I was reluctant to read Letters From the Heart because of the premise, but Kay Bea’s talent proved me that regardless of the story, when a book is well written readers will enjoy it nonetheless, which was exactly what happened to me. In this book Mr. Bennet has a seizure and while he is still convalescent, Mrs. Bennet forces Elizabeth to marry Mr. Collins, who becomes an abusive husband killing Elizabeth’s spirit day after day.
The story is told through letters written by Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth to their families, and the truth is that even if in the beginning I wasn’t sure I would like this style and premise, I ended up loving the story, which I recommend to everyone in need of a good book.
The way this book is written along with the manner by which the events are described is very appealing, and we feel compelled to continue reading to see what will happen next. Also, because the reader knows how events are unfolding through letters written by the male and female characters, he feels a close connection to them that increases the need to keep following their lives until they reach their happy ending.
Mr. Darcy’s constancy was a characteristic I loved, but the secondary characters were the ones that made a difference for me in this book. Some of them were very interesting to follow, namely Lady Catherine and Mary Bennet who was a favourite since the beginning of the story. I may shock you by saying this, but Lady Catherine was definitely one of my favourite characters and I am sure other readers will appreciate her and Anne De Bourgh as well.
In Letters From the Heart the Bennet family spends a lot of time with the Darcy family and it was really interesting to see how this familiarity affected all of them. The Bennet sisters’ behaviour was improved with the influence of Georgiana and Darcy, and the master of Pemberley became more humble due to his interaction with the girls. These changes in character were beautifully achieved and not having Elizabeth causing them was singular and fresh.
Letters From the Heart is not a romantic book, so those looking for romance will not find it. It focuses on real life dramas that people need to go through revealing exactly how dependent women were of men in regency times. It has a serious tone I absolutely loved because it made it real and not a fairy tale story. It goes beyond Jane Austen fan fiction and I highly recommend it to readers. The only quibble I had with this book was to see that Darcy’s family did more to help Elizabeth then her own family, but that was also part of the allure in the story, so it did not prevent me from enjoying it immensely.
If this was Kay Bea’s debut novel, I cannot wait to see what’s coming next.
Audiobook Narration:
Elizabeth Bennet’s Level
It was hard getting used to a male voice narrator in this type of story, but David Pickering is very talented and his voice is very pleasing to hear. He made me listen to this book non-stop.
You can find Letters From the Heart at:
on Audible
and on Kindle Unlimited
From Pemberley to Milton 
Hi Rita,
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this book.
I’ve read it and loved it.
No,it’s not a romantic book but one definitely worth reading.
I admired Lady Catherine. Her character was well written
and I appreciated everything she did.
Despite psychological torment and physical abuse, this book
proves the human spirit can be indomitable.
I have this book a 5* rating and think it should be
read by all Austen fans.
Mary.
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I agree Mary, it is definitely a book that should be read and the fact that it was not simply a romantic book was a detail I truly appreciated.
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I remember seeing such high praise for this one and being determined to read it, too. I still haven’t yet, but you’ve brought back all the reasons I want to. Thanks, Rita!
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What a great review. I first read this as a WIP on a fanfiction site. I loved it then and I love it now that it is a published book. My-goodness, it broke my heart and I do so admire this Elizabeth. She was amazing. As others have agreed with you, I too love Lady Catherine and Anne de Bourgh. They made the story.
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What a great review! You’ll be surprised to know that I’ve read this book and I loved it!
Yes, Darcy’s family were so much more helpful than the Bennets but I wasn’t actually so surprised – well apart from Lady Catherine, who’d have thought?
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Thank you so much for taking the time to review! This story has always been close to my heart and I felt a huge connection with the characters as I wrote it. I love reading about the others see this tale.
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I, too, read and enjoyed this book. Great review.
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Loved this book!
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