Until You Loved Me: A Novel

Let's start with....I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! I loved it that much! Ellie Fisher is a scientist who spends most of her time at her job where she is trying to find a cure for diabetes. After Ellie catches her fiance and fellow co-worker, Don, with his best friend, Leo, in their bed, Ellie's life is shattered. Ellie's best friend, Amy convinces her to come out to the trendy bar Envy in Miami to forget about her problems. Ellie, who never goes out to clubs, is debating leaving when a guy buys her a drink. When the guy tries to buy her another one and she rejects it, he decides to come out of his hidden place and talk to her...she has really intrigued him. Hudson King, starting QB for the LA Devils, isn't used to women NOT throwing themselves at him and he wants to know this woman better. Hard to believe but she really doesn't know him! The two of them decide to leave the bar and walk along with water. Hudson is really enjoying his time with Ellie and quickly they end up at his hotel. Of course this wonderful night ends up in an unplanned pregnancy. Too bad Ellie only knows Hudson's first name. While at a Super Bowl party with co-workers, Ellie sees Hudson's face on the TV and that's where the fun begins. Ellie realizes she needs to contact Hudson to let him know about the pregnancy but she doesn't get quite the reception she was expecting. Since Hudson was an orphan he has been very careful not to have any unplanned pregnancies but quickly realizes that he wants to be in this child's life and he will do whatever he can to convince Ellie of that. Ellie soon finds herself relocating to Silver Springs, California and moving in with Hudson. Of course sparks are flying but Hudson cannot give Ellie the one thing she wants....commitment. Over the course of her pregnancy these two begin to grow closer. It was so fun watching these two go from a one-night stand to their happy ending. The mystery behind Hudson's abandonment is revealed and it was a doozy! Never saw that one coming! Overall this story was awesome! Ellie is such a sweet, smart female and I could really relate to her. Hudson had so many walls up because of his past is was fun watching Ellie slowly knock them down. This story kept me so entertained I just couldn't put it down. Great job Brenda Novak!

Until You Loved Me is Book 3 in the Silver Springs series by Brenda Novak. These books stand entirely on their own and while they do center around the New Horizons Boys Ranch, only a couple characters from past stories make a cameo appearance so it's not a must to read them in order. In true Brenda Novak style the writing is superb and it has a very engaging plot. It started off with Ellie being dumped by her fiance...for another man! Her friends take her out to a club to get her mind off things where she meets Hudson and has no clue that he is a famous football player. This led to some fun moments that I could absolutely relate to since I'm not much of sports fan myself. The only reason this book is receiving 4 stars instead of 5 is that there was just too much angst and distrust that went on a bit too long. There was an incident that happened between Ellie and Hudson that was completely unexpected and shocked me to the core. Despite the "incident" however, I did grow to enjoy the characters and loved watching their story unfold. This was a very emotional story that I couldn't put down.

Hudson and Ellie captured my heart. Ellie, oh poor Ellie, is engaged and then finds her fiancé in bed with another man. Not something she ever expected to walk in on. When she finally gets up the nerve to go out again, she encounters a sexy man in sunglasses who captivates her. She throws caution to the wind and boldly has a one-night stand. She even leaves his hotel room before morning without leaving a note. Hudson King seems to have it all, all-star quarterback that has won the Super Bowl but starting life under a bush and being named after the intersection where he was found weighs on his mind. He is intrigued by Ellie at the club, she isn’t the typical woman he encounters and is shocked when she doesn’t recognize him. Ellie is a scientist and lives her life in books so football isn’t something she is familiar with. Hudson is shocked when Ellie is gone the next morning, for the first time he was looking forward to something more. A surprise 3 months later sends Ellie’s life in a different direction then she sees Hudson on TV and has to seek him out. Hudson is skeptical when Ellie arrives on his doorstep, will he see that she isn’t like so many other people? I enjoyed Ellie and Hudson’s relationship – they started with chemistry then betrayal which moved to friendship. This felt natural as they worked through the changes that were effecting both of their lives. Even as Hudson struggles to let people in, Ellie isn’t invasive and provides a safe place where Hudson can place his trust which he needs as he tries to find the truth about his birth. Another wonderful journey in Silver Springs.