Book Review: Written in the Stars by Christina Coryell

Roundabout these parts, dirt roads don’t just get you from point A to point B. They intersect to create a maze of life often missed when outsiders drive through a sleepy town.

The number on the population sign might seem insignificant, but a few short steps from the beaten path, there’s more than meets the eye.

Look a little closer… That sleek out-of-town convertible is bringing former pageant queen Brooke Langdon back into town for the first time in a decade. She’s dragging nothing with her but the hyphen in her last name.

Gatlin Moore is running his tractor along the fence line, spending his days keeping up his parents’ farm instead of living out his dreams in Nashville.

The sheriff is pulling into Holly Christian’s driveway, preparing to tell her that her life’s about to crumble.

And Hunter Pearce, the guy everyone calls when they need something fixed? He’s racing to Holly’s place too, wondering if things are too broken to put back together.

Welcome to Hope Canyon. This is our backroads story.

SERIES: Backroads #1
GENRE: Clean Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: August 2017
PAGES: 396

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“I’ve been getting tired of writing stories in the stars.”

Crank up some Miranda Lambert or Carrie Underwood – maybe even a little Brad Paisley or Mo Pitney – and settle in for a small-town read with big appeal. From the gravel roads and swirling dust to the old dock and the symphony of crickets & cicadas, anyone who has ever lived and loved in a small town will find their place in this story.

While there are some yummy heroes with definite book boyfriend material in Written in the Stars (more on them in a moment, it’s really more about the ladies’ journey. Brooke (former Miss Texas, not Miss America thankyouverymuch) and Holly (a small town girl through and through) are both completely relatable as heroines, no matter your life experiences or background. If you’re like me, you’ll see a little bit of yourself in each woman. Sassy Holly may be my fave, but Brooke has a lot to teach me and I think we’d end up good friends in the long run. Both women are stronger than they give themselves credit for, and their temporary adventure is one of my fave aspects of the book. Made me smile and pulled on my heart.

Now… back to these gentlemen. Hunter of the ballcaps and repressed feelings. Gatlin of the ‘virile lumberjack’ look and the Nashville dreams. Both men are yummy in their own ways and will have you swooning in your boots. One scene in particular – involving one of the heroes and one of the heroines – needs a ‘please have fan handy’ warning…. so yeah just keep one in close proximity through the novel’s entirety 😉

Bottom Line: Written in the Stars by Christina Coryell is a love letter to small town America. It’s a story about friendship and love, about coming home and leaving home. But it’s also a gentle reminder to hold out for the person who ‘would go through the trenches’ for us, to remember that we’re ‘worth the wait’, but to also not believe the lies that tell us our worth is found in any person or identity. Instead, it’s found in the One who hung the stars, knows them each by name, and pursues us with an everlasting Love that gives us the courage to dream and the strength to hope. While these elements are subtle to be sure, they are still visible enough to stir the heart in the right direction. If you love a small town setting, vivid characters and compelling backstories, head down these backroads with Christina Coryell!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / Can’t wait for the next one!

KissingBook Level: 4 / Keep that fan handy for a certain scene!

USA Today bestselling author Christina Coryell was born and raised in southwest Missouri, where she lives with her husband and children. She had plenty of people tell her that her degree in English with an emphasis on Creative Writing would be useless. They were probably right. Added to her dual major in History, she became the least likely candidate for nearly every career on the planet, save being a writer. That suits her just fine.

Christina has written from the back hatch of an SUV, in a lawn chair while at soccer practice, in the front seat of her car, with kids climbing on her, and often with extremely loud noise in the background. At least half of her books have been written during baseball games.

She believes great fiction mirrors life, and great life contains a little humor, so it’s difficult not to sprinkle a little funny business throughout her work. Oh…and character is everything.

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 What about you? What’s one of your favorite things about small towns?