Feel right at home with the latest instalment in the Southern Brides Series by Kelly Elliott. A title befitting the story within so much so, you will feel right at home alongside its main characters as the tea is more than drunk, it it spilled!

So far with each standalone series, we have been treated to a different flavour from the cowboy spice rack, each promising a differently unique story in their own right. With Love at First Sight, it was a rekindling of a lifelong love. Delicate Promises added a military flavour when two lovers reunited. Divided Interests brought us the butting of two heads under one roof, and most recently, Lucky in Love was a laugh-a-minute love story with a refreshing lead male many of us could relate to. Feels Like Home adds the wholesome element to the series, completing it like lemon in Earl Grey Tea.

In this book, the fifth in the Southern Bride Series, we get to meet Anson Meyer and Bristol Overmann, two new characters in this next standalone in the series. Immediately their separate introductions are interesting, as it is clear we have an impending reunion on the way, and the road to it would be fun to journey along with.

Heavily invested in the series from the previous instalments, what initially drew me to this read—aside from the stunning cover—was the prospect of something a little different with one of the main characters, Anson. From the sneak peaks and teasers from Kelly on Facebook/Instagram, Anson and his guitar drew me in outside of the go-to cowboy aesthetic of a main male character. Anson had something else going for him, no matter if that would end up to be a good or bad thing, and discovering his hidden depths proved promising.

What exactly makes Feels Like Home a must read, aside from enjoying the pages from start to finish, would be the emotional pull. Kelly always manages to put a heap and then some of emotions into every book she writes, though Feels Like Home has to be up there with the rollercoaster of emotions felt as if you were the character yourself. We are well aware of grabbing the tissues for a tear-jerker of a scene/chapter but this time, you’ll be screaming at the pages as if trying to catch the character’s attention. It is both thrilling and gripping, a delightful change of pace and dynamic for those scenes usually seen on the most brilliantly written of dramas. A scene from Passionflix would best describe the most heated of scenes in this book, and I enjoyed every moment of them.

Reading through the story, you will be pleased with the balance realism in terms of the events surrounding and involving the characters, the well-written plot/storyline, and the conclusion which for want of a word, brings a comforting ending to the story which started from two youths who had the whole world at their fingertips. This is not a story which rushes into love, or at pushing the two main characters together, but like the perfect brew, blends them together seamlessly. One of Kelly’s many strongpoints as an author, is this technique she continues to master with every new write she creates.

If you’re a long time Kelly fan like myself, you’ll know how amazing she is!

Usually when reading, I find myself drawn to a specific character, able to relate to them by either their situation or them as a whole. This time, it was on a whole new level. This time, the emotion was raw. You didn’t just read the emotions that described how a character was feeling, you felt it. I am in awe of how Kelly does this with an expert hand. Not every author can do this and still keep readers hooked on each word but I am proud to say, Kelly can do this with her eyes closed and still turn out a masterpiece.

Of course, there were other aspects of this book that I greatly admired other than the amazing use of raw emotion, such as the intense drive and determination of many of the characters. Anson paths the way in this book for a man going after what he truly wants, in the way he wants, no matter what the cost. Most of the time in novels, this is seen through the female main character, but this time it is Anson. A refreshing and welcome change. He might go about it in a unique way, but that is what makes the story ten time as interesting on how he finds his way back home. With Bristol, she almost runs parallel to Anson in terms of her own passion and dreams, going about it in her own way in making them happen. We are almost being given a side-by-side here of both series of events playing out, before the two words collide—quite literally—back together again.

Feels Like Home far exceeded my expectations in every single amazing way, taking me down roads in which I didn’t expect but was happy to follow, strapping me into the rollercoaster without a seatbelt. There is a little something for everyone in this book, weather that be the country, music, emotional or romance element, this is a wholesome love story—much like the a pair of star-crossed lovers—who have to fight for their place in this world both as individuals, and as a couple.

There was no doubt in my mind that I would enjoy this book, as I do all of Kelly’s books, but I did not anticipate just how much this read would impress me. Take a chance, step out of your comfort zone and straight into Comfort, Texas, with Anson and Bristol, and feel right at home.

Five stars for Feels Like Home.