Ponder Post: Until You Loved Me

How do I pick the books I read? It varies but this one was a random choice in a grocery store. I'd flown down on the spur of the moment to help out my son in southern California when he had an emergency appendectomy while his wife and two daughters were away visiting family back in Ohio. I'd packed hurriedly to get on the next available flight, taking only the book I was currently reading. Post-surgery my son slept more than I had anticipated and consequently I ran out of reading material. So on a grocery store run, I picked up Until You Loved Me ©2017 by Brenda Novak. My criteria? It was not too big and bulky to carry on a plane since it would fit in my handbag – unlike those larger sized trade paperbacks. It had a decent size font. It was a dollar cheaper than the other  paperbacks. I liked the bright yellow purse and jean jacket combination on the cover. I know – these are all truly in depth, valid, literary criteria.

I was very lucky. My book choice was a resounding winner. Yes, it was a romance novel genre but the heroine was an intelligent woman, not a ditz, and the hero was an upstanding guy, not a womanizing jerk. The basic scenario is spelled out on the book cover so I am giving nothing away here. A workaholic scientist, Ellie Fisher, has a liaison with a professional football player, Hudson King – a behavior uncharacteristic for both of them. Despite taking responsible precautions, Ellie becomes pregnant. Hudson has no family of his own having been abandoned on a street corner as an infant. This child, if he can be convinced is indeed his, could be his only family.

How these two people support each other and work through the logistics of the situation is believable and mutually respectful. A pregnancy is rarely a vehicle for plot advancement in a romance novel so this was unique. I liked the writing style, the speed of story advancement, the depth of the characters, and the bit of a back story probing into the mystery of Hudson's parentage. Most of all I liked both Ellie and Hudson personally and was rooting for each of them equally. One does not usually give a five star rating to romance novels since they are generally not considered high class literature. I would make an exception for Until You Loved Me. One does not always need to feast on filet mignon. A well prepared, juicy hamburger can be just as satisfying. Read this book. It will not disappoint.