The River Jewel: A Letter Series Novella by Kathleen Shoop
Publication Date: December 3, 2019
eBook & Paperback; 172 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
For everyone who hopes to find the perfect match…
1875 Des Moines, Iowa
The novella, The River Jewel, takes readers of the bestselling Letter Series novels back in time, before there was a last letter, before the Arthurs lost everything, before they knew a girl named Pearl.
Meet Tilly Rabel, a proud oyster-woman, and Landon Lockwood, the troubled son of one of the wealthiest men in America. The two could not be less suited for love. But when an old legend draws Landon to a hidden river cove, Tilly and he find each other, are lured by growing attraction, and repelled by competing desires to control Tilly’s waters. The hidden pool is replete with valuable mussel beds and the source of everything that makes Tilly who she is. Landon sees the illustrious treasure as the path to proving to his parents he is worth their love and worthy of the Lockwood name. Can Tilly trust Landon with her heart, with her beloved mussel beds? Can Landon trust that he has truly changed and doesn’t need his parents approval to live the life he wants?
Heartbreak, triumph, and a very special baby weave a tale sure to please readers who’ve read the entire Letter Series and those who are just starting the journey.
Available on Amazon
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Don't you love it when you start a new book and after reading the very first sentence you just know the book is going to be amazing? That is what happened with me with The River Jewel by Kathleen Shoop! I cannot express to you adequately how beautifully written this book is. I particularly loved this passage...
"Well maybe you've only experienced bliss, and for you, this story might not feel right. But for the rest who wend their way through good and bad, lost and found and lost again, this story will feel familiar...but new. Because this story got lost in all the rest of the perfectly, pristine happy ending tales. But now here it is...lean in tight and listen to the whispered story of the secret jewel-filled river cove."
Ahhh....so lovely! Writing like that slays me!
Taking place in 1875 The River Jewel tells the tale of Tilly Rabel and Landon Lockwood.
Tilly is a young woman who lives alone on the land of her family, which includes a beautiful mussel cove where Tilly finds the treasures to make her art. Her parents - a fisherman and a mussel-woman - passed away tragically years ago. This passage made my tear up...
"She got up and closed the closet door, hoping to seal the essence of her parents inside, for just a little longer, knowing that at some point she'd open it and there'd be no trace of them remaining."
Landon Lockwood is the younger son of a wealthy and ambitious businessman who is desperately trying to win the love and respect of his parents. When he finds Tilly's mussel cover and discovers the treasures it contains he wants it for his own, as a way to impress his father and earn his place in the family. Tilly is adamant that she will never sell her land. And when they start becoming attracted to each other, Tilly isn't sure if Landon really wants her or her land. What lengths will he go to to try to earn the love of his parents? You shall have to read it for yourself and find out :)
Clocking in at 164 pages it's a story that can be easily read in one sitting, and trust me, you won't want to put it down! I absolutely loved Shoop's writing - it was simply beautiful and prose-like.
Oh, and Tilly! Whew, that girl had some spunk in her! She didn't take any BS from anyone, especially Landon, and I loved her for it!
The River Jewel is a wonderful novella that I highly recommend! It's the prequel to Shoop's Letter Series so if you love it then you have four more books to look forward to!
About the Author
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Blog Tour Schedule
Wednesday, August 26Review at Passages to the Past
Feature at I'm All About Books
Friday, August 28
Review & Excerpt at Bookworlder
Monday, August 31
Review at Books, Writings, and More
Wednesday, September 2
Review at Book Bustle
Monday, September 7
Review at Jorie Loves A Story
Friday, September 11
Review at Books, Cooks, Looks
Saturday, September 12
Review at 100 Pages a Day
Monday, September 14
Review at YA, It's Lit
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a prize pack including a copy of the book, a bracelet, a journal, and a $50 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on September 14th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
The River Jewel
I don't read many novellas, but it always nice to read a story in one sitting.
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