The Secret Letters

This was such a lovely read in so many ways.

I adored the setting which was romantic and comforting. Having been to South Africa a few times and having stayed in Johannesburg, I recognised a few of the places and food that was mentioned so this brought back some nostalgic memories for me which added to my overall enjoyment of the novel.

The book was character driven which I loved; I truly got swept away with Rachel's character and was routing for her to ditch her boyfriend Will and find a man who would devote his time to her. I adored the addition of Mr Lemon and his backstory and loved reading about how this evolved throughout the novel.

Although I don't read many romance novels I found I was completely captivated by the premise of this book. The concept behind the letters was heartwarming and the fact that the love between all the characters, whether friendship, family or romantic grew slowly, over time, was invigorating to read.

Even though I found this novel uplifting and moving it also had a darker theme running through it; that of abuse, violation and rape. I think Leigh highlighted the story of survival in a sensitive and thoughtful way, showing the courage and bravery of the victim through her portrayal of Rachel.

A beautiful story with a stunning front cover which I read in one day. Many thanks to Taryn Leigh for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review. Such an enjoyable, moving read.