Star Rising

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

FERGUSON, JANET W.

STAR RISING

Star Youngblood has always been a fighter -- a necessity after her mother married a monster of a man. Now, she's finally on the path to the stable life she's always wanted. Her employer, Priscilla Kelly, is a sweet woman ravaged by rheumatoid arthritis, and Star will do anything to help her. Even if that means going toe to toe with Mrs. Kelly's neglectful son.

After being betrayed on the mission field and devastated by the tragic death of his father, Paul Kelly gave up on God. He lives life on his own terms, biding his time as a corporate pilot until he can save enough money to begin his own flight school close to home. His mother is all he has left, and he wants to be near her. He just didn't expect her health to decline so quickly. When he discovers his mother has taken in a stray -- a woman he's not at all sure can be trusted -- his protective instincts kick into high gear. Paul's handled a lot of turbulence, but he's never gone up against a force like Star.

As Paul and Star strive to protect his mother in their own ways, they soon find their hearts are at the greatest risk.

My Review:

published in 2020

This book has been wooing me for some time from its queue on my audible wishlist. (In my quest to read more Christian indie authors I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of them available in both audio and paperback format.) Anyway, poor Star was hovering in an endless waiting pattern until she cropped up on multiple social media sights on great vacation read hit lists. Wait. Vacation? And, gasp, to Ireland? Star Rising jumped into my check out cart in a nanosecond.

Ferguson has poured so much heart and faith into Star and Paul's story. It moved me to tears and fired up my righteous indignation and kept me in laughing fits in between. The kind of story that digs deep, demands much of its characters and therefore by turn, its readers. I'm still astounded and a tad bemused. That might come from great lines like this one:

"Unless a male is wearing a diaper, you can't change him. That's God's job."

Snort laugh and then...whoa...as the profound truth hits you. That sharp bit of wisdom comes from Mrs. Kelly who I absolutely love! I want to be adopted by her. Love her tenacity and open heart and abiding faith. Not to mention her patience when it comes to her son.

Paul is a bit of a bear when we first meet him. Mean as a Grizzly...or it seems that way. Really, he's a clash of conflicting emotions -- kind and considerate one moment, even repentant at times, and then lashing out with cutting sarcasm the next. Of course, he's got a history, one where he's allowed bitterness to take hold and it's begun to redefine the man.

And then he meets Star, a woman with a troubled past. She has fought her own demons and emerged triumphant, a new person in Christ and she embraces her faith with ardent enthusiasm. So, we have an embittered ex-Christian hero and a exuberant new Christian heroine forced into close company on a not-so-magical trip to Ireland. There's definitely a kind of Beauty and the Beast vibe going on here. 

I really love the way the author has woven faith around the lives of her characters. So many amazing "God moments" -- both funny and goosebumping -- as Paul is reluctantly drawn back into the fold.

An exceptional, deeply emotional romance and Connie Shabshab's excellent narration made me enjoy the telling all the more.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice 

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Star Rising, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 21 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!