Letters to Kelly

Rating:
Summary: Letters to Kelly
Review: I just read Letters to Kelly by Suzanne Brockmann. I finished it in one sitting. There was no way I could put it down. I think it might just be the most romantic story I've ever read, and I've read hundreds of romance novels. Jax, Kelly, and their histories - their shared history, and each of their separate paths - were woven into an incredibly beautiful tale. There were some funny moments to keep things from becoming overly intense, including a few priceless scenes where Jax was arguing with his own characters.

Letters to Kelly is not especially steamy, or action-oriented, or suspenseful, or a lot of other things that often make a book good. None of those elements would have added a thing to the story. It's all about the characters, their relationship, and their emotions. It's truly one of the best books I've ever read. If you are a fan of Suzanne Brockmann, romance in general, or even think you might like to give a romance novel a try, don't miss Letters to Kelly.

Rating:
Summary: A Touching Story
Review: I was not sure if I would like this Brockmann book, especially after being disappointed with her last novel, although about 80% of what she has written I consider keepers. But this is a different style of book than her norm. To begin with, this is not a SEAL book. Plus you have the whole "romance writer talking to his character" aspect, along with running a story over an (abbreviated) eleven year period, so I started out a bit leery. Was I surprised at how good this book is!

The characters are well developed, the letters amazing, and the plot interesting. I didn't put this book down, but read the whole thing in two hours. It is very different from her other works. Usually someone is in danger or there is a conspiracy to uncover, or both, which is what usually moves Brockmann's plots along. This time it is a persistent hero fighting for the trust of the women he loves.

The only complaint I have is that the ending wrapped up way to fast when Kelly learned about why Jax left and didn't come back. The last few pages felt abrupt. But other than that, I put this up there with Prince Joe, Forever Blue and Frisco's Kid. In the end, I really liked the fact that the main characters had known each other for years. I get tired of the contrived aspect of two people falling in love when they have known each other for 72 hours. This seemed much more believable, which made the story all the more poignant and memorable.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag
Review: In some ways I felt this book deserved five stars. The characters are very appealing, and the hero is unabashedly in love with the heroine from the start. Being a writer, I really enjoyed the parts about his struggles to write his book.

On the minus side, how many scenes can you have in one book where the heroine is thinking "I really want him, but he'll only hurt me again"? There must have been a dozen like that; it got to be a real drag. Zero stars for that aspect of it.

So I averaged and gave it three, but will probably keep it around rather than get rid of it, which means at least 3-1/2 stars on the emotional star-o-meter. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag
Review: In some ways I felt this book deserved five stars. The characters are very appealing, and the hero is unabashedly in love with the heroine from the start. Being a writer, I really enjoyed the parts about his struggles to write his book.

On the minus side, how many scenes can you have in one book where the heroine is thinking "I really want him, but he'll only hurt me again"? There must have been a dozen like that; it got to be a real drag. Zero stars for that aspect of it.

So I averaged and gave it three, but will probably keep it around rather than get rid of it, which means at least 3-1/2 stars on the emotional star-o-meter. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice.

Rating:
Summary: A fast paced read....
Review: Jax Winchester has survived two years in a South American prison to come home and find the woman that he has loved since she was sixteen married to another man. Heartbroken and broken, Jax retreats to his imaginary world of writing where he has relationships and conversations with his characters. Jax is an extremely likable hero who will do anything to convince Kelly that he loves her and has never stopped loving her. It takes a lot more convincing than he orignially thought.

Kelly O'Brien has loved and lost with T. Jackson. Not knowing about his time spent in prison, Kelly believes that Jax deserted her when he was tired of her. No matter what Jax tells her, she absolutley will not believe that he loves her and wants to marry her.

Letters to Kelly is an extremley emotional book. It is different from Brockmann's other books, but she still gets the emotion across to readers. Some of the letters from Jax to Kelly made me want to cry, they were so sad.

A very good read!

Rating:
Summary: Sorry To Say Not Up To Par!
Review: Just finished Letters to Kelly , and I was a little disapointed. I am a dedicated Brockmann fan.Since her first book, but her switching back and forth between her "real" hero Jax and his fictional character "Jared" was a little strange.Jax spent too much time"talking" to this guy who was not real!.It only confused the story line.Other then that the book was wonderful. I have always given her books the best of reviews so this is very hard for me!.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent.....
Review: Lets just be up front.

This is NOT her usual Navy Seal Alpha Male....

I was at first a little unsure what to expect, because I was used to her writing. Or so I thought so.

This book was excellent.
I loved the humor in it.

Ms. Brockmann gave us a more sensitive male who is the one wanting a commitment and knowing that he loved this woman no matter what. He was the one who was in touch with his feelings and she had issues with hers.

It isn't Ms. Brockmann's usual Navy Seal Guy, but it shows how talented she really is.

I liked this book and would say to buy it.

To a new reader of Ms. Brockmann I should say that you should read her other books, but not to expect this type of story, but good nevertheless!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent.....
Review: Lets just be up front.

This is NOT her usual Navy Seal Alpha Male....

I was at first a little unsure what to expect, because I was used to her writing. Or so I thought so.

This book was excellent.
I loved the humor in it.

Ms. Brockmann gave us a more sensitive male who is the one wanting a commitment and knowing that he loved this woman no matter what. He was the one who was in touch with his feelings and she had issues with hers.

It isn't Ms. Brockmann's usual Navy Seal Guy, but it shows how talented she really is.

I liked this book and would say to buy it.

To a new reader of Ms. Brockmann I should say that you should read her other books, but not to expect this type of story, but good nevertheless!

Rating:
Summary: Must Read Book! Heart Warming & Heart Wrenching!
Review: LETTERS TO KELLY was such an incredible reading experience.
The story is about a journalist (Ty) who went into a Central American country just to get an exclusive interview and instead ended up becoming a political prisoner after being set up on trumped up false drug charges. He was imprisoned, beaten, starved for almost 2 years before Amenesity International managed to help him get released. During all this time he was held in this hell hole, he managed to keep his sanity by writing imaginary love letters to his sweetheart (Kelly) at home, whom he promised to marry when she turned 18. Not a day went by that he didn't tell Kelly how much he loved her, missed her and promised to marry her. Unfortunately her 18th birthday came & went and he was still imprisioned. It broke his heart that he couldn't be with her and it broke Kelly's heart that she thought Ty had abandoned her. Kelly never knew about his Central America assignment, all she knew was that he just dropped out of sight after a prom date and the empty promises of loving her. When he was finally released, Kelly had already married another guy and he was devastated. However, when that marriage fell apart, Ty couldn't believe his luck given a second chance and pursued Kelly relentlessly.

The story was so well written. Usually I get really fustrated when a couple is apart for a number of years and even more fustrated when the truth that keeps them apart is not revealed for really stupid reasons (like pride). However such was not the case in this story, everything made sense, however I did want to shake the heroine at a few points when she refuses to love the hero back when it was so apparent how much he loved her.
This was such a tortured hero, I fell in love with Ty from the beginning to the end. This book will warm your heart and bring tears to your eyes, so read it with a full box of tissues next to you.


Rating:
Summary: I'm not disappointed...
Review: Plot Synopsis: "Jax Winchester watched Kelly O'Brien grow from a mischievously appealing 12-year old to a beautiful 16-year old. He fell in love with her, but he was too old for her, and his own misgivings, the interference of Kelly's older brother, and a hideous 20-month imprisonment in Central America kept them apart. Now Jax has come back for the woman he never stopped loving. Except Kelly doesn't know why Jax disappeared, or believe that he's come back because he never stopped loving her. So Jax has to convince her that they belong together."

When I first picked up "Letters to Kelly," I didn't realize it's a reissue of an earlier book. Now that I know, I can see it, to a certain extent, but I can also see all of the deep intimacy and emotionalism that Brockmann brings to all of her current, longer novels.

I enjoy Brockmann's "SEAL" books, but I read a lot of other types of books, as well, and to me, Jax is one of the best types of heroes. He's loving, and persistent, but not insensitive. He's definitely not an alpha male type, but he is tough and knows what he wants. I appreciated his depth of character. Brockmann gives Jax a snappy repartee with a character in a book he's writing, and while this might be confusing to some readers, to me it injected some much-needed humor into a tender, but in some ways deeply sad book. Kelly is a good character, too, and Brockmann develops well her reluctance to be involved with Jax again. In the end, though, Jax is a more interesting character.

Because the love story between them starts when she is 16, a few readers might be "creeped out." It didn't particularly bother me -- in fact, I found the development of their love quite beautiful -- but if you're squeamish, be warned.

Nothing in the plot of this book is particularly new or novel. It's a typical romance plot where misunderstandings and a lack of trust cause a rift between two people who really love each other. But Brockmann brings a depth of emotion to it that is fresh and lovely, and it sets this book apart from many genre issues. My only issue is that the ending is wrapped up too quickly. Brockmann falls prey to a typical problem with this particular plot: everything is all right immediately when the misunderstandings are resolved. I wish she had brought the same development to the resolution as she did to setting up the problems.

All in all, I found this to be a stand-out read, especially for a reissue. Those looking for Brockmann's alpha male SEAL types might be disappointed, however; this book has a different (but still appealing) type of hero.