Dear Kate: A Novel Paperback – December 4, 2014

Kate gets caught up in the hazardous duty of caring for the orphaned granddaughter of a wanted Puritan leader, with the help of his sailor nephew, Jackson.Best bits: Kate's doubts are definitely believable; she's dealing with childhood trauma and major guilt from being fooled into betraying someone she loved, so no wonder she has bouts of panic, avoids certain topics and places, and is quick to believe the letters are meant for some other Kate. All of this also makes her growth into a stronger, more confident woman of faith very satisfying. Emily's reactions to people and circumstances also seem realistic for a 7-year-old. I do like Jackson, too, though his character is sketched out a little less cohesively. Some very beautiful, wise bits as the characters deal with letting go of guilt, and forgiving themselves and others. Lovely use of Isaiah 43 as a recurring theme, and the poem and hymn that are repeated several times. We are called not to be comfortable, but to brave whatever circumstances God directs us to -- and He will uphold us, even in the trials. Pretty good proofing, just a few typos.Issues: Too much trying to keep the reader guessing by withholding details -- several times I was left super confused because of that tactic, particularly at the very beginning and when she wakes up in her family home. Surprising the reader is good, confusing the reader, not so much. I wish Kate’s dreams/ flashbacks were in italics to make it clear what was what.

I very rarely would give a book five stars. This book is an amazing journey, which makes it hard to put it down! Hannah Duggan has an incredible future ahead of her as an author. I couldn't believe how young she was when I looked for more books authored by her. I hope she continues to write and look forward to more of her work. Look out Francine Rivers and Liz Curtis Higgs! I would love to see a sequel to this with maybe Emily's story :)This book has it all...history, adventure, romance, mystery and plot twists which makes it move fast, never a dull moment! Kate is an incredibly courageous young heroine who continues to grow spiritually and emotionally throughout her journey. I love how scripture is intertwined throughout the story and how Kate keeps turning to certain scriptures as a means for strength. This book reminded me how we need to appreciate those who made so many sacrifices centuries ago to bring us the resources we have today. On my phone at any given time I am blessed to have 30+ versions of the bible in the palm of my hand and I can read them anytime, which unfortunately I have taken for granted. In this book characters were persecuted for seeking the truth and sharing it with others. What a great reminder of how blessed we are! We are also blessed with authors who bring the story of this to life. Thanks, Miss Duggan for sharing your talent with us. THIS IS A MUST READ!

Very interesting story of how it was for the Puritans centuries ago. This story is about a young woman and all that she goes through and a horrible man who is trying to find her.At times, you may feel as I did sometimes. that you wish it had been shortened - at those times, I just put the book down (or rather closed the ebook) & did other things or read another book. Because then i wondered - just what would have or could have been removed - because the entire story is there. And Kate is going through it all - her doubts, her guilt, her love, her distress, the dangers she is in.This is also a mystery that you will not discover until close to the end - but even then you may still wonder - until the answer(s) are revealed.

I really liked this book and probably would have given it 5 stars if the editing and grammar were better. A huge problem I have seen lately in books is the incorrect usage of I instead of me as the object of a sentence. Truly drives me nuts. And there were a few places where parts of sentences were either deleted or not quite right, even once where it made the story not make sense until I figured it out.That being said, I LOVED the story!! For awhile at the beginning I was totally confused as to what was REALLY going on, but then learned that that is part of the beauty of the book - you are as lost as Kate. I loved the twists and turns and there were a number of quotes and "thoughts" that really made me stop, think, and evaluate my own life.

This was a such a charming novel. The story itself was beautiful and Kats's POV was so real and so emotional I'm having trouble believing this is a work of fiction. Her words and her feelings come alive for the reader. The biblical and historian references added the right touch. I was never a big fan of old English novels that take place in such an early time but surprisingly I was able to understand and follow the story without getting lost or confused. For a story that happened in the 1600's I was able to relate to Kate and her story rather easily. Thanks to an amazing author with a talent for writing. James death made me cry with sorrow and Kate's and Jack's love story made cry with happiness. Such a beautiful and inspirational novel.

I found the many plot twists hard to follow due to ongoing lack of sufficient information. Perhaps a map of the area might have helped, but the many sudden flights to and from London and other places left me confused and disoriented.The basic story line made more sense by the end of the book, but the frequent grammatical and punctuation errors produced a rather bumpy ride to get there.I applaud the author's desire to use fiction to tell the story of the plight of the Puritans in England and their need to flee to the New World. However, the book itself didn't give me as much of an appreciation for that history as the Afterward explaining the historical vs fictional parts of the book!

I am a very fussy reader and I couldn't put this book down. The perfect balance of history and fiction . The perfect book for anyone looking for a book with both style ad substance . Can't wait to read more by Hannah Duggan!

I found this book hard to follow and boring. After reading 30 % I gave up and skipped to the end. I just never cared for the characters and didn't find the flow of the book interesting. I read "From the Flames" by this author and really enjoyed it but not this one.

I got rather confused about some of the characters earlier on, but was glad that I'd kept going, because it all came out to an enjoyable and well-rounded tale. Would definitely read more by the author.

An enjoyable book which kept my interest throughout. At times a bit corny and predictable but this did not detract from the excitement of the story. Well worth reading. Quite a light read with a challenging storyline. Looking forward to Hannah Duggan's other novels and I would certainly read a sequel if there was to be one. Well researched historical fiction, well written which is a credit to the author.

Loved it