The One Who Risked it All by Tara Grace Ericson Review

 Happy Friday Sweet Friends :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and that you're all looking forward to the weekend! 

I surprisingly actually have today off from work which never usually happens on a Friday, and so I thought today would be the perfect day to share all about a recent read I finished and loved so much that I can't wait to tell you guys all about it!

This book is releasing a short ten days from today, so you won't even have to wait that long before running to pick up a copy for yourselves!

I can't wait to get started with this review, so let's dive right into it, and I hope you'll all join me today for this fun review.

The One Who Risked it All by Tara Grace Ericson:

Source: Complimentary Copy Provided by the Author as Part of Her ARC Team in Exchange for an Honest Review.

Publisher: Silver Fountain Press

Publication Date: March 24th, 2025

Genre: Christian Fiction/Clean Romance/Contemporary Romance

Series: Second Chance Fire Station

Synopsis:

Two weeks. One house. Zero chance their hearts come out unscathed.

 

Elijah Wells is trouble. He always has been. The kind of trouble that makes your heart race and your common sense disappear. Just ask all the girls in town throwing themselves at him. He broke my heart once—walked away like what we had meant nothing—and I swore I’d never let him get close enough to do it again.

I should’ve let him go a long time ago. He’s everything my family would hate—wild, reckless, and, worst of all, a Woods. The feud between our families has been going on for decades, and no good could ever come from crossing that line.

But now, thanks to his brother’s honeymoon, I’m stuck sharing a house with Eli for two weeks, chasing after three energetic boys and trying to pretend that old spark between us isn’t still burning. Two weeks of late nights, quiet conversations, and discovering a side of him I never expected.

He’s kind. Protective. He’s making it impossible to forget why I fell for him in the first place, or why I swore I’d never let him break my heart again.

But the way Eli looks at me makes me question everything. If we give in, we could lose everything. And yet, walking away from him this time might just break me for good. I'm just not sure I can be The One Who Risked it All. 

(synopsis from Blurb shared by the author)

My Review:

The One Who Risked it All is the fourth installment in Tara Grace Ericson's Second Chance Fire Station series, and was a story that I had a hard time ever wanting to put down. It was easily recognizable to the reader that this author writes everything from the heart, and Eli and Carla's story was so much more than I ever could have expected.

While the faith element wasn't over the top and included in every chapter, it was authentically woven into the overall plot, and played a big part in how Eli and Carla are both finally able to come to terms with everything about their past and their future. As Eli's character is a bit of a goofball for a good portion of the story, this definitely still could have fallen under the cute contemporary heading, but it went so much further than that.

First falling for each other in high school, the relationship is banned by their prospective families over a longtime feud that feels reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. Both families seem to carry a lot of grief and hurt over everything that happened, and this plot point added a serious tone to the story, along with the hurts that Eli carries over feeling like he can never measure up to his family's expectations.

It's actually been quite awhile since a book last affected me as much as this one did, and I had a hard time wanting to put it down and get back to real life. I was completely invested in these characters and their story, and loved the focus on second chances, healing, and God's never ending grace. The romance was sweet and swoon worthy while still tacking serious issues, and I can't possibly recommend it enough.

I can't wait to read more from this author in the future, and I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys clean, faith based romances that deal with harsh circumstances.

Final Rating: 5/5.

Thanks so much to the author for allowing me to read and review this title!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the author as part of her ARC team. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your weekend :)