To join forces against a common enemy, but is he truly?

Synopsis

Nestled deep in the countryside lies Starlight Croft – population small, gossip levels high, and secrets harder to hide than a cow in a phone box.

Jen Armstrong thought she had life more or less under control – marriage ticking along, teenagers on the right side of the law – until hubby Peter unexpectedly demises leaving Jen suddenly single, hugging a secret, and trying very hard not to fall apart in front of the entire village. 

Just when things couldn’t get messier a For Sale sign appears. The community centre – the only place big enough to host Pilates and the local psychic’s séance nights – goes up for sale.

Cue The Starlight Society: a mismatched crew of locals with hearts of gold, questionable strategies and Jen reluctantly roped in to assist. Their mission? Raise the cash to save the hall before a charming-but-infuriating property developer named Liam Lancaster possibly turns it into a boutique hotel with mood lighting and tufty towels.

Can they pull it off? Will the hall survive? Might a secret be unwittingly revealed? And can Jen resist throttling an enemy who has the most annoyingly twinkly eyes?

A feel-good romantic comedy where love, lies, and livestock collide.

My review

Starlight Croft can be best described as a small village, filled with great people, but also filled with local gossip where everyone knows everything about everyone. Or at least, that is what they think. Because nobody knows what secret Jen Armstrong is carrying around. From the outside it may seem she had a good marriage with Peter, and their teenage children are never causing her any distress. But when Peter suddenly dies, not only Jen now has to come to terms with an almost empty nest and being on her own, on top of that secret that looms over her head. And then Jen finds herself drawn into the village drama, as the community centre is going up for sale and the brand-new The Starlight Society is raising money to keep the centre out of the hands of a property developer wanting to turn the centre into a hotel. Despite the general dislike towards Liam Lancaster, Jen finds herself drawn towards him. Yet just being widowed and Liam being the enemy, and that secret of hers, it’s no way, right?

Right from the start of this book, it was clear that Jen is, well not exactly happy, but in a way relieved that Peter has passed. For us readers it is clear that it was a toxic relationship, but the details are initially unknown to us, and the depths of the toxicity too.

As my imagination is known for running wild, my thoughts went all the way. And as seeing how Jen is burdened with her secret, can you blame me for it? 😊

Despite my imagination, it is clear that Jen has been through a lot but that in fact, she is a kind, gentle woman. She is a caring mother, a genuine friend and just a woman that can finally feel free.

It is also obvious that Jen is well seen in Starlight Croft, that people care about her too, and that the community see more than Jen may think. And it speaks volumes that everyone want Jen involved with saving the centre. Now, it also needs to be said, that nobody truly has another choice, as there is force of nature to be reckoned with. 😊

It warmed my heart to see how the whole community is fighting against the common enemy, as they all care about the centre and they see how it is a big part of the community itself.

A common enemy, in the form of Liam Lancaster, that perhaps is immediately disliked by everyone, but not by me. Because yes, he might be the developer who wants to build a hotel. But I also kept in mind that it is just his job that he is doing. While it is a fight he has against the community, I could also see the real person that Liam is.

Now, of course there are several misunderstandings between Jen and Liam, and there are some fears that Jen understandably has. But the connection these two people have, is palpable from the pages. I was cheering for the pair of them!

It was also sweet reading how Jen is able to open to Liam, and how Liam is not judging for her choices. Because Liam is the first to know about the secret Jen has, and while it could have been easy to blame her, to make her even feel worse and make her feel guilty, he understands the position Jen was in, and what truly happened on that fateful night…

This story may be about a community fighting against a common enemy, to save the heart of their homes. This story may be about a blooming yet perhaps even ‘forbidden’ romance. But for me, it felt like this story is about courage. Courage to let love back in, courage about letting go of the guilt, courage of standing up to the real enemy and courage of doing the right thing, not only for you but for the people around you.

Debbie Viggiano made me laugh with this book, as there are for sure some ‘special’ inhabitants in Starlight Croft, but also how funny some misunderstandings were. It made me worry, because it made me realize once again that nobody truly knows what happens behind closed door in a family. But most important, it made me smile, because Karma is always you-know-what and somehow, someday, good people will receive what they deserve. And despite what has happened in the past, they will be able to look forward to a bright and happy future.