A Thousand Letters: Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion (The Austens Series)

“For time cannot stop, But moments, Seconds, A fleeting smile, A kiss in the sunlight, Can live forever. -M. White”I loved this book a lot. So beautiful, so angsty and so full of feels, ALL the FEELS! This is the first time I read a Staci Hart book and let me tell you that it won’t be my last. This author definitely has a way with words, simply beautiful. Is as if I was reading this book in slow motion, I just didn’t want it to end. I was so invested in the story and the characters, it was such a great experience. You know how much I love my second chance romances, and this one has definitely become an instant favorite.“I'd loved him since the second I first saw him, and though time had passed, though I thought I'd buried that love, it sprang fresh the second I saw him again. The moments I kept locked away broke their chains and pressed themselves into my mind.”This story is based on Jane Austen’s Persuasion so if you an Austen fan, you will be able to spot some similarities (and also differences) between them. This story is equal parts beautiful, equal parts heartbreaking. Elliot Marie and Wade met and fell in love when they were really young. They spend a few years together and have lots of plans for the future. An unexpected request by one of them and an unexpected answer by the other causes them to separate and go their separate ways. However, neither of them were ever the same. Omg, the angst is so much, the feels so great, you can’t help but feel for both of them from the get go!“The first time I saw him, I was fifteen and he was sixteen, the boy with the dark shock of hair and broad shoulders, with eyes gray and cool as December and a smile as bright and warm as June.The last time I saw him, I was seventeen, and he stood before me with tears in his eyes as he begged me to say yes. Begged me to go with him. Begged me to be his forever. Begged me to change my mind. But I couldn't. Didn't matter how much I wanted to, because I did. I would have given him the world. But in the end, it hadn't been up to me.”Elliot’s best friend Sophie happens to be Wade’s sister. When Wade and Sophie’s dad Rick becomes terminally ill, Wade is forced to return home. And since Elliot is an integral part of the family, as she’s Sophie’s best friend and also Rick has always been her mentor, Wade is forced to face Elliot after 7 years. Let me tell you, this was quite the experience. From the moment they see each other again, you can feel the connection between them and the love they once shared. At the same time, there’s so much pain and so much hurt between them. Staci did an amazing job making me feel all these emotions that her characters were feeling. My chest was super tight the entire time.“The boy who I walked away from lived on in the wreckage of my heart, and I never stopped wishing things had been different.”“Elliot was a shock to my nervous system, a bucket of ice water down my back, and the clarity it brought stung all the way to my bones.”There’s a lot going on in the book. Wade’s father’s illness plays a huge part on the story and is also beautiful and heartbreaking. At the same time, Elliot has this horrible family that I guarantee you will love to slap a few times. Elliot feels like time has gone by and her life is in a standstill. And Wade is now a soldier that has been affected by war and all the things he experienced back there. So, the road to each other’s lives for Elliot and Wade is definitely a hard one full of bumps. I believe the story was perfectly paced to accomplish that. A lot of the issues had to be resolved before they could be back together. A lot of healing and self-improvement occurs as the story goes on.“I'd become an expert at compartmentalizing my feelings. It was the only way I survived, by stacking up dusty boxes in my heart for every hurt, packing them away in the dark. But times like these blew the dust off the tops, opening them up to free the old pain so they could do more harm in new ways.”However, the love they have for each other is always very clear. Never for a moment did I doubt that they totally loved each other and that they deserved a second chance at happiness but they definitely had so much work to do. The exploration of what happens when couples separate and then find each other years later is one of the things I love the most second chance romances. In this story, they find out that even though they love each other and that’s undeniable, they are not the same people thy were years before, they have definitely changed. Whether that will make them stronger in the end is the real dilemma. But man is this book just full of feels.“How could I explain that when he'd left, he'd taken me with him? How could I tell him he was all I wanted, and when he was lost to me, I lost all hope?”“The only way I could have her was to beg for her forgiveness, apologize for pushing her, for leaving, for disappearing. But could we build on top of the wreckage of our past, or would it all fall apart, unstable and broken? There was only one way to know —I had to try.”So let’s talk characters. My favorite character here was Elliot. I love her to pieces. I believe she was the center of the story and what made it a 5 star for me. Now, you know how I love my heroines to be strong and sassy, well Elliot is actually the opposite. She was a different kind of heroine, she was kind, silent and brave, really brave, but in a different way. In the beginning, I have to admit I was thrown off by this. She was extremely loyal to her family even when they were awful to her. A few characters throughout the story actually question her actions (or non-actions) and somehow she’s perceived as a doormat. Well, it’s her answers to those people that made me understand her and I immediately saw her in a different light."Braveness isn't always loud. Sometimes it's silent. There's braveness in sacrifice and kindness. It's in doing a thing that needs to be done, even though it's hard, and even though it hurts."“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.”Wade was a little harder for me to connect with. He was a little ambivalent and at times gave me whiplash. However, this is based on Persuasion and if you’re familiar with Austen’s heroes, they’re often infuriating! In the end, he comes through and it’s just precious. Plus, the love he has for Elliot is undeniable.“I have been unfair and unjust. I've been resentful and angry. I've been so many things I'm ashamed of, but the one constant is that I've always been in love with you."The secondary characters were also great and extremely well develop. Wade’s family, his dad Rick, his sisters, and his best friend Ben were incredible. Charlie, Elliot’s brother in law is another character I simply loved.There’s definitely a lot of heartbreak and a lot of angst in this book. But there’s also lots of beautiful moments, lots of love, lots of healing. Simply put, this book was perfection. I have so many highlights I wish I could put them all in my review. Having to choose is so hard!"I've waited for a second chance to answer this question. I've dreamed of what it would be like to give the answer I wish I had so long ago. And now I can tell you that I will follow you. I will follow you to the ends of the earth, if you'll give me your heart in exchange for mine." "My heart has been yours as long as it's been beating. It'll be yours until it beats its last."I think Staci Hart delivered big with this book. I laughed, I smiled, I felt pain, and I also cried, tears of pain and tears of joy, and it takes a lot for a book to make me cry. Overall, although a heavy read at times, this was a fast read for me since I was totally hooked. I loved the writing, the pacing, the character development and the overall love story. If you’re in the mood for a romantic, yet heavy and full of feels second chance romance, this is definitely the book for you!"Life is short, so short, so precious, every minute, every day. Don't let the people you love, the people who make you happy, the people who bring you joy —don't let them go. Hang on to them, even when it hurts. When it seems impossible. Hold on to the things that breathe life into you. Listen to your soul and honor what it tells you. Live. Fight for what you love. Because one day, you'll be where I am, and in that moment I want you to look back gladly, with no regrets."

A Thousand Letters by Staci Hart5 stars!!!“For of all sad words of tongue or pen, / The saddest are these: It might have been!”My love affair with Staci Hart began two years ago, when she caught my attention with some stunning covers, not normally a cover whore, her Hardcore series called to me and she pulled me in hook, line & sinker. A Thousand Letters is now my tenth read by this author and once again she has delivered.“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 far from Staci Harts norm, yet she still nailed it. This is a second chance love story chock full of emotion, but this is more than just a romance, it was a story of families on opposite ends of the spectrum, the good and the downright ugly. This was a story whereby a true family are those you choose, the ones that are always there for you no matter what irrespective of whether you share the same DNA. This is a story of where sometimes you find love too soon, where life isn’t ready, but if it was meant to be, it will always find you again. A story of hope and the all-consuming love of a couple that were destined to be together, yet circumstance and stubbornness kept them apart…until it didn’t.“…don’t break or bend. Don’t crumble and fall. Stand up tall and face the sun.”A Thousand Letters is the kind of read I crave and read for. One of those gut wrenching, powerful, emotional reads that pull you in by the heart strings and never lets you go until its message is well and truly delivered. It takes incredible skill by the author to keep you entranced for that length of time, to have you totally consumed by the written word that you feel totally immersed in the lives of the characters coming to life page by page, but that is what Staci Hart did with a flourish.Sometimes life is not always rainbows and unicorns and life chucks its challenges at you to make you stronger, to make you grow, to make you re-evaluate. We have to take the rough with the smooth, but sometimes it is when you are at your lowest that you finally find that strength that you have been desperately craving and that was definitely the case with Wade. When life gives you lemons, make sure make the darn lemonade.“She was my curse, the wound that never healed, the truth-bringer.”Wade was a stubborn idiot at times, and a little self-centred, but this was born from rejection and fear, it was an emotion born in the moment but an emotion none the less that would have long lasting results. He knew he had made a mistake but as time wears on, he feels as if he missed his chance, apologies would be futile and life still did not give him the comfort that he could be what Elliott needed.“All that stuff you don’t want to say, you’ve just got to say it, and then you’ve got to listen to her say all that stuff you don’t want to hear.”Elliott had the hugest of hearts, it was pure gold, but one that her family forever took advantage of. Even though she constantly states she is not a doormat, she definitely was as far as her family were concerned, anything for an easy life, to keep the peace and to keep the roof over her head. I adored her though, Elliott was one with words, a literary graduate and a person where words had seen her through the darkest of times. Times where most would have crumbled yet she was the stronger one, the one that held it together. Her growth in this story was evident and the stronger she became the more I admired her, but everyone has a limit though and would Wade be the one straw that broke the camel’s back?“Braveness isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s silent. There’s braveness in sacrifice and kindness. It’s in doing a thing that needs to be done, even though it’s hard, and even though it hurts.”Sometimes I wanted to bang their heads together and other times I wanted to give them a huge hug, such was the emotional connection that Staci Hart brought to the pages. Wade’s Dad was simply amazing, Rick is a character that I took straight into my heart and he has never left. Families can either make you or break you and Rick’s family were one to be treasured. Yes, they made their mistakes but never did they waiver their support and love for one and other.“Futility. That was the thing I felt the most.”This was a fantastic read, yes it was emotional, yes it made my eyes leak a lot, yes it made my heart hurt a lot, but it also gave me so much more. This was about love in all its guises, friendships, grief, second chances and new beginnings. My favourite read by Staci Hart and one book that will stay with me for quite a while.“The only concession I gave myself, the only allowance to feel anything, was when I sat down to write you a thousand letters I never sent.”

Despite the blurb I didn't expect this book to be such a heavy read. I started it in hopes of another With A Twist, Wasted Words or Deer in Headlights but what I got was angst at every corner. Good angst but angst all the same. Maybe if I'd ever got round to reading any other Jane Austen book than Pride and Prejudice it wouldn't have been such a shock. However, it does allow me to base my judgements of the characters solely at face valueElliot was an interesting heroine to read. She's surrounded by awful people and just seems to accept that this is her lot in life. Her sisters, her father are honestly just some of the worst people a person could ever be stuck with and it immediately brought an underlying sadness to the book. Despite this, Elliot is kind to them and helps them with their personal lives. I loved that she had a refuge in Sophie as well as in her workplace WASTED WORDS(!) as it helped Elliot not be too heavy a character to deal with.Wade on the other hand was a bit of a douche. Idk if that's just sticking to the Jane Austen model (after Darcy it doesn't seem like that much of a stretch, although I do feel like Jane Austen was trying to tell us something) or if it's been heightened a bit more for this book but whilst I never hated him, his actions were not agreeable. His relationship with his sisters was mostly a nice touch and I did like how he got it together in the end. By the final chapter I definitely didn't think my douche comments so that wasWade and Elliot together definitely made for an intriguing couple. Despite their love of each other being clear as day, they encountered so many obstacles before finally being able too get to a good place. Overall, the feeling that this book left me with was one of a story well told from beginning to end.Mild spoiler alert: there are poems at the beginning of each chapter and I love them all.Rating: 4 stars

A Thousand Letters has got to be my favourite book this year. Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, this book is emotional, raw and heartbreaking. Wade and Elliot were childhood sweethearts who thought they would spend the rest of their lives together. But things happen, decisions are made and hearts are broken and all that's left is regret. But even though Elliot and Wade are not together, they never stop loving each other. Reunited after seven years and under difficult circumstances, all the pain, regret, love, longing and just all the raw emotions associated with such deep love and loss, all come flooding back.A Thousand Letters is so beautifully written, not only with the main story which is so real and so raw, but with the extra details like the poetry and the imagery. I felt every emotion along side Wade and Elliot and this angst filled rollercoaster had me in tears. I was captivated from the first page and desperate to find out if Wade and Elliot could find their way to their HEA. I love Staci Hart's books, but I really was blown away by this poetic masterpiece.

I loved this book for so many reasons. It is a truly multi layered book, unlike so many written today.The first is because of how this author handled a parents death. It was real and painful, yet beautiful and poignant at the same time. Having gone through it myself I thought the author handled it wonderfully.Secondly, the author handles a soldier coming home and readjusting to life well. I loved Wade's character arc. This story is mainly about him and I loved seeing hi let love in again.Sophie and Sadie were great characters. To see how they all dealt with grief was heartbreaking but comparing it to the coldness of Elliot's family made the contrast even more stark.Elliot was the only character that I felt took away from the novel. So much was out into wade and his family that I just wish we saw more emotion from Elliot. Her grief is written about but she is such a stoic character that you never really see it.Her and Wade's story is one of second chances and it truly is a beautiful one.

I am romping through the Austen series of books and loving the characters who travel through them. Although each book is primarily about 2 specific people, it is all part of a lovely tapestry of characters whose stories are interwoven. And that they have their own nod to Austen is delicious 💕

Wow what an emotional book. From the very first page you could feel the love and heartbreak these two had for each other. It was a book so different from so many others out there at this time that it was really crashing to read. This wasn't a book about how two people feel in love, it was a book about two people, who had gone through and were going through so much, finding a way back to each other through such a difficult time and after so long. This book broke me in two at times and I wished that they could just find the words to make things right again. This ends with a happy ending, I just felt that maybe the ending was as little rushed and was backing something, hence the 4 and not 5 stars. Highly recommend it to someone looking for something new, different and completely heart felt.