{"id":40453,"date":"2019-03-16T09:00:07","date_gmt":"2019-03-16T13:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=40453"},"modified":"2025-08-29T01:33:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T05:33:35","slug":"arc-review-the-last-letter-by-rebecca-yarros","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=40453","title":{"rendered":"Excerpt & ARC Review: The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/h4>\n

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Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 iBooks\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Kobo\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 <\/strong>Barnes & Noble<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/h4>\n
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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

3 heartbroken, oh-so conflicted stars<\/b><\/p>\n

OMG, this book! I am so conflicted after this SUPER emotional read which is part romance\/part women\u2019s fiction. It\u2019s so engaging, a beautiful and sweet character-driven story, with well-written drama and a gorgeous love story, but it\u2019s also devastatingly tragic and confronting which (IMHO) went a bit too far. I loved it so much\u2026 until I didn\u2019t. And I\u2019m still dealing with my broken heart and coming to terms with all that this book made me feel so please bear with me while I purge my feels.<\/p>\n

Rebecca Yarros writes such wonderful military romance. In this case she introduces us to special forces solder, Beckett, who is serving overseas. Beckett is a loner, with no ties back in the US and no real home to speak of. He\u2019s mostly detached, except for his bond with his service dog and his fellow solder and best friend, Ryan, and that\u2019s why Ryan sets him up to write to his sister back home.<\/p>\n

Ella is a 25-year-old single mother of twins who is running her family\u2019s luxury cabin accommodation in the mountains of Colorado. She\u2019s sacrificed a lot to enhance the business and keep it running, while also raising her six-year-old children, Colton and Maisie. She\u2019s lost her parents, her children\u2019s father left her as soon as he learned about the twins, and with her brother serving overseas she doesn\u2019t really have anybody close that she can lean on, so when she starts to write to a soldier overseas, codename \u2018Chaos\u2019, she finds somebody that she can pour her heart out and be real with.<\/p>\n

When Ryan is killed, Beckett receives his last letter which begs him to go home and look after his sister. Not only is she now truly all alone, but little Maisie is sick with an aggressive cancer, and she and the kids need all the support they can get. So Beckett travels to Colorado clutching Ryan\u2019s letter and determined to be there for the woman that, through her letters, has come to mean so much to him.<\/p>\n

I was here for as long as Ella would let me stay. Because somewhere between letter number one and letter number twenty-four, I\u2019d fallen in love with her. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I don\u2019t want to go into too much more detail than that, because you really need to experience this book as it unfolds. It\u2019s unexpected, and uncovering the connection between Ella and Beckett as she slowly lets him into her life is just beautiful. It\u2019s a slow burn, which is completely understandable given the circumstances, but seeing Beckett be there for Ella and her children is so, so beautiful, with moments of drama, sweetness, and so much freaking cuteness.<\/p>\n

The love story develops slowly, though the chemistry and emotion is strong from the start, and I loved watching the build-up between Ella and Beckett. They are in an extremely difficult situation, and they have hurdles to overcome, but they find something amazing together and I loved watching it all unfold. The letters that they wrote to each other are woven into the story beautifully, and bring a lot of depth to their growing relationship, and I thought it was really cleverly done.<\/p>\n

We share their journey with little Maisie, and Yarros doesn\u2019t pull any punches when it comes to her illness. We see each devastating details of her treatment \u2013 both the setbacks and the triumphs \u2013 as well as the emotional toll that it takes on the little girl and her family, and it made my heart ache so many times.<\/p>\n

But it allows us to see so much of Ella, and wow, I loved her! Her strength just floored me as she persevered through unimaginable situations. She did frustrate me at times with her reluctance to trust, but given all that she\u2019d been through, I could understand where she was coming from \u2013 even though it hurt my heart. But it makes her gradual acceptance of Beckett all the more special as she lets him in.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let go,\u201d she whispered. Her hands were still between us, but she wasn\u2019t pushing me away, they were simply resting on my pecs. If anything, she leaned in. \u201cI\u2019d forgotten what this felt like.\u201d
\n\u201cBeing hugged?\u201d My voice was sandpaper-rough.
\n\u201cBeing held together.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And Beckett is pure tortured romantic hero gold! He is struggling with all he\u2019s been through, and he has issues that he needs to deal with, but OMG, he\u2019s pure perfection. Sweet, sensitive, loyal and committed, he\u2019s wonderful with the kids, demonstrative and affectionate with his feelings, and he\u2019s hotter than all hell. His patience with Ella and his understanding of her situation is amazing, and I loved his devotion to her and the kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would do anything for you.\u201d <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Little Colt and Maisie absolutely stole my heart. Their connection to each other is so beautiful to see, and the bond that they develop with Beckett is heartachingly gorgeous.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this what it feel like?\u201d he whispered so quietly that I leaned down.
\n\u201cWhat it feels like?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cHaving a Dad?\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a beautiful story! The writing is strong and gorgeously emotive, the story absolutely captured my heart, and I couldn\u2019t read fast enough. I loved the romance, I loved that it was so much more<\/i> than just the love story, and I loved watching Beckett and Ella and the kids on their journey.<\/p>\n

This was totally a 5-star read until those last few chapters where the beauty of the story is overshadowed by the events at the end of the book\u2026 Not too spoilery, just ranty –

<\/span>Spoiler<\/div>
I just didn\u2019t see the point of it! After all that the characters have been through, it seemed so cruel to throw that in at the end \u2013 a shocking drama just for the sake of adding more drama, and it wasn\u2019t needed. The story had enough depth, emotion and personal growth already, they didn\u2019t need to be dealt anything else! I ugly cried and was so angry that the author went there.<\/div><\/div> It left me feeling so depressed and ruined the feel of the whole book. I love my happy endings, and though this sort of was, it also wasn\u2019t. I love a book that makes me feel, but I also don\u2019t want to finish a book only to be in a massive funk and mope around my house in a fog of misery.<\/p>\n

Sometimes bad things happen. And there\u2019s no blame to be placed. You can\u2019t reason with the universe, no matter how sound your logic is \u2026 We are imperfect people made that way by an imperfect world, and we don\u2019t always get a say in what shapes us. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So yeah, I\u2019m very torn. I can\u2019t fault the writing, I just wish the story hadn\u2019t ended the way it did.<\/p>\n

Loved the book, hated the ending, splitting the difference at 3 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Excerpt <\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cElla.\u201d It was a plea to speak, to not speak. Hell, I didn\u2019t know anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t see me like that. I totally get it.\u201d She reached for the TV remote.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow exactly do I see you? Please, enlighten me.\u201d I leaned forward, stealing the remote. She\u2019d opened this box and had better well dishit.<\/span><\/p>\n

She huffed in annoyance. \u201cYou see me as a mom. As Colt and Maisie\u2019s mom. And of course you do, because that\u2019s what I am. A mom with two kids.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, yeah,\u201d I said. Her motherhood\u2014that selfless devotion she had to her kids\u2014was one of her most attractive attributes.<\/span><\/p>\n

She rolled her eyes with a little sigh, and the metaphorical light bulb went off in my head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think I want you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She shot me a look that confirmed my guess and blushed the same crimson of her couch. \u201cYou know, you\u2019re right. It\u2019s late.\u201d She faked a yawn.\u201cSuuuuuuper late.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want you.\u201d Damn, it felt so good to say the words.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, okay.\u201d She gave me a goofy look and a thumbs-up. \u201cPlease don\u2019t make me feel any more idiotic than I do right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, enough of this bullshit.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I pounced in one smooth motion, taking her back to the couch, sliding over her as I gathered her wrists in one hand above her head and settled between her open thighs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Home.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cHoly shit, you move fast.\u201d There was no fear or rejection in her eyes, just surprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot in every arena,\u201d I promised.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her lips parted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cElla. I want you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeckett\u2026you don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, that soft little sigh she did was going to be my undoing.<\/span><\/p>\n

I let go of her wrists, letting my fingers trail down her arm until I had one hand weaving my fingers into the hair at the base of her scalp and the other at the curve in her waist.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFeel this?\u201d Then I slid forward, letting my dick stroke along the seam in her pajama pants hard enough for her to gasp at the contact. I couldn\u2019t remember ever wanting to shred a piece of fabric so much in my life. \u201cI\u2019ve never wanted a woman as much as I want you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I moved again, and her eyes slid shut as she let loose the sweetest moan.<\/span><\/p>\n

My dick throbbed, knowing everything I\u2019d fantasized about for the better part of the last eight months was one decision away.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeckett.\u201d Her hands found my biceps, her nails digging in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t ever think that I don\u2019t want you, because if things were different, I would have already been inside you. I would know exactly how you feel, and what you sound like, look like, when you come. I\u2019ve thought about it at least a hundred different ways, and believe me, I\u2019ve got a great imagination.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She rocked her hips against me, and I locked my jaw to keep from giving her exactly what her body was asking for. \u201cElla, you have to stop.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d she asked, her lips dangerously close to mine. \u201cWhat do you mean if things were different?\u201d Her eyes flew wide. \u201cIs this because I have kids?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? No. Of course not. It\u2019s because you\u2019re Ryan\u2019s little sister.\u201d Before I could do any more damage, I got the hell off her and sat back on myside of the couch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause\u2026I\u2019m Ryan\u2019s little sister,\u201d she repeated, scooting so she sat upright, facing me. \u201cAnd you think he\u2019d, what? Haunt you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Three things: The letter. The cancer. The lie.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I repeated those in my head until I was certain I could look at her and not drag her back under me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeckett?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was growing up, if I wanted something, I took it. Immediately. I had sex at fourteen with a girl in my foster home of the moment. I opened Christmas presents early if I was lucky enough to get one, and it was usually from my social worker or some charity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d She wrapped her arms around her knees again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI took it immediately because I knew if I didn\u2019t, chances were I wouldn\u2019t get it. It was a now-or-never kind of thing\u2014there weren\u2019t second chances.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t touch you, can\u2019t talk about it, because I\u2019m afraid I\u2019ll act on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why does that matter if I want you to?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I won\u2019t get a second chance. And I\u2019m crap with people, with relationships. I\u2019ve never had one that lasted more than a month. Never loved a woman I\u2019ve slept with. And chances are I\u2019d do something to screw this up, because it\u2019s not just my dick that wants you, Ella.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That O<\/i> popped right back onto her face, and I closed my eyes to keep from lunging across the distance and kissing her. Knowing she\u2019d let me\u2014that she wanted it\u2014sent my need from a bullet to a nuclear missile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd when I\u2019d screw it up, because it would happen, trust me, it would hurt Colt and Maisie, too. You\u2019d be on your own again, because there\u2019s no chance you\u2019d let me hang around and help you out like Ryan asked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd there it is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere it is. You\u2019re Ryan\u2019s little sister.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere were only five years between us. Not so little, you know.\u201d She reached for the remote.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m well aware.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo if Ryan were still alive\u2026\u201d She shot one last look at me.<\/span><\/p>\n

I let everything slip for a millisecond, letting her see it all in my eyes, how badly I wanted her, and not just for her body. \u201cEverything would be different.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverything?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverything but the way I feel about you, which he probably would have killed me for. Where does that leave us?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean besides me being a dried-up spinster and you being honor-bound to a ghost?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomething like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She rolled her head along the back of the couch, muttering something that sounded like a curse word under her breath. Then she sat up straight and powered on the TV with a click of her thumb. \u201cThat leaves us choosing a movie on demand. Because I\u2019m not letting you walk out that door right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNope. You walk out now, you might get all weird about this and not come back. Honor is a fabulous thing, but sometimes pride can be a lot stronger, especially when you convince yourself it\u2019s for the good of the other person.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Damn, the woman knew me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo movie it is,\u201d I agreed. \u201cJust\u2026stay on your side of the couch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t the one who crossed the center line,\u201d she teased with a smile that got me hard all over again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Movie chosen, we sat and watched, both of us stealing sideways glances. There was that saying\u2026the horse out of the barn. Yeah, the horse was out of the barn, and it wasn\u2019t going back in. Not no way. Not no how.<\/span><\/p>\n

That horse was running amok and screwing with my carefully constructed control.<\/span><\/p>\n

But I didn\u2019t complain when she moved over. Or when she pressed against my side. Nope. I lifted my arm and savored the feel of her curves, her trust. Still didn\u2019t complain when she lay down in my arms. Hell no, I held on and memorized every second.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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About Rebecca Yarros<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and a lover of all things coffee, chocolate, and Paleo. She is the author of the Flight & Glory series, including Full Measures, the award-winning Eyes Turned Skyward, Beyond What is Given, and Hallowed Ground. She loves military heroes, and has been blissfully married to hers for sixteen years.<\/p>\n

When she’s not writing, she’s tying hockey skates for her four sons, sneaking in some guitar time, or watching brat-pack movies with her two daughters. She lives in Colorado with the hottest Apache pilot ever, their rambunctious gaggle of kids, an English bulldog who is more stubborn than sweet, and a bunny named General Fluffy Pants who torments the aforementioned bulldog. Having adopted their youngest daughter from the foster system, and Rebecca is passionate about helping others do the same.<\/p>\n

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Website<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <\/strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <\/strong>Twitter<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Newsletter<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <\/strong>Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check out our Rebecca Yarros Author Spotlight<\/a> for more amazing reads<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Amazon\u00a0 |\u00a0 iBooks\u00a0 |\u00a0 Kobo\u00a0 |\u00a0 Barnes & Noble   Review 3 heartbroken, oh-so conflicted stars OMG, this book! I am so conflicted after this SUPER emotional read which is part romance\/part women\u2019s fiction. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":3,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[443,52,49,51,9,1036,124,29],"tags":[59,273,48,76],"class_list":["post-40453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brotherbest-friend","category-drama","category-feeeeeeels","category-military","category-romance","category-single-parent","category-sobfest","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-rebecca-yarros","tag-review","tag-standalone"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/The-Last-Letter.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-awt","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}