MY REVIEW:
FBI agent Raleigh Harmon’s unconventional approach to law enforcement always manages to get the job done but her superiors wish she’d try a little harder to play by their rules. Her life is a mess. Her mother has had a nervous breakdown and refuses to speak to her and her fiance is pressuring her to come back home. Can you say stressed? The FBI has given her one chance to redeem her career by going undercover at a race track. How hard could it be to find out who is behind the mysterious illness among the horses and who might be fixing the races? If only Jack Stephanson were not her FBI contact. Raleigh soon finds that the assignment may be more difficult and dangerous than she expected. Not only that but each lie she is forced to tell to keep her cover weighs heavy on her conscience because of her faith.
I loved the characters in this book. All of them are unique and so well described that I can almost see and hear them. The plot is well paced with lots of action, drama and suspense and laced with unexpected twists and surprises. Little bits of humor along the way enhanced an already good story. Not only was “The Stars Shine Bright” an excellent read, but I felt like I came away from it with some newly found knowledge about geology. Who knew that dirt or other geological material has provenance?!
I had mixed feelings about the men in Raleigh’s life. Although DeMott seemed to be a sweet guy who loved Raleigh, I felt like he would eventually stifle her with his expectations and need to control her. On the other hand, Jack irritated her most of the time but always seemed to be there for her and to encourage her to be herself. I know who I’m rooting for!
Although “The Stars Shine Bright” is part of a series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. I have not had the chance to read the entire series yet and had no problem keeping up with the story. It did make me want to find the time to catch up on the installments I have missed, They are actually sitting on my bookshelf waiting for that time. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to everyone who enjoys a good suspense. Be sure to look for it in your local bookstore or favorite online one.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
After the FBI suspends her for bending its rules, Special Agent Raleigh Harmon is looking for a chance to redeem her career and re-start her life.
Sent undercover to a thoroughbred horse track, Raleigh takes on a double life to find out who’s fixing the races. But when horses start dying and then her own life is threatened, Raleigh realizes something bigger—and more sinister—is ruining Emerald Meadows.
She’s never felt more alone.
Her one contact with the FBI is Special Agent Jack Stephanson, a guy who seems to jump from antagonistic to genuine friend depending on the time of day. And she can’t turn to her family for support. They’re off-limits while she’s undercover, and her mother isn’t speaking to her anyway, having been confined to a mental hospital following a psychotic breakdown. Adding insult to her isolation, Raleigh’s fiancé wants them to begin their life together—now—precisely when she’s been ordered not to be herself.
With just days left before the season ends, Raleigh races to stop the killing and find out who’s behind the track’s trouble, all the while trying to determine if Jack is friend or foe, and whether marrying her fiancé will make things better—or worse.
Raleigh is walking through the darkest night she’s faced, searching for a place where the stars shine bright. Find out more, read the press kit.
See what other bloggers are saying about “The Stars Shine Bright” HERE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sibella Giorello grew up in the mountains of Alaska admiring the beauty and nature that surrounded her. She majored in geology at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts hoping to learn more about the landscape she loved back home. From there Sibella followed a winding path, much like the motorcycle ride she took across the country, which led to her true love, journalism.
She found herself in Seattle writing for rock-n-roll magazine and earned a journalism degree from the University of Washington before heading south to the land of great stories.
In Virginia, Sibella became a features writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It was there she also met her husband and would hear Jesus whispering her name at a tent revival.
Sibella started writing about Raleigh Harmon as a way to keep her love of story-telling alive while staying at home with her young sons. As a journalist and author, her stories have won state and national awards, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize. The Stones Cry Out, the first Raleigh Harmon novel, won a Christy award for debut novel in 2008. Sibella now lives in Washington state with her husband and sons.
Visit Sibella Giorello online at www.sibellagiorello.com, Facebook or Twitter.
KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY:
Sibella is celebrating the release of the next book in her praiseworthy Raleigh Harmon series by giving away a Kindle Fire!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A brand new Kindle Fire
- The entire 5-book Raleigh Harmon series.
Hurry, the giveaway ends on 8/25/12. The winner will be announced on 8/27/12 on Sibella’s blog!
Just click one of the icons below to enter. Tell your friends about Sibella’s giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.