Review: Of Sunlight and Stardust by Riley Hart and Christina Lee
SYNOPSIS:
After the death of his wife, Tanner Rowe takes a step toward making her dying wish come true and buys the house with the dilapidated barn she’d been inexplicably drawn to in the picturesque Upper Peninsula. But after a year, he still can’t get past his grief long enough to make the repairs he’d promised.
Recently out of prison, Cole Lachlan has little to his name. Homeless, broke, and without many options as a felon, Cole heads to Red Bluff with hopes of a second chance. There he meets Tanner, whose loneliness mirrors his own, and soon Cole is trading room and board for rebuilding the burned-out barn on Tanner’s property that hasn’t been touched in seventy years.
Turns out, the barn holds more secrets than either of them could have imagined. After unearthing a hidden journal from 1948, Cole and Tanner spend their evenings poring over the pages, reading about a young man pining after his best friend. The deeper they delve into this forbidden affair from the past, the more Cole and Tanner’s own relationship shifts—from acquaintances to friends…to undeniable attraction.
But as they begin to deal with the newness of falling in love in the wake of Tanner’s loss and Cole’s past, they also become more determined to unravel the mystery of the young lovers who’ve captured their hearts, the rumors about the fire, and what really happened that fateful night.
REVIEW:
My heart is so very heavy as I finish this novel. What a heartbreaking, tragically breathtaking story, one that so desperately needs to be told. A bittersweet narrative that takes you through two separate romances, and it’s a stark reminder that the world was such a different place 70-some years ago.
Cole and Tanner are two beautifully broken men. Tanner is still drowning in endless grief and solitude over the death of wife. In contrast, Cole is so lost and defeated by the hand life dealt him. Tanner’s despair and loneliness are a tangible and call to Cole’s own. Together these two find solace and friendship in each other. Along the way they heal from all their jagged wounds.
Over time that friendship morphs into something pure and honest. The romance flowed effortlessly even when shadowed in doubt and insecurities. The love they have is the steadfast current that carries the secondary story…which broke me.
As Cole and Tanner spend their evenings pouring over a hidden journal they found, you read about Tom falling in love with his best friend, Charlie. But this was set in 1940s America and the world was a lot less accepting of their relationship. Tom’s yearning for Charlie had my heart aching, I found myself absently rubbing my chest every time a journal passage was read, trying to alleviate some of the pain.
The story carries on and then Tanner and Cole quickly reach the end of the journal. I struggled to read the last 20% through the tears. Just a stark reminder to never take something as simple as love for granted, hug your people extra hard tonight.
LINKS:
