luke can only escape his grief and pain with meaningless sex and alcohol. For one year, he was wandering lost until nine letters appeared on his doorsteps.
Nine letters addressed to him from his wife. And within these nine letters, his wife wrote heartfelt messages on what she wishes Luke to accomplish. And in so begins, Luke's journey of finding solace and comfort within these letters. And along this path, Luke meets a woman who could possible bring light and happiness back into his life once again.
“We kissed. Both went for it at the same time. I cradled her head in my hands and pulled her tight against me. She kissed like no one I’d ever kissed. She was curious, excited. She explored me. She kissed me soft, then hard. Closed mouth, opened mouth. But it was wonderful. It felt like she wanted me, wanted to know me inside and out.”
Though this book introduces another female in Luke's life, this book was more of an emotional and personal journey for Luke. This story was about seeing a man struggle with guilt, anger, loss and heartbreak. As someone who has personally experienced loss, I can relate that a death of a loved one is somewhat a journey that takes time and healing. So if you are ready for a story that is a man's journey on finding comfort, hope, and healing then NINE LETTERS might be the book for you.
Review can also be found on Four Chicks Flipping Pages: http://fourchicksflippingpages.weebly...Blake Austin
Nine letters. Nine hopes. Nine chances of redemption. Nine letters to live again. In Blake Austin's debut novel, Nine Letters, Mr. Austin immerses his readers with a heartfelt raw emotional tale on the struggles of dealing with grief and loss in the eyes of Luke Cawley.
Broken. Lost. Hurt. Angry. Luke Cawley is half the man he used to be. He lost his reason. His love. His wife. Five years of love was abruptly stolen from him. His world, his dreams, his life, and his reason is an empty void after losing his Emily. Luke can only escape his grief and pain with meaningless sex and alcohol. For one year, he was wandering lost until nine letters appeared on his doorsteps.
Nine letters addressed to him from his wife. And within these nine letters, his wife wrote heartfelt messages on what she wishes Luke to accomplish. And in so begins, Luke's journey of finding solace and comfort within these letters. And along this path, Luke meets a woman who could possible bring light and happiness back into his life once again.
“We kissed. Both went for it at the same time. I cradled her head in my hands and pulled her tight against me. She kissed like no one I’d ever kissed. She was curious, excited. She explored me. She kissed me soft, then hard. Closed mouth, opened mouth. But it was wonderful. It felt like she wanted me, wanted to know me inside and out.”
Though this book introduces another female in Luke's life, this book was more of an emotional and personal journey for Luke. This story was about seeing a man struggle with guilt, anger, loss and heartbreak. As someone who has personally experienced loss, I can relate that a death of a loved one is somewhat a journey that takes time and healing. So if you are ready for a story that is a man's journey on finding comfort, hope, and healing then NINE LETTERS might be the book for you.
Review can also be found on Four Chicks Flipping Pages: http://fourchicksflippingpages.weebly...Blake Austin
February 23, 2016
This book is like a tortured puzzle.It may be fun finding all the pieces along the way yet the final picture that emerges may not be to everyone's taste.Here we have a man caught between 3 women:
Megan his regular fuck buddy with whom he has "vicious chemistry" in bed.He circles around her like a guilty shark seeking blood 70 % of the book though the fucking stops when he meets the heroine but not the sexual attraction that is magnetic between them.She is his painkiller after the death of his wife.
Rae the purported heroine of the story.She moves something in him which is still not enough to lay the spirit of his wife to rest.
“I met the love of my life, and I thought she was the only chance I had to be happy. Then she died. And now? Now I’m learning a whole new way to be happy.”
Emily his dead wife who dominates the entire book.
My main gripe is that both Megan & Rae appear to be the bridge to Emily the dead wife who is waiting on the other side to be reunited with her husband once again.She haunts the book no matter how well her intentions may be by controlling her husband's actions from the grave via a series of letters.She came across as utterly selfish.
And him reading this letter with his girlfriend in the very last chapter is just creepy.
Live well, without unconfessed sin, so that when you rejoin me, you’ll do it with your head held high and your thoughts unclouded and you’ll really be able to be with me, to join with me once more. We’ll be together again. But don’t hurry on your way. Take as long as you need. I can’t wait to see you again.
Love,Emily
There is no HEA nor a concrete HFN just a man coming to terms with living again until he dies to be with his love of a lifetime.The book was well written but this is one ghost that should have stayed dead.
Megan his regular fuck buddy with whom he has "vicious chemistry" in bed.He circles around her like a guilty shark seeking blood 70 % of the book though the fucking stops when he meets the heroine but not the sexual attraction that is magnetic between them.She is his painkiller after the death of his wife.
Rae the purported heroine of the story.She moves something in him which is still not enough to lay the spirit of his wife to rest.
“I met the love of my life, and I thought she was the only chance I had to be happy. Then she died. And now? Now I’m learning a whole new way to be happy.”
Emily his dead wife who dominates the entire book.
My main gripe is that both Megan & Rae appear to be the bridge to Emily the dead wife who is waiting on the other side to be reunited with her husband once again.She haunts the book no matter how well her intentions may be by controlling her husband's actions from the grave via a series of letters.She came across as utterly selfish.
And him reading this letter with his girlfriend in the very last chapter is just creepy.
Live well, without unconfessed sin, so that when you rejoin me, you’ll do it with your head held high and your thoughts unclouded and you’ll really be able to be with me, to join with me once more. We’ll be together again. But don’t hurry on your way. Take as long as you need. I can’t wait to see you again.
Love,Emily
There is no HEA nor a concrete HFN just a man coming to terms with living again until he dies to be with his love of a lifetime.The book was well written but this is one ghost that should have stayed dead.
February 25, 2016
Nine Letters is a poignant look into the life of a man who has lost the love of a lifetime. When we meet Luke, he is floundering in his grief, unable to move on from his wife’s death from cancer. His story is one of loss, but also one of moving on.
A year after her death, Luke receives nine letters from his wife. Through these letters and the tasks she has given him, he is finally able to become unstuck and begins to heal from the devastating loss. Luke may never get over the loss completely, but he begins to live life again and starts to look forward to the future.
This is a very interesting book. I don’t read very many male authors these days, so it is interesting to hear a man’s perspective on lost love and grieving. Luke is a simple man with a simple life, and the writing reflects that. In a way that is almost utilitarian, the words are deep and soulful without flowery frills or extra words.
Nine Letters is a stark reminder that death affects everyone differently. No two people have the same experience. Luke’s grief isn’t pretty, but watching him pull himself out of the depression is very rewarding.
Overall, this is a very good debut novel, and I am genuinely curious to see what is coming next from this author.
▸ ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.
▸ Order: Kindle | Paperback
▸ For more reviews, visit
A year after her death, Luke receives nine letters from his wife. Through these letters and the tasks she has given him, he is finally able to become unstuck and begins to heal from the devastating loss. Luke may never get over the loss completely, but he begins to live life again and starts to look forward to the future.
This is a very interesting book. I don’t read very many male authors these days, so it is interesting to hear a man’s perspective on lost love and grieving. Luke is a simple man with a simple life, and the writing reflects that. In a way that is almost utilitarian, the words are deep and soulful without flowery frills or extra words.
Nine Letters is a stark reminder that death affects everyone differently. No two people have the same experience. Luke’s grief isn’t pretty, but watching him pull himself out of the depression is very rewarding.
Overall, this is a very good debut novel, and I am genuinely curious to see what is coming next from this author.
▸ ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.
▸ Order: Kindle | Paperback
▸ For more reviews, visit
Shelved as 'can-never-read'
February 27, 2016This one is most definitely NOT for me...
Self note:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Self note:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
July 19, 2016
Ok, so I was in the mood for something that would bring on the feels and maybe a few tears. After reading the blurb for 9 Letters, I decided it was the winner. It lived up to my expectations. It is a beautiful story of a man's journey of getting his life back on track after his wife dies.
Luke Cawley met the love of his life, Emily, in high school. After high school they eventually married. They were supposed to be together forever. Unfortunately, fate had different plans for them and Emily passed away from cancer. It's the one year anniversary of her death and Luke is still not dealing with it or life very well. It's hard for him to move on when he's still hanging onto the guilt he has over her death.
"Leave it to Emily to come up with such an incredibly perfect way to give me something to look forward to, such an incredibly perfect way to get me out of bed in the morning. I wasn’t better, not by a long shot, but getting out of bed is a good first step to getting anything done.”
Even in her sickness, Emily knew Luke would probably still be struggling with her death, so on the one year anniversary of her death, she arranged for a box of letters to arrive on Luke's doorstep. When Luke opens the box, he finds 9 envelopes, all numbered 1-9 and in his wife's handwriting.
In the first letter, Emily gave him strict instructions not to open the next letter until he completed the task she assigned to him in that letter. I find this whole idea so sweet and touching. I hope I never have to feel what Luke went through, but imagining myself in his shoes, I think the letters would help me. Just to have that extra push from the love of your life even after death may just be what's needed to get your life back on track. Maybe.
"I met the love of my life, and thought she was the only chance I had to be happy. Then she died. And now? Now I'm learning a whole new way to be happy."
While trying to complete the first task Emily set for him, Luke meets Rae. Rae is sweet and kind and beautiful and Luke can't help but be drawn to her. He does his best to push her away at first. He's not in the right place yet for anything other than sex and Rae is not that kind of girl. She's different. Rae hasn't had the best of luck with relationships, but she feels the pull toward Luke too. They just may be able to help each other heal.
This story totally reminds me of one of my favorite movies, P.S. I Love You. I love how we get to see pieces of Luke and Emily's life together. This was a great debut novel by Blake Austin. I haven't read that many books by male authors - I'm not sure why - but as long as the story is good, I don't care if the author is male, female or alien. I was looking for a book that brought out the feels and this one did just that. I can't wait to see what Blake Austin gives us next.
August 1, 2017
Nine Letters isn’t what I expected at all. I finished this book yesterday, so with some of what I’m gonna write I’ll be winging it peeps.
I don’t like labels so this isn’t a pure new adult romance but there is much more depth to this book to the characters and to the journey that our main character Luke takes.
At a young age you think that you know everything. The older you get and the more you experience you realise you know jack shite about things especially if they drive over you with an 18 wheeler.
This is what happened to Luke, he lost his very young wife to cancer and the past year has been filled with self-loathing, self-destruction and generally being a rude git.
After the one year anniversary of his wife passing away he receives a package with nine letters, numbered from 1-9, he starts with letter 1 has to finish the task before he can open the next letter. Letter 1 get a dog. And so on and so forth.
Now there is a female lead Rae who I felt we didn’t see enough about but eventually they do get it together. She is trying to get her life together as well and not get involved with toxic men anymore.
They meet at the animal shelter and there are several interactions between the two.
But this is more of Luke finding himself back to the person that he was or the person that he can be if he puts his mind to it. On some level I did get Luke but there were other moments where I felt like punching him in the face. I know he is hurting and bleeding from a wound which is hard to staunch but dude you are fucked up and believe me he is frigging trying.
We read how he met his wife Emily, how they got married and what kind of relationship that they have. Ms. Blake has done an awesome job for a debut novel. Very talented and can write a plot full of emotion and heart breaking, depressing themes.
My one other issue was that I don’t really have a problem with religion each to their own but the concept of me with blind faith is hard to comprehend.
If I was Indiana Jones I would totally fail that test in getting to the Holy Grail and still be falling down a bottomless pit until I would get to the centre of the Earth and be nuked with some lava or what not.
To be honest if I had known this beforehand I really do not know if I would have read the book.
Nevertheless thank you for this read. There are also many positive aspects to this book. This is just my own opinion and to be taken at face value only.
Book received by author in exchange for an honest review.
Review can be found at http://jerisbookattic-reviewblog.blog...
I don’t like labels so this isn’t a pure new adult romance but there is much more depth to this book to the characters and to the journey that our main character Luke takes.
At a young age you think that you know everything. The older you get and the more you experience you realise you know jack shite about things especially if they drive over you with an 18 wheeler.
This is what happened to Luke, he lost his very young wife to cancer and the past year has been filled with self-loathing, self-destruction and generally being a rude git.
After the one year anniversary of his wife passing away he receives a package with nine letters, numbered from 1-9, he starts with letter 1 has to finish the task before he can open the next letter. Letter 1 get a dog. And so on and so forth.
Now there is a female lead Rae who I felt we didn’t see enough about but eventually they do get it together. She is trying to get her life together as well and not get involved with toxic men anymore.
They meet at the animal shelter and there are several interactions between the two.
But this is more of Luke finding himself back to the person that he was or the person that he can be if he puts his mind to it. On some level I did get Luke but there were other moments where I felt like punching him in the face. I know he is hurting and bleeding from a wound which is hard to staunch but dude you are fucked up and believe me he is frigging trying.
We read how he met his wife Emily, how they got married and what kind of relationship that they have. Ms. Blake has done an awesome job for a debut novel. Very talented and can write a plot full of emotion and heart breaking, depressing themes.
My one other issue was that I don’t really have a problem with religion each to their own but the concept of me with blind faith is hard to comprehend.
If I was Indiana Jones I would totally fail that test in getting to the Holy Grail and still be falling down a bottomless pit until I would get to the centre of the Earth and be nuked with some lava or what not.
To be honest if I had known this beforehand I really do not know if I would have read the book.
Nevertheless thank you for this read. There are also many positive aspects to this book. This is just my own opinion and to be taken at face value only.
Book received by author in exchange for an honest review.
Review can be found at http://jerisbookattic-reviewblog.blog...
February 25, 2016
'I wanted to never open them. I wanted to always have them, in case I needed them, unopened and waiting.'
I used to think that men didn't grieve in the same way as women did. I thought that after the death of a partner/wife that a man would move on earlier than a woman would. That was until I knew a man who went through the loss of his wife and then my ridiculous assumptions were proved wrong and I felt ashamed for ever having them.
Luke was widowed one year ago, after his sweet wife Emily died of cancer. Everyone copes with grief differently and it is obvious that Luke loved Emily deeply. He carries his sorrow around like an invisible cloak. He honors and loves her, living his vow that he made to her on his wedding day.
'Losing your wife is like losing your whole future, present, and half your past.'
On the anniversary of her death a parcel arrives on his doorstep. It contains nine letters. Messages from his wife. The woman he thought he had forever with. The person that knows him better than anyone knew he would need her help and planned for it. The one that broke his heart when she died will end up being the one to put him back together one year after her death.
'Emily did, in fact, know me better than I knew myself.'
Life has stood still for him and now that he has begun to open letters from Emily it has given him the nudge he needed to move forward once again. To live.
'Love is what mattered to her. She taught me that. Love is what matters. Just love.'
I used to think that men didn't grieve in the same way as women did. I thought that after the death of a partner/wife that a man would move on earlier than a woman would. That was until I knew a man who went through the loss of his wife and then my ridiculous assumptions were proved wrong and I felt ashamed for ever having them.
Luke was widowed one year ago, after his sweet wife Emily died of cancer. Everyone copes with grief differently and it is obvious that Luke loved Emily deeply. He carries his sorrow around like an invisible cloak. He honors and loves her, living his vow that he made to her on his wedding day.
'Losing your wife is like losing your whole future, present, and half your past.'
On the anniversary of her death a parcel arrives on his doorstep. It contains nine letters. Messages from his wife. The woman he thought he had forever with. The person that knows him better than anyone knew he would need her help and planned for it. The one that broke his heart when she died will end up being the one to put him back together one year after her death.
'Emily did, in fact, know me better than I knew myself.'
Life has stood still for him and now that he has begun to open letters from Emily it has given him the nudge he needed to move forward once again. To live.
'Love is what mattered to her. She taught me that. Love is what matters. Just love.'
February 25, 2016
Nine Letters is the debut book by Blake Austin and it definitely does not disappoint. When I first started reading the book, I was definitely not expecting what I read, yet I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I would have to start by saying that this is not your typical love story/romance book. It is very different. This is Luke story, and Luke’s alone, through the process of meeting and falling in love with his wife, losing her and then putting his life back together. This is not Luke and Rae’s story, not one bit. I would venture to say that Rae is more like a secondary character. His wife Emily, is actually a bigger part of the story. In that regard, the blurb is a little misleading. But don’t let that deter you from this beautiful book, once you understand that this is about Luke first and foremost, you can fully enjoy the book.
“Losing your wife is like losing your whole future, present, and half your past.”
When we meet Luke Cawley, he is a mess. He was very young when he fell in love with his wife and very young when he lost her. He thought this was forever and then he tragically lost her. He is barely existing, not even living. On the first year anniversary of his wife’s death, he receives a box of letters that his late wife Emily left for him. Each letter has a purpose and a task that he must complete before he can open the next. Nothing major, just simple things that take him one step further to getting his life back on track.
“Leave it to Emily to come up with such an incredibly perfect way to give me something to look forward to, such an incredibly perfect way to get me out of bed in the morning. I wasn’t better, not by a long shot, but getting out of bed is a good first step to getting anything done.”
There are so many things I loved about this book. Although I can’t say that this book was absolutely perfect, I can say that this book was able to move me in so many ways, and bring all sorts of feels. The grief period that Luke is going through is so palpable, everything is described in such ways, that you can’t help but feel what he is feeling at every moment.
“There were only six letters left. It wasn’t enough. I wanted letters from now until I died. I wanted to open up all six of them, I wanted to devour her words. I wanted to stare at her handwriting, at the little loops she put on her letters even when she wasn’t writing cursive. I wanted to see her little turns of phrase.
I wanted to never open them. I wanted to always have them, in case I needed them, unopened and waiting. I wanted to read them at ninety on my death bed, so I could drink in Emily’s thoughts, one last time, before pneumonia took me to meet her in heaven.”
The book makes a point of showing you, through flashbacks, the contrasts between Luke now, and the Luke that was a kid in love with Emily. You can definitely tell how much he is changed because of her death. Similarly, once he starts reading the letters and eventually when he meets Rae and starts falling for her, you can again be a witness of yet more transformation when it comes to Luke and I thoroughly enjoyed that. The book moves between sad and joy with amazing fluidity, there’s also some funny moments here and there.
When it came to Rae, even when she did not share the story with Luke in equal parts. I totally could feel the connection to her, even if it was just implied. Since this is Luke’s POV and his story, you can sense how conflicted he is about the possibility of even remotely building a new life with someone else since his connection with his wife was so strong. Yet, there were hints here and there that his future with Rae might be brighter.
“She put her arm around my waist, pulled me in tight. It was the first time we’d touched...really touched. She was warm against me, and that warmth spread through the whole of my body like something magic.”
“I’d assumed I’d feel guilty, but I just didn’t. I was getting my life back together.”
Speaking of Luke’s POV. When I first signed up for this tour, I was captivated by the blurb, and then the cover. I had no idea who Blake Austin was or knew anything about the author. A bit into the story, I was extremely fascinated by this male POV and how Luke sounded like a guy’s guy. You know how in some books you can tell a female author is writing this male POV? This male POV is the total opposite, it’s so on point. For some reason the more I kept reading, the more I became convinced that Blake Austin was a guy. He is, btw. It’s not a secret, we just assume he was a woman because our initial packet had no bio, lol. I just thought it’s funny to mention it because the sister wives and I joked about it for a bit when we found out.
Overall, I loved this book so much, it definitely brought the feels. However, I would say that I needed/need more. Although the story wraps up well, I felt like it was a little incomplete and I want more Luke and Rae. A better look into their future together. The book would’ve definitely benefitted from an epilogue or maybe another book? Please! Regardless, this is an amazing debut novel by Mr. Blake Austin and I absolutely recommend it!
*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review*
“Losing your wife is like losing your whole future, present, and half your past.”
When we meet Luke Cawley, he is a mess. He was very young when he fell in love with his wife and very young when he lost her. He thought this was forever and then he tragically lost her. He is barely existing, not even living. On the first year anniversary of his wife’s death, he receives a box of letters that his late wife Emily left for him. Each letter has a purpose and a task that he must complete before he can open the next. Nothing major, just simple things that take him one step further to getting his life back on track.
“Leave it to Emily to come up with such an incredibly perfect way to give me something to look forward to, such an incredibly perfect way to get me out of bed in the morning. I wasn’t better, not by a long shot, but getting out of bed is a good first step to getting anything done.”
There are so many things I loved about this book. Although I can’t say that this book was absolutely perfect, I can say that this book was able to move me in so many ways, and bring all sorts of feels. The grief period that Luke is going through is so palpable, everything is described in such ways, that you can’t help but feel what he is feeling at every moment.
“There were only six letters left. It wasn’t enough. I wanted letters from now until I died. I wanted to open up all six of them, I wanted to devour her words. I wanted to stare at her handwriting, at the little loops she put on her letters even when she wasn’t writing cursive. I wanted to see her little turns of phrase.
I wanted to never open them. I wanted to always have them, in case I needed them, unopened and waiting. I wanted to read them at ninety on my death bed, so I could drink in Emily’s thoughts, one last time, before pneumonia took me to meet her in heaven.”
The book makes a point of showing you, through flashbacks, the contrasts between Luke now, and the Luke that was a kid in love with Emily. You can definitely tell how much he is changed because of her death. Similarly, once he starts reading the letters and eventually when he meets Rae and starts falling for her, you can again be a witness of yet more transformation when it comes to Luke and I thoroughly enjoyed that. The book moves between sad and joy with amazing fluidity, there’s also some funny moments here and there.
When it came to Rae, even when she did not share the story with Luke in equal parts. I totally could feel the connection to her, even if it was just implied. Since this is Luke’s POV and his story, you can sense how conflicted he is about the possibility of even remotely building a new life with someone else since his connection with his wife was so strong. Yet, there were hints here and there that his future with Rae might be brighter.
“She put her arm around my waist, pulled me in tight. It was the first time we’d touched...really touched. She was warm against me, and that warmth spread through the whole of my body like something magic.”
“I’d assumed I’d feel guilty, but I just didn’t. I was getting my life back together.”
Speaking of Luke’s POV. When I first signed up for this tour, I was captivated by the blurb, and then the cover. I had no idea who Blake Austin was or knew anything about the author. A bit into the story, I was extremely fascinated by this male POV and how Luke sounded like a guy’s guy. You know how in some books you can tell a female author is writing this male POV? This male POV is the total opposite, it’s so on point. For some reason the more I kept reading, the more I became convinced that Blake Austin was a guy. He is, btw. It’s not a secret, we just assume he was a woman because our initial packet had no bio, lol. I just thought it’s funny to mention it because the sister wives and I joked about it for a bit when we found out.
Overall, I loved this book so much, it definitely brought the feels. However, I would say that I needed/need more. Although the story wraps up well, I felt like it was a little incomplete and I want more Luke and Rae. A better look into their future together. The book would’ve definitely benefitted from an epilogue or maybe another book? Please! Regardless, this is an amazing debut novel by Mr. Blake Austin and I absolutely recommend it!
*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review*
February 22, 2016
4- Heart-touching- Stars
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ARC was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This was a beautiful, heartfelt story which gave me all the feels. This story is about love, grief, moving on, and although maybe it wasn’t perfect but I loved it anyway.
Luke and Emily met at high school and they immediately had the connection. Emily was the witty country girl who just moved to the city and Luke was the popular guy, the baseball star of the school who also loved playing the guitar. Although it seemed that they don’t have much in common, they found each other soon, and just a few years later they got married. They were really young, and not rich at all, but they were so happy. Only three years later Emily became ill and passed away, leaving behind her devastated husband with his heartbreakingly deep grief.
The story picks up on the one year anniversary of Emily’s death, when a nameless package lands on Luke’s porch. When he opens it up he realizes that in the box there are nine letters. Nine letters from Emily to him. And he crushes again. After Emily’s death he couldn’t find his path again, he feels that he is drowning all the time, he left his dreams and his contractor business behind, he lost the meaning of his life, he and he is just lost. And now he gets nine letters from Emily and the already existing scars get deeper and more painful. In the letters he doesn’t find the answers for all of his questions or an instant medication for his pain. But he finds the last thoughts, the last words of the love of his life and a little help from her to find his way again.
I loved that these letters didn’t contained big tasks like ‘go to Hawaii’ or something like that, but little things. So little things, you couldn’t guess at the first time how huge steps these will be for Luke. Like ‘get a dog’, or ‘clean you house’, or ‘go build something for charity’. She just knew at her last hours how lost will Luke be and she tried to help him with these letters to find himself again.
Luke meets with Rae in the shelter when he does his first task and tries to get a dog. Rae is like a ray of sunshine for him although the relationship between them evolves really slowly. To tell the truth, I didn’t find their relationship developed enough and partly this is the reason why I gave 4 stars for this book. I missed something from their link, but I can’t put my finger on what that was. There were some really good hot scenes in the book, but somehow I felt that these only disrupted the rhythm of the book. Again, I can’t tell you why I felt this way. But maybe the author didn’t want to put the relationship of Rae and Luke in the spotlight so much, because this story was not about them. It was about Luke, and not just how he finds love again. Yes, it was part of the story, but I think it was mostly about how he finds himself again. It was about his grief, his soul, his new life.
I loved the characters and the author could hand over all the pain of Luke perfectly. I loved Emily and it broke my heart that she had such a short life. I loved Rae and King Luke’s dog, and I think the writing style was really good. This book was really touching and I am glad that I had an opportunity to read it. Overall it was a great debut novel, about moving forward to a new life.
For more of my reviews please visit my blog:
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ARC was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This was a beautiful, heartfelt story which gave me all the feels. This story is about love, grief, moving on, and although maybe it wasn’t perfect but I loved it anyway.
Luke and Emily met at high school and they immediately had the connection. Emily was the witty country girl who just moved to the city and Luke was the popular guy, the baseball star of the school who also loved playing the guitar. Although it seemed that they don’t have much in common, they found each other soon, and just a few years later they got married. They were really young, and not rich at all, but they were so happy. Only three years later Emily became ill and passed away, leaving behind her devastated husband with his heartbreakingly deep grief.
The story picks up on the one year anniversary of Emily’s death, when a nameless package lands on Luke’s porch. When he opens it up he realizes that in the box there are nine letters. Nine letters from Emily to him. And he crushes again. After Emily’s death he couldn’t find his path again, he feels that he is drowning all the time, he left his dreams and his contractor business behind, he lost the meaning of his life, he and he is just lost. And now he gets nine letters from Emily and the already existing scars get deeper and more painful. In the letters he doesn’t find the answers for all of his questions or an instant medication for his pain. But he finds the last thoughts, the last words of the love of his life and a little help from her to find his way again.
I loved that these letters didn’t contained big tasks like ‘go to Hawaii’ or something like that, but little things. So little things, you couldn’t guess at the first time how huge steps these will be for Luke. Like ‘get a dog’, or ‘clean you house’, or ‘go build something for charity’. She just knew at her last hours how lost will Luke be and she tried to help him with these letters to find himself again.
Luke meets with Rae in the shelter when he does his first task and tries to get a dog. Rae is like a ray of sunshine for him although the relationship between them evolves really slowly. To tell the truth, I didn’t find their relationship developed enough and partly this is the reason why I gave 4 stars for this book. I missed something from their link, but I can’t put my finger on what that was. There were some really good hot scenes in the book, but somehow I felt that these only disrupted the rhythm of the book. Again, I can’t tell you why I felt this way. But maybe the author didn’t want to put the relationship of Rae and Luke in the spotlight so much, because this story was not about them. It was about Luke, and not just how he finds love again. Yes, it was part of the story, but I think it was mostly about how he finds himself again. It was about his grief, his soul, his new life.
I loved the characters and the author could hand over all the pain of Luke perfectly. I loved Emily and it broke my heart that she had such a short life. I loved Rae and King Luke’s dog, and I think the writing style was really good. This book was really touching and I am glad that I had an opportunity to read it. Overall it was a great debut novel, about moving forward to a new life.
For more of my reviews please visit my blog:
https://veronikasreaderfeeder.wordpre...
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March 17, 2017
[Reto 2017, Libro #13: P. Viudo]
Me gustó, porque no era lo que esperaba, la sinopsis engaña un poco; además el romance fue dejado en segundo plano y agregamosle que fue escrito por un chico.
Me gustó, porque no era lo que esperaba, la sinopsis engaña un poco; además el romance fue dejado en segundo plano y agregamosle que fue escrito por un chico.
February 28, 2016
3.5 - 4 Stars!!
Blake Austin’s debut shows incredible promise and this author is definitely one to watch!
9 Letters is a story about real people facing real-life, heartbreaking issues. Luke is barely existing, living day to day after the very tragic loss of his young wife. He can’t seem to pull himself together and get back to real life. He has distanced himself from his wife’s family and is certainly not living up to his potential. How would Luke ever pull himself out of the depression he was in? He had his whole life in front of him but he seemed to have lost the will to go on and refused to really engage with anyone around him.
“I didn’t know how to fix my life, sure. I could fix a lot of things, but I couldn’t fix my life. Lives aren’t like houses. You can’t paint over your problems. There’s no rustoleum for life.”
Luke receives a package a year after his wife has passed away. She has written him nine letters, but each one contains certain instructions and the next letter cannot be opened until he completes the task in each letter. Her first letter instructs him to get a dog. It is during this task that he meets Rae, a beautiful volunteer at the animal shelter. He is immediately drawn to her but their path is not as predictable as I thought it would be.
I found 9 Letters to be an original and very poignant storyline and loved seeing if and when Luke would carry our his late wife’s instructions. She wanted him to move on with his life, find love again and just seemed to anticipate that he would not deal well with her death. This is a very promising debut novel, with a very engaging storyline and characters. It is a fairly fast read and while I would have liked to see a little more character development, I really liked the story and the down-to-earth tone of the book. And of course, I loved the focus on dogs and animal rescue! Blake Austin has a very bright future as an author and I recommend this book if you are looking for a story that offers lots of emotion but also a very optimistic conclusion.
(ARC provided by the author in return for an honest review.)
Blake Austin’s debut shows incredible promise and this author is definitely one to watch!
9 Letters is a story about real people facing real-life, heartbreaking issues. Luke is barely existing, living day to day after the very tragic loss of his young wife. He can’t seem to pull himself together and get back to real life. He has distanced himself from his wife’s family and is certainly not living up to his potential. How would Luke ever pull himself out of the depression he was in? He had his whole life in front of him but he seemed to have lost the will to go on and refused to really engage with anyone around him.
“I didn’t know how to fix my life, sure. I could fix a lot of things, but I couldn’t fix my life. Lives aren’t like houses. You can’t paint over your problems. There’s no rustoleum for life.”
Luke receives a package a year after his wife has passed away. She has written him nine letters, but each one contains certain instructions and the next letter cannot be opened until he completes the task in each letter. Her first letter instructs him to get a dog. It is during this task that he meets Rae, a beautiful volunteer at the animal shelter. He is immediately drawn to her but their path is not as predictable as I thought it would be.
I found 9 Letters to be an original and very poignant storyline and loved seeing if and when Luke would carry our his late wife’s instructions. She wanted him to move on with his life, find love again and just seemed to anticipate that he would not deal well with her death. This is a very promising debut novel, with a very engaging storyline and characters. It is a fairly fast read and while I would have liked to see a little more character development, I really liked the story and the down-to-earth tone of the book. And of course, I loved the focus on dogs and animal rescue! Blake Austin has a very bright future as an author and I recommend this book if you are looking for a story that offers lots of emotion but also a very optimistic conclusion.
(ARC provided by the author in return for an honest review.)
February 21, 2016
REVIEW: SURJ
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"9 Letters" had all the makings of a book that could have been quite spectacular. I loved the title and of course "Mr Man bun" on the cover. In fact I thought the title, the cover and the synopsis went perfectly together. I'd even go so far as to say, everything about Luke Crawley's story screamed "must read" to me so of course when the opportunity arose, I went straight in. So what went wrong and why 3 stars?
Would I say this was a love story? not in the conventional sense, No. It was about man dealing with grief and guilt. It was about man unable to move on from the death of his wife, merely existing but not actually living. Luke Crawley was stuck and without a clear way out, he was drowning in his loss. Those nine letters were like nine steps to healing, nine steps to being able to move forward. Did they move me? Were they touching? To a degree. I think the reason for me was that I just didn't get enough of Emily and Luke and the life they had shared or should I say, enough detail or enough depth.
In terms of Rae, again she was a character that I just didn't connect with and for me, she came second to Emily. This story was more about Emily, Luke and grief than it was about Rae and Luke and a HEA. Part of me wishes "9 Letters" had been told from dual POV but I know that would have been difficult because Emily was, well dead and Rae only popped in here and there.
So I guess all in all, this was one of those books that was an okay, quick read but not one that tore my heart out and left it in pieces at my feet. The premise was good, the execution... for me was average. However, I know others have loved Luke's story so your never know, it could be for you. Maybe I'm just a tough nut to crack when it comes to heart break and angst.
I rated "9 Letters" ❤️❤️❤️
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"9 Letters" had all the makings of a book that could have been quite spectacular. I loved the title and of course "Mr Man bun" on the cover. In fact I thought the title, the cover and the synopsis went perfectly together. I'd even go so far as to say, everything about Luke Crawley's story screamed "must read" to me so of course when the opportunity arose, I went straight in. So what went wrong and why 3 stars?
"You're a disaster area. Luke Crawley. Hell you're practically a crime scene. I should wrap you up in police- line- do- not- cross tape and start scaring away the reporters.Very early on, I realised that I wasn't connecting with the main character, Luke. I don't know whether it was because of the writing or his way of thinking, but he just wasn't giving me what I needed. He was a man and was of course thinking like a man. As a female reader, I wanted more than that. I needed him to not just skim the surface but get right down to the nitty gritty of stuff. I wanted emotion. I wanted to experience his heart break right along with him but I didn't get that. Sure his story was a tragic one which of course I READ but did I FEEL it? For the most part, no.
Would I say this was a love story? not in the conventional sense, No. It was about man dealing with grief and guilt. It was about man unable to move on from the death of his wife, merely existing but not actually living. Luke Crawley was stuck and without a clear way out, he was drowning in his loss. Those nine letters were like nine steps to healing, nine steps to being able to move forward. Did they move me? Were they touching? To a degree. I think the reason for me was that I just didn't get enough of Emily and Luke and the life they had shared or should I say, enough detail or enough depth.
When everything’s dark for so damn long and your eyes get used to it, just a little glimmer of sunshine lights up the whole world.”
In terms of Rae, again she was a character that I just didn't connect with and for me, she came second to Emily. This story was more about Emily, Luke and grief than it was about Rae and Luke and a HEA. Part of me wishes "9 Letters" had been told from dual POV but I know that would have been difficult because Emily was, well dead and Rae only popped in here and there.
So I guess all in all, this was one of those books that was an okay, quick read but not one that tore my heart out and left it in pieces at my feet. The premise was good, the execution... for me was average. However, I know others have loved Luke's story so your never know, it could be for you. Maybe I'm just a tough nut to crack when it comes to heart break and angst.
I rated "9 Letters" ❤️❤️❤️
February 19, 2017
Creo que le puse demasiadas expectativas y ganas y lamentablemente fue mucho menos de lo que yo esperaba....
No esta mal del todo pero a mi criterio podría haber estado muchísimo mejor, tal vez digo esto porque lo comparo con otra historia bastaaaannte parecida y eso es injusto pero a la vez no lo puedo evitar.
No esta mal del todo pero a mi criterio podría haber estado muchísimo mejor, tal vez digo esto porque lo comparo con otra historia bastaaaannte parecida y eso es injusto pero a la vez no lo puedo evitar.
Read
March 3, 2016DNF. Sadly this book didn't quite work for us.
February 22, 2016
Don't you just love the magic of books especially when you find a story that makes you cry and smile at the same time. What I'd like to know though is where the hell did this story come from? It was painfully emotional but beautifully told. Blake Austin, you owe me tissues, lots of tissues!
After reading the synopsis, I was 100% drawn to it. The premise was familiar but the story was refreshing. I'm not a lover those “ugly cry” books so this was as close as I am even willing to head into those waters but despite the emotion, the book was also shored up with wonderful message of hope.
Telling the story of Luke and his late wife Emily, we meet Luke 12 months after the death of his wife. After receiving an unexpected delivery of nine letters from Emily, Luke is forced to face his grief head on and by doing so brings the pain of the loss back to the forefront of his mind once again. Being set a series of tasks and demands, Luke finds himself questioning Emily’s reasoning behind the letters but it soon becomes apparent that she's trying to save him and release him from his guilt, from beyond the grave. Each letter is poignantly written and emotionally gruelling especially as Luke realises that with each letter, Emily is fast approaching the end of her life.
After following out Emily’s wishes in the first letter, Luke meets a woman who makes him start to believe in a future without his one true love, even if at first he can't entertain the prospect. Rae is a caring woman whose ex has made her question whether she will ever being able to trust a man again, but in Luke she sees his pain and is drawn to his vulnerability. Through their love of dogs and their need to protect each other, their friendship grows but will Luke ever be able to move on from Emily?
This really was a sweet story. I loved the connection that Luke and Emily had, especially as they came to love and marriage at such a young age. From different backgrounds, they found each other in school and from that first meeting they knew they were destined to be together [see, emotional overload right there!]. From that early love though came a loss which reverberated through both Luke and Emily’s sister, Natalie. Natalie blames Luke for Emily’s death but thanks to Emily, Luke soon starts to realise that he was not a catalyst in her death. I preferred the connection between Emily and Luke to Luke and Rae, however, I think Blake Austin portrayed their different relationships perfectly. One was an innocent and pure love and the other was a more mature and gnarled affair. I really can’t compare Emily and Rae anymore than Luke could [but I still preferred Emily, shhh just don’t tell anyone] I have to say though, that last letter, hurt, a lot!
The only downside to this story, and I really hate to mention it, was the vernacular the author used. I couldn’t tell if it was deliberately written into the story or just accidental. Either way, for me being a Brit, I found it a bit lumpy and unnecessary. Yes, I like to be able to feel a story through accents and verbal personalities and that was acceptable, to a point, but after that I just felt that on occasion, words had been inadvertently omitted rather than intentionally so [but hey, I’m no master wordsmith myself so who I am to talk].
Anyhows, [see, this vernacular thing can work both ways] I thought this was an awe inspiring book and an amazing piece of writing from a newbie author and one I will definitely reach out to again. Congratulations Blake, you knocked me off my feet and that’s hard to do.
Copy provided by the author in return for a honest review.
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