Release Blitz with Review: A Thousand Letters by Staci Hart

"Lyrical, heartbreaking, and emotionally intense, A THOUSAND LETTERS is a beautiful portrait of an undying love that deserves a second chance."

— Melanie Harlow, USA Today Bestselling Author

A Thousand Letters, an all-new emotional standalone by Staci Hart is LIVE!!!

Sometimes your life is split by a single decision.

I’ve spent every day of the last seven years regretting mine: he left, and I didn’t follow. A thousand letters went unanswered, my words like petals in the wind, spinning away into nothing, taking me with them.

But now he’s back.

I barely recognize the man he’s become, but I can still see a glimmer of the boy who asked me to be his forever, the boy I walked away from when I was young and afraid.

Maybe if he’d come home under better circumstances, he could speak to me without anger in his voice. Maybe if I’d said yes all those years ago, he’d look at me without the weight of rejection in his eyes. Maybe if things were different, we would have had a chance.

One regretted decision sent him away. One painful journey bought him back to me. I only wish I could keep him.

*A contemporary romance inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion*

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About the Author

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

 

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Title: A Thousand Letters

Series: Standalone

Author: Staci Hart

Release date: February 9th, 2017

Cliffhanger: No

Rating: 3 stars

"My heart has been yours as long as it's been beating. It'll be yours until it beats its last."

A Thousand Letters is bursting with a thousand feels. If there's one thing that I demand from a book it's that I experience everything those characters are feeling. For an author to translate those words from the pages into our hearts successfully, it's no easy feat. So I have to start out by saying that I have considerable respect for her skill on that front. Not only that, but Staci Hari elevates the ordinary to extraordinary with her beautifully metaphorical, descriptive writing. And the angst, people. Ohhh...the delicious angst. I'm the kind of reader who eats it up with a spoon, and this book had me teary eyed and choked up on more than one occasion. So even though this wasn't a full, enthusiastic five star read, there was so much I appreciated.

This is a second chance romance inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion. Elliot and Wade were teenage sweethearts who were separated by family interference and pride. Ever since Elliot set eyes on him when she walked into her best friend's house, they only had eyes for each other. Unfortunately, Wade's impulsive marriage ultimatum and her father's strict disapproval tore them apart and they were both left empty and incomplete for seven long years.

Elliot's father and two sisters were despicable. I ended up loathing the whole lot of them, they were the pinnacle of selfish and malicious. As the book wore on, the extent of their self-serving ways are unveiled and I felt nothing but disgust for how they all took her for granted.

Elliot had a personality that more meek and submissive than I prefer. In the second half of the book, her consistent behavior in allowing them to walk all over her started to wear my patience. I was waiting for her to fight back, or to give me a reasonable explanation as to why she continued to live with her sister who treats her like a slave without any appreciation. When she explains herself, it really took me aback. It didn't make me feel any better, in fact it just didn't seem to make much sense to me.

(view spoiler)[It sounds like you're saying that because I don't stand up to them that I'm weak. But here's the thing —there's no point. Arguing will not change their behavior, and it helps no one, especially not me. I don't suffer very often because I don't let them hurt me. My being present is a choice. My enduring their judgment is a choice. My choice, and therein lies my power.

I just don't see how it gives her any power to allow others to mistreat her. She may choose to endure it, but it IS hurting her. To me, the whole dynamic between Elliot and her family reminded me a lot of Cinderella. Her father is like the evil step-mother and her sisters the ugly step-sisters. She's the sweet and gentle soul who gets ordered around and taken advantage of. (hide spoiler)]

Wade returns home when his father falls terminally ill. When he left all those years ago, he joined the army and rarely came back. It's too painful, the memories of what he lost still too sharp.

Elliot. Her name in my mind was a curse I couldn't escape, a ghost that haunted me day after day, year after year since I'd seen her last so long ago.

Wade is filled with regrets. His foolish pride and bad decisions have lost him the girl who will forever own his heart. He's just not sure if what they had is salvageable, too many years and pain have come between them. He's not even certain if they're the same people they once were, he's been through war and come out the other side not quite the whole man he used to be. He's not a perfect hero, he's a good man, but flawed. And there are a couple of instances towards the end when he really tried my patience. In fact, neither one of them were particularly fond of communicating with one another, and that led to quite a vicious cycle of anger and misunderstandings with them.

On top of the push/pull of their desire to re-connect, I think what gutted me the most was the sub-plot about Wade's father Rick. He was one of the most amazing examples of fatherly love I've ever seen. His wisdom, gentleness, unconditional support and big heart...I was devastated for his family. I don't often say this about a secondary character, but I think he was probably my favorite in the book. He was everything a father should be.

I don't want to say much more about the plot, just that I really enjoyed what Wade reveals about her letters to him and the significance of how they both use them in the end. The book rounded out on a higher note for me after some frustrations, so I really was torn over my rating. I chose three stars based solely on the fact that my own negative and positive feelings evened each other out. If you're looking forward to reading this to get your fix for a highly emotional read, then I encourage you. Don't hesitate! This is my first read by Staci Hart and it will certainly not be my last.

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