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Counting Stars Trilogy #1
Counting Stars
Jane was hoping for a date - maybe even a boyfriend. What she wasn't expecting was Paul Bryant's completely original and sincere pick-up line: Hi. I'm Paul. I have terminal cancer. My wife was killed in a car accident, and I'm looking for a woman to raise my children.
388 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
22 people are currently reading
874 people want to read
About the author
Michele Paige Holmes
30 books418 followersMichele 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
December 11, 2013
For an LDS author, I'm giving it 5 stars. The story was interesting & kept me guessing as to what was going to happen. Of course, some things you guessed yourself, but there were choices along the way and often you weren't sure what was would happen. I stayed engrossed the whole time.
My only gripe is my frequent one with LDS stories...how everyone has to be a virgin. A 34 year old man, never married, not LDS or even religious, drinks alcohol (and gets drunk at times), good looking, done the college thing, was in at least one steady, committed relationship over the years, and is still a virgin? No way. I just flat out don't believe it would happen. Unless the sex drive is completey non-existent in both people. (See my review of One Last Gift by Sherry Ann Miller for more about why this is unbelievable.)
Can a main character just not be likeable if they had sex before they got married? Can a nice LDS virgin never be happy with a spouse that "has a past" from when they were not even a member of the church or taught by parents to wait for sex? The fact that everyone has to be a virgin in these books makes me wonder about LDS authors view of the Atonement of Jesus Christ (or maybe they are worried about the view of their reading audience?). Characters seem to be able to repent of extensive drug use, being drunk off their ass from alchohol, acting like a total jerk, etc., but apparently are not allowed to come back from being sexually active. The only LDS book I remember approaching this subject in any kind of a realistic manner was "Charly" by Jack Weyland and that was written almost 35 years ago! Maybe that is why Charly is the best selling LDS fiction of all time. (Perhaps LDS authors should look at that.)
So, LDS fiction lovers....prepare yourself for sexual purity all-around and settle back for a good story with Counting Stars.
My only gripe is my frequent one with LDS stories...how everyone has to be a virgin. A 34 year old man, never married, not LDS or even religious, drinks alcohol (and gets drunk at times), good looking, done the college thing, was in at least one steady, committed relationship over the years, and is still a virgin? No way. I just flat out don't believe it would happen. Unless the sex drive is completey non-existent in both people. (See my review of One Last Gift by Sherry Ann Miller for more about why this is unbelievable.)
Can a main character just not be likeable if they had sex before they got married? Can a nice LDS virgin never be happy with a spouse that "has a past" from when they were not even a member of the church or taught by parents to wait for sex? The fact that everyone has to be a virgin in these books makes me wonder about LDS authors view of the Atonement of Jesus Christ (or maybe they are worried about the view of their reading audience?). Characters seem to be able to repent of extensive drug use, being drunk off their ass from alchohol, acting like a total jerk, etc., but apparently are not allowed to come back from being sexually active. The only LDS book I remember approaching this subject in any kind of a realistic manner was "Charly" by Jack Weyland and that was written almost 35 years ago! Maybe that is why Charly is the best selling LDS fiction of all time. (Perhaps LDS authors should look at that.)
So, LDS fiction lovers....prepare yourself for sexual purity all-around and settle back for a good story with Counting Stars.
November 1, 2012
This is one of the best novels I have read. The characters are superbly developed and the plot is thoroughly engaging, such a fresh, unique story. It is so well written and real, and at the same time, it's hopeful and its message lingers on. I loved the relationship between Jane and Peter. Very well done!
October 7, 2008
This is not your average romance, and I loved it for that reason. Some really serious issues are a part of the book, but the author handled it with dignity.
December 21, 2009
I thought this book had some very strong qualities. I liked the characters very much. They were enough to keep me reading. I also was never sure quite how this tale would unfold. If not for that, though, I don't think I could have finished it. By the end I was having a hard time turning the pages. Melodrama isn't quite the right word. This book was all the jaw-dropping season finale moments of every season of every daytime soap opera since the beginning of television all rolled into one book--but with an LDS twist to put the finishing cheese-ball romantic fantasy touches on the end. I liked the concept very much, but everything was so over-the-top that it seemed to cheapen all the emotion for me and in the end when I should have been in tears I was kind of groaning. (Which, as much as I need fairy-tale endings is saying something.)
But, it was well written and entertaining enough. The characters were very likable and the situation was just so... bizarre that it made it unique. The author really understands families and marriage and the dynamic of the family in this story just brought me back to my youth so much and all those numerous chaotic family dinners.
I enjoyed reading a book that was written specifically for Latter Day Saints. It's the first I've read like that I I thought it was nice to read about her struggles with wanting an eternal family and how faith is important.
If you're an LDS woman who loves lots and lots (and LOTS) of drama, then I would highly recommend this book. It wasn't really my thing, but I can see the quality in it and give it the respect I feel it deserves.
But, it was well written and entertaining enough. The characters were very likable and the situation was just so... bizarre that it made it unique. The author really understands families and marriage and the dynamic of the family in this story just brought me back to my youth so much and all those numerous chaotic family dinners.
I enjoyed reading a book that was written specifically for Latter Day Saints. It's the first I've read like that I I thought it was nice to read about her struggles with wanting an eternal family and how faith is important.
If you're an LDS woman who loves lots and lots (and LOTS) of drama, then I would highly recommend this book. It wasn't really my thing, but I can see the quality in it and give it the respect I feel it deserves.
September 4, 2012
Michele is such a talented author. I was immediately drawn into this book. Very like able characters. Lots of heart and humor. I loved Jane's sister Caroline.
June 18, 2025
3.5 stars
I didn't have high hopes for this book after reading 12 pages, but after taking a break, I gave it a second chance and got sucked in. Very cheesy. Outdated (set in 2003/2004). Unexpected twists and turns.
I didn't have high hopes for this book after reading 12 pages, but after taking a break, I gave it a second chance and got sucked in. Very cheesy. Outdated (set in 2003/2004). Unexpected twists and turns.
May 23, 2025
Not for me 🤷🏼♀️
June 3, 2008
I knew going into this book that it would be difficult for me, as romance is really not my genre. I want to write, though, and have been told that I need to read, and read outside of my usual scope in order to be a better writer. This one had two things going for it up front - it won a Whitney Award and someone I knew recommended it to me.
The writing is excellent - it's very easy to read and doesn't pull you out of the story to puzzle at odd word choice. (Except once, where "we were" was contracted to "we're" but that's pretty minor.) I felt like Jane, the main character, was well-developed and grew over the course of the events. The male leads seemed well-done too, as they often exhibited traits that would make one want to bonk them on the head. =)
The only real detractor, in my experience, was the ending. I can't really say much here without giving anything away, but the emotional upheaval was a bit much. (I suppose you'll tell me - Welcome to Romance!) Also, I didn't understand why Jay was even in the book, until I saw that he will likely be the main character in the author's next book.
Overall, I would recommend this to any Romance reader, and maybe a few who aren't. =)
(Nitpick: Is it really possible Tara didn't recognize Pete at the showing?)
The writing is excellent - it's very easy to read and doesn't pull you out of the story to puzzle at odd word choice. (Except once, where "we were" was contracted to "we're" but that's pretty minor.) I felt like Jane, the main character, was well-developed and grew over the course of the events. The male leads seemed well-done too, as they often exhibited traits that would make one want to bonk them on the head. =)
The only real detractor, in my experience, was the ending. I can't really say much here without giving anything away, but the emotional upheaval was a bit much. (I suppose you'll tell me - Welcome to Romance!) Also, I didn't understand why Jay was even in the book, until I saw that he will likely be the main character in the author's next book.
Overall, I would recommend this to any Romance reader, and maybe a few who aren't. =)
(Nitpick: Is it really possible Tara didn't recognize Pete at the showing?)
November 10, 2009
I am a sucker for LDS Romance (the good ones...some aren't very well-written, in my opinion). This is as god as it gets. Yes, some of the introductory scenerios are a little dramatic and far-fetched, but sometimes that's exactly what I need. This had me laughing, crying (sobbing, for that matter), and I couldn't put it down. It was that time of the month, so I'm sure my raging hormones and tough week had something to do with my devouring this novel in one sitting. :)
December 31, 2018
I am a complete emotional wreck after this book, but the story was so captivating and well written that it was well worth the tears constantly being shed.
February 13, 2013
Loved this book! Great characters & story line.
August 7, 2019
Jane Warner wants to be a mother - enough that she's checking out the Seattle personal ads. She doesn't expect to answer one where Paul Bryant tells her he has terminal cancer, his wife died 7 weeks earlier and he has 2 preemie babies in the NICU he's trying to find a mother for before he dies. Jane falls for Mark, Madison & Paul and becomes their full-time caretaker. When Paul succumbs to the cancer, Jane discovers that instead of sole custody - she shares the twins with Paul's brother Peter, who's in Iraq.
When Peter returns, determined to get custody, he and Jane clash and then attract. Over the six months he's home, they fall in love, and Peter joins the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They're married just before he has to go back to Iraq. Just after leaving, Mark fails to make it through his 2nd heart surgery. The same day, Peter's helicopter is shot down and he's presumed dead. After 3 weeks of crawling through the desert he's found and they're reunited. Good story.
When Peter returns, determined to get custody, he and Jane clash and then attract. Over the six months he's home, they fall in love, and Peter joins the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They're married just before he has to go back to Iraq. Just after leaving, Mark fails to make it through his 2nd heart surgery. The same day, Peter's helicopter is shot down and he's presumed dead. After 3 weeks of crawling through the desert he's found and they're reunited. Good story.
April 9, 2020
Clean Christian romance set in 2003 ish.
Lots of emotional ups and downs in this one.
It was a bit like reading the plots of a dozen romance movies tossed into a blender and blended until smooth.
The ending was more poignant than happy.
Heavy on the mindset and ideals of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with some doctrinal and scriptural references that might take some deciphering for the unfamiliar.
It was a good book and it made me cry but I think it was a bit too much reality for me right now. With the quarantine and all I’m not in the right mood for this kind of book (which is so not the author’s fault) so I gave it the stars it should have, no pun intended, rather than the ones I was feeling.
Some violence, no sex, mild language, themes of losing loved ones including children, cancer, war, infants with serious health problems, dealing with grief, suicide, wartime infidelity.
Lots of emotional ups and downs in this one.
It was a bit like reading the plots of a dozen romance movies tossed into a blender and blended until smooth.
The ending was more poignant than happy.
Heavy on the mindset and ideals of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with some doctrinal and scriptural references that might take some deciphering for the unfamiliar.
It was a good book and it made me cry but I think it was a bit too much reality for me right now. With the quarantine and all I’m not in the right mood for this kind of book (which is so not the author’s fault) so I gave it the stars it should have, no pun intended, rather than the ones I was feeling.
Some violence, no sex, mild language, themes of losing loved ones including children, cancer, war, infants with serious health problems, dealing with grief, suicide, wartime infidelity.
July 18, 2019
Jane is alone and aching for a family of her own, and so at a weak moment, she answers a singles ad of a man who is looking for a "mother for his children." Unbeknownst to Jane, he literally means he is looking for a mother for his newborn twins - someone to raise them, since his wife is dead, and he has terminal cancer - and it sets Jane on a path that she never expected - one of joy, grief, and love. Mixed into the story is a small thread of religiousness, as Jane is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I really enjoyed the story. That said, strangely, I really enjoyed the beginning more than the end. I loved the first half, but the second half felt more contrived.
I really enjoyed the story. That said, strangely, I really enjoyed the beginning more than the end. I loved the first half, but the second half felt more contrived.
February 2, 2018
I can’t decide if i like this book or not... I’m going to go with 3 1/2 stars. All the reviews were 5(or close to 5 stars), so i think my expectations were too high. For me it was a lot of complicated drama and at times seemed unrealistic. But I think the character development was good and it did have me laughing and swooning in parts, and of course crying. Overall I enjoyed reading this book...i think. ;)
July 17, 2024
My favorite love story I’ve ever read. Being LDS and having married a single dad, this book feels like it was written just for me. I’ve read it twice and I LOVED it both times, but a part of me will always envy 16 year old me because I will never get to read it for the first time ever again. It’s hilarious, heart breaking, and inspiring. The characters have beautiful depth. I already ordered the second book in the series!
April 23, 2019
I LOVED THIS BOOK!! It gave me such feels, I could go from happy, cute romance to sobbing my eyes out. And I did... Peter and Janes story was different and cute! There were some moments I was really scared for what was going to happen, but overall it made me a very happy camper. The amount of important details that were included in the story really made me connect to the characters.
July 18, 2020
Pretty cheesy story line-not very realistic. She threw in an odd character (kept wondering what the heck they had to do with anything . . .) And then a plot twist that I wasn't a fan of. Seemed to take away from the story. A lot. I did more looking and it looks like the character was thrown in for an introduction to a spinoff novel. It wasn't a smooth job.
October 29, 2018
DNF. I just couldn't get into the story. There was just so much unnecessary details and scenes. Everything I did read, about 80% of it could have been taken out and the story would still remain intact.
September 12, 2019
3.5 stars. I enjoyed the story and the characters, but I don't like learning the backstory details in bits at a time. It feels too much like attempted trickery even if I guess correctly before it's revealed. :)
January 2, 2021
Oh my heart. This book just got me feeling every emotion for Jane. Maybe it’s the fact that I have boy-girl twins and could relate to her about the feeding, changing and basically exhaustion of having 2 babies at the same time. And I cried, several tissues were need, for Mark.
October 11, 2021
I enjoyed this one more than the first LDS-specific one I read. The plot carried forward more quickly and had expected and unexpected twists. Some of the characters were overly dramatic, but it was a nice escape, clean romance, despite some pretty sad and potentially PTSD triggering moments.
June 30, 2022
Read it for the first time a few years back, enjoyed it. This time around I dnf, it was so hard to keep going after Part 1. Very interesting book, I really liked the story line, I just wasn’t to much of a fan of Jane the second time around.
June 28, 2017
I really wanted to like this book but the first half was kinda weird. The second half is what redeemed it in my mind. I probably won't be finishing the series.
April 16, 2018
Interesting story - lots of cliches
January 23, 2019
What a great story of friendship and overcoming loss. This novel really touches the heart and it made me cry more than once.
July 17, 2019
Great book. Fast read but have the tissues ready.
April 17, 2020
Loved this book! I've read it twice now and it had me laughing then crying then laughing again both times. Definitely planning on reading it a third time soon!
March 11, 2021
This is a great book. Readers will be in for an emotional roller coaster though!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews