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A review by bookishvistareads
By The Letter by Julia Wolf
4.0
I haven't read a book by Julia Wolf that I haven't loved and this continues that streak! The moment I saw we were getting an "accidental pregnancy" book from her I squealed! Julia has a way of writing characters that makes me feel like I am right next to them; it's authentic with the perfect balance of "everything will work out perfectly in the end" romance.
This one started out with a bang!!! I highlighted the whole first paragraph screaming (OMG RELATABLE) lol. We are introduced to Goldie and WhenInRome (WIM) as they meet for the first time through a sex club's anonymous dating app! Their "this is a one-time only" hookup was omg HOT! Goldie wanted to give up complete control and have someone use her and pleasure her for hours. WIM wanted to be that person. I absolutely loved how connected the two were in those steamy scenes!!!
Post sex club one-night stand, we are back in the every-day real world for the characters where Shira, aka Goldie, is a young widow and acting as CEO of her late-husband's company, that is unfortunately failing. Enter Roman Wells, aka WIM, who's financial company has stepped up to try and turn the company around or sell it if they can't. Thanks to the masks the two wore during their one-night-stand, neither knows the other is the one who gave them hours of pleasure just a couple months ago. & their first meeting as Shira and Roman definitely doesn't go as well as when Goldie and WIM met.
I immediately felt drawn to and protective of Shira. She is quiet and very shy, struggles to assert dominance or push back when someone is bulldozing over her, but she is very perceptive, kind, and has a big heart. I saw a lot of myself in her and it definitely made my heart ache at times. I very much related to the "I just want someone to take over and tell me what to do and exactly what they want so I can stop worrying about decisions" thought process. Also, her anxiety and social limitations had me highlighting so many passages and notating them with "omg it's me!". While it was never said, I also got autism spectrum vibes from Shira but that could have been me projecting. Either way, she was a great character to read, and I enjoyed seeing her different layers unfurl.
I really liked how Julia showed how outward perception of a person can be completely different from who they truly are, and that judging someone based off first impressions can lead to unfair treatment. I've been told by people I like and feel close with that they didn't like me at first but love me now -- it's really never fun to hear that to be honest, even when I know the person is saying it with humor behind it. So, Shira knowing she comes off cold and reserved and having to work against that made me very protective of her early on.
This protectiveness is why I yelled in Julia's dm's about Roman during the beginning of the book lol. He definitely grew on me, but at first Rome made me so mad because it was obvious he arrived with preconceived assumptions about Shira, and he truly didn't even try to get to know her in a way that was comfortable for her. I wanted to smack him upside the head and was so happy when multiple employees gave him a metaphorical slap later! & when Shira eventually put him in his place, I was cheering her on!
Like I said though, Roman definitely did grow on me. The larger than life (literally - man is BIG! lol) was way softer and loving than the cold Roman Well we meet early on and once that side of him came out, I couldn't help but blush at his sweet (and dirty) words. The way he so quickly become protective and attentive when he discovered Shira was pregnant just made me melt. I also really appreciated that he didn't try to play off the way he treated Shira when they first met or ignore it- he readily admitted his mistakes and worked to prove to Shira that he's a better man than that. The little acts of service were precious, and I loved that his strong caretaking personality.
Once Rome pulled his head from his ass and admitted his mistakes, he was all in on being there for Shira and treating her with respect, love, and adoration (everything she deserved). Also loved that providing orgasms became something he decided was his job to give her because of how long she hadn't had that kind of attention -- their sexual chemistry was H-O-T HOT.
Overall, this was another fantastic read by Julia. If you want flawed, authentic characters that make mistakes like the rest of us but recognize them and work to better themselves as they grow a relationship, then I highly recommend not only this book, but all of the author's work!
*A couple additional things that made me smile - Shira's love for her cat (Mary), Rome attempting to win Mary over, the little notes left between them, the fiercely protective Clara and Bea (the trio friendship as a whole), Roman eating Shira's poisonous meals, Roman's close relationship with his brothers (Ben specifically), and last but not least -- Kit & Elliott (from PS You're Intolerable) appearance (I squealed so hard)!!!!
Thank you to ValentinePR and the author for the e-ARC of this book. Review is my honest opinion.
Tropes:
*masked meeting
*dislike to love
*shy fmc
*workplace romance
*accidental pregnancy
*attentive mmc
*she falls first, he falls harder
*misjudging someone
*forced proximity
*close friendships
*he takes care of her
*he cooks for her
This one started out with a bang!!! I highlighted the whole first paragraph screaming (OMG RELATABLE) lol. We are introduced to Goldie and WhenInRome (WIM) as they meet for the first time through a sex club's anonymous dating app! Their "this is a one-time only" hookup was omg HOT! Goldie wanted to give up complete control and have someone use her and pleasure her for hours. WIM wanted to be that person. I absolutely loved how connected the two were in those steamy scenes!!!
Post sex club one-night stand, we are back in the every-day real world for the characters where Shira, aka Goldie, is a young widow and acting as CEO of her late-husband's company, that is unfortunately failing. Enter Roman Wells, aka WIM, who's financial company has stepped up to try and turn the company around or sell it if they can't. Thanks to the masks the two wore during their one-night-stand, neither knows the other is the one who gave them hours of pleasure just a couple months ago. & their first meeting as Shira and Roman definitely doesn't go as well as when Goldie and WIM met.
I immediately felt drawn to and protective of Shira. She is quiet and very shy, struggles to assert dominance or push back when someone is bulldozing over her, but she is very perceptive, kind, and has a big heart. I saw a lot of myself in her and it definitely made my heart ache at times. I very much related to the "I just want someone to take over and tell me what to do and exactly what they want so I can stop worrying about decisions" thought process. Also, her anxiety and social limitations had me highlighting so many passages and notating them with "omg it's me!". While it was never said, I also got autism spectrum vibes from Shira but that could have been me projecting. Either way, she was a great character to read, and I enjoyed seeing her different layers unfurl.
I really liked how Julia showed how outward perception of a person can be completely different from who they truly are, and that judging someone based off first impressions can lead to unfair treatment. I've been told by people I like and feel close with that they didn't like me at first but love me now -- it's really never fun to hear that to be honest, even when I know the person is saying it with humor behind it. So, Shira knowing she comes off cold and reserved and having to work against that made me very protective of her early on.
This protectiveness is why I yelled in Julia's dm's about Roman during the beginning of the book lol. He definitely grew on me, but at first Rome made me so mad because it was obvious he arrived with preconceived assumptions about Shira, and he truly didn't even try to get to know her in a way that was comfortable for her. I wanted to smack him upside the head and was so happy when multiple employees gave him a metaphorical slap later! & when Shira eventually put him in his place, I was cheering her on!
Like I said though, Roman definitely did grow on me. The larger than life (literally - man is BIG! lol) was way softer and loving than the cold Roman Well we meet early on and once that side of him came out, I couldn't help but blush at his sweet (and dirty) words. The way he so quickly become protective and attentive when he discovered Shira was pregnant just made me melt. I also really appreciated that he didn't try to play off the way he treated Shira when they first met or ignore it- he readily admitted his mistakes and worked to prove to Shira that he's a better man than that. The little acts of service were precious, and I loved that his strong caretaking personality.
Once Rome pulled his head from his ass and admitted his mistakes, he was all in on being there for Shira and treating her with respect, love, and adoration (everything she deserved). Also loved that providing orgasms became something he decided was his job to give her because of how long she hadn't had that kind of attention -- their sexual chemistry was H-O-T HOT.
Overall, this was another fantastic read by Julia. If you want flawed, authentic characters that make mistakes like the rest of us but recognize them and work to better themselves as they grow a relationship, then I highly recommend not only this book, but all of the author's work!
*A couple additional things that made me smile - Shira's love for her cat (Mary), Rome attempting to win Mary over, the little notes left between them, the fiercely protective Clara and Bea (the trio friendship as a whole), Roman eating Shira's poisonous meals, Roman's close relationship with his brothers (Ben specifically), and last but not least -- Kit & Elliott (from PS You're Intolerable) appearance (I squealed so hard)!!!!
Thank you to ValentinePR and the author for the e-ARC of this book. Review is my honest opinion.
Tropes:
*masked meeting
*dislike to love
*shy fmc
*workplace romance
*accidental pregnancy
*attentive mmc
*she falls first, he falls harder
*misjudging someone
*forced proximity
*close friendships
*he takes care of her
*he cooks for her