Review: Stand In Star
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 7, 2013
Rachael Johns' Stand In Star is a sweet contemporary romance between a naive anthropologist and a jaded celebrity photographer. Holly McCartney is unprepared for the media frenzy surrounding her arrival in Hollywood, but luckily for her, Daisy's close friend, Nate Devlin, rescues her and offers her a place to stay. Holly's trip proves to be a healing journey as she comes to terms with the betrayal that caused their long standing estrangement.Holly and Nate are beautifully developed characters that are both haunted by events from their past. Holly is fighting the insecurities caused by Daisy's betrayal and her feelings of being overshadowed by her beautiful and successful sister. Devlin's dysfunctional childhood is the driving force behind his success and the reason he keeps his emotions tightly in check.Nate is very protective of those he loves and this protectiveness is both his best and worst trait. His best because he will do anything for those he cares about. His worst because his fear of failing them causes him to keep an emotional distance. Nate's life is very compartmentalized and he steers clear of commitment.Nate and Holly clash right from their very first meeting. Holly is instantly attracted to Nate, but he makes no effort to hide his animosity towards her. Nate is attracted to Holly as well, but as Daisy's friend, he blames Holly for the estrangement between the two sisters. Both bring their preconceived ideas about the other to the relationship and it was such a delight watching them really get to know one another. Both characters allow painful events to distort their perception of the way they see themselves and I like how their viewpoints evolve along with their relationship.Stand In Star by Rachael Johns is a character driven novel that is full of emotion. Holly and Nate are quite appealing and their flaws and imperfections are realistic and easy to relate to. An absolutely delightful love story that fans of contemporary romance are sure to enjoy.I received a complimentary copy for review.