Trust the Stars + Giveaway

Olivia Garza, a woman committed to making a difference in the world, thrives in her unconventional, service-oriented life. By day, she helps troubled teens in inner-city Little Rock. By night, she creates a viral docu-series in an attempt to better understand her mother’s desperate decisions by retracing her steps with a camera. So far, Olivia has always been the anonymous narrator, but she’s promised to reveal herself in the last stop on her documentary: Kenya.

Prince Louis, heir to the throne of the small European kingdom of Alloria, is in Kenya to run away from a broken heart—and the media circus that comes with it. When he meets Olivia, he recognizes her voice right away from the docu-series that has stirred his heart. Though they share a magical day on safari, any dreams of happily ever after come crashing down with the flash of the paparazzi cameras when Olivia realizes that he represents everything she most despises in the world.

In World War II Rome, another royal, however, has her own life-changing choices to make. Princess Alessandra Appiani could have chosen quiet safety within the walls of the Vatican, but instead she risks her life—and her family—to save the Jewish children so in need of someone to show them the love of God.

When Olivia is hired to help create a documentary about Alessandra, learning about the sacrifice of a royal who goes from palace to prison forces her to face the hardest questions of all: Should she continue on the path she’s carved for herself or trust God to give her the future she never thought she wanted?

My Review:

Me after finishing this book: languishing on my fainting couch in a gobsmacked swoon of astounded delight. I did not expect this story to be so…royal and deep and spellbinding! And the faith thread about trusting God and how easy/hard that is all rolled into one. Goyer touched my heart and made me think and stunned me with the richness of this not quite fairy tale.

Okay — first off — I’m not a huge Royal Romance fan. I’ve read some, but I don’t go out of my way to find them so I went into this read without the expectation of becoming over-the-moon thrilled with it. Ha! Shows me how rewarding it is to venture out of a my bibliophile comfort zone from time to time!

While this is a dual timeline novel, most of the focus is on the present day story, with the WWII snippets about a courageous princess providing an intriguing sub-plot that eventually merges with the current timeline. And it’s done beautifully. At first I wasn’t sure how the two would connect, but they do to goose-bumping satisfaction.

And the romance! Happy sigh! Heavenly! Louis is the epic storybook hero and his gentle pursuit of a very reluctant Olivia kept me in a fully twitterpated state all the way through! I feel like Goyer really captured the complexities of a royal longing to live a ‘normal’ life and the compromises necessary to satisfy both the prince and his country.

Plus there’s banter! Sigh. And humour. And soul-searching conversations. Even some tears. So much hope too though and when Olivia visits the prince’s country the story takes on a whole different vibe. Fantastically divine!

I listened to the audio edition of Trust the Stars and Zura Johnson gave a truly amazing performance. Multiple accents, male and female characters of various ages — she made each one unique and captivating.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

ebook copy available to anyone with a US Kindle account (.com)

Canadians will have a choice of receiving an Amazon.ca gift card towards the purchase of the book OR the option of an audible.ca edition.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Trust the Stars , leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday January 13 2024.

26 thoughts on “Trust the Stars + Giveaway”

  2. I’ve enjoyed many of Tricia Goyer’s novels. I didn’t know about this one. Thanks for once again for helping me find treasures! Thanks for putting my name in the hat.

    Nora Finding Hope yahoo

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  3. Please toss my name in the hat! I came close to ordering this when it 1st released & then decided to wait til more reviews came in on it. I still have this one in my email TBRs on my wishlist & a glowing review from the queen of reviewers sealed the deal. I must read this one! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

    dianalflowers at aol dot com

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  5. I was in the launch team for her most recent Big Sky Amish books and this sounds interesting I’m sure she’d appreciate your review.

    Thanks!
    Obertam at gmail dot com

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  7. It’s been a while since I’ve read one of Tricia Goyer’s books and this sounds wonderful, thanks for sharing it. And yes I’d take the e-book version too.

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  9. You have me at dual-timeline and that cover is beyond gorgeous! I’d read it alone for those two reasons. But then what seals it, is the faith thread! I absolutely love reading not only a spell binding story, but more importantly, one that leads me closer to God through the characters or plot or any other thing the author uses.

    This sounds like a must-read 😊💖

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. Reading a book with a faith thread like this one makes me realize how ‘light’ so many of CF is getting to be. I really appreciated the inspirational parts and they occurred naturally — no over the top preachy or forced. Really well done. Good luck, Trixi!

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  10. I’ve long admired Tricia Goyer as a person, but I’ve actually only read one of her books. However, as usual, your review has pulled me in and I actually think I might enjoy this story. My enchantment with royals began when I was in 5th grade and went to the movies to see Cinderella. What can I say? Thank you for the chance to win Trust the Stars.
    Blessings, Kay
    may_dayzee at yahoo dot com

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  13. Pingback: Conversations with Kav – Notable Read of the Year + Giveaway – Kav's Best Reads

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