Reviewed By Ruffina Oserio for Readers’ Favorite

Amy Watkins' 200 Letters is a suspenseful romance with realistic characters, a strong conflict, and a plot that makes it a page-turner. Ethan and Angela are both in abusive relationships. While Angela’s husband has a short-fuse temper and a domineering character, Ethan’s wife is manipulative and tends toward blackmail. The two meet and fall in love, but their vindictive exes won’t let them have a happy relationship. Incarceration leads to the separation of the lovers and their sole method of communication is through letter writing. Can their love mature and withstand the storms that hit them so hard?

Amy Watkins' 200 Letters is written in a style that is thoughtful and very observant of human nature. I loved the characters — they are deeply flawed, hurt, and not-so-perfect humans. Ethan has had so many failed relationships and it was hard determining if he can stay for long in the new relationship. A lot happens in this novel that is never lacking in drama and craziness. The author explores how relationships can turn sour and the theme of abuse in relationships. The use of the epistolary style is ingenious and it does far more than entertain readers, helping in both plot, thematic and character development. The characters are realistic, the plot is cleverly written, reserving many surprises for readers. I loved the way the author weaves humanity and realism into the story. Readers can easily connect emotionally with the characters. Amy Watkins’ writing flows with grace and appeals to human emotion in a powerful way. This is a story with rich characters.