Blog Book Tour | “Letters to my Future Husband” by Lisa McKendrick

Posted Sunday, 1 March, 2015 by jorielov , , , 2 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Letters to my Future Husband” direct from the publisher Bonneville Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On what I had hoped to find inside:

I was wrapped up in a hopefulness in seeing letters being shared with the reader in an epistolary style of a novel, where we would be hugged close to where Sophie’s words towards her future love would be sprinkled throughout the narrative; showing where her life took her before she met him. I was even curious if she wrote short notes to him on different sheets of stationeries or typed them on a typewriter, to stick them inside a binder or a journal. Even if she were to grab bits and pieces of memorabilia from her adventures and experiences, and writing down a bit about which ticket stub resonated which memory. I even thought perhaps she might talk about taking photographs of her everyday world and drawing out a piece of a letter related to why that particular picture stirred her heart.

Unfortunately for me, the ‘letters’ did not quite last long enough inside the novel itself but rather were a hopeful wish of mine to be have been found. I was a bit puzzled by the title to be honest, as it took on a different vein of thought from what I originally felt it might have been about. I’m a letter writer, as I have mentioned previously and therefore, I guess I was hoping to find someone who wrote letters with the same kind of passion as I do myself. In this story, I thought perhaps the ‘letters’ were going to be catalyst to show that words writ on paper inside of a letter that goes unmailed are like the prayers we cast heavenward where God enfolds his grace around our conversations.

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

Blog Book Tour | “Letters to my Future Husband” by Lisa McKendrickLetters to my Future Husband
by Lisa McKendrick
Source: Direct from Publisher

At her father's urging, Sophie started writing letters to her future husband when she was a little girl -- though at first they were more like hate mail than love letters. But as she grew older and the boys at school started looking cuter, her letters became something more.

By the time Sophie's in college and travelling through Italy, she's sure she's found the perfect man to give all her letters to. But life and love don't always end up going as planned.

This endearing LDS romance will remind you that sometimes the man of your dreams isn't the person you thought he'd be -- sometimes he's even better.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781462115532

Also by this author: Brush with Love

Published by Bonneville Books

on 28th February 2015

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 240

Published By: Bonneville Books (@BonnevilleBooks),

an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse on Twitter via: #LettersToMyFutureHusband

About Lisa McKendrick

Lisa McKendrick lives in Lakeland, Florida where she divides her time between writing, carpools, and occasionally folding laundry. The mother of seven children (all accustomed to wearing unmatched socks), Lisa is author of other books for the LDS market, including On a Whim , and thanks to her husband's support, has earned a master's degree in English from BYU. Lisa enjoys hearing from her readers and can be contacted at Utterance.org (linked below via Website).

On Europe and growing into your own skin:

The beauty of seeing Sophie start to shift her point of view and her opinions on life whilst she’s on holiday to Europe was quite refreshing. You start to see how she’s pensive about trying to sort out which views were her parents (specifically her mother’s) and which were solely her own. Written like a true coming-of age story, Letters to my Future Husband is set to a pace of self-discovery and self-acceptance, where Sophie is truly sorting out her life from an internal point of view. We get to hear her thoughts and her whispers of questions, rooting around inside her heart and spirit; as if to trap the doubtfulness and release the courage of her convictions.

She’s caught in that rare moment where childhood is ending and adulthood is beginning; where she needs to decide what she’s learnt by her elders is honestly the path she wants to follow herself. Everyone has a growing curve in their lives, where the life lessons you grew up listening too and believing might be put to a test when your on a holiday or caught up in the current of an ‘experience’ outside your ordinary world. For Sophie, her faith and beliefs by which she lives (as she’s a member of a Mormon* church) is almost being used against her when we first see her wings start to gather under her in Europe. This was a good inclusion for McKendrick to have inside her story, as it gives a grounding focus on what it means to come into your own skin inasmuch as ground the character on a path towards self-growth.

*I designated which church affiliation as my own churches do allow us to drink wine. As this is a crucial point in the story itself, I felt it best to mention where she attends church, as although faith and personal beliefs are important to all us, some denominations are more restrictive than others. I was referencing a part in the novel where she did not want to accept a glass of wine, and I felt she shouldn’t have needed to defend her beliefs or feel odd for having them.

Sophie is a bit hard to draw close too at times because she’s in such a conflicted state within her spirit, that she comes off sounding quite harsh and judgmental. A clear sign of her youth, but also of a restrained childhood where she didn’t have the flexibility to grow around her peers and to have experiences that would give her more insight into the world around her. Europe was her bridge into a delayed puberty because it gave her instances where she had to make choices between what she could accept within the boundaries of her faith and where she wanted to honour her beliefs by drawing a line against what would compromise herself.

My Review of Letters to my Future Husband:

The saddest part of the story in the beginning, is when I realised I had friends whose Mums were as intrusive on their lives as Sophie’s mother was on hers. Mothers where they did not believe children were allowed to have privacy and to have their own belongings outside the scope of the parents, such as keeping a journal or having a sketch book. Sophie’s mindset as a young girl towards the prospects of a future husband left me in giggles initially because she’s so wicked adorable in how her observations and thoughts intermingle together to state her case. However, as the beginning starts to expand and show how unkind and controlling her mother is towards her, my heart saddened as this brought back memories of my friends who lived in similar households.

Her father is written the complete opposite of the mother, yet he starts to take a secondary role almost immediately, and for reasons I was unsure to understand as to why? I thought perhaps the story was going to shift to where the father divorced the mother and raised Sophie on his own, as it had this feel to it as I read the first chapter. The mother comes off hard-edged, cold-hearted, and completely self-centered in regards to who she is as a person and how she approaches parenthood. I was so lost as to why the father just ‘stepped out of view’ from the moment he handed Sophie the journal. Her grandmother gave me a bit of hope that her childhood wasn’t completely miserable, as her voice was strongly heard and became the vehicle to give Sophie a chance to see the world.

The novel shifts forward by ten years after Sophie’s journey to Europe, where I had thought she might soften a bit but the jaded edge of her tone and outlook on life was just as distinctive to see as ever. The odd bit here is that I’m not sure what jaded her — except to say, she knew her parents had a bit of an unusual relationship (clearly, as even though the scenes were short, they did not interact like most parents) and I think, perhaps she was given the misrepresentation on love itself. On how to know when your heart has found it’s match and how to go about cultivating a healthy relationship. Her father is never fully in focus, as her greatest influence on her life is her mother. A sad truth by half.

In Chapter 8, I was quite gobsmacked to find this novel do an about-face from a contemporary romance novel into a splice of contemporary romance marries fantasy fiction! I won’t spoilt the surprise arrival, but let’s just say, that at this point, I was trying to sort out where in the world the ‘letters’ went off too and why weren’t they included in this story? It just started to jump off the rails for me visually, and the realism in the story was severed. I might have bought this segue if it had been inside a different novel, as I do read Magical Realism and Fantasy alike, however, I’m not sure what is misleading more — the synopsis OR the title!? This section felt awkward.

And, this was the chapter where I just couldn’t continue reading the novel. I fought to get into the heart of the story, as I wanted to like Sophie, but to me she was a mirror-image of her mother. They reminded me of billy goats — too stubborn to see how alike they were and neither of them backed down. To be honest, I positively loved reading Keeping Kate and Pierced By Love more than I did Letters to my Future Husband because this novel disappointed me in how the story was told. The undercurrent of pessimism and negativity simply drained me. I loved Peter and Sophie together, but after their kismet meeting in Florence, their relationship fell flat for me.

A note about jaded twenty/thirty-somethings:

I picked up on the subtle differences between my own life and Sophie’s straightaway, as her narration of character is underlit by an edgy bluntness. I wasn’t even sure if Sophie herself realised how influential her mother had become on her own thoughts, as the way in which McKendrick wrote the story, the reader sees Sophie a bit differently than Sophie sees herself. I realise her home life was rife with angst and she didn’t have the connection to her parents as I had myself but the undercurrent remains that despite relocating out of Arizona (she exchanged the West for the East, settling in NYC), she never fully shook the sourness of her personality.

Most times I’ve found in stories like these, that the character grows through the age of youth into adulthood, where even if they disagreed with their parents, they could live their life free of their negativity. Her mother’s scorn for everything outside of perfection is what was at the heart of her problems; she started to see only flaws and absences of what makes ‘a person’ whole just as they are. In this, the life lesson of the novel is striving to strike a balance between what is presumed and what is perceived. Perceptions can alter your life and take you outside of where your beliefs can guide you.

There are a lot of inclusions of contemporary life — most of which surprised me, as I hadn’t realised my peer group had such an askewed view on the outside world. Little bits of how something is described was different than I would have seen it myself, but this goes to give contemporaries their own voice inside a story they can attach themselves.

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

This Blog Tour Stop is courtesy of Cedar Fort, Inc.:

Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Virtual Road Map of

“Letters to My Husband” Blog Tour can be found here:

Letters to my Future Husband Blog Tour via Cedar Fort Publishing & MediaSorry for the extended delay if you were attempting to visit me earlier in the month! A migraine disrupted my reading of this novel and the novels I was reading for Valentine’s weekend; everything did post but the times are a bit off from where I had originally intended them to appear! Since then, I had multiple tech issues with my server and ISP, to where I was quite literally off-line for over a week attempting to sort it out! Blessedly, the kinks appear to be resolved and I am moving forward! Thank you for your return visits and I look forward to your comments!

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

For Romance lovers who enjoyed reading my review on behalf of Letters to my Future Husband, you might enjoy knowing I recently discovered two new ChocLitUK novels:

Up Close by Henriette Gyland and Dance Until Dawn by Berni Stevens.

The latter of which is still in the process of being read and reviewed, as you fill find my ruminative thoughts arriving on the morrow! I love reading engaging Romance stories where relationships are important and key to the stories; I love digging inside hearty plots with full-bodied characters who give us something to ponder as we read their stories!

My two favourite go-to publishers for Romance right now are ChocLitUK & Cedar Fort!

I love them equally!

Reader Interactive Question: What kinds of Romance do you regularly read and love to discover!?

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

Find out which Cedar Fort novels & cookbooks I hosted in 2014
+ which ones are coming in 2015!

Whenever I find a novel I simply feel could benefit from a reader who can appreciate it more than I can myself, I am adding the title to my List on Riffle entitled: Stories Seeking Love from Readers. I have included “Letters to my Future Husband” as I was simply disappointed where the story segued out from where I was hoping it would take me in the end. I am hoping another reader who regularly reads: contemporary romance fiction of this nature will find something inside the story to anchour them rather than find their heart took flight like mine did.

{SOURCES: Author Biography, Book Synopsis and Book Cover of “Letters to My Future Husband”, the blog tour badges, and the Cedar Fort badge were provided by Cedar Fort, Inc. and used by permission. Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin. Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2015.

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

read more >> | Visit my Story Vault of Book Reviews | Policies & Review Requests | Contact Jorie

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Posted Sunday, 1 March, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Contemporary Romance, Dating & Humour Therein, Indie Author, Life of Thirty-Somethings, Modern Day, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Romance Fiction, Singletons & Commitment




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2 responses to “Blog Book Tour | “Letters to my Future Husband” by Lisa McKendrick

  1. Loved your review! I love it when books explore the effects that parents have on their children and it seems like this is one of those books. I also am curious about the surprise element you were talking about from chapter 8. I will definitely add this book to my TBR.

    • Hallo, Hallo Ruby!

      I do apologise I lost track of my lovely commenters several years ago; partially due to my afflictions with chronic migraines and partially due to life as it revolved. I couldn’t always keep up my responses as the comments came in and I am revisiting my comments throughout February, 2020 in an effort to reconnect to those who left me lovely notes of gratitude or gave me a kind response to something I shared on my blog. I know we also used to keep in touch via Twitter – somehow, I had to par down what I was doing online during different seasons where my migraines raged and I regret I’ve lost touch with you as a result. I hope the years have been kind to you and that you’ve continued to enjoy sharing your readerly life with your own followers and friends online.

      I wish I could lay claim to remember what the ‘surprise’ is I found in the novel… as I could message you privately to talk about it (at long last, eh?) however I have no memory of it. This wasn’t exactly a favourite read of mine and I was thankful you stepped forward to say you wanted to read it yourself. I always feel whenever we find a book that isn’t truly connecting with us or we feel its not a good fit after we’ve read it – if something we’ve said or shared inspires someone else to give it a go, that’s what makes blogging a lovely journey because in the end, we’re all inspiring each other to read stories and try new authors. Some of them we’ll mutually love and others are meant for other readers other than ourselves.

      I hope you’ve had the chance to pick up a copy of this novel and found it to your liking! I’ll be visiting with you soon as I was thankful to see your still actively blogging! Sadly not everyone is whose visited with me and I do regret those lost chances to reconnect.

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