For three years, Penny Ercanbeck has been opening other people’s mail. Dead ends are a reality for clerks at the Dead Letter Office. Still she dreams of something more–a bit of intrigue, a taste of romance, or at least a touch less loneliness. When a letter from a brokenhearted man to his one true love falls into her hands, Penny seizes this chance to do something heroic. It becomes her mission … mission to place this lost letter into the hands of its intended recipient.
Thomas left his former life with no intention of ending up in Azure Springs, Iowa. He certainly didn’t expect a happy ending after what he had done. All he wanted to do was run and never look back. In a moment of desperation, he began to write, never really expecting a reply.
When Penny’s undertaking leads her to the intriguing man who touched her soul with his words, everything grows more complicated. She wants to find the rightful owner of the letter and yet she finds herself caring–perhaps too much–for the one who wrote it.
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Rachel Fordham’s second book is a love story to cherish. It will make you believe in the healing power of love. With a unique setting and premise, this is a story to hold to your heart and reread again and again. Going on my keeper shelf.
A heartwarming story about how the unlikeliest things can bring two people together. Loved this story if tender emotion, healing, and strength.
I was very skeptical about this book. I mean, read the back! She works at a *dead letter office???* (I didn’t even know what that was till I read this, but it just sounded weird! )
But I was pleasantly surprised how AMAZING THIS BOOK IS!!!! Penny is just the sweetest book character ever created, and Thomas… Thomas is the kind of guy everyone needs in their life!
I just adored Penny from page #1! Thomas, too of course, but Penny just really struck a cord in my heart. She’s so kind, so thoughtful, for a fictional book character, she really became someone for me to strive to be like.
I was SOOO excited to go back to Azure Springs!! To see Margaret, Abraham, the twins, and of course Em and Caleb! It was almost like this book just picked up where the last one ended!
I felt like this was great reminder for me with life. I love how Azure Springs is, everyone is kind to each other, they help out each other, just great friends and neighbors. It was a great reminder how people should be in life, how I need to always strive to be in life.
Overall, this is a book I would HIGHLY recommend!!
This book was beautiful and everything I love in a book!
Rachel is a gifted writer who makes her romances sing! I love the concept for this book, and Rachel pulls it off with wonderful characters and a satisfying ending.
I loved returning to Azure Springs in this second book by author Rachel Fordham. I have been anticipating this story and I wasn’t disappointed at all. (If you haven’t read her first book, The Hope of Azure Springs, you really need to.)
Fordham writes in a way that brings her characters to life. I’d love to visit Azure Springs and have coffee with the residents. They are so warm and welcoming I’d have to stay awhile.
Penny is an upbeat romantic working in an office where she tries to piece together missing information so letters can find their way. It was fun to read about the dead letter office, which I didn’t know about. Trying to deliver letters to Thomas took her on a journey she didn’t expect. Penny was grieving loss, as was Thomas, and I enjoyed the way that Fordham realistically weaves in genuine faith, bringing them through trials and danger to healing and wholeness.
A beautiful story of second chances, I highly recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.
My dear BookBub friends,
I could not put this book down! Seriously. I read the whole book with only one very necessary break. My heart melted while reading the letters, especially the last one. Don’t peek.
Yours Truly, Thomas is officially one of my favorite books this year.
Penny is a sweet young lady. After her father dies, she goes to work while her mother sits and misses their old wealthy lives. Penny is not naive, she knows what she must do and she does it without complaint. She has a huge heart and longs for romance. She does get a little more involved with her dead letters than she should, she has an issue with putting special ones in the disposal bin. When a chance at returning to their old lifestyle comes up, Penny’s mother jumps at it. Penny, however, does not. She takes a different leap.
Thomas is running from his past, running from the man he used to be. He ends up in beautiful Azure Springs where he is welcomed by the friends we met in The Hope of Azure Springs. (This book is a stand-alone novel. You don’t have to read the first book but I think you will want to.) It was wonderful to see how the people and town have progressed and changed. Margaret is still running the boarding house, still giving good advise.
There are dangerous characters lurking about the little town, creating quite a bit of mystery and edge of my seat reading. No spoilers from me though.
I loved the mystery. I loved the romance. I loved the story.
Your book-loving friend,
Andrea
*I thank the publisher for providing
an early release copy of this book.
A review was not required.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
“What if Thomas’s life is altered all because his letter came to me and not to Clara?”
In Rachel Fordham’s latest novel, Yours Truly, Thomas, she charms her readers with a beautiful story of redemption, second chances, and discovering God’s grace and purpose for our lives.
The journey begins in 1883 at the dead letter office in Washington D.C. as Penny Ercanbeck sorts letters and tries to locate their recipients before the letters are disposed of. She finds several letters written by Thomas to his beloved Clara that are filled with pain and regret. Penny’s quest to deliver the letters to Clara takes some unexpected twists and turns. Suddenly Penny finds herself on a train headed to the town of Azure Springs in search of Thomas. Penny is immediately welcomed to the town by some familiar faces from Rachel Fordham’s debut novel, The Hope of Azure Springs. Readers will love the cameo appearances from many of their favorite residents of Azure Springs, including Em and Caleb Reynolds, Margaret, Abraham, and Eliza.
Rachel Fordham authentically weaves the faith aspects into the storyline, while incorporating the sweet romance developing between Penny and Thomas and the essential role that God has in their lives. Readers will wish they could live in Azure Springs and be friends with Penny, Em, Margaret, and the rest of the charming cast of characters. There is something for everyone in this novel…. romance, danger, faith, and rich historical details.
The beautiful letters penned in Yours Truly, Thomas will find a place in the hearts of the readers everywhere. Letter writing has become almost a lost art in the 21st century with email, social media, and smartphones easily accessible for instant communication. Handwritten letters from previous generations contain treasured memories of the past, and Rachel Fordham gives readers an opportunity to experience some of those memories firsthand through Thomas and Penny’s correspondence. Readers who enjoyed Rachel Fordham’s debut novel will not want to miss this delightful return to Azure Springs.
Yours Truly, Thomas is highly recommended for readers of historical fiction, especially those who enjoy books by authors such as Jody Hedlund and Carrie Turansky.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.
Additional Quotes:
“I think I fell in love with someone else’s love story.”
“He’d tell me it is my job to do all I can in this life to make each day better. He’d tell me to get in and change what I can. And what I cannot, he’d tell me to hand over to God.”
“Your very presence makes me believe I can be more than what I was before. I am not sure what led you to Azure Springs. But I believe God was in it. He must have been. There is no other way something so beautiful could be born of so much pain.”
Fordham has crafted a truly captivating historical romance. The written word is so powerful. I was swept away in Penny and Thomas’s adventure of discovering healing and true love. I look forward to more novels by Ms. Fordham.
Recommend to readers who enjoy inspirational, historical fiction.
I borrowed a copy from my local library. I’ve expressed my honest opinion.
I loved the premise of this book. Actually one look at the cover and I was confident that I would like it. And over all, I did. I liked the main characters and the growth they achieved over the course of the story, especially Thomas.
I noted as I read that there were things that people wouldn’t like. For example, sometimes events were described in a letter instead of us seeing the scene first hand. They were pivotal scenes that normally one would want to read but I kind of liked that the author used letters to tell what happened. The letters are the plot point underlying the entire book. Without letters, the book never happens so why not use letters to tell parts of the story. So while some may not like that, I did.
There is lots of angst in the story as Thomas first runs from his past and then decides to become a better person. And what will Penny do? Continue as a working woman struggling to get by or go to her uncle and live by his rules? (Never any question which she would choose in my mind).
The people of Azure Springs are quite nosy and “in your face” but I think that was part of the charm of Azure Springs. I loved Margaret and her butting in. She was a fun character. And I enjoyed the twins though they kind of disappeared as the book went on. It is okay since they weren’t big characters but I did enjoy when they were present.
I enjoyed the story and might have given 5 stars until I got to the ending. Through out the book, I understood that Thomas and Penny would end up together but I hadn’t really been able to predict anything else in the story. Who was the man on the black horse? I didn’t know. How and when would Penny tell Thomas the truth? I didn’t know. I was just enjoying the read and then suddenly I knew exactly what was going to happen and the dialog felt stilted or stiff and unnatural. I felt like the ending was written by a different person or something. It just didn’t feel like the rest of the book. Everyone got their happily ever after in terms of romance but I just didn’t enjoy the ending as much as I did the rest of the book. And truthfully, my life got crazy as I was reading the book so it took me longer to finish than I typically need. It is possible that the book felt different at the end because of my mood more than the writing. I still didn’t love the dialog though.
This book follows Hope of Azure Springs but you don’t have to have read it first. The main characters of that book are mentioned in this book but not major players in the story. You might feel like you should know who they are but it really doesn’t matter to the story if you don’t.
Over all, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next by this author.
Sex: Innuendo
Language: no
Violence: yes, not graphic
Penny Ercanbeck works in the Dead Letter Office, but dreams of more in her life. When she reads letters from Thomas, who sounds so brokenhearted over his lost love, Penny decides to make sure his letters get to the woman they were intended for. Thomas left home and ended up in Azure Springs, Iowa. Trying to atone for what he’d done he writes letters not expecting a reply.
I read this for my historical romance book club. This is my first book by Rachel Fordham and I enjoyed it although it’s different than most romance books. Penny and Thomas don’t meet in person for quite a while. Penny only knows him through the letters he sends that end up in the Dead Letter Office.
I can’t imagine traveling from Washington D.C. to Iowa to meet someone I’d come to know through letters but yet had no idea I knew who he was. Penny and Thomas have a funny first meeting thanks to her untrained dog Honeysuckle.
The whole time Penny was getting better acquainted with Thomas I kept wondering when she was going to tell him who she was, and that she’d read his letters, but she didn’t. I knew it was eventually going to come out once their relationship began to get serious, and then it would mess everything up. And that’s what happened. This is a story about forgiveness–forgiving others and yourself, changing and starting over.
I borrowed this as an ebook and audiobook from my library using the Hoopla app. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.
Truly lovely.
This book. These characters. The beautiful words.
A quote from one of the letters in the book: “. . . I would tell you how my heart hurts. It wants to be healed, to beat in the type of man who uses his tools to help another. It wants to wander these wheat-covered fields and marvel at their beauty. It wants to laugh and smile and discover what it means to live a purposeful life . . .”
Can’t wait to read more books by this author!
Yours Truly, Thomas is the second book by Rachel Fordham. Readers are brought back to the town of Azure Springs though you don’t have to read The Hope of Azure Springs, Rachel’s first book, to understand what is going on.
I love handwritten letters so when I read that Penny works at the Dead Letter Office, I knew I was going to enjoy this book. The letters Thomas sent to his true love melted my heart. People who enjoy Sign, Sealed, Delivered on Hallmark will enjoy this book.
Synopsis:
As a clerk working in the Dead Letter Office, Penny Ercanbeck works to help lost postage find its way home. When a series of letters from a man named Thomas to his love, Clara, comes across her desk, Penny takes it upon herself to find the letters’ true owner. Little does she know the depth of heartbreak and hope that her simple actions will unlock.
Review:
Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham reminded me of the Hallmark show, Sign, Sealed, Delivered, but set it a different time period. I loved how Penny found the courage to pursue adventure. I loved seeing the changes of heart both Penny and Thomas experience over the course of this book. I particularly loved Penny’s dog, Honeysuckle, and the mischief she manages to get in. This book was a wonderful read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I especially appreciated how it explores the meaning of love.
I enjoyed reading this book so much! I read The Hope of Azure Springs a few months ago, so it was very fun to return to Azure Springs in this novel and see some familiar faces. However, this story is definitely focused on Penny and Thomas.
I loved the way Penny fell for Thomas by reading the letters that came to the Dead Letter Office. What started as a way to get lost letters to their intended destination ended up becoming so much more.
The way Penny and Thomas meet for the first time is fun, and the way they both feel some sort of connection to each other is also so sweet. This story deals with letting go of anger, grief, and guilt, and looking toward a better future.
(4.5 stars)
Return to Azure Springs, Iowa as Penny Ercanbeck tries to track down Thomas, the writer of the dead letters she receives at work that tug at her heart strings. Another wonderful release by Rachel Fordham that supplies history, inspiration, drama, and a dash of romance that kept me turning pages way too quickly. I didn’t want it to end!
This book was wonderful. It was great to revisit characters from Fordham’s first book, but the book was beautiful on its own. I loved Thomas and Penny, and their story was a great journey. It wasn’t an easy one for them, but it was need seeing how beauty can come from pain. How it and forgiveness worked out according to God’s plan for them.
Beautiful is the one word I would use to describe this book! It was beautiful to read and has stayed with me ever since. I can’t recommend this book enough to fans of Christian fiction. It has an overall uplifting message of hope and love and I really enjoyed the concept of how our lives are connected in ways we may not even realize. A fabulous novel, one of my favorites for 2019.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Revell in order to post an honest review.
This is my first book by this author and I would have to say she did not disappoint me in the least. I was drawn into the book from the very beginning. I felt like the characters were my friends. I was truly invested in their stories. The main character, Penny, was such a loving person that you could not help but want everything to work out for her. I will not spoil the ending for anyone because that would not be nice. But I would think even if I knew the ending I’m advance of reading the book I would still have enjoyed reading it. It is a great book of second chances.
I am enjoying this book. This story grabbed me from the CS Lewis quote. I love Penny’s attitude concerning the dead letters. After 3 years her heart still remains soft. I cannot wait to get to her interaction with Thomas. The Boarding House owner Margaret is a riot. I am loving her personality.
Grief can do so much to you. It can take you places you have never been to and holds you prisoner. Thomas, Penny and Margaret and several others are examples of the impact of grief. The author did an amazing job voicing the anguish, pain and hope. I would recommend this book to everyone.
I received this book from the publisher and the opinions expressed are entirely my own.