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284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 6, 2014


I’m a pretty big Shakespeare geek, so whenever I find a retelling of the bard it goes directly to the top of my list. Crossing Stars was a beautiful retelling of Romeo and Juliet that anyone would enjoy. You don’t have to be a fan of the original to fall in love with the characters in Nicole William’s novel. They’ll capture your heart whether you’re a fan of Shakespeare or not.
Josette Costa’s father is the head of the Italian mafia in Chicago. As the only child of her father she is heavily guarded and rarely goes out into the city. Even when she does take trips she is always disguised. No one has seen her face since she was a very young girl. When her cousin Serena comes to visit, Serena decides she’s tired of Josette being locked up in a tower. Serena devises a plan for them to sneak out. Against her better judgment Josette follows her cousin to a nightclub on the other side of “The Line” and into enemy territory.
The nightclub, The Heat, is owned by the Irish mafia. If anyone were to know who Serena and Josette were they would be killed or worse. Terrified at first, Josette slowly begins to let loose. But when one of the Irish mafioso recognizes them as Italian, their night of fun quickly comes to an end. The girls put up a fight but are no match for the Irish men. Just as Josette is seconds away from being harmed a man named Rylan steps in and sends the others running. Rylan and Josette immediately recognize each other as rivals. But their family loyalties are put aside when their hearts interfere.
The electricity between Rylan and Josette is abrupt and intense. But just because you could feel the attraction in the air doesn’t mean they immediately striped their clothes off. In fact, the anticipation leading up to their first kiss is award worthy. If you’re looking for hot and sweaty sex you won’t find it here. But, if you want slow stolen glances and lines that make your pulse beat faster, this is the book for you.
Rylan is absolute perfection. His tenacity and perseverance made me swoon on more than one occasion. Oh lord, and the things that came out of his mouth. I want to just wrap up all his words and play them over and over again in my head. He has a serious talent for making my heart fall right at his feet, and Josette’s too for that matter.
This retelling was fantastic. Just the right amount of new blended beautifully with the old. There were lines that felt like they could have plucked right out of Shakespeare. The story flowed wonderfully and the pace was perfect. My only complaint would be that the ending was abrupt. I felt that the battle for love was so long and drawn out that the conclusion merited more than a few paragraphs. I’m crossing my fingers that Nicole Williams will add to this series.
**This book was gifted to me by the author via ATOMR Tours and Events in exchange of my honest opinion**
