REVIEW: Starry Night by Debbie Macomber (plus a GIVEAWAY!)

Description: 

Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a challenge: She can cover any topic she wants, but only if she first scores the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author.

Living in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Finn has written a megabestselling memoir about surviving in the wild. But he stubbornly declines to speak to anyone in the press, and no one even knows exactly where he lives.

Digging deep into Finn’s past, Carrie develops a theory on his whereabouts. It is the holidays, but her career is at stake, so she forsakes her family celebrations and flies out to snowy Alaska. When she finally finds Finn, she discovers a man both more charismatic and more stubborn than she even expected. And soon she is torn between pursuing the story of a lifetime and following her heart.

Filled with all the comforts and joys of Christmastime, Starry Night is a delightful novel of finding happiness in the most surprising places.

Review:

Starry Night is more of a straight-up romance than I normally expect from Debbie Macomber -- which is not to say it isn't good!  Macomber always does 'heartwarming' well, and this book is no exception.  I enjoyed the interplay between Finn and Carrie, particularly when she first invades his private retreat and they are getting to know each other -- reluctantly, on his part.  He doesn't want her there, but he can't help feeling drawn to her. Finn is carrying a lot of pain and anger, most of it directed at his mother and a former love interest, but it has spilled over into a distrust of all women.  Carrie doesn't fit his misogynistic views, and he's forced over time to change his mind and let her in to his heart.  Carrie is determined, tenacious, and perceptive; she's also just plain nice, and I liked her very much.  My heart really went out to Finn's mother, with whom he's not on speaking terms.  She doesn't get much page time, but her character is important nonetheless.  And long-time fans will enjoy Sawyer O'Halloran's occasional appearances, though he's not a major character in this book.

If I have any complaint about Starry Night, it's that it's relatively short, and as a result, the changes in Finn come a little too quickly and easily.  (I also wanted more time in Alaska, but that's just me!) Nonetheless, it's an enjoyable book and a good choice for holiday romance reading, since it takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Don't forget to check out the giveaway below!

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Rating: 4 stars


Category: Contemporary romance; Christmas fiction

Publisher: Ballantine
Release date: Oct. 8, 2013
Book source: advanced review galley from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Links:      Goodreads       Amazon       Barnes & Noble       Kobo

About the author:  Debbie Macomber is the bestselling author of over 100 books.  Most of her works are fiction -- general fiction, romance, and women's fiction -- but she has also written two cookbooks, several books for children, and a number of inspirational nonfiction books.  Her Cedar Cove series is now a Hallmark series for television, and one of her Mrs. Miracle books was filmed as a Christmas special.

Ms. Macomber lives in Port Orchard, Washington, with her husband Wayne.  In addition to her writing, she is an avid knitter, owns both a tea room and a yarn store (the latter named A Good Yarn after the yarn shop in her Blossom Street novels), and serves on the National Advisory Cabinet for Guideposts.  She's also the official spokesperson for World Vision's Knit for Kids program, and in partnership with Universal Yarns has issued her own line of yarns (called, appropriately, Blossom Street Yarn). 

Connect with the author:     Website     Facebook     Goodreads     Pinterest

Giveaway:

One prize each for two lucky readers! Thanks to the publisher, I have an autographed copy of another of Debbie Macomber's holiday books to give away!  It's a trade paperback copy of Trading Christmas (first published as When Christmas Comes) and tells the story of two people from opposite sides of the country who decide to trade houses for the holidays.  I'm also offering an almost-like-new hardcover copy of 1225 Christmas Tree Lane, a Cedar Cove novel, from my own collection. 

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