Review: Fall In Love With Starlight: A Special Holiday, A Small Town, and An Amazing Soccer Player
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2013
My CommentsI fell in love with this story from the moment Dante walked into Caroline’s diner.  This tired and frustrated Italian cowboy is driving through when he notices the sign to the diner and decides he needs to take a break.  Little does he know how much his plans are about to change.  This handsome athlete sticks out in a small town where everyone knows everyone, but only one person recognizes him.  When Dante meets Caroline first, then Amanda, he knows he wants to stay in Starlight.  After his brief encounter with both ladies, he tries to leave but his car won’t start.  He immediately says a prayer asking God to give him a sign whether to make this a longer visit or carry on, he figures out pretty quickly what he should do.  Welcome to Starlight, Dante!  *even though this ebook is a sequel, it can be read as a standalone*Caroline and her husband, Ben, kindly give Dante a place to stay and take him in as one of their own.  They easily become my favorite characters in the story outside of Dante and Amanda!  They represent their small town AND Christ with hospitality and humor in this charming place.  I enjoyed reading about them and was glad for their leadership roles when needed.Amanda has just come back home after staying with her parents in Florida.  Meeting Dante is completely unexpected, but there’s an instant connection between them that I truly enjoyed.  I don’t believe in love at first sight, but I do believe in having a quick connection with someone that becomes deep, especially at Christmas time where there is a definite tangible presence of holiness and magic in the air.  Dante doesn’t just have that connection with Amanda, he has it with the ENTIRE town of Starlight.  Caroline comments that she has adopted Dante as one of her own already and it’s totally believable.Dante gets his car fixed, but all of a sudden Caroline and the rest of the town find necessary tasks for him to be completed that prolong his visit.  He goes from being rumored as a drifter to fixing Caroline’s roof, fixing toys for the toy drive, delivering Christmas trees and baskets, helping the town’s firefighters, and going on dates with Amanda.Since Dante desires anonymity about his career while in Starlight, he doesn’t reveal to anyone who he really is and only one person knows his real identity that agrees to keep quiet.  I wondered what would happen when Amanda found out.  However, Amanda is a truly special woman and her heart only desires to support Dante, be there for him, and she continuously asks God for the chance to help Dante heal of certain heartbreak he has.Caroline and Amanda are CONSTANTLY standing up for Dante whenever someone acts suspicious of him or asks questions that seem probing.  I adored these two for doing this and it enhanced the story to see such feistiness!  There is one scene where Dante and Amanda are at a high school dance and a few students act rude.  However, Dante is humble and able to laugh at himself.  He plays a great hero.  Amanda is also very close to her brother, Jake, and I loved their scenes together!Even though some parts of the story seem obvious, I really had no idea how it would conclude and every part of the plot is endearing as well as refreshing.  I totally recommend this ebook for readers looking for a sweet and romantic Christmas story.  It’s filled with small town charm, a sweet Italian cowboy who carries around fan letters out of appreciation and nostalgia, faith, the true meaning of Christmas, one special woman who steals the hearts of everyone around her and is dedicated to helping prepare a beautiful wedding for her brother, one misunderstanding that gets clarified, one person’s house burning down that becomes a chance to start over, and the chance for one special couple who are trying to figure out what their next move is as they seek God.  Even the snow is beautifully and comically described more than once!  I don’t live where it snows so this was a treat for me.  Go Team Starlight!I want to thank JoAnn for the review copy provided (thank you!!).  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions expressed are my own.