Larkin's Letters
Author: Jax Jillian
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 25, 2013
As Ryan Boone struggles to come to grips with not being able to keep a promise he made to his dying wife, Larkin's Letters propels readers into the mind of 36-year old Ryan as he struggles with frequent visits from her ghost and a series of letters she left behind.
Ryan worked hard to become one of Hollywood's most-sought after actors, but no matter how famous or busy he became, he always remained loyal to his childhood best friend, Larkin James. When Larkin is diagnosed with leukemia, Ryan sacrifices his career to be by her side and in turn realizes how much he had always loved her. Throughout Larkin's sickness, Ryan promised her he would never let her die alone, but we learn that not all of our promises are within our control.
Dear Jax,
I just read the last page of Larkin's Letters, and I had to e-mail you immediately. I am a mess right now over this book. We're talking withdrawal to the max! I can't begin to tell you how beautiful this story is, and how much I enjoyed it. I plan to post this letter as my review, because I'm not sure I can re-write my feelings towards this story with read puffy eyes, tear-stained cheeks, and a snotty nose.
I rate Larkin's Letters FIVE Beautifully Bloomed LEAVES. Plain and simple, it is the heart of this story that has justifiably earned this rating. My heart broke through Ryan's pain, and I fell in love through Larkin's words. I loved her strength and her patience with him. I loved his undying commitment and love for her.
The differences made the difference. I found it refreshing how Ryan and Larkin were in their thirties rather than their twenties. It was original that they had already been married, and both marriages had ended. Most stories of childhood best friends growing up and falling in love with each other never include a marriage in between. The fact that Larkin's illness brings them together is so real. It's sad, but sometimes a tragedy is what it takes for people to come together. I love that they didn't fall in love with each other until the last two years of her life. It made the short time they had together so much more special.
As a reviewer, we are never fully satisfied. My only wish would be to have the opportunity to read more stories from their childhood growing up. I enjoyed the fishing and drive-in memories, but I wish I could have seen just a trace of a "more-than-friends" feeling between the two during their younger years. I think this would have confirmed that their destinies were intertwined all along.
At such a young age, I have already seen too many people dear to me taken by cancer or other diseases. I believe you have to see it and live it, before you can truly understand the suffering, the sadness, and the healing that takes its toll on the individual and their family and friends. For me, Larkin's Letters didn't remind me of those terrible images of my relatives suffering. It willed me to remember those happier memories with those people. You have done a fantastic job of weaving the downsides of chemotherapy and the last days of one's life with beautiful memories and sweet moments between Ryan and Larkin.
To see love and life from your eyes and words has changed me. Just as Ryan and Larkin learned to live and love again from each other, your story gives me hope again for my own future. I spend so much of my time worrying that I will never find the perfect person for myself, that I forget how important it is to let life play out the way God intended it to be and to let love in when it is ready.
I will carry this story in my heart forever.
Jax Jillian introduces her first novel, Larkin’s Letters, which was inspired by her love for modern day love stories. A graduate of La Salle University with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication, she also received an Associate’s Degree for Physical Therapy Assistant from Central Pennsylvania College. She currently works as a Physical Therapist Assistant in Philadelphia, PA, where she lives with her husband and baby son.
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