Ruth Caldwell's mother raised her to be a lady, though with disappointing results. As Ruth searches for her father in the Wild West, she drops her forced refinement like a cumbersome parasol. But the mysterious mayhem that surrounds her journey is unusual even for the bumbling Ruth. Can her new friend Josh protect her? 384 pages, softcover from Bethany.

If her own two feet don't end up tripping her, Ruth Caldwell's mouth is likely to get her into equal trouble. But Ruth has the best of intentions. Truly. It's just that her attempts to live up to her mother's expectations of how a lady should act have often yielded...well, less than impressive results. Josh McCain is speechless when he sees Ruth step off the stage in Folsom, California. Sure, it looks like she's been sleeping in her gown for the past week, but with a crown of riotous curls and those deep green eyes, she's certainly the most beautiful woman he's ever met. But Josh soon finds the sparks that fly upon Ruth's arrival aren't the romantic type. With her legitimate claims to an inheritance, the Broken P Ranch's future is suddenly precarious. And when Ruth's "accidents"--going beyond even her normal bumbling ways--seem to take a sinister turn, Josh must decide where his loyalties lie.

CATHY MARIE HAKE is an award-winning author and has written or co-written more than twenty novels. She also works as a nurse and specializes in teaching Lamaze, breastfeeding, and baby care. She makes her home in Anaheim, California, with her husband, daughter, and son.

Billing Letter Perfect as a funny, sweet, western romance does not prepare you for even the first page, wherein you meet Ruth Caldwell as she sits at the dinner table at her finishing school trying to figure out the polite way to deal with a fish bone stuck in her mouth. By page two, Ruth has tipped the candlesticks into the flowers, caught the ribbons on fire, and dumped the teapot on the conflagration, turning the whole dinner into a sodden, sooty wreck. On her way to be dismissed from the school, Ruth manages to wipe soot all over her dress. I had to stop my reading right there. I was reading about myself and giggling so hard the tears wouldn’t let me see the page. At last, a ‘romantic’ heroine I can identify with. I wasn’t the only one in shock. Every person in this book upon meeting the beautiful, strong-willed, but extremely accident-prone Ruth is left gasping – from the stage coach driver who has never before had a hoop-skirted woman insist on sitting up beside him instead of inside the coach, to Joshua McCain, who never even knew she was coming to claim half his ranch – and then called upon to cope with her massive case of hiccups.

But Letter Perfect isn’t all fun and games. With wry characters, wonderful humor, and some heart-stinging pathos, Hake weaves a tale which takes a deep look at a woman’s place in that world (as well as our contemporary one), good versus bad, and coping with the failure of loved ones—all spiced with a goodly helping of danger and adventure. Based firmly on Christian morals, Bible teachings are skillfully woven into the plot.

Zane Grey, Sr., springs to mind as you read this engaging tale. But, it is definitely no copy. Cathy Marie Hake’s fertile imagination presents an original story, that is fun to read and provocative. My husband loved it every bit as much as I did, probably because by laughing at this story he was actually laughing at me. Letter Perfect will be enjoyed by every capable reader with a sense of humor. And, it will lure the not-so-confident readers to improve their skills in order to cope with its wonderful, swinging storyline. – Donna Eggett, Christian Book Previews.com

Average Rating:

8 of 26 Reviews Showing:(View All Reviews)

Reviewed by Kendra (Canada), June 07, 2010

This is the first book of Cathy's that I have read. I am always skeptical of reading an unfamiliar author, but wow, I loved it and couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read Bittersweet and many more.

Reviewed by Brittany Parks (Missouri), May 21, 2010

Before even picking up this book I knew it was going to be good because my mom listens to Cathy Marie Hake books on audio. After hearing several of her stories, I was prepared for a huge twist and was not disappointed. Ruth is a walking accident. She was kicked out of at least four different schools for girls. Bless her heart; she can’t see herself for anything but a klutz. When Josh prayed for patience, he didn’t think things through. Ruth troubles him to no end, and he can’t stop thinking about her. He is overprotective of his sister, but as the story unfolds, he lets her grow up. McCain is repulsive in his actions. His character is somewhat double-sided. He does wrong in order to do right by his daughter. Bittersweet (the sequel) is the next book that I’ll be reading. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Laney and Galen. (Check out more of my reviews under TEEN REVIEWS at www.christianromancemagazine.com)

Reviewed by Marilyn Scudder (Garland, TX), April 23, 2010

I loved this book. I would recommend it to anyone. Not knowing it was part of a series, I read the second one first but it did not take away from this book. I love this author.

Reviewed by Mary (Picayune), October 08, 2009

I really enjoyed this book! It was funny with a little bit of danger and mystery mixed in I look forward to reading the next book with gentle Laney as the heroine.

Reviewed by Esther (Indonesia), October 05, 2009

I usually enjoy Cathy's books very much and Letter Perfect started out great. The ending was very disappointing and spoilt it for me. Since life is so depressing here, I would rather have something more uplifting than attempted murder and then manslaughter. Only in Gooding series is much better. I hope Cathy manages to keep murders out of it and other series'.

Reviewed by Paige (Wellington, Fl), September 08, 2009

Outstanding!! A good book for those of usw who have a big funny bone. I fell in love with Ruth from the very begining of the book. If you read this one you will have to read the sequel Bittersweet. A great tale of love and friendship.

Reviewed by MJ (Porterdale, Georgia), March 23, 2009

This was an enjoyable book all and all. For those of you who may know the other authors I read and adore, I would say this was similar to reading Mary Connealy. This was my first experience with Cathy Marie Hake and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future. I am not sure if it is the pregnancy hormones or things that need to be done, but I did not zip through this book. It took me a while to read it. When I was not with it, it did not call to me like some books where I think I will go crazy if I do not read the next page. However, I did like it overall. I laughed, thought about crying, got angry, and snickered too. This story contained a wealth of emotions and a good couple handful of humor. The characters were enjoyable and some detestable just as they should be. I saw clues to what would happen and anticipated the next scene as if it were a film. Easily, this is a read that I recommend.

Reviewed by Joy (california), February 20, 2009

I love this book! I have read many historical romance novels and own around 120 books and this is my favorite! Whenever someone wants to borrow one of my books i always suggest Letter Perfect. Its a great story, and you will fall in love with the characters. Bittersweet is also very good and ties in well with Letter Perfect. I highly recommend this book!!

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