Saved by Love (Bellevue Bullies Book 7) by Toni Aleo – Review by Christie Mitchum

Saved by Love by Toni Aleo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Toni Aleo is one of the reigning queens of hockey romance, and she lives up to all of the hype and wonderful reviews she gets from her readers. I’m so glad I discovered her several years ago.

Now, it’s Evan and Callie’s turn to share their story with us, and what a beautiful story it is. Evan has come home to Nashville after retiring from the NHL. He is taking the time to focus on his mental health. Now, he finds himself surrounded by women gymnasts instead of hockey players. He has just begun his job as the athletic trainer for the gymnastics team. Callie and Evan’s paths have crossed before, as Callie’s sister is married to a hockey player, but they have never really had the opportunity to get to know each other.

When Callie sees him jogging one day with the hockey team, she decides she is going to take her chance with him. Her lust soon turns to something deeper when she discovers that he is struggling with feelings of worthlessness and being a failure. Both of them are soon on the path to finding out what true love really is and how it can truly save you…hence the perfect title of this book, Saved by Love!

I admired both Callie and Evan. I could totally relate to both of them. Evan feels like a failure for leaving the NHL because of his family’s legacy in the sport. He feels as if he is letting them down, especially his father. Who hasn’t felt at times that we have disappointed those we love? I know I have felt that way myself, even though I may not have. It was the same for Evan. I admired his tenacity and his focus on his mental health and his commitment to ridding himself of those feelings of worthlessness and failure.

While Cassie wants to make everyone she is around to feel the love and support that she has from her sister and brother-in-law, she still struggles with trust because of her family’s past issues. She hasn’t been able to let someone in to share those deep feelings of uncertainty and fear. Somehow, Evan is able to do just that!

While I loved the characters, both the main characters and secondary ones, I loved the story even more. Aleo always dives deeply underneath the surface and tackles important issues which make both the characters and story more realistic and relatable. Aleo never disappoints and that is what puts her on top of my list of favorite writers.

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