I’m delighted today to be joining the blog tour and sharing my review of A Sky Full of Stars, the first in a new series by Fay Keenan: published by Boldwood Books on 18th March, it’s now available as an ebook (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. Thank you, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading copy (provided via netgalley).
OK, so I might have missed Fay’s books set in Little Somerby, and the Willowbury series that followed – but I loved every single moment I spent in Roseford. My first visit there was at Christmas, with the second book in that lovely series, Winter Kisses at Roseford Café – a gorgeous festive read, the perfect village setting, the loveliest romance and so many wonderful characters who became friends (you’ll find my review here). Finding Love at Roseford Blooms was every bit as lovely – a moving and very believable romance (review here) – and thoroughly enjoyed Winter Wishes at Roseford Reloved too (you can read my review again here). The series ended with Coming Home to Roseford Villas – a beautiful second chance romance, but with more than a few obstacles before the hoped-for and really uplifting happy ending (you’ll find my review here). If it’s a series you missed, I can happily confirm that you could pick up any one of the books as a standalone – although I must say I’m always rather fond of catching up with recurring characters and finding out how their lives are going. But now we have a brand new series – and isn’t that always the perfect place to start?
Charlotte James prefers having her head in the stars to having her feet on the ground.
Moving around for her job as an astronomical archivist gives Charlotte plenty of opportunity to avoid putting down roots. When she accepts a post in the idyllic Somerset village of Lower Brambleton to archive an old observatory before its demolition, all that is on her mind is a chance to preserve the treasures of this remarkable place and another summer without having to settle down.
Tristan Ashcombe is managing the development of Observatory Field and as far as he’s concerned, the sooner the observatory is razed to the ground the better. The building holds complicated memories for him and his family, memories he’s ready to put behind him.
But as Charlotte’s work begins to unravel mysteries from a complex past, she realises that there’s more to Tristan and Lower Brambleton than first impressions would suggest. Will Charlotte discover more than she bargained for, will she manage to avoid losing her heart in the process or is her fate already written in the stars?
I don’t know how much you know about eclipsing binary stars and the way new astronomical discoveries are recorded and attributed – I certainly learned a lot as I read this book, but (worry not!) the author always keeps the science the right side of understandable. But it’s also simply fascinating – there’s something I always rather enjoy about a book that sends me into Google’s depths with a thirst to find out more. But this book, of course, has a romance at its heart – with mystery, drama, family complications aplenty – and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it.
Charlotte is an astronomical archivist (go on, you might like to google too…) attached to the University of North West Wessex’s Astronomy Department – but with summer on an empty campus ahead, and the need for some distraction from her recently broken heart, accepts a summer assignment to archive the records of a decommissioned and soon to be demolished observatory in the Somerset village of Lower Brambleton. Her accommodation is the annex of Lorelei’s house, where she’s made particularly welcome – along with her characterful dog Comet, always at her side.
Her first contact with Tristan is less than auspicious – he’s the project manager for the housing development that will be built on the cleared site, and there’s a major misunderstanding about her right to be present on the rundown and dangerous site. But it turns out he’s one of the good guys at heart – and also one of Lorelei’s twin grandchildren, glad of her presence as the elderly lady seems to becoming increasingly confused. Their friendship grows, becoming a real and convincing romance – but Charlotte’s discoveries at the observatory threaten that, along with her strong sense of right and wrong, stirring up the past. Tristan has a particularly tragic family history, something he’s never fully come to terms with, and he’d far prefer that the memories remained buried.
All the characters in this book are beautifully drawn and developed – not just Charlotte and Tristan, both of whom I entirely took to my heart, but the supporting cast of friends, family and community too. The mystery that Charlotte uncovers certainly keeps the pages turning – deeply intriguing – and leads to some scenes of particularly well written drama. The author, as always, has a fine emotional touch – there’s plenty of lightness and laughter, real warmth to all the relationships (and I particularly shared the couple’s enjoyment of a day out in nearby Bristol, and the perfect spot where they shared their first kiss), but with some darker edges to the story sensitively handled and more than a touch of heartbreak.
And I have to say I thought it was the perfect start to a new series – with a few characters introduced whose stories are crying out for books of their own. I’ll be looking forward to more visits to Lower Brambleton – and this first-in-series is one I’d very much recommend.
About the author
Fay Keenan was born in Surrey and raised in Hampshire, before finally settling in the West Country. When Fay is not chasing her children around or writing, she teaches English at a local secondary school. She lives with her husband of fourteen years, two daughters, a cat, two chickens and a Weimaraner called Bertie in a village in Somerset, which may or may not have provided the inspiration for Little Somerby.
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