REVIEW: Starry Night: A Christmas Novel by Debbie Macomber

In Starry Night: A Christmas Novel by Debbie Macomber, Carrie Slayton’s journalistic career has not gone exactly as planned thus far. Her job at the Chicago Sun-Times focuses on the society pages instead of the hard-hitting news stories she’s dreamed of writing. When the opportunity finally comes along to hunt down a reclusive best-selling author, Carrie jumps at the chance, forgoing holiday time with her family to get the story.

‘Every woman Finn had ever known had betrayed him, and she was determined not to be one of them.’

After a lot of research, Carrie finds Finn Dalton in the wilds of Alaska, but her arrival is definitely not welcome. Finn is downright hostile at times and makes it clear that he would like to preserve his privacy, so the article is a no go. Carrie eventually breaks the ice with the rugged man and also befriends his dog, Hennessey. When it’s time for her to leave Alaska, she has to decide if she should write the article that could change her career or follow Finn’s wishes and let it go. But she’s not sure she can let Finn go, having become more attached to him than she realized.

‘It was as if Carrie had indelibly stamped his heart with her own brand and he was marked for life.’

Finn Dalton never expected his book Alone to become such a huge success, or to have reporters using every resource to try to get an interview. Finn doesn’t consider himself a recluse…he just likes his privacy. With his faithful dog Hennessey by his side and the beautiful Alaskan land outside his front door, he wants for nothing. That is, until he meets reporter Carrie Slayton. Suddenly his simple rustic life is missing the spark that only she brings and Finn isn’t quite sure how he feels about that or what he should do.

“I fell in love with you that starry night.”

Starry Night is such a wonderful, sigh-worthy Christmas novel. Obviously, you can’t go wrong with any story by Debbie Macomber, but this one really captured my attention (and my heart).

As with everything I have read by Debbie, Starry Night was written with very passionate yet realistic prose. This is from both Carrie and Finn’s pov, switching back and forth seamlessly. I felt like I was able to connect with both characters, even if I didn’t like what they were saying or doing at the time. And it might just be me, but I found it so cute and endearing when Carrie had her “conversations” with Hennessey. That was one of the moments when she was able to finally get Finn to converse (somewhat) with her and poor Hennessey had to be the middleman – er, dog. Well, you’ll see what I mean!

For me, Carrie and Finn were just destined to be together, even if neither believed it would ever happen. They definitely had their differences. Carrie is admittedly a “girly girl” living in a big city, and she loves the amenities her life brings. Conversely, Finn lives as much off the land as he can and feels completely at home in the wilderness. However there is a connection and a spark between them that can not be denied. They both had past experiences where they were hurt by the opposite sex and I think that was a way for them to find common ground.

I highly recommend Starry Night. If you like romances about believing in true love and the hope that love can overcome any obstacle, you’ll enjoy this sweet story. And just to warn you…Carrie and Finn’s HEA gave me chills and had my eyes welling up with tears. Be prepared!

Book Info:

 HJ Recommends

Published October 8th 2013 by Ballantine Books

’Tis the season for romance, second chances, and Christmas cheer with this new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a challenge: She can cover any topic she wants, but only if she first scores the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author.

Living in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Finn has written a megabestselling memoir about surviving in the wild. But he stubbornly declines to speak to anyone in the press, and no one even knows exactly where he lives.

Digging deep into Finn’s past, Carrie develops a theory on his whereabouts. It is the holidays, but her career is at stake, so she forsakes her family celebrations and flies out to snowy Alaska. When she finally finds Finn, she discovers a man both more charismatic and more stubborn than she even expected. And soon she is torn between pursuing the story of a lifetime and following her heart.

Filled with all the comforts and joys of Christmastime, Starry Night is a delightful novel of finding happiness in the most surprising places.