Starlight Hill: Books 1–8

All of Me
I wanted to take both Ivey and Jeff, hug them tight, and promise that nothing would ever hurt them again. I realize how terribly unrealistic that promise is, but it’s still what I was feeling for most of this book. Normally, a secret baby is a theme that’s difficult for me to believe in. Yet this story gave me the right elements for me to be swept in their drama and to believe. I loved the crazy, quirky townsfolk and now I want to dive into the rest of the series.
Somebody Like You
Billy and the whole crazy, loving Turlock family are my favorite things in this book. Brooke was not an easy character to like. In the beginning, she had my sympathy for the way her former boss treats her in the opening scene. However, her attitude quickly wore away at my consideration. She’s so aloof and guarded that even as the reader, I had difficulty connecting with Brooke. I loved seeing the sweet care Billy took to show her that he wasn’t the man she thought he was, and how he gently worked his way past her defenses. The happy ever after they’re able to achieve is absolutely beautiful, I just would have preferred to see more of the big mental changes that made it possible a little earlier in the story. Now I desperately want to know more about the rest of the Turlock clan.
Until There Was You
I adore a second chance! And while this book isn’t one in the conventional sense, that’s the feeling it evokes. Wallace and Gen have never been a couple, but they’ve been “the one that got away” for almost as long as they’ve known each other. But, Wallace at least, has fought his feelings for all that time because he doesn’t want to jeopardize his friendship with her brother. I loved Gen’s strength and independence. I wasn’t entirely on board with some of her manipulative plans, but since most of them go sideways in some pretty spectacular ways, I can forgive them. Wallace is like the mountains: strong, steady, enduring, and about as quick to change. He’s felt responsible for the success and happiness of the people around him and so he’s carried a burden that wasn’t always his to own. When it comes to Gen and his own feelings, he has the emotional sensitivity of a root vegetable. He needed some sense knocked into him and I was glad to see it happen. I loved seeing their happy ending and I can’t wait to read what happens next.
Anywhere with You
Second chances are like catnip to me. They will suck me in while I’m not watching and before I know it, I’ve lost hours of my day. Joe and Kailey struck me as a pair that were in desperate need of another chance to get it right. This story relies heavily on characters that were introduced previously in the series. I recommend reading the first three books in the series before this one to understand the dynamics and history between them all. I hated to see what it took to make Kailey realize that she might have been running away from the best thing in her life, but at the same time, I loved all the growth she went through coming to that realization. Even Joe had some growth to do in order to make their second chance work. That was one of the things I liked best about this book: it took both Kailey and Joe making changes for it all to come together.
Unforgettable You
Part second chance, part friends to lovers, and even though it’s not a fake relationship, there’s a lot of the same angst and tension as if it were. Plus, a hero in uniform! I really liked Diana and Scott. They’ve both got heaps of heavy emotional baggage that they need to unpack that they’re kind of running from, but they’re also trying to do their best by the people they care about at the same time. Diana’s getting an early start on a midlife crisis. Everything she thought she knew about her life has just been upended and now she’s not sure what direction she should take. Scott’s calling is to help the people around him. Some of that’s tangled up in all that baggage, but the rest is just who he is. They’ve walked into this friendship with no expectations, and it freed them up to be themselves without all the social masks and defenses. What that meant is that we got to see Diana and Scott getting real and, eventually, vulnerable with one another; forging a deep connection. I loved watching this pair find their way through their issues, and now I’m looking forward to reading even more about the quirky residents of Starlight Hill.
Forever with You
Oof! This pair. I live for second chances. Sophia and Riley are in desperate need of one more shot to get it right. Well… They might actually need more than just one second chance. They were young. They were each other’s everything. Until it all came crashing down around them. It hurt my heart to watch these two struggle so hard to figure out how to move forward. It was easy to see how much they still cared for one another and I so badly wanted to see them fix it all. On a side note, I also loved getting a look into the future of the Turlock clan.
Crazy for You: Christmas in Starlight Hill
After second chances, fake relationships are my favorite things to read. It doesn’t matter how the deception starts out, you just know that real feelings are going to complicate matters at some point. This book brought me all of the magic and emotion of the holiday season. I NEEDED Fallon and Jack to find that Christmas miracle to make them a real couple, because they were just so stinking cute together. I couldn’t help but cheer for them to catch those “real feelings”. In fact, I kind of hate that this book is over already because I am in no way ready to let go of these characters.
Only You
It may not be long, but this book is absolutely packed to bursting with all the sweet emotions of a Hallmark movie. Mallory nearly broke my heart with everything she’d been through in her short life. And her crisis of self confidence was a point where I could easily connect with her. Liam comes across as just a great big teddy bear; everything that makes the best book boyfriend material, really. I loved these two together, and their holiday epilogue was the best way to closeout this book.