Star Rising by Janet W. Ferguson {A Book Review}

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own. 

Star Youngblood has always been a fighter–a necessity after her mother married a monster of a man. Now, she’s finally on the path to the stable life she’s always wanted. Her employer, Priscilla Kelly, is a sweet woman ravaged by rheumatoid arthritis, and Star will do anything to help her. Even if that means going toe to toe with Mrs. Kelly’s neglectful son.

After being betrayed on the mission field and devastated by the tragic death of his father, Paul Kelly gave up on God. He lives life on his own terms, biding his time as a corporate pilot until he can save enough money to begin his own flight school closer to home. His mother is all he has left, and he wants to be near her. He just didn’t expect her health to decline so quickly. When he discovers his mother has taken in a stray—a woman he’s not at all sure can be trusted—his protective instincts kick into high gear. Paul’s handled a lot of turbulence, but he’s never gone up against a force like Star.

As Paul and Star strive to protect his mother in their own ways, they soon find their own hearts are at the greatest risk.

 Janet W. Ferguson is a Grace Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served as a children’s minister and a church youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. She writes humorous inspirational fiction for people with real lives and real problems. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space.

Star Rising is the 4th book in Janet W. Ferguson's Coastal Hearts series, and the third that I had personally had a chance to read. While I believe these books can definitely be read as stand alone novels, I will definitely say I did so enjoy reading this book more, having had some more backstory and recognizing some familiar names and places.

The thing that I had loved most about the other books I'd read in this series is that they took on very real subjects with grace and truth... not sugarcoating the hard stuff. This book is no different--- touching on subjects like addiction and abuse.

In this story, we get to read Paul and Star's story. Those who have read The Art of Rivers will already know a bit of Star's background, and will love getting to know her even better in this book. Both characters have had their fair share of hurts in their lives, but their response to them is quite different--- Star finding peace in God's presence... and Paul turning away from God and letting bitterness take hold. Is it any wonder that they didn't exactly hit it off at the start? That type of beginning in a romance story is always fun to read... and this was no exception in that regard. I loved the banter between the two... and despite the rather weighty topics, there was actually a good deal of comedy throughout that I really enjoyed as well.

While the romance was absolutely fantastic, I must say the greatest love story in this book is the story of God's love. I loved the beautiful messages of redemption, grace and seeing how even when we turn our backs on God, He will not give up on His children and will pull us back to Him. Isn't that the greatest love?

The more I read from Janet W. Ferguson, the more I find myself wanting to read more and more. Whether you've followed this series from book one, or you've never read one of her previous books before, this is certainly one worth reading!