Cottonbloom. A beautiful, faraway place where a woman can escape her past—and find reason to stay forever in Laura Trentham's When the Stars Come Out. .
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Willa Brown never planned to stay in Cottonbloom. She was on the way to somewhere else when she landed there and found work at the Abbot brothers’ garage. . .and a sense of comfort and safety that she had never known. The same holds true for Jackson Abbott himself. With one glance in her direction, he can make Willa’s heart melt. But what begins as an unrequited crush turns into something far more powerful than Willa could have ever imagined. . .
Jackson’s most meaningful relationship has always been with his car—and he’s not afraid to admit it. Still, he can’t help but become emotionally entangled with his new star mechanic Willa, who is definitely hiding some dark secrets of her own beneath the hood. Jackson desperately wants Willa to trust him, and to seek protection in his arms. But even as the two slowly surrender to their shared attraction, the danger lurking in Willa’s past remains a stubborn obstacle. Can she open up enough to give them both a chance at having real and lasting love?
Laura Trentham’s When the Stars Come Out is a heartwarming, friends to lovers romance which pairs hardworking Auto body shop owner Jackson Abbott with mechanic Willa Brown. The Abbott bothers storyline continues in book five of the author’s Cottonbloom series. The compelling storyline and the unique characters appealed to me and set this book apart from the others in the series.
Jackson Abbott is the quiet, dependable Abbott brother who oversees the repair and restoration work in the family owned business. A causal conversation with his twin brother Wyatt about Willa shifts Jackson’s attention away from the family’s finances towards the shy, mysterious woman whom he’d come to count on. Jackson’s life revolves around work and car racing until he takes a big step back and realizes that he cares for Willa. Loved his resolve to win Willa’s trust and his desire to protect her. The author’s decision to have Jackson step out of his comfort zone and take a leap of faith to pursue a relationship with Willa drew me into the story immediately.
Jackson is attracted to Willa even though he knows she has secrets. Willa’s story unravels bit by bit during the course of the novel. She accepts Jackson’s offer to bring the stray dog she’s been caring for to the vets. This act of kindness and Jackson’s racetrack crash bring the couple together. Can Willa trust Jackson with her secrets?
I enjoyed how the characters changed during the story. Jackson’s leadership role in the family business changed as he became more emotionally involved with Willa. The Abbotts wanted to find their brother Ford and needed to reach out to their estranged mother in order to find him. Ford’s gambling debts and his threat of selling his share of the family business negatively impacted the family. I admired how much Willa trusted Jackson when she chose to come clean about her past before they made love. Both characters had to believe in themselves and trust each other completely in order to find happiness. Loved that their romance took time to develop—their chemistry and desire for each other sizzled.
The resolution of Willa’s story is fabulous and is revealed in true Abbott brother’s style! The last few chapters of the book are well paced and there are several plot twists in this emotional story which is full of heartbreak, compassion and most of all forgiveness.
When The Stars Come Out has it all—relatable characters, a small town setting and a compelling love story!
Reviewed By Susan Gorman
ARC provided by St Martin’s Press
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An award-winning author, Laura Trentham was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee. Although, she loved English and reading in high school, she was convinced an English degree equated to starvation. She chose the next most logical major—Chemical Engineering—and worked in a hard hat and steel toed boots for several years.
She writes sexy, small town contemporaries and smoking hot Regency historicals. KISS ME THAT WAY, Cottonbloom Book 1, won the Stiletto Contest for Best Long Contemporary and finaled in the National Readers Choice Award. THEN HE KISSED ME, Cottonbloom Book 2, was named an Amazon Best Romance of 2016 and was a finalist
for the National Excellence for Romance Fiction. TILL I KISSED YOU, Cottonbloom Book 3, is a finalist in the Maggie contest. LEAVE THE NIGHT ON, the latest Cottonbloom book, was named an iBooks Best Book of the Month and a Recommended Read from NPR.
When not lost in a cozy Southern town or Regency England, she's shuttling kids to soccer, helping with homework, and avoiding the Mt. Everest-sized pile of laundry that is almost as big as the to-be-read pile of books on her nightstand.
Willa glanced down and back up at Jackson through her lashes. The gentle, flirtatious look hit him like a punch. This time his heart kicked like he might require someone to call 911. “Do I clean up good?”
He knew what she wanted to hear and later, in the dark solitude of his bed, he’d tell her and, even better, show her. But, for now, he tempered his response, hoping to get a rise out of her.
“Not bad.”
She stepped forward and punched his arm. It might have stung if she hadn’t tipped to the side as her fist made contact. Her eyes popped wide and a little huff escaped. With reaction times honed on the racetrack, he wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her flush with his body.
“You sure you know how to operate those shoes?” This time he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
“They don’t require a license. And I was doing fine until you showed up.”
Her admission made him feel slightly better. He wasn’t the only one who was off balance. Her body notched into his perfectly with the added inches the heels lent her. His focus dropped from her sparking eyes to her mouth. Maybe he’d kiss the gloss off them right now. His lips hovered an inch from hers. So close he could feel the ramp-up of her breathing. Or was that his breathing spinning out of control?
