Love Starts with Elle [Paperback]

Rachel Hauck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 2008

Elle's living the dream-but is it her dream or his?

Elle loves life in Beaufort, South Carolina-lazy summer days on the sand bar, coastal bonfires, and dinners with friends sharing a lifetime of memories. And she's found her niche as the owner of a successful art gallery too. Life is good.

Then the dynamic pastor of her small town church sweeps her off her feet. She's never known a man like Jeremiah-one who breathes in confidence and exhales all doubt. When he proposes in the setting sunlight, Elle hands him her heart on a silver platter.

But Jeremiah's just accepted a large pastorate in a different state. If she's serious about their relationship, Elle will take "the call," too, leaving behind the people and place she loves so dearly. Elle's friendship with her new tenant, widower Heath McCord, and his young daughter make things even more complicated.

Is love transferrable across the miles? And can you take it with you when you go?

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (July 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595543384
• ISBN-13: 978-1595543387
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #627,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rachel Hauck is the bestselling author of Carol Award winner Sweet Caroline, and RITA Finalist Love Starts With Elle, and of the critically acclaimed fiction collaboration with multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans, The Songbird Novels.

She lives in sunny, though sometimes hurricane plagued, central Florida with her husband and their ornery pets.

Rachel earned a degree in Journalism form Ohio State University and is a huge Buckeyes football fan.

She is the past President of American Christian Fiction Writers and now sits on the board as an Advisor. Visit her web site at www.rachelhauck.com to reader her blog, and to follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winning read, July 16, 2008

By 

Cara Putman (Lafayette, IN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Love Starts with Elle (Paperback)

One thing I count on in one of Rachel's books is a spiritual thread that will challenge me and often hit me between the eyes. Elle struggles with entering a relationship of deep intimacy with Christ. She's invited to join an older woman for prayer every weekday morning for prayer. She shows up once out of a sense of obligation, but soon can't imagine her days beginning without that time. How I long for a similar sense of relationship -- yet, I have to take that step and draw near to Him, so He can draw near to me. Am I willing to make the sacrifices required to develop what my soul yearns for?

Rachel also presents characters who are fully human and struggle with real-life issues. There's no candy coating on these characters. One of Elle's sisters has to deal with the last fall-out of an earlier relationship that resulted in a daughter. Watching her struggle with real emotions without the veil of fictionalized Christianity challenged me. Am I willing to provide the accountability and support that someone needs when they find themselves confronted by the lingering effects of sin. We all have those areas, so why pretend otherwise.

This book was a joy to read. It impacted me on several levels, while being a real page-turner. If you're looking for a romance with depth, this is a fantastic one to read!

42 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat Disappointed, December 30, 2008

By 

R.P. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Love Starts with Elle (Paperback)

I bought this book because of the reviews and I really enjoy Christian Fiction. Though this book is labeled as Christian Fiction and had many references to Christianity, there are several parts of this book regarding the intimacy of the main characer to her fiancee that read slightly like a mainstream romance novel. I usually choose Christian Fiction because there is a purity to the relationships, though the characters are flawed and real. This was somewhat lacking in this book.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Keeper", July 18, 2008

By 

Peggy Blann Phifer "Peg" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Starts with Elle (Paperback)

Okay, with this book, Rachel Hauck just jumped into the top tier of my favorite authors--one whose books are labeled 'keepers' and remain on my bookshelf forever.

Elle (pronounced like the letter 'L') Garvey is an artist and art gallery owner living in lowcountry Beaufort, South Carolina. We met and loved her in Sweet Caroline as the slightly wacky best friend of Caroline Sweeney. Now Elle is back with her own story. When pro-football-player-turned-minister Jeremiah Franklin proposes, Elle's dreams seem to have come true. Then she learns Jeremiah has accepted the senior pastorate of a large church in Dallas. Leave Beaufort? Sacrifice and compromise plague the couple as they plan their wedding.

In the meantime, successful New York lawyer, Heath McCord, needs some time away from the pressure-cooker of NY law as well as time to heal from the tragic death of his wife. So, he packs up his four-year-old daughter and heads to--you guessed it--Beaufort, SC, where his family has roots, and moves into Elle's cottage which she has leased out due to her relocation to Dallas.

I'll leave the rest to you to discover. I loved Elle. She's spunky, talented, smart, beautiful and fun, not to mention a gifted gal when it comes to quick repartee. Her character grows as she learns more about prayer . . . and herself. One of a writer's major responsibilities is to show character growth through the story, and Rachel aces it in Love Starts With Elle. I highly recommend this book. It's a great read.