Starlight by Christine DePetrillo

 

Release Date: 09.02.2021

Synopsis:

He doesn’t trust women. She only trusts dogs. Why can’t they keep their paws off each other?

Darren Reade builds stone walls in Vermont--and around his heart. Women don’t stick around, so it’s better to put up No Trespassing signs and focus on raising his adopted son. Darren is willing to do whatever it takes to help the boy cope with his mother’s death. But doing it alone is a challenge.

Grace Hollings indulges her love of old-school jazz by singing nights at the Speakeasy Taproom, and spends her days training service dogs, connecting small humans with smart pooches. Of course she’d planned to be married already, but a failed engagement has taught her that dogs make better company than men.

One evening, Grace and Darren don’t exchange names, but they do engage in a single night neither of them will forget. Is once all there is? Or can they train their hearts to trust what they’ve built under the starlight?

Review:

Darren was sure to not meet Speakeasy's graceful and attractive singer ever again after their hot encounter the night of his birthday, but he was so, oh so, wrong. Grace couldn't keep the birthday boy she met at Speakeasy out of her mind even during her days training service dogs. They meet again when Darren has to find a service dog for his son Kolton who suffers with anxiety and depression and he comes face to face with Grace. They have a good relationship and their bond is really strong and it also includes Kolton but will they have the courage to trust someone else again?

Darren is selfless and he has adopted Kolton in a heartbeat, he took everything life gave him in stride. Grace is a sweet and strong woman, she has suffered so much for her condition but she never surrendered, actually she put everything she had into her work as a dog trainer to help others and into her singing.

I'm glad Darren and Grace found each other because they were the missing pieces to make their lives full and whole again.

Starlight is a heartwarming read, I've shed some tears but the smile it put on my face at the end was really really bright.

I recommend to read this well written story but be aware of some triggering aspects of these characters' lives.