I first read Mariposa by C.L. McCullough and then delved into The Stone Crow by Lori Green, so, naturally, I had to pick up Letters from Greece written by the two of them. I do not regret my decision. This story is a compelling read from start to finish.

Kate and Min meet online amidst the passing of Kate's mother and Min's isolation. The two become online friends and the story begins with a letter from Min telling Kate about her husband losing his mind and hurting her. Then contact stops. Kate, worried about her friend, goes to find her.

Spoiler

When Kate arrives, Min has a huge black eye and her husband has been beating her. When given the opportunity to leave the country and fly to Greece with Kate, Min jumps at the chance to get away. When she arrives, she sends a letter back home to tell her husband she wants a divorce.

The pair pick up a life in Greece with Kate running a taverna and Min keeping the house and learning to raise livestock. Not speaking a lick of Greek, they start to make an old house into a home.

Of course, since she sent a letter back home, Min's husband Patton finds her.

Spoiler

He demands she come home with him in the middle of a tavern full of people. Min declines. When Patton tries to force her, the people of their small island home come to their aid. Patton vows he won't forget about being made a fool and leaves by force.

Patton returns and slaughters all Min's chickens, kills Kate's cat and burns the taverna. The two women fear for their lives and through the help of their potential beaus, Min has a final confrontation with her husband. In the end, when he tries to force her to come with him yet again, he falls to his death.

In the end, the women find their peace, pull together a small slice of paradise and somehow manage to have their cake and eat it, too. The characters don't feel forced and the story flows naturally. Although I drew a lot of comparisons between Patton and Kate and Patton and Min's new love interest Nik, Min becomes her own person through the story. Kate, despite being the "strong" character, shows her weakness. You never really find out just what the Greek characters are saying outside of guessing from the character's point of view. Translations are kept to a minimum and you feel immersed in the character's world.

If you want a not-so-simple love story with two crazy ladies on an adventure, this is definitely the book for you.