Count the Night Stars

GIVEAWAY

SHOCKLEE, MICHELLE

COUNT THE NIGHT STARS

Count your nights by stars, not shadows. Count your life with smiles, not tears.

1961. After a longtime resident at Nashville's historic Maxwell House Hotel suffers a debilitating stroke, Audrey Whitfield is tasked with cleaning out the reclusive woman's room. There, she discovers an elaborate scrapbook filled with memorabilia from the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Love notes on the backs of unmanned postcards inside capture Audrey's imagination with hints of a forbidden romance...and troubling revelations about the disappearance of young women at the exposition. Audrey enlists the help of a handsome hotel guest as she tracks down clues and information about the mysterious "Peaches" and her regrets over one fateful day, nearly sixty-five years earlier.

1897. Outspoken and forward-thinking Priscilla Nichols isn't willing to settle for just any man. She's still holding out hope for love when she meets Luca Moretti on the eve of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Charmed by the Italian immigrant's boldness, Priscilla spends time exploring the wondrous sights of the expo with Luca -- until a darkness overshadows the monthlong event. Haunted by a terrible truth, Priscilla and Luca are sent down separate paths as the nigt's stars fade into dawn.

My Review:

I think this is a first for me -- a dual timeline novel with two historical periods and I am amazed at how the author brought both so vibrantly to life. So many subtle details that enhanced both stories for me.

Now, here's where I struggle with what to say in a review because I can't figure out how to write it without posting spoilers so this is going to be the most general of reviews ever!

Emotionally gripping -- especially the 1897 timeline. It just gutted me in places. I kept thinking, no, this couldn't be happening even though I saw the foreshadowing. And Audrey's complicated life in 1961 -- going from a somewhat naive and sheltered college student to awakening to the injustice in the world, both past and present The growth in both heroines is phenomenal and I felt every growing pain right along with them.

Love the way the scrapbook binds these two timelines together and the expert way Shocklee weaves in and out of each era, always leaving me wanting more even as I was eager to jump back into the other timeline. Made for a seamless read that held me enthralled.

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 Count the Night Stars, 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 April 16  2022. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck