REVIEW: Feels Like Home by Kelly Elliott

In Feels Like Home (Southern Bride Book 5) by Kelly Elliott, It was a quick rise to fame six years ago for Anson Meyers, who is now one of the biggest country music stars in the world. But very few people know what he gave up to succeed. Namely his girl, Bristol Overmann, and his family back in Comfort, Texas. Instead of contacting her and working things out, Anson stupidly let things fester, using his heartache as inspiration for his songs. Now he’s facing down a month or two stay in Comfort as the dust settles around his altercation with a reporter. He admittedly didn’t think things through. Which becomes clear when Bristol gives him hell upon his return to town. But Anson feels the same connection with her as he did before–and he’s darn sure going to do something about it this time around.

‘I should have thought better than to come over to see Bristol without so much as a warning to let her know I was back.
Six years I’d been gone. Six…
Yeah. I should have seen the punch coming.’

Bristol has finally started to achieve her dreams since they were dashed six years ago when Anson took off for Nashville without a word goodbye. She opened up the tearoom she’s been planning forever. And she’s become a successful influencer on Instagram. But Bristol never has found anyone who makes her feel like Anson did. Now he’s back in Comfort and is trying to insinuate himself in her life again, although she’s not making it easy on him–on purpose. There is so much they need to talk out. And it turns out that thanks to both of their stubbornness, Bristol and Anson lost out on what could have been some incredible years together had they actually communicated back then. She’s hoping now that she realizes they still have something strong between them, they can start over and get the second chance she’s secretly dreamed of.

‘Damn it all to hell. I was as much in love with Anson today, as I had been on the day he walked away from me.
And I hated him for that.’

Feels Like Home was the absolute perfect name for Kelly Elliott’s new charming second chance romance in her Southern Bride series. And that sense of coming home is something I feel with each book of hers I pick up. But with this story, everything from the small-town setting to the captivatingly realistic characters made me feel like I was right there in Comfort, Texas, hanging out with everyone and watching the fireworks fly between Anson and Bristol when he drove back into town. And, oh did they have some major heat going on…even while they worked through six years’ worth of no communication and bad blood.

Bristol reached up on her toes and kissed my lips gently then whispered, “You and me, right?”
My heart felt like it wanted to burst in my chest. That was what we had always said to one another. I hadn’t heard those words in so damn long. “Always, Bri.”

What is it about second chance (aka: reunion) romances? I adore them so much and have to admit that Feels Like Home is one of the best I’ve read in the trope in a long time. And it boils down basically to the depth of emotion Kelly Elliott created between Bristol and Anson–and the sweet couple themselves–who were meant to be. It was that simple. Everything else going on in their lives was what conspired to keep them apart and made it complicated.

I think readers will quickly fall for both Anson and Bristol. He was a charmer of a guy who made himself into a country music megastar with his wonderful voice and talent for super emotional songwriting. Bristol was a caring woman who had a flair for social media and created a lovely tearoom in Comfort that I would so visit if it were real. (lol) I loved that she also had a feisty side that didn’t let Anson stroll back into town without giving him a piece of her mind after he left Bristol in the dust years earlier. They had a ton to work through. And it was obvious as they did that what was between them was stronger than ever.

Kelly Elliott also had a fun subplot with Bristol’s BFF Mindy falling for a guy who was a big part of their lives already. It was adorable and had some comical moments that had me laughing out loud–as did a lot of the interactions between Bristol, Anson, Mindy, Drake and local residents. Seriously, I smiled almost the whole time I read this and hated putting it down.

Kelly Elliott will undoubtedly wring every emotion out of her readers in Feels Like Home. It was a character-driven story with an engaging plot that will have you believing in second chances and that true love doesn’t fade.

Book Info:

Publication: September 1st 2020 | Pub: K. Elliott Enterprises, Inc | Southern Bride # 5

Anson Meyer is world-renowned for his record-breaking country songs, his devilishly good looks, and his really short temper. So after a heated altercation with a reporter, one that puts him in a pretty negative light in the music industry, Anson is temporarily kicked out of Nashville by his agent and sent back to his hometown of Comfort, Texas, to “cool down” and “figure out where he sees his career going.”

When Anson shows up in Comfort, though, he quickly realizes that not everyone is ready to welcome home the bad boy of country music. Especially the woman he is still in love with who served as the inspiration behind all those hit songs. Brystol makes it clear to Anson with one good hit to his nose that she is the last person in town who is happy he is back — and, surprise, she isn’t the only person not holding up a welcome home sign. There are countless others…and he soon realizes that he has got some fence-mending to do all on his own.

What Anson wasn’t expecting to find was a sense of peace and belonging that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He also stumbled upon the best parts of his past life that he hadn’t realized he missed when he left to pursue his dreams of becoming a singer. And, more importantly, the love he had for Brystol Overmann that burned even brighter than ever before.

Anson soon finds himself needing to make one of the biggest, life-changing decisions of his entire career.

Choose staying home or going back to Nashville.

Feels Like Home is a complete stand alone in the Southern Bride series.