Love Letter Lost by Hillary Slaughter: Book Review

 

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

After he broke her heart, Mallory Roberts thought she’d heard the last of Ridge Matthews. Now, forced to work together to save their friend’s wedding, will these former high school friends part as friends, enemies, or something more?
After a chaotic school year, all fifth-grade teacher Mallory Roberts wants this summer is to renovate her fixer-upper apartment bringing her one step closer to financial independence, and proving to her family once and for all that she is no longer that little love struck teen. But first, she must survive being a bridesmaid for her cousin, Livvy. As Mallory helps pack up Livvy's belongings, she discovers a sealed letter addressed to herself tucked in Livvy's yearbook. Mallory opens it, only to discover the letter is from Ridge Matthews, her lifelong friend and possible true love who ghosted her after senior prom. Surprised by the letter, Mallory confronts Livvy who confesses to hiding the letter several years after Ridge ran away to protect Mallory from additional heartbreak.
When Livvy’s wedding reception falls apart, Mallory agrees to step in to save the day, because it’s what family does. Not to mention, it might finally prove to her family that she can stand on her own two feet. Unfortunately, in a misguided attempt to make amends Livvy’s recruited help: Ridge.
Mallory wants to keep him as far away from her—and her heart—as possible. But with the wedding fast approaching, Mallory and Ridge are forced to set the past aside and work together to save Livvy’s big day. Now, instead of fixing her apartment, Mallory must confront hurts from the past and decide if she’s ready to love again.

Hillary Slaughter is a crafting addict, avid reader, and hiking enthusiast. Born and raised in Utah, she loves exploring the mountains, especially if she can bring her dog with her. She has a Bachelor's degree in English from Brigham Young University and a Master's of Business Administration from Utah Valley University. She loves writing sweet contemporary romance with a dash of humor and is the author of the Lost Roommates Series.

There is something about a second-chance romance that I absolutely adore. Sure, a great meet-cute is nice and I love those too... but I also love seeing characters who have a history together making a second go at love. In this story, Ridge and Mallory didn't have much of a first go of it... but when a lost letter is discovered, it changes her perspective about how things happened in the past and what could have been had she seen the letter. The problem? He's now in a relationship with someone else. 

I must admit that I typically do not enjoy stories that involve a love triangle of any type... but honestly, this one was such a sweet story that I could not help but enjoy it anyway. It was a super slow burn and while I certainly would have enjoyed seeing Ridge and Mallory get together earlier than they did, it just worked well for this story! 

This was a fantastic debut novel. With a debut like this, it has me looking forward to seeing more from her in the future!

If you're looking for a great second-chance romance, this is definitely one to check out.