When Elaine Donovan discovers she’s pregnant, she hesitates telling her husband, Ethan. They’re newlyweds and plan to wait until they’re ready to start a family. Ethan surprises her by accepting early parenthood, embracing the idea more fully than either of them expects.When they receive bad news after a prenatal exam, both must face that their charmed lives are about to come crashing down around … down around them.
Do Christmas wishes really come true? Elaine is staking her life on it!
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I’m just going to let you know that even though this book is short, less than 50 pages, I’ve never been more blown away by what Ms. Shortland penned. This is a heartfelt, hopeful and special kind of story. I’ve never read anything like it before and probably never well. There are no smexy times between Ethan and Elaine but you can feel the love and cherishment that they have for each other throughout the story. It’s beautiful, poignant and sometimes sad.
Do NOT get me wrong, the story isn’t sad. It’s hopeful and at times, magical. Yes, magical. I don’t want to spoil it but the twist is spectacular. I re-read that passage more than once to make sure that I understood what was going on. Wow, just wow. I do have to caution you that a lot of the medical jargon and explanation isn’t in the book. I wasn’t disappointed by this because Ms. Shortland wrote it show how Ethan and Elaine dealt with the outcome of the diagnosis and how they are totally committed to each other and their baby not yet born.
I especially loved that she wrote the book from an Irish point of view. Let me explain…the language, the inflection in the dialogue and the setting. I love it when the author actually writes what they live and Ms. Shortland does live in Ireland and is married to an Irish man. It shows and I really need to read more of her work.
Give this book a chance. It’s short and while the characters are well developed don’t criticize Ms. Shortland for not delving too deep in actually what is wrong with Elaine. It’s not necessary, at least me it’s not and I still understood what Elaine and Ethan were going through. Bravo Ms. Shortland and I can’t wait to read more of your work.
Ethan and Elaine are delightful, expressive characters who steal one’s heart from the beginning. A very short piece, the reader becomes particularly emotionally invested while reading about this couple’s tragedy. The surreal adds to the story and gives that much more credence to how powerful love can be. This is a beautiful, must read story!
A quick look into the life of Elaine and Ethan. The emotions were strong and up and down. I smiled, I cried, and I smiled again. This story touched me so much I had to give it 5 stars. I still have tears as I think about this story. Their love for each other felt so real and showed that love can conquer a lot. I highly recommend this story but have tissues nearby.
I received a copy of this story through Goddess Fish Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.
This book was a very short, but sweet, romantic, tearjerker (yes – you will need Kleenex!!), beautifully written, holiday read!!
I liked the main characters, Elaine and Ethan. They were an adorable couple that were newlyweds and are still very much in love. It was sweet to see how happy and on cloud nine they were!
I really loved the character’s passion and spark. It was obvious this couple were truly, deeply in love and meant everything to each other. You can feel their devotion, adoration, and love just radiate off the pages!! The author described a graceful and delicate love story that is tried and tested and proves love always wins in the end!!
When Elaine finds out they are pregnant I was sad that she was nervous to tell her husband about the baby. I get that it wasn’t the plan to have a baby right away, but it’s a baby – it should be exciting and joyous! They’re married, employed, have a stable and safe home – finding out they’re with child should be a far cry from a teenager panicking when she finds out she’s pregnant. Thankfully, Ethan is over the moon happy – as a new dad should be – when he finds out the exciting news!
I knew something tragic was going to happen – it’s in the blurb. So, I was prepared to hear bad news relating to the pregnancy. However, I was disappointed in the overall construction of that particular plot point as I felt there should have been more to it. It lacked medical terminology foundation, didn’t provide odds or rates of survival or additional information about the diagnosis, there were no further tests or labs ran, and no second opinion was sought out. If I received that kind of diagnosis, I would definitely do more than just say, “Okay. Get out.” But just accept what one Emergency Room Doctor said and go with that – absolutely not!!! Although, maybe they did, and it just got left out – it’s hard to tell when two months later is one page and one year later is the next page.
I felt emotionally tangled in this story line and found myself going from overjoyed and excited, then anxious and worrisome, then sad and heartbroken, and so on. I was completely invested in the main characters and felt connected hanging on their every emotion as I turned each page!!
There were many times I found myself totally caught up in the story!
There is so much story packed into so few pages! Unfortunately, the story felt a bit rushed at times and like the author really could have done so much more with her plot points. In addition, the character’s arcs didn’t seem fully developed. Don’t get me wrong – these are strong, real, personal characters, and well written. However, I’m just saying many authors can barely reach their character’s arc in 250 pages and this book only had 32 eBook pages – so not much space to build and develop a character!!
I really enjoyed that this was such a quick read and that I was able to just breeze right through it in less than an hour. However, there was such an intriguing and creative story line and fantastic characters that I wanted MORE!!! This so could easily have been – even just at 100 pages and I think it would have really made the story come together better and flowed more smoothly. It would have allowed the characters to have a stronger chance to develop and the plot points to fully reach their potential. It was an enjoyable read – just felt like there was some missing pieces!
Although, a short read, this book is a great introduction to a new author – Kemberlee Shortland! This book provides an opportunity to just get your toes wet without the full commitment of jumping into one of Kemberlee’s fabulous book series – which you will definitely want to also pick up lol.
This book is not part of a book series at this time and therefore, can be read as a standalone.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it! I think all contemporary romance readers will like this book too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**
3.75 stars
“The Power of Love” by Kemberlee Shortland follows Elaine and Ethan O’Donovan through the first year of their marriage as they deal with major life changes that will challenge their blissful relationship.
This contemporary romance short story with fantasy elements is a beautiful celebration of love—both the passionate love shared by a husband and wife but also that of a parent for a child. Although the story moves quickly and there are a couple of places that require suspension of disbelief, there is beautiful emotionalism (and the need for a tissue or two) and a lovely connection to the Christmas season. A quick heartwarming read.
A copy was provided for review
The Power of Love by Kemberlee Shortland
Get out the kleenex! This heartwarming short story is filled with love, emotion and the spirit of giving. Short but sweet it is packed with a lifetime of love. I didn’t know how it would end but knew that Elaine and Ethan would be able to endure whatever they faced due to the true love that bonded their souls together. This is a romance that I believe should be read every year as a reminder of what true love is and what it can do.
Thank you to the author for the ARC – this is my honest review.
5 Stars