Starry Night

Starred review from September 2, 2013
Contemporary romance queen Macomber (Rose Harbor in Bloom) hits the sweet spot with this tender tale of impractical love. Newspaper reporter Carrie Slayton is sick of covering Chicago society events, so she hops on a plane to the Alaskan bush, determined to track down Finn Dalton, a bestselling author no one knows anything about. Finn hates reporters, guards his privacy, distrusts romance after a bad breakup, and resents his mother for leaving him and his father. Naturally, he refuses to engage in any personal conversation with Carrie when she arrives. But he can’t control his attraction to her and slips a few times during her stay, showing his sensitive side. By the time Carrie goes home, they are halfway in love, and they bridge the distance with e-mail and text messages. Carrie has to be extremely patient while Finn works through his issues, but their happy ending is a delicious Christmas miracle well worth waiting for.

July 15, 2013
Chicago society-page columnist Carrie Slayton wants to find and interview reclusive author Finn Dalton to prove her credibility as a real journalist; she doesn't expect to fall in love with him, jeopardizing both her heart and her career. Carrie Slayton yearns to write meatier stories, and her editor offers her a challenge: find and interview best-selling, reclusive author Finn Dalton, and she can have her pick of assignments. Determined, Carrie makes real progress, tracking down his birth certificate, then his mother, then the man himself. Basically drop-shipped by an Alaskan bush pilot to his cabin's doorstep, she is met by an angry author and an Arctic blizzard. Finn may be crotchety, but he's not inhumane, and he can hardly leave her outside in the snow. As the two get to know each other, they realize they may have more in common than either expected, and despite their icy beginnings, they warm up to each other. After two snowbound days, Carrie heads back to Chicago and her job, but neither Carrie nor Finn is ready to say goodbye, and the two begin a long-distance romance. Meanwhile, despite enough material to write a story, Carrie buries the piece, believing Finn's trust in her is more valuable than any article. The two are stuck on each other, but the people around them are more worried about their differences than their similarities, and they'll either have to figure out a way to be together or end it completely. Set in snowy Alaska, Chicago and Seattle during the Christmas season, Macomber fulfills fans' expectations with this romantic holiday confection. As with many Macomber books, the pace is relaxed, the story soft and fuzzy. Certain details miss the mark, and sometimes the story feels told more than shown, but the author will likely enthrall her usual audience with this quick, simple love story of two opposites attracting and struggling to make it work. Typical Macomber holiday romantic fare: short and sweet and as much a part of the season for some readers as cookies and candy canes.

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October 15, 2013

Seattle native Carrie Slayton, currently the society page columnist for a Chicago newspaper, yearns to write more serious stories. When she threatens to quit, her editor says she can choose any topic to write about if she manages to get an interview with Finn Dalton, a reclusive author who wrote a popular book about his life in the Alaskan wilderness. Some digging (and an appeal to Finn's mother) lands Carrie a flight to Finn's remote cabin, where a storm traps them together long enough for sparks to fly. When Finn asks her not to write about him, will Carrie risk her career for a life with Finn? VERDICT This is a sweet contemporary Christmas romance sans Macomber's usual angelic activity. The best-selling author's many fans will enjoy. [See Prepub Alert, 4/8/13.]

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