'I never knew I could love a closed-door romance so much! Ellie (aka, Kelly Elliott) once more proving here why she is one of my favourites with her charming, romantic writing, stories & characters' - The British Bibliophile
Thank you to Ellie Grace for sending me an ebook Advanced Readers Copy for me to read and leave an honest review as part of her ARC team.
NOTE - This review WILL be spoiler-free, but will contain references to the book's blurb. If you wish to pick up this book and want to read it without knowing a thing about it and go in blind, please scroll away from my review now :)
Saved by Love is the first standalone novel and first novel in general for Ellie Grace. For those of you who know her or have looked at the cover will know exactly who Ellie is. She's one of my OG authors and forever favourites, Kelly Elliott.
Readers of Kelly--such as myself--were informed of her desire to write new novels under a pen name that would be more 'closed-door'. If you're not familiar with that term, 'closed-door' romance novels are ones where most of the "action" if not all of it, is not written actively in a scene for us to read. It's mentioned minimally/in passing, or not at all. Usually I don't go for this kind of romance--especially if its more YA romance--, but Kelly is one of those authors whom I'm willing to try anything she writes regardless of its nature, genre and tropes.
This new novel based on the cover + blurb alone promised to be something different yet special. We're in a book world right now where a lot of other books' genres and tropes are in high-demand and are 'top-tier' types that some will only read, which leaves others to not be given the chance they and their authors deserve. Every now and then it's nice to step away from the crazy-popular and take a chance on something new. Something more based on the love, connection and romance journey between characters rather than the sizzling heat or steam. This book contains another branch of romance of the love tree, and I'm here sitting under and appreciating it.
After losing ten years of her life to nothing but tears, pain and tragedy, Emma Middleton is ready for her miracle. Though she wasn't expecting to ever have the chance for one to come along, as she had lost all hope on waiting for it. But just when all hope literally seemed like it was lost, the once dim light at the end of her tragic tunnel grew brighter and brighter until it offered her the chance to chase her long-awaited miracle.
Leaving Texas to go find her miracle and leave her past behind, Emma starts a new life and journey I Estes Park, Colorado. This is her chance at a second chance in life, and she's not going to waste the opportunity she's been given to start her life over how it should have been the first time around. Starting with her work as a live-in nanny for the sweetest little girl called Hadley. Her father is Aiden, a single father whose past is equally as troubled and one that he's trying to move on from. Much like her own. With this, they've already fond common ground.
Drawn to the man she never planned to be drawn to, she pushes that attraction aside to help him see just how wonderful and amazing he is as a father. Something he's struggling to see because of what he is weighed down by in his mind and in his heart. His past though, won't let go of him so easily. He finds it hard to forgive himself and move on with his life. Torment is the devil on his shoulder that won't hop off, but Emma is more than determined to give it her all to knock it off. Then, her own journey that led her to Estes Park and to him, will have been worth it because.
I love so much about this book and the author who wrote it, but one thing draws me to it more than anything. The narrowed-down focus of the love story journey for both Emma and Aiden both as separate people and as a couple. Romance novels have so much packed into them these days to keep them from being 'boring', predictable or bland, sight is often lost of the true meaning of the book's story set out by the author. Because all of the extras were removed here by Ellie, we go to stand front-and-centre to witness the evolution of their stories, their joined story and their character development. It was classic boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love and eventually, boy and girl live happily ever after. Sure, a few steps were skipped along the way (i.e. he's already a father to a little girl), but these small steps added in first before the happily ever after, didn't take away from the small-town, wholesome love they were lucky to share.
Nothing gives me greater pleasure as a reader than when giving a book and its author a chance, than falling head-over-heels and being grateful of taking said chance on them. Well okay, there are a few other things that do but this is up there with them. Especially when by the end, I'm more surprised at myself for liking the book when I either thought I wouldn't at all or as much. Neither of those doubts were ever in play with Ellie, however. She's possibly--no, definitely--convinced me that I might be a closeted closed-door romance lover, longing to come out and declare her love for what lies the other side of the door.
It's fair to say that this read is hopefully the first of many by the author under this pen name. I would definitely be up to reading more books of this calibre if this is what we are going to be lucky to read with every main character pair to come.
Ellie, you've well and truly earned your five stars with this book and with Aiden and Emma!