Starlight by Christine DePetrillo [Review]

Starlight (Speakeasy) by Christine DePetrillo
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: February 17, 2023

Speakeasy
Touchstone
Heartwood
Homecoming
Sideways
Wildflower
Firefly
Starlight - Paperback | Kindle
Stargazer
Safeguard

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
The Busy Bean
1. Sweetheart

In Vino Veritas
1. Wildfire

Moo U
1. Boyfriend

True North
1. Bittersweet

Vino and Veritas
1. Roommate

Christine DePetrillo
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

He doesn’t trust women. She only trusts dogs. Why can’t they keep their paws off each other?

Darren Reade builds stone walls in Vermont--and around his heart. Women don’t stick around, so it’s better to put up No Trespassing signs and focus on raising his adopted son. Darren is willing to do whatever it takes to help the boy cope with his mother’s death. But doing it alone is a challenge.

Grace Hollings indulges her love of old-school jazz by singing nights at the Speakeasy Taproom, and spends her days training service dogs, connecting small humans with smart pooches. Of course she’d planned to be married already, but a failed engagement has taught her that dogs make better company than men.

One evening, Grace and Darren don’t exchange names, but they do engage in a single night neither of them will forget. Is once all there is? Or can they train their hearts to trust what they’ve built under the starlight?

Thoughts on Starlight: It's time for sultry Grace to find her man. The waitress/singer has a gift for entertaining the Speakeasy folks AND for training service dogs to help kids. She also never expects the guy she spent a sizzling night with to show up at her training facility to do a little work on the place. To be fair, their paths likely would have crossed even if she didn't need his masonry skills given his son's anxiety issues.

Which is to say, it's almost like these two were meant to meet and make a connection.

As for Darren, he's an amazing dad who's trying his hardest to help his son deal with a very traumatic event. His night with Grace was beyond anything he was expecting and meeting up with her again only made the sparks between them grow. Watching his son blossom with Grace's help (and the pup's help!) is everything he wanted. So when things unravel (in the most terrible way), he has a really hard time dealing with it.

By the by, Grace's ex fiancé is TERRIBLE. Just the worst. Gross.

Big doggo energy, a kiddo who is working on finding his balance, a lady who can sing, and a man who's very good with his hands. Found family love! I'm in!