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Friday, July 11, 2008

My Review of LOVE STARTS WITH ELLE

I love the title of this book. Catchy with a twist on the meaning. Very clever.

In Rachel Hauck’s newest release, the South Carolina low country setting layers the story with the richness of family and small town values. Rachel does a great job of bringing these front and center as she weaves the characters’ stories together.

Elle Garvey, a wannabe artist, gives up her art gallery business to follow her fiancé, a wannabe pastor of a mega church in Dallas. In doing so, she also gives up a part of her soul. When the relationship fails, she is inconsolable and at loose ends, having sold her business and rented her cottage to a New York attorney—widower Heath McCord—who is on his own grief journey with his young daughter.

In the ensuing months, Elle and Heath learn about giving flight to their dreams, praying through the healing process, and falling in love all over again. But, having painful pasts to deal with, they struggle with letting go and committing to the future. Through pursuit of their own creative passions, they both encounter failure and self-examination and must choose whether to trust and love again.

The characters have a very real feel to them, with superb dialogue and a fast clip as the story unfolds. No cookie-cutter romance here. It all feels just right with the balance of believable conflict and secondary characters who add to the themes without taking over the story.

Nice job, Rachel.

You can read more about the author and the book here.

1 comment:

Rachel Hauck said...

Thanks for the nice review, Carla. Very lovely site, too!

Rachel :)