STARLIGHT BY CHRISTINE DEPETRILLO
Release Date: September 2, 2021
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs
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?
Starlight is the seventh book in the Speakeasy Taproom series. This is Christine DePetrillo's contribution to this multi-author series.
This standalone romance is extra sweet and amazingly moving. It starts off with a one night stand, but soon the two are reunited.
Darren and Grace spend time together as Darren needs a service dog for his son. Darren's son Kolton is wonderfully written, with a believable background and all of his issues illustrated with knowledge and care. He won over my heart from the start.
I love the dog aspect of this story. There's a history behind Grace's business and a lot of wonderful things have happened as a result of Grace's work. She is truly helping the world to be a better place.
It's beautiful seeing the way Kolton takes to his dog to be. I had tears in my eyes over this. Both happy and sad tears.
Both characters are so damn likeable. Darren uprooted his life instantly to care for Kolton. Meanwhile Grace spends her life helping people who need service dogs. Both are selfless and likeable.
And together, they work well. They not only have great sexual chemistry, but they balance one another well in life. They definitely help the other to be the person they want to be. It's perfect.
This is a story with lots of things to make you smile. There's puppies, sweet moments, and plenty of spark between the two. But there's also some moments that will leave you angry and depressed. Don't fret though, as the ending is absolutely heart warming.
I love Starlight. Everything about this Christine DePetrillo book had me riveted and charmed. This book is a fabulous addition to this small town Vermont series.
“So what will you do then?”
In the mirror, I caught Kolton’s confused scowl. How did one explain the purpose of a date to a ten-year-old boy? With all of his difficulties, Kolton hadn’t noticed girls yet. Not that I wanted to rush into that territory, but he was oblivious to them.
“I imagine we’ll talk, eat, and enjoy a nice evening together.” I rinsed off my razor and stowed it in the vanity drawer then splashed a few handfuls of water on my face.
“Will you kiss Grace?”
Okay. Maybe he wasn’t as oblivious as I’d thought. “Umm . . . I don’t know.” I didn’t want to lie to him, but I didn’t want to admit that kissing was at the top of my agenda either. I blushed a little thinking about what else was on that agenda.
“Grace is pretty and nice.” Kolton angled his head as he met my gaze in the mirror.
“She is.” I rubbed a towel over my face.
“So wouldn’t you want to kiss someone who is pretty and nice?”
Where is Mrs. Lilly? I needed a bedtime story intervention. Quickly.
“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” I said.
“Do you know how to kiss?”
I turned to face him now, my manhood in question. “Of course I know how to kiss.” I certainly knew how wonderful it was to kiss Grace.
