Until You Loved Me: A Novel (Silver Springs Book 3)

I have a confession... I preordered this book from Amazon, and then ordered it from Brenda Novak's website as part of a reader's box. I had planned to cancel the preorder, and then didn't get around to it, so it downloaded to my Kindle app. Instead of waiting for the print copy to arrive, I dove into it this morning. Unfortunately, I got zero housework done while I devoured the book instead. Now, I'm glad I will have two copies!I have read the first two books in this series, but they all stand alone. You do not have to read them to enjoy this book. In addition, I believe this book is the best one. It's really hard to put down. The characters are believable, the plot seems realistic, and the ending is satisfying, even if it seemed a little rushed. The relationship between the two lead characters seemed so real. I'm a small town girl from the Midwest, but the picture painted of Miami, Los Angeles, and the fictitious town of Silver Springs were all so vivid that it felt like I could visit those locations and see where the characters were from. To me, that's the mark of a wonderful story. Normally, I'm not attracted to stories about the rich and famous, even fictitiously, but this was a perfect blend of a "normal" (very smart, but not rich and famous) character with a man that became rich and famous through overcoming a rough childhood to become a NFL player. Hudson was much easier to relate to because of his backstory. Ellie, too, was easy to relate to. She was an only child who was consumed by academic success and research and had only a few strong relationships. It was easy to accept her backstory as well, and truly believe that these characters were who they claimed to be in the novel. I can't tell you how wonderful that is to the reader!I don't want to give away the whole plot, but I do want to be clear that this is more than a normal, cheesy, romance novel. It is very well written. There is just enough humor and suspense in the storyline to make it much more enjoyable than a simple "beach read". There are familial relationships, friendship relationships, heartache and happiness. It isn't boring, it isn't scary; it has a few "open door" sex scenes, but it isn't pornographic and they fit in the storyline instead of feeling like they were thrown in there. The author tackles tough topics very deftly in this book. Don't read this book if you are looking from an escape from reality. Reality is faced head-on in this story and is handled very well. That being said, I feel that this book is better suited to a mature audience and I would not categorize it as a YA read.My favorite part, perhaps, is the fact that so much of the description of the characters was left open-ended. Susan Mallery once relayed in an interview the sentiment that her characters were intentionally a little vague so that her readers could make them their own. This book is a perfect example of that. Ellie and Hudson could be any nationality. Even with their physical descriptions, enough room is left that the reader could picture them any way that they want, and it really does not matter to the story. That's an amazing talent, and makes the novel relatable to so many more people.The bottom line is this: Brenda Novak is an amazing author. She is relatable to her fans, and spends a lot of time and attention interacting with us on Facebook and through her website. I highly recommend joining her book club. I've become a "super fan" simply from the personal interaction she gives her readers. Having said that, however, I did not immediately fall in love with her books as quickly as I did her own personality. I discovered Brenda Novak about a year ago, and have only read about five or six of her books so far. I was as attracted to her passion for Diabetic research as I was the plots of her books. I have begun to collect her backlist, but haven't read enough of them to tell you if this novel is representative of them all. What I can tell you is this: This novel is on the same level as some of the best books in the Romance and Women's Fiction categories today. In my opinion, it is right up there with Susan Mallery, better than the latest series by Robyn Carr, and I'm going to shelve it in my permanent collection right next to Susan Mallery's Girls of Mischief Bay series and Nora Robert's Brides Quartet. If you like Women's Fiction and/or Romance, I highly recommend this book.

Loved this story of love and mystery. Ellie is a scientist on the rebound. She's quiet, smart, and the kind of girl any guy should want, but she's just found out her fiance is in love with another man. When she meets Hudson at a club, she's ready for a night with no strings attached and no consequences. Sometimes the best laid plans...Anyone would recognize Hudson as a football star, but not Ellie. They have an amazing night together (author keeps it pretty clean) and then go their separate ways without sharing any last names. When Ellie finds out she's pregnant, she makes the decision to find Hudson and let him know about the baby even though she's strong enough to raise this child herself, mentally and financially.What I liked best about this book was that the characters reacted in a reasonable way. Yes, there were strong emotions and tears. Too often I read stories where I can't relate to the main characters because they can't seem to let themselves be happy. Ellie can stand on her own two feet and she's ready to walk away even after learning Hudson is rich. There's a lot more to this story like Hudson's search for his real family. I read this book in one day and thought that Ellie and Hudson were evenly matched as a couple. Great read.

My Review:I really liked this book, although Hudson and Ellie are the most unlikely couple ever. He's one of the most recognized quarterbacks in the NFL and she has no clue who he is because she's a scientist who spends all her life in the lab. But when she finds out her fiance is gay and cheating on her, her friend decides she needs a night out to let loose. Well, Ellie does and of course you know what's going to happen...there are repercussions.I liked Ellie and Hudson together...a lot. She's a very straight-forward, no nonsense woman. She looks at the logic of things and weighs the pros and cons. Hudson wants to be involved with his baby's life and they live on two different coasts. That's not acceptable. So he offers her a deal which she accepts.They go into this thinking this is just a realistic arrangement, but that chemistry that hit them the night they met starts to work its magic.The part of this story that really worked for me was Hudson's background. He was found under a bush as a newborn. It's a riveting story for a famous NFL athlete. That made all his conflict about a baby very realistic. He never planned on bringing a child into this world and is always VERY careful. As a result, he's awful to Ellie when she finally manages to track him down. Those scenes are some of the best and most emotional in the book. But it felt like a realistic reaction based upon what he knows.Overall this was a good book. I enjoyed it.I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.

What a great ending, this story really had you on the edge of your seat.This has an emotional but very solid couple, both not looking for love and commitment who stumble into each other, and have the vest evening together.Ellie, a very independent lady, just out of a long term engagement gets dragged into a nightclub by her friend.Hudson, top athlete, also dragged out to the nightclub by his friends, who wants to stay anonymous, which wasn’t that hard in the dark nightclub.Hudson, sees and initiates meeting Ellie, who has no idea who he is, to however, go on to have a fantastic evening. They are then thrown together due to unforeseen circumstances and whilst they are both very upset and angry, they decide to do the right thing, for all concerned.We get to follow them navigate the start of their relationship together, with dreadful people throwing dreadful stories about Hudson’s start in life, how they work together to get the results they deserve.They both have some great friends in their corner, and Bruiser turns out to be a really good friend to both of them. I loved how Hudson slowly worked through his issues to get over the hurt he had carried all his life. Ellie is a remarkable lady, with her analytical mind, checking everything and cross referencing she really was very astute.I like how we get references to New Horizons School, it certainly does take a small town to help the community, and where better for Ellie and Hudson to start their new life together.This series gets better, the characters are all unique and individual with the school as the glue keeping them all connected. Their stories have been as individual as the characters, and you get it all, love, anger, thrills, excitement, suspense, intrigue.I can’t wait to read the next installment of Silver Springs, although it will be bittersweet, as it will be the end of a great series.

Brenda Novak is always good but this trilogy is super-impressive. Shame there's not a fourth book. I wanted to know about Molly.

Hudson King is a famous football star who was abandoned as a baby. He tries for years to find his biological parents. In the meantime, he meets Ellie Fisher and unwittingly gets her pregnant. She moves to California to be near the father of her baby, -- Hudson King. After many ups & downs, they get married and form a family of three

Can't go wrong with Brenda Novak! Another one I could't put down!!!

Enjoyed the story and characters