
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review

Nine letters. Nine hopes. Nine chances of redemption. Nine letters to live again. In Blake Austin's debut novel, Nine Letters, Mr. Austin immerses his readers with a heartfelt raw emotional tale on the struggles of dealing with grief and loss in the eyes of Luke Cawley.
Broken. Lost. Hurt. Angry. Luke Cawley is half the man he used to be. He lost his reason. His love. His wife. Five years of love was abruptly stolen from him. His world, his dreams, his life, and his reason is an empty void after losing his Emily. Luke can only escape his grief and pain with meaningless sex and alcohol. For one year, he was wandering lost until nine letters appeared on his doorsteps.
Nine letters addressed to him from his wife. And within these nine letters, his wife wrote heartfelt messages on what she wishes Luke to accomplish. And in so begins, Luke's journey of finding solace and comfort within these letters. And along this path, Luke meets a woman who could possible bring light and happiness back into his life once again.
“We kissed. Both went for it at the same time. I cradled her head in my hands and pulled her tight against me. She kissed like no one I’d ever kissed. She was curious, excited. She explored me. She kissed me soft, then hard. Closed mouth, opened mouth. But it was wonderful. It felt like she wanted me, wanted to know me inside and out.”
Though this book introduces another female in Luke's life, this book was more of an emotional and personal journey for Luke. This story was about seeing a man struggle with guilt, anger, loss and heartbreak. As someone who has personally experienced loss, I can relate that a death of a loved one is somewhat a journey that takes time and healing. So if you are ready for a story that is a man's journey on finding comfort, hope, and healing then NINE LETTERS might be the book for you.

Blake Austin
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