Letters of Faith

Montgomery Brothers #2

by T. Bell

There are two things in life Georgia never expected—becoming a widow at thirty and receiving letters from her deceased husband a year later.

Okay, maybe three things because the content of those letters wasn’t expected either.

Before he died, Nate made her promise to continue to live her life, but if she’s honest, she hasn’t kept that promise. She can’t even step foot in their home since he’s been gone, let alone try to move on with her life.

But Nate knew her too well because a year later, she’s receiving letters with tasks to complete to get her back in the world—including going on a date and finding her faith again.

The problem is that she’s scared. She’s not as strong as Nate thought she was. Afraid to let her husband down, she turns to the one person she knows can help her—her husband’s best friend, Grayson.

But while she’s looking for the motivation to complete the tasks, Grayson receives a letter with his own set of impossible instructions from Nate—a fourth thing Georgia will never see coming.

Genres: Christian Romance, Christian Fiction, Contemporary, Christian, Clean Romance, Romance

254 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 15, 2024

Reviews

[Tawni Suchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow is the first word that comes to mind as I finished the final page of this story. What a heart-breaking, soul crushing, magnificent romance between a man who was just as broken by the loss of his best friend as his best friend’s wife.

The angst in this story was off the charts and the chemistry between the characters was palpable. The family issues from Bell’s first book Letter’s of Grace flows into this book and combined with Harper’s awful attitude and manipulation made for the right amount of drama to strain Grayson and Georgia’s relationship.

The mourning process was done really well and in a realistic way between both characters which is also where the angst came in yet was soothed as each of Nate’s letters pushed Georgia to still LIVE despite him not being the one living and loving her. I also loved how he wanted her to hold onto her faith and how his stayed strong until his end.

Overall this was a very well-done story with faith woven through the pages and a love story that came out of the ashes of mourning a very loved man.

I don’t typically share these but a trigger warning would be a woman dealing with a husband who dies from cancer.

Ratings:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✝️✝️✝️
💋

[Amanda (The Little Book Spot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review added

This is the best book I’ve read in a long time! Fully recommend! It will be living in my head for a long time. 🥹😭🥰 Full review soon!

Full Review:

Just wow. This story gripped my heart from the very first page. I’ve read a couple duds lately.. and some others that have taken me some time to really get into the plot… but this story...it gets right to the heart of the matter on page one and never stops—each chapter peeling back layer upon layer of an exquisitely heartbreaking, second chance love story.

So, yes, there may be tears while reading (there were for me!) but isn’t it true that often the greatest stories are the ones that come from the deepest pain?

Told through the eyes of Georgia, Grayson AND through letters written by Georgia’s dying husband, Nate— this story starts by giving us a look into Georgia and Nate’s idyllic marriage that is about to be ripped away from them by an aggressive, terminal cancer.

Georgia is overcome with grief and is now a widow at 30. Grayson is Nate & Georgia’s childhood best friend and he becomes a rock for Georgia during her mourning.

This story is written very realistically- taking delicate and dark themes— not stripping them of their power and vulnerability but giving the reader a sense of hope and the eventual relief of coming home.

Faith is generously woven throughout and boy, is it raw and healing... if you’ve ever experienced loss or trauma and been angry at God- there is a powerful message for you in the pages of this book.

This is also for you if you enjoy the micro trope: secret tattoo (ahem @bookishintheheartland & @my.book.era 😏) or he gives her a nickname. 🧡

This book is proof that you absolutely can write a story that is filled to the brim with emotion, grit, tension and soul- and it doesn’t have to have explicit language or sexual scenes! Major applause to the author! 👏

Content: closed door and no language. cancer, grief, depression, and one scene where a character gets drunk.

I don’t usually give books stars but I would give this 5 and many more if I could! ✨

[Amber Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letters of Grace was such an amazing book but I think that this one outdid the first. My heart hurt for the lost but as the book progressed I couldn’t help but feel as if I was learning to recover from the grief that Georgia and Grayson experienced. This was an amazing book. I definitely couldn’t stop reading once I started and I didn’t. I finished this in one sitting and couldn’t be happier with it. Definitely needs to be on everyone’s must read list. God is good all the time.

[Readingintheweehours · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just a beautiful story. Well written, complex characters, and not an easy topic. Grief fits a little different on everyone, but some threads are similar.
Although I haven't lost a spouse (but I did lose my mother), I was familiar with Georgia's processing as time passes and the little things about Nate weren't quite as primary or sharp - and yet the deep wave of emotions that can hit out of nowhere - I know those!
Grayson is a grump, but a steady character. Full of integrity, love, stability, and patience.
I loved the faith forwardness of this story and can't wait to go back and read the first book from this series.
Highly recommend!

[Kelly Guess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book that will break you then rebuild you. It’s very well written and I love the characters! 🫶🏼

[Shannon Bolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a redemptive story. I really enjoyed this ❤

[Shannon Beasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Healing is funny that way — it’s gradual and unnoticed until one day, it doesn’t hurt to breathe anymore.”

Grayson!!!!

[Emma Abrahams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letters of Faith hooked me in from the first page. I could feel Georgia’s pain as my own. Grayson was the ultimate support to her as she grieved and tried to recover from her loss, even while he struggled with pain, doubts, and insecurities in his own life.

"You gave him his forever, Georgia. Your forever just lasted longer, and that doesn't mean you have to be lonely."

I loved the faith aspect of Letters of Faith, and how real Georgia’s struggle was to trust God despite crushing disappointment.

“I want you to know that you are loved by a high and mighty God. He did not promise that he wouldn't give you more than you can handle, but he did promise that he wouldn't give you more than HE can handle. That-my friends-that makes all the difference.”

I received an advanced readers copy of Letters of Faith in exchange for an honest opinion. All thoughts are my own.

[Amanda Player · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book… ahhhh all the feels! The second book of this series and I will say it’s my favorite. It give ps I love you vibes and that has always been a favorite movie of mine. This book is packed with love, faith, and forgiveness. It focuses on grief and the emotions that go along with moving on with your life. Grayson and Georgia have my heart. Such a beautiful story!

[Jamie (The Kansan Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first five stars! I knew this book was going to be five stars but it is so much better than the first book. This author will be an automatic buy for me. She is the only one who can take me on such an arrangement of emotions and be in absolute love. I am so glad I set aside a weekend when we weren’t busy to read this so I could ugly cry.

Trigger warning: This deals with grief and depression.

I love Bell’s approach to grief. We follow both Georgia and Grayson on their journey to heal after the death of Nate. Nate was Georgia’s husband and Grayson’s best friend. They grew up together and have known each other for a long time. I am so happy about the realistic approach to grief and guilt of moving on.

Grayson never once said that things would get better to Georgia when she had one of her dark days. Instead, he just took care of her. He made sure she ate and moved. He didn’t invalidate her emotions. In fact, he told her not to please people when she should be grieving after Nate’s funeral. He looked out for Georgia and I loved it! Also, I loved the fact that most of the time he opened the car door for Georgia. It was so cute and gentlemanly!

She also doesn’t have a technically third-act break-up. It is more mature. While yes, it is a miscommunication, she writes them not breaking up but taking time to go be alone for a bit, deal with their feelings, and then get together and talk it out. Which is something me and my husband do. When we are about to fight whether we miscommunicated or didn’t have an understanding we go to what we call a time-out. Then we get back together when we’re not angry and talk it out with clear heads.

Grayson is by far my favorite. In many ways, he reminded me of my husband, Wy. Again I love that the author wrote someone going to therapy. I can relate to many of Bell’s characters in one way or another. I love how realistic they feel. I love the faith content. I cannot wait until we get her next book, which I think might be about Harper. Either way, it’s preordered and looks to be released in July!

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will completely break you, starting with the very first page. But then it will rebuild you, slowly and completely. I can't imagine how hard it would be to rebuild my life if my husband were to die. The way the author tells this makes me think that she's felt this heartbreak. I don't think she has, but she's that gifted.

If you're ready to be shattered and put back together bit by bit, you'll want to read this book.

~I received a complimentary copy of this book. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.~

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

T. Bell is crafting the kind of stories I feel fortunate to discover—stories that not only move and entertain me but also offer something to learn from. This series may be one of the most heartfelt, beautiful, and authentic works of storytelling I’ve ever encountered. I usually don’t rush into the second book of a series right after finishing the first—but with this one, I just couldn’t resist. That alone says a lot about how deeply it resonated with me

If you had asked me, I’d have said it’s difficult to pull off the “husband’s best friend” trope—especially when the husband dies. But the author handled it effortlessly. She gave Georgia the space to grieve her husband with depth and sincerity while also allowing her to gradually open her heart to Grayson. There’s no emotional overlap or confusion—just a clear, respectful progression. Everyone receives the love they need, exactly when they need it.

A special thanks and deep respect to Mrs. Adams—she completely won my heart in both books. We truly need more people like her in the church. I've been reflecting on why this series means so much to me, and I believe one of the main reasons is its Christ-centered focus. That makes all the difference.
The letters are also a personal favorite—they add such a beautiful, intimate touch to the story. I'm so glad there are still two novellas left in the series. I can't wait to read them—I absolutely adore these characters.

[To-Summarise Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series a while back and though I didn’t remember the finer details, I remember that the premise was interesting and that it was a second chance romance that was done well. So naturally, when I saw this I was intrigued.

Letters of Faith starts off with a high emotional impact. The moment you realize what’s going on—this woman is losing her husband gradually and he’s keeping up a brave face till the end—I think your heart will break a little bit. Going in deeper, we’re brought face to face with grief in its overwhelming, domineering nature and right in the middle of it all is Georgia, our FMC and Grayson, our MMC who is her childhood friend (and husband’s best friend).

Georgia is the town’s sweetheart, Nate, her late husband was the golden boy, while Grayson was the misunderstood problem child. Yet they were a crew that always had each other’s backs and you see that play out even as Grayson and Georgia get through the initial upending that the loss brings them. And when the letters start coming and things start getting cozier, you can piece together the dynamic that the three must have had beforehand.

I think the author does a really good job of portraying the messiness of grief. The writing tugged at my heartstrings at different points. It’s definitely a tricky job throwing romance into the grief mix - a recipe for guilt and a whole lot of other things but it was handled carefully and I really liked that.

Also, can I just grouch about Harper for a little bit? She was basically an overgrown child with an attitude problem and I just wanted to see her put in her place so badly. Sure she had issues she was dealing with but it still didn’t give her malice a justification.

The book has some faith content as the name implies and it highlights the struggle between faith and grief that often comes after a loss, especially from Georgia’s POV. Towards the end, Georgia and Grayson make an effort to retrace their faith steps by going to church. Although, for Grayson I’m not sure I was satisfied with where his faith journey ended. I’m saying that because he didn’t seem to have a faith background like Georgia and he had experienced church hurt on top of that. So while it was good that he took some baby steps, I would have liked to get a bit more insight into how he finds his way cause I’m not so sure he fully came into faith.

Well, that’s all I’ve got to say. To summarise, it was a good read and is definitely worth a reread. Have you read? Do let me know what you think?🥰

[Kyliegh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love finding new to me authors. I saw a few of my friends share about these books and took way too long to finally buy them and read them. I absolutely loved them. They are gritty and raw. Full of heartache and healing. Both books are full of Biblical truth that keeps Jesus as the focus.
‘Letters of Grace’ really puts marriage into perspective and how easy it can be to let your relationship fall apart. Once that happens, it’s not so easy to fix it. I really enjoy books like these. Instead of doing what the world does and tossing the relationship, Brooks and Emryn put in the work needed to heal their marriage.
I loved them both, but the second book, ‘Letters of Faith’ was my favorite. It follows Georgia and Grayson has they grieve the loss of Nate, who was Georgia’s husband, and Grayson’s best friend. I loved Georgia and Grayson. Their relationship was so sweet and I loved how they took care of each other. If you love gritty Christian romances, definitely give these a try. Make sure you have tissues ready when you read ‘Letters of Faith’.

[Rhiannon Hinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letters of Faith tore my heart out and I loved every moment of it.

What you'll find inside:
*Christian fiction
*Part of a series, should be read in order
*Triggers at the bottom of review
*Very emotional
*Healing from grief and bitterness

What I loved:
*"My sadness was overpowered by the fact that the strongest woman I knew was breaking—and if she broke, so would I."
*"Whenever I allot time for exercising, somehow, it always turns into reading instead."
*"On the day of the funeral, I didn’t just bury the love of my life. I buried some of my dreams, too."
*"I’m not letting you fall into the hole of your depression again. I didn’t notice last time until it was too late, but I see you this time—so eat.”
*"If I let myself, I could love Grayson, and that terrifies me."..."I could love him, but I’ll never let myself."
*"For the first time in my life, I don’t feel broken."



Trigger warnings:
*Death from cancer
*Religious trauma and pain caused by family

[Audrey Colman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s another T. Bell book that you’ll need tissues for.

I love the depth and the growth that T includes in her writing. You can’t help but love the characters and feel, and maybe fall for them.

Georgia and Grayson. 🫠
I don’t think I have the words to describe their relationship and the journey that they both take through this book.

This is a story I will never forget. True love means placing another’s happiness above your own. Both Grayson and Nate did just that. It was probably a little easier for Nate, he wasn’t there to watch the person he loved find someone else. But Grayson truly put his best friends above himself. And in the end he finally got the girl.

No matter where you are in your marriage/relationship, this book is a must read! A story of faith and true love.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

T Bell reached inside my chest and ripped out my heart then rearranged it a put everything back together again perfectly. This is the second book in the Montgomery series and I was a little doubtful that it would be as good as Letters of Grace but if anything it is even better. Nate, Georgia, and Grayson are childhood friends that grow up together. Nate and Georgia marry but while still young Nate gets a terminal diagnosis. In an effort to help his wife and their best friend to deal with his passing Nate leaves letters for them to receive after a time.

[Beth Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The raw emotions of this book grabbed me right from the first sentence and didn’t let go until the last. I finished reading it in one day because it was impossible to put down.
I grieved and then healed right along with Georgia and Grayson. I loved how gracefully the author traversed the very difficult topic of loving again after loss. The romance aspect was perfect! Some spice without crossing the line.
Overall, this was a truly enjoyable read that left me wanting to reread it as soon as I was done just to relive the experience again.

[Jeanine Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What’s a promise?” she asks.

“It means that I gave him my word that I would do something, and the tattoo reminds me to keep that word.”

“What did you tell him you would do?”

“I promised I’d take care of his flower.”

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

That exchange, the most gut wrenching I’ve ever read!!!

This book is …. I have no words!

Read it if you want to cry. Read it if you want to see what true love is. Read it if ever wonder what life would be like without the person who completes you. Read it if you want your heart to burst. Read if you want to see what important promises mean. Read if you want to see how God ways are mysterious and perfect ok His timing.

[Briana C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took me a few months to finish this book and not because it was boring. It was because I am a new widow. I’m also a reader as well. When I looked up recs I just wanted to get lost in a fantasy land as I was dealing with hurt in my real life. This book made me cry so much but I truly believed I was in Georgias shoes. Her thoughts in the beginning were a reflection of mind especially down to my faith. I finally was able to finish this beautiful book. And some quotes I will take with me to help me get through this new life before me.

[Grace Van Hoewyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written book. I almost don’t want to recommend it to anyone because I cried SO much and my heart hurt so badly, BUT it was so good that I want everyone to read it. I appreciated the husbands trust in the Lord but wish there was more mention of other characters relationship with Christ. I’m thankful that faith was present but I feel like that aspect of the book wasn’t flushed out completely. Because of that this book is a 4.5 but rounding up to 5!

[Christina S · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gut wrenchingly beautiful story

Life isn't always easy, Georgia needs to learn to figure out how to live life again after hard times come, her best friend helps her through it and beauty comes from the ashes. The story touches on all the raw parts of loss and grief in such a real and ultimately beautiful way.

[Marlena Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Book by T. Bell

The second book in T. Bell’s series is just as great as the first one! Her story line is exceptionally well written and keeps you turning from page to page.

[Vicki Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books 1 and 2

Both books one and two of the Letters (The Montgomery Brothers) by T. Bell, they are short books, but very emotional, and spiritual! I never read anything by this author before, but I thoroughly enjoyed these!

[Zahara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can’t decide if I like this more than the first book.

Grief was perfectly interwoven with the whole romance. Gray and Georgia’s story is nothing but sweet and the things that they’ve been through just will leave you longing for more of their love.

[Stephanie Beeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book 10 stars I would! Definitely a must read.

[Linda Aldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved both books in this series. This one was incredibly sad for the first half but was true and realistic. Always easy to read but there is hope and the healing does come for a beautiful ending.

[Tyra West-Pitman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes giref brings beautiful things

I loved the characters in this book. I hated Gray in the first book but this book just made me understand that he was just misunderstood

[Debbie D Lowry · Rating 5 out of 5]

very touching

Very touching story. I couldn’t stop from reading. It hits your heart and make your see in hindsight sight how God works in our lives.

[Dawn Manuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful story. Would definitely recommend.