The Letter Tree by Rachel Fordham

In 1924, Laura Bradshaw’s life is restricted by her controlling father and poisoned by her father’s deep hatred for his business rival, the Campbell family. Her few solaces include seeing the animals at the Buffalo Zoo and retrieving letters from a tree at the zoo – letters from her anonymous pen pal. When her father decides to marry her off to Abel Fredricks, a handsome entrepreneur, the chance of escape entices her.

Isaac Campbell longs to make his own way in life, but his father won’t let him take more responsibility in his company. When his father wants him to make friends with Abel Fredricks to wrest a business deal away from the Bradshaws, Isaac finds himself face to face with Laura, his former childhood friend. Something about Abel’s venture seems suspicious to Isaac, and his time with Laura revives his feelings for her – but what about his mysterious letter friend? And can he ever get to the root of the Bradshaw-Campbell feud?

Combining charming hints of You’ve Got Mail with the poignancy of Romeo and Juliet, The Letter Tree is a journey of forgiveness and reconciliation and overcoming differences. Rachel Fordham‘s characters are quirky and relatable, and fascinating bits of 1920s culture color the story. An enjoyable and romantic read!