The
Bride Wore Starlight
Seven Brides for Seven
Cowboys #3
By: Lizbeth Selvig
Releasing
February 9. 2016
Avon Impulse
Once comfortable on stage in front
of thousands, Joely Crockett is now mortified at the thought of walking—or
rolling—down the aisle at her sisters’ wedding. Scarred and wheelchair-bound,
the former beauty queen has lost more than the ability to walk—she’s lost her
fire. But when one handsome, arrogant guest accuses her of milking her injuries
and ignites her ire, Joely finally starts to feel truly alive again, and soon
it’s impossible for her to resist her heart’s desire.
Alec Morrissey knows a little
something about loss. A famous rodeo cowboy before he was injured in Iraq, he’s
managed to create something of a normal life, even if it’s not the one he
always imagined. Encountering stunning but damaged Joely, he sees a kindred
spirit who can learn from his mistakes.
As these two healing souls begin to
fall in love under the Wyoming stars, they must discover if they are willing to
give in to the tragedies of life or fight for a future together.
It
been a while since I had read a Liz Selvig book and I had heard some good
things about this series, go I thought I would pick one up and why not begin
with The Bride Wore Starlight, her latest book.
So the
story is about Joely Crockett; Joely and her mother were involved in a nasty
car accident 9 months ago and those 9 months have been the toughest of her life
as not only is she battling to walk again, she is dealing with the emotions
from the crash, an unfaithful husband who doesn't even bother to turn up at the
hospital and now she has to face the pitting remarks at her two sisters double
wedding. But what she didn't expect is running into a man like Alec Morrissey,
a man who accused her of milking her injuries to get attention from everyone.
Alec
Morrissey knows how Joely feels more than anyone. Alec used to be a big rodeo
star, before going into the army with his cousin Buzz, but when his tour was
done, he not only lost his cousin and his family, but a part of himself
too. Add to that a friend from the past
is trying to get him back in the rodeo, which makes Alec dig his heels in more.
After an uneasy start Alec and Joely became a little more than friend, but
their pasts are holding them back, will they overcome these obstacles or will
they stay caught up in the past.
The
book is a part of a series and I will be honest, you really do need to read the
series, before getting into this book as there are a lot of references and
characters they really have very little explanation. Now while I found the
writing superb, I found that the plot had issues, some parts of the story
needed a little streamline and other parts needed to be expanded, I honestly
think that was the biggest issues I had with the book, I felt that the book was
on the cusp of greatness, but the bumpy ride the plot gives you was just a
little to bumpy to deal with. Now when it comes to the characters, I found
Alec's character very likable, I struggled with Joely's characters, her
character come across as so self-centered in the beginning, that when her real
personality came through later in the book, I struggled to like her.
But
please don't think that there are not great parts to the story, because there
really are. The lesson of overcoming adversity was great. I really loved Joely's
sister Mia and her Grandmother Sadie.
The character Heidi was hysterical, even though I am sure she was not
meant to be and I am sure I will never see a skunk and not think about this
book (for the right reasons) and when the first time Joely parallel parked
after her accident had me laughing like an idiot.
When
it came to rating this book I really struggled, as I felt it deserved a better
score that what I ended up giving it, but the plot issues were just a little
too much for me to overcome. The book has such an inspiring message that I
truly loved and I will be going back and reading the series from the beginning,
I give The Bride Wore Starlight 3 and 1/2 stars.
The contact with Alec’s strong, long-fingered hand
didn’t do anything to quell the annoyance dancing in her stomach. Or was it
attraction? Or just a very long time since a man had taken her hand?
He tugged gently and braced his feet so she could stand
and get her solid leg beneath her.
Her eyes came level with his tie. That put him at
roughly six feet, she thought inanely, although, in truth, no thoughts but inane ones filled her head. Up close
his eyes shone a dark, rich amber, and his full, upturned lips made him appear
prone to smiling. His hat looked so natural on him he might well have been born
with it on.
He held out his right elbow. “Just think of me as a
human hiking stick.”
He hadn’t said “cane.” He hadn’t said “crutch.” She
offered a tentative, grateful smile, took a deep breath, and nodded.
What could have been horribly awkward turned out to be
an easy partnership. Alec seemed to know instinctively how to step where she
needed him for support, and his arm offered a perfect grip that she could lean
into as firmly as she wanted. It took a dozen or so strides to get the
coordination right, but slowly she figured out how to step firmly with her
right leg and use Alec’s weight to help swing and step quickly with her left.
She’d walked like this with crutches, but this felt so quasi normal—she almost
enjoyed it.
Almost.
They came to the stairs, and she froze. A flat path was
easy. Going up stairs was awkward but doable. But going down threw her weight
forward, and she didn’t have the strength or balance to keep from pitching
headfirst down the flight.
“We’re doing great,” he said. “There are only six.”
“We’re doing
fine,” he’d said. She didn’t know this man from any random person, and yet he
knew how to speak as if they’d been doing this forever.
“I really should have a body on the other side, too,”
she admitted reluctantly. “I suck at stairs.”
“Here’s the deal.” He removed her hand from his elbow
and held it, then wrapped his right arm loosely around her waist. “It’s your
balance that’s got you spooked. You haven’t practiced with it, but your left
leg is strong enough. Trust yourself.
You know the drill: bad leg—”
“First,” she finished. “Yes. But it doesn’t hold my
weight.”
“Eventually it will, but for now we’ll step together,
and you lean into me when you’re using that leg.”
How did he know so effortlessly what to do? He’d
probably had plenty of bangs and bruises when he’d been on the rodeo
circuit—maybe this was second nature for him.
They navigated the stairs like they’d been doing it for
years. She’d never have made it on her own, and such an exercise had been
clunky at best with a physical therapist. When she stood at the bottom without
aid of a crutch or two side walkers, her satisfaction had to rival that of any
successful mountain climber’s.
“Wow,” she said, unable to keep the pleasure from her
voice.
“Why are you surprised? You’re a ranch girl; you’re
tough.”
Lizbeth Selvig lives in
Minnesota with her best friend (aka her husband), and a gray Arabian gelding.
After working as a newspaper journalist and magazine editor, and raising an
equine veterinarian daughter and a talented musician son, she won RWA’s
prestigious Golden Heart® Contest in 2010 with her contemporary romance The
Rancher and the Rock Star. In her spare time, she loves to hike, quilt, read,
horseback ride, and spend time with her new granddaughter. She also has
four-legged grandchildren—more than twenty—including a wallaby, two alpacas, a
donkey, a pig, a sugar glider, and many dogs, cats, and horses (pics of all
appear on her website www.lizbethselvig.com). She loves connecting with
readers—contact her any time!
Rafflecopter Giveaway
(a Digital Download copy of THE BRIDE WORE DENIM and THE BRIDE WORE RED BOOTS,
books 1 & 2 in the Seven Brides for Seven Cowboys Series.)
