Books & Spoons Review for UNTIL YOU LOVED ME by Brenda Novak

11/8/2017

Sometimes starting over means finding everything you’ve been missing…

After catching her fiancé cheating—with another man–usually straight-laced, workaholic scientist Ellie Fisher liberates her wild side just long enough to indulge in a passionate one-night-stand with a tall, dark stranger she meets at a trendy Miami bar. Embarrassed by her recklessness, she ducks out the following morning without learning the guy’s full name, something that shouldn’t have been a problem…until a pregnancy test turns positive.

Being a professional football player, Hudson King has always been cautious around women. But this one had been different—so disinterested in his celebrity, so convincingly into him. When Ellie tracks him down, claiming she’s carrying his baby, he’s stunned. And more than a little betrayed.

But after growing up as an orphan, he’ll do anything to stay involved in his child’s life, so he urges Ellie to move to Silver Springs where they can co-parent. Hudson has a lot of love to give—certainly enough for his child, and when their initial spark reignites, perhaps for Ellie too…

Until You Loved Me nearly gave a reviewer's block since I am still on the fence about the story.
I read the book, the whole book, even though I nearly gave up at the 10% mark because I am not a big sports romance fan, or rich and famous story fan, or the clubbing and one-night-stand-story reader so the beginning was super slow to me. But then the story wrapped its flow around my brain and I actually ended up staying late to finish it.
Is it a book I want to read again? I don't think so, but I think I will remember it.
Did I like it? I wouldn't have read it otherwise, so yes, I did like it. It is well written, like all the works of Brenda Novak are.
Was it entertaining? I am not sure, I think it was rather tragic, actually, there was potential to so much heartbreak and angst with the protagonists past. The history was well twined into the current events, I liked how through the investigation Ellie got to show Hudson how much she values him as a human being, how much she respects him, trust him, and is willing to support him. By reflecting the past to the present Hudson learns what love truly is, for the first time in his life.
I liked both Ellie and Hudson, they were charming, charismatic, easy to like, even relate to, to a certain point. I liked the chemistry between them, the openness, the honesty, the connection that developed and the time it took to really get to that deeper relationship status after the initial night.
I have been thinking about the reason why I didn't absolutely love this good story, and I believe it was because of most of the intimacy, both physical and mental, between Ellie and Hudson, was either glazed over or referred to as something that happened in the past. I never got the feel of the depth of their emotions, the true connection these two beautiful souls created between themselves.
A story about learning to accept your past and even use it to make a difference in the world around you. It's a story about learning to love, learning to embrace your gifts and talents, your blessings, and your current life, to make a most of it.
~ Three Spoons with a teaspoon on the side