My Lucky Stars

Counting Stars Trilogy #2

by Michele Paige Holmes

High-powered, highly pampered Tara Mollagen couldn't imagine a worse start to the holidays than boarding a crowded plane. A stolen wallet and lost suitcase later, she finds herself stranded in unfamiliar territory,Salt Lake City, after being rerouted to avoid a Colorado blizzard. With her temper running as wild as her red curls, Tara realizes her only option out of town is with Benjamin Whitmore, her reluctant knight in shining armor, er, overalls. For being a nice guy, Ben is rewarded with one aggravating situation after another with sassy, spoiled Tara. While doing his best to bring her pride down a notch, he begins to see another side to her, and a side of himself he's not overly fond of. When tension between them reaches a crescendo, he takes matters into his own hands and Tara into his arms. Unable to forget her experience with Ben, Tara returns to Seattle and long-time friend Jane, who offers possibilities Tara had never even considered. But change is difficult, and she's not so sure she has what it takes to make that leap of faith, or if she has the courage to leave her old life behind.

Genres: Romance, Lds Fiction, Lds, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit

314 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2012

About the author

Michele Paige Holmes is the author of eighteen published romance novels and five novellas in the Timeless Romance Anthologies.

She loves history and all things romantic, though the reality of her life is often less so, with piles of laundry to be folded, meals to be cooked, and dishes to be washed. She finds those things blessings too, or evidence of the blessings in her life—her husband, five, mostly grown children, and five charming grandchildren (four of whom reside in her home).

She is married to her high school sweetheart, a true Ironman who considers doing ultramarathons and triathlons fun. The only time Michele logs serious miles is at Disney theme parks, but she and her super-fit husband have been happily married for thirty-five years, in spite of her lack of coordination and lagging fitness levels.

While her husband is out running, biking, or swimming, Michele’s furry companion Sherlock Holmes—a Cavapoo strongly resembling a teddy bear—keeps her company and keeps her feet warm during the cold winter months in Utah.

In recent years Michele has enjoyed traveling to some of the locations she writes about. This summer she will be returning to Scotland to do research for upcoming Hearthfire Historical novels.

You can find Michele on the web at michelepaigeholmes.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute read...I liked it more then book 2 of the trilogy...and I actually haven't read book 1 yet. It definitely had a few hilarious parts in it that had me laughing out loud. I liked the messages portrayed throughout the story of forgiveness and of finding one-self and the purpose of life. It was interesting to watch Tara (the main character) do just that...and yet remain true to who she was as well. She wasn't my favorite character of all time, but I enjoyed her story and found myself cheering for her in the end. I really liked the hero...and found him more like-able then Tara. I haven't enjoyed this series as much I loved the book Captive Heart by this same author...but they are still fast, fun, clean romances...and I really enjoy the author's sense of humor.

LDS-Fiction/Clean Romance

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story. It is an LDS book and I haven't read one like this in a long time. Conversion stories usually are not my thing, you have to be a really good writer to convey a conversion to any church but the LDS church is so different and hard to describe. I love Holmes other books and so gave this a try and I'm so glad I did. It was so well built with a great timeline. I can't believe I just loved the heroine so much. Normally when an author writes about a rotten character I have a hard time coming around to liking them, but with her I liked her and hoped her life would go well even tho she was awful! I just wish we had more background on the hero and a little more of his POV but the book was mainly about her. I laughed and cried and just really enjoyed reading this one.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tara is quite a diva...and pretty unlikable. She's spoiled, mean, and does what she needs to do to get what she wants. When she gets stranded in Salt Lake City during a blizzard around Christmastime, Ben and his sister, Ellen, take pity on her and help her out. one thing leads to another and she realizes that her life needs to change.

I liked the journey that Tara takes in realizing her potential and in changing her ways. The middle part was pretty religious, but the messages were great.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart warming story of change of heart, trust, and love. Have a tissue handy.

[Dorry Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a start to a holiday thinks Tara Mollagen. Her wallet is stolen and her suitcase is lost. Along comes Ben Whitmore a nice guy that tries to help her. Tara has way too much pride and is spoiled. They clash, then part. Tara can't forget Ben tho. Lots of changes later.....

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like how the author developed the characters. I think it would be a challenging book to write especially to show Tara's transformation.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big fan of Michele Paige Holmes books! Love how she makes the characters so real and the story too! She takes your emotions on a wonderful roller coaster, but thankfully one with a very happy ending!

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super read. I am enjoying this series!

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice cozy read. kept my attention enough to entertain. Used this book for the prompt read a book with "luck" in the title. (hpootp 2025)

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

[Sheila (sheilasbookreviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Lucky Stars is the third installment in this series of Romantic books. It first started with Counting Stars,then continued with All the Stars in Heaven, and finishes up with My Lucky Stars. Let me say, Michele is so good at writing a believable romance. The characters are people just like you and me. Their problems are like those that many of us have. It also takes awhile for the characters to realize that they love each other.


Some spoilers may be found in the rest of the review...You are warned!





My Lucky Stars is the story of Tara, whom we first met in Counting Stars. She is worldly, spoiled, rude and overall NOT a nice person. Life has not been good to her and she doesn't have many close people in her life, including her parents. She is on her way to stay with friends for Christmas when her plane is detoured to Salt lake City, Utah. Stuck there with no luggage, no wallet and no friends, she meets Ben and his sister Ellen. They take her in to offer food and shelter. Tara complains, silently and out-loud, about all of her problems and how unhappy she is. You basically smile to see all of these bad things happening to such an unlovable character. At the beginning you wonder if you will ever learn to like this character, let alone tolerate her. Ben on the other hand, isn't much nicer to her than she has been to him. They give each other a hard time, amongst many several funny happenings. Ben and Ellen end up giving Tara a ride all the way to Colorado. Some of the funniest moments happen during this trip. After this the story shifts gears as Tara ends up leaving her fancy lifestyle in LA, and moves back to Seattle, Washington to help her bedridden, very pregnant friend. A transformation takes place during this part of the novel. Tara has a spiritual awakening where she starts to believe in God and Jesus and his life's ministry and words. Even though Tara goes through this spiritual awakening, I never felt like I was being preached to. Though she eventually joins the LDS church, anyone of a Christian faith will relate to Tara's experience of coming to know Christ. At the end, Tara is redeemed and I learned to like her a lot. After all, none of us are perfect and need a break.

Out of all of the books in this series, My Lucky Stars feels the most serious in spots, but it's also interwoven with the most lovable supporting characters of Jane, her daughter Maddie and Ben's sister Ellen and her children. To me, Michele's biggest writing strength is how well she writes her characters! Your emotions will be all over the place when you read this romance: you will laugh, you will sneer, you will cry and of course you will cheer. (If my 2nd graders were reading this, they would point out that I just rhymed, even though it wasn't on purpose. ;) I loved this series by Michele Paige Holmes, and know that readers of Christian Romances will also love it!

[Michelle Llewellyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars. I know. That's pretty harsh coming from the person who gave Counting Stars a top rating and gushed over Michele Paige Holmes having the potential to be the next Anita Stansfield. Unfortunately, this book only made me want to go back and read Counting Stars again because Jane's surprise appearance was the only redeeming quality of Tara's ho-hum-maybe-I-should-join-The Mormons-story.
This book is fifty chapters long. We meet Tara, Jane's worldly friend from Counting Stars and follow her from Seattle on a little adventure which involves meeting Mr. Right and a meandering plot in which Michele tries to keep you guessing how these two unlikely characters will ever end up together. Jane gets involved, and, like meeting an old friend, it was nice to see her again and find out what she's been up to. Then, it's back to Tara and her boring life now that she's had a makeover. Michele TRIES to hold the reader's interest with a few plot complications, but, she makes a major mistake in chapter 40 when the we learn who Deb really is. And this book was pretty much over for me after that. The last ten chapters could've been easily condensed into the epilogue. Nice try, Michele, but you dropped the torch that used be Anita Stansfield's.

[Lydia Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tara is such a spoiled girl in the begining, and Ben was still knice to her. Sure there are points when he was a little rude and snappy, but with an attidude like Taras she totally deserved it. I loved Bens correlation to calling her Tiara. It was really funny but spot on. When Tara finally took to learning the gospel, all thanks to Jane and Maddie. I loved how Holmes realated this book and her other book that was my favorite, Counting Stars. I loved how she got into the gospel becuase of what Ben ahd told her about the king that he was named after. I love the story of King Benjiman and so when Tara was haiving her spiritual moments during that was truly incredible. I think that when Tara went to Ohio to ask Ben to baptize her, he had a right to be suspious, I mean I would wonder to were that spoiled brat went. But then she proved her self and I loved watching her change and grow throughout the entire book. I loved the ending when Ben proposed. It was so sweet and perfect for Tara. Tiara totally desevred the princess tirara that was used for her engagment ring.😉💕

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh out loud book! The authors words create such vivid pictures that I'm there seeing the scenes from DI in person. It is a must read!
I loved this story of tara, a girl who should have the life everyone wants, but is missing what is necessary for happiness, the truth and family.
Ben a nice guy who seems to have bad luck when it comes to woman, follows a prompting to help a distressed woman at an airport and begins to set things in motion that will bring him the happiness that he so desires
Ben's example of goodness and saying things like they are helps open Tara's eyes to her unhappiness and lonlines in her own. She reaches out to an old LDS friend and is the answer to her friends prayer for help with being on bed rest while tending to a young daughter while her husband is away on military duty. Through service and some tough love Tara finds what she is looking for and then goes after Ben.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading (and loving) Captive Heart , I was excited to read another novel by Michele Paige Holmes.

My Lucky Stars is very different from Captive Heart. The writing is still very good, but this is contemporary and directed at an LDS audience.

Tara's character is very entertaining. Her airplane experience at the beginning drew me in, and I enjoyed following her on her journey.

Ben was sort of complicated, but his presence made the story for me. Tara and her transformation take up the bulk of the story, and when Ben wasn't around I felt a bit antsy.

After starting My Lucky Stars I learned that this is the third book in a series. Although it sounds like the books stand alone pretty well, I think I might have enjoyed the middle of the book a bit more if I'd been more familiar with some of the minor characters.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Power book about not only forgiveness of others but most importantly forgiveness of yourself. I really like how Holmes creates the characters as they would really be in life. Not everyone is a model image of don't judge, forgive right away, and don't hold grudges. She takes you through a very real journey with her main character and the fact that not everyone believes in the church right away. For some its just a little seed planted that needs time to grow and really become something bigger in the hearts of those who have them. This is a book I would buy for sure. It made me really tank about people who I interact with a lot in my life and ask myself the same thing one of her characters did, "Why didn't I share it sooner?" I like books that really make you think about your own life, but do it in a way of weaving truths throughout a fictional story.

[Book Geek Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed the loosely connected "Stars" books. Michele Holmes is a good writer and her books aren't sappy, kissy romances. And although this is a conversion story, it didn't read that way to me.

The characters are well-developed. I loved Tara and Ben. Wanted to knock their heads together more than once, but they were entirely believable to me. I had to laugh at the quirky minor characters, too. While a few were just side dressing (and some characters need to be) they were still clever and funny.

The core of this story is a woman's conversion from a self-absorbed woman of the world to someone who genuinely wants to be good and do good; her conversion to the Mormon faith was well done and believable. I was there with her.

Very good and highly recommended, particularly to LDS readers who want an uplifting story.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning and the ending were good. The stuff in the middle was very religious. The main character goes through a lot of change. While I can appreciate the conversion process and especially the time and energy it took the author to create this process for her character and make it believable (which I think she accomplished), it seemed so long in the book. I wasn't expecting that sort of in- depth religious struggle, I guess. The book took on such a serious overtone. I guess I was expecting a more light-hearted, easy read.

I did love Ben. He was the best part of this book for me. Overalls, pigs and all. :)

[Suzana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed My Lucky Stars. I liked almost as much as Counting Stars. I could relate to Tara in that I'm flawed too, not necessarily in the same way, but I could understand her feelings. She can be such a brat but Michele does such a great job of showing the reader Tara's potential.

Things I thought about as I read: No matter how many mistakes we have made in this life, Christ's atonement still applies to us. Good friends are very important, ones who love us in spite of ourselves and our mistakes. God puts people in our lives for very good reasons whether it is for our benefit or theirs, or maybe both.

[Camille Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book almost as much as Counting Stars. Tara seemed a bit different then she did in Counting Stars. I loved Ben, I would loved to have read more about him. In some of the other comments it has been said, why did they fall in love when they were always fighting? What I think is when they are with each other they both feel home and that comfort they both need. Weird I know, but I think it makes sense.

I did think it was a little unreal to have Jay and Sarah show up at the end, I am sure it was to tie up the trilogy in a nice little bow. But, I did love to see Jane and Peter again.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Agh! This book was horrible! Awful writing, awful characters, annoying conflicts, I could go on and on and on. There isn't one positive thing to say. I wanted a fun, clean, modern day romance and was horribly disappointed. Tara, the heroine, is so obnoxious and insincere that her love story and conversion to the church seem forced and unrealistic. Even Ben, the hero, is a huge jerk at times making me wonder what Tara (who's extremely obnoxious herself) sees in him. Michele Holmes focuses so much on their bickering that it's hard to see where in the story they fall in love.

[Alysia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book. The religious parts were a little less exciting, but I don't know how exciting that an author could really make it for a character to find religion. Peaceful, yes...touching, yes...uplifting, yes. Exciting, not as much. Tara totally annoyed me, which I'm sure was the plan, but I don't know how realistic it was to have her end up where she did with how little time there was. Maybe...then again, maybe not. But, I loved Benji. I did find myself thinking he deserved better than Tara though. Does that make me judgemental?...

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Michele Holmes. This book covers the character of Tara (from Counting Stars) and how she undergoes some life-changing events. At first, Tara is her usual self--demanding, selfish, and unhappy. As her character progresses, the reader will become attached to her and cheer for her triumphs.

Holmes's sweet and creative writing style will pull you into the book and wrap you up in her characters.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was interesting to me because I didn't really like the main character at first. She was totally obnoxious, but I did feel for her. I was also a little surprised that this book made me tear up a bit. Fun story line and interesting plot. It went a little beyond a typical romance type book for me because there was a lot of character development aside from the romance aspect.

There may have been a point of two in there that I needed to here as well (0=

[Becky Zabriskie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really did not like this book-I started skimming rather than really reading. The main character was so annoying-it was really hard to like her even after she "changed". The main characters fought so much and the author spent more time on that then she did glossing over the great days where they get along and fall in love. That made it hard to understand why they fell in love at all.

[Ranee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having loved 'Counting Stars', this book disappointed my expectations for the first half - the main character is not likable, where in 'Counting Stars' she was making some dumb choices but still had lots of redeemable qualities. Things between her & the guy were kind of thrown together & the guy's ex's sideline of taking advantage of him was a little far-fetched. A nice ending though :)

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK - my friends who read LDS romance/women's fiction (I'm looking at you Barb, Carol, Heather, Michelle): If you haven't tried Michele Paige Holmes, you should! This one is contemporary and the third in a series and they were all very good. She's also written a historical, which I recently bought but haven't read yet.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book! The quarreling between Tara and Ben is hilarious--it's inevitable the two are meant for each other. She is beautiful and he's handsome, but their back stories remind us that we all have life issues to deal with and none of us are perfect. Pigs--Persephone and Ham--steal the show!

[Kathleen Quinlan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was, by far, the worst of the three in terms of cheesiness. I did not buy the attraction/romance between Tara and Ben AT ALL, Tara annoyed me throughout the whole book, even after she'd had her change of heart and grew up. I honestly can't believe the same person that wrote Captive Heart wrote this as well...