Yours Truly, Thomas (July 2, 2019) by Rachel Fordham.*
Years have been
spent working as a clerk at the dead letter office since the passing of her
father and his fortune being siphoned by someone they’d entrusted with the
management of those funds. Penelope “Penny” Ercanbeck is a 22-year-old romantic
struggling to support herself and her mother (who does nothing to help). When
she comes across a brokenhearted letter from Thomas Conner to Clara, Penny’s
heart breaks for him, and she convinces herself that she must get his letter to
Clara. What she learns of Clara is wrenching, and soon after finding herself at
a crossroads, Penny heads from 1883 Washington, D.C., to the quaint town of
Azure Springs, Iowa, with her dog, Honeysuckle (Honey). Thomas’ letters seem to
be leading him toward healing, but Penny wants to see it for herself. She finds
Thomas to be a very good man, though she wonders why he blames himself for what
happened to Clara.
Thomas is equally drawn to Penny. He
tells the overly presumptuous but kindhearted Margaret Anders (owner of the
yellow boardinghouse), that Penny’s “looks are unique.” Margaret rolls her eyes
at this, sensing his interest in Penny, and declares her gorgeous, which is
surely what Thomas meant. (Margaret is a self-declared good judge of people and
is prone to a little matchmaking now and again.) Thomas is curious to know more
about Penny and falls for her, despite knowing she has a secret. Meanwhile, he
is learning to be a farmer and a member of a rural community, the opposite of
the way he was raised. Not only is it more work than he could have imagined,
someone is clearly trying to run him off his newfound property and may go to
any length to chase him away. Can the culprit be caught before anyone is
injured?
Originally wary of this historical
romance, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed this inspirational
fiction novel. From characters emboldened by faith to the intensity of a
potentially dangerous antagonist (or two), this wholesome story made for a
fairly fast-paced read. Thomas’ letters were so eloquent and sweet that it made
me imagine what it’d be like to have a guy write something even half as moving.
“Yours Truly, Thomas” encourages second chances and believing in the power of
hope and forgiveness. There is a preceding novel also set in Azure Springs, but
this one read easily as a standalone.
* Disclosure of
Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not
required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am
disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part
255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in
Advertising.”