Books & Spoons Review for WHEN THE STARS COME OUT by Laura Trentham

30/1/2018

Cottonbloom. A beautiful, faraway place where a woman can escape her past—and find reason to stay forever. . .

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?

Willa and Jackson took my breath away, broke my heart a bit, and gave hope for the better days to come. This story literally left me gasping for a breath with the heart-wrenching realities of how tough life can truly be, how sometimes we just have to survive, and if we stick it out life can spur a surprise that can change our destinies.
Jackson Abbott is a hardworking man who is trying to get a grasp of life after his father past away and one of his brothers got in trouble. The last thing that could tip the boat he is desperately trying to balance would be Willa leaving them and moving on. I loved Jackson. His honesty, his dignity, his kindness, tenderness, and protectiveness towards Willa made me admire him even more. He is just what Willa needs, they are so perfectly balanced with each other with their characteristics, talents, and imperfections, reading about them was like watching harmony in motion.
Willa, oh my gosh, her spunk, her ability to survive, to take care of herself, to find the little things that made her smile and happy when life was kicking her to the curve again and again - I admire her immensely and wanted to hug her tight like she was my sister. Her skittish heart and untrusting mind had developed naturally after being on her own and on the road for so long. With the Abbott's she felt like she belonged, she fit in and was safe, she was truly an equal even though an employee. I loved her confidence in her skills with the cars, wished she learned to appreciate her other attributes as well.
The story took a little time to set the stage, I haven't read the book one in the series, yet when the tale starting rolling, I could not put the book down. When the issues with the Abbott family is added to the troubles Willa has faced, to the secrets that needed to be unraveled, it all created drama and turbulence that rocked the foundation of all of their lives. There are heartbreak and sadness, yet there's optimism, there's hope for the silver lining, there's a heartfelt wish for normalcy in a life that could be filled with love, acceptance, and feeling safe and secure.
An absolutely beautiful, touching story that woke my interest to the rest of the series, a desire to know more and keep living in the moment and find out how things will shape up to the Abbott clan.
~ Five Spoons

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.