Star Rising (2020)

About the Book

Book:  Star Rising

Series: Coastal Hearts #4

Author: Janet Ferguson

Genre: General Fiction/Contemporary

Release Date: January 4, 2020

Star Youngblood has always been a fighter-a necessity after her mother married a monster of a man. Now, she’s finally on the path to the stable life she’s always wanted. Her employer, Priscilla Kelly, is a sweet woman ravaged by rheumatoid arthritis, and Star will do anything to help her. Even if that means going toe to toe with Mrs. Kelly’s neglectful son.

After being betrayed on the mission field and devastated by the tragic death of his father, Paul Kelly gave up on God. He lives life on his own terms, biding his time as a corporate pilot until he can save enough money to begin his own flight school closer to home. His mother is all he has left, and he wants to be near her. He just didn’t expect her health to decline so quickly. When he discovers his mother has taken in a stray–a woman he’s not at all sure can be trusted–his protective instincts kick into high gear. Paul’s handled a lot of turbulence, but he’s never gone up against a force like Star.

As Paul and Star strive to protect his mother in their own ways, they soon find their hearts are at the greatest risk.

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My Thoughts

Janet Ferguson is quickly becoming one of my favorite storytellers. Star Rising is a seriously great book. I loved everything about this story. The dislike-at-first-sight trope is my favorite Romance trope, and Ferguson utilizes it perfectly in this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and found it not only highly engaging but extremely fast-paced as well. Pages were flying by. And, I found Ferguson’s themes timely and thoughtful. Overall, Star Rising is a homerun!

In Colossians 3:23 Paul tells us, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” If I’m truly honest, I struggle with this verse. Not the working part — I do that in spades. I think my job is trying to kill me with all the work they are putting on my plate. I struggle with the heartily part, and that often takes my focus off God. My work becomes burdensome and I feel trapped trying to please all of my bosses. Then bitterness and resentment infiltrate into my heart, and I find myself wanting to give up. I get mad at God because I don’t understand why He’s forcing me into a job that’s trying to kill me. In this sense, I really related to Paul, the hero of Star Rising.

Paul, at the start of this novel, is seriously jaded. He hit a really rough patch earlier in his life and he allowed that to turn him into a very angry and bitter man who has walked away from God. Over the course of the novel, with quite a few hilarious bumps along the way, Paul comes to realize that his work for God was never actually work for God. Paul was working at Christian things to please his earthly father and to heap honor and glory upon himself. Once Paul understands his erroneous ways, he is able to ask God for His forgiveness and is able to realign himself to God’s will. Paul learns how to work heartily for God, and I found this to be an excellent reminder for me. I need to check my motives. Why is work becoming a burden? Am I working for God heartily? Or am I working for myself and my bosses? Do I need their approval or God’s? All of these are excellent questions I need to remember to ponder from time to time so I don’t end up jaded like Paul was at the start of this fabulous story.

Star Rising is a stellar novel that I just cannot recommend enough. I am going to miss my time with these characters, but I very much look forward to all Janet Ferguson has in store for her readers in the future. If you are looking for an excellent Contemporary Christian novel check out Star Rising. You won’t be disappointed that you did.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the author. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.