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Falling Stars #2
Starlight
Stars of the hit TV show, We the People, Sam Newman and Val Saunders have been burning up the small screen. Their chemistry is the topic of water cooler conversations everywhere. But their talent and success isn’t all that has people buzzing. Rumors of an off-screen love affair have begun to circulate.
But they’re just friends.
Good friends.
Friends that harbor feelings that neither are ready to acknowledge? Perhaps.
The lines between fantasy and reality have blurred…a bit…but no lines have been crossed. Not really. So let the rumors fly. Accusations are easy enough to deny, since they’re only friends.
Right?
But they’re just friends.
Good friends.
Friends that harbor feelings that neither are ready to acknowledge? Perhaps.
The lines between fantasy and reality have blurred…a bit…but no lines have been crossed. Not really. So let the rumors fly. Accusations are easy enough to deny, since they’re only friends.
Right?
392 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2016
5 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Xio Axelrod
27 books1,187 followersXio Axelrod is a USA Today bestselling author of different flavours of contemporary romance. She also writes what she likes to call strange, twisted tales. Xio grew up in the music industry and began recording at a young age. When she isn’t writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages (under a different, no-so-secret name). She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and several part-time cats.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 1, 2016
Four words: I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Doesn't matter that I'd read it back when Xio was still trying to decide if Falling Stars would be a series or one book. Reading it again, now with Starlight as its own novel, I fell in love with the characters all over again.
Xio really knows how to pull you into a story, and this continuation of Val and Sam's love story seriously hooks you. We pick up where Falling Stars left off, with Sam and Val finally seeing one another again after a summer of We the People being on hiatus. The chemistry between them is still smoking hot and--no matter how hard they try to deny it--everyone around them senses that there is more going on than simply a deep friendship. How long can they keep it platonic--even when they cannot seem to resist one another? Well, you have to read Starlight and find out yourself. I'm not giving anything away. :)
Sexy, romantic, and a total page-turner, I loved every moment of reading Starlight, and I think you will too. The characters are three-dimensional and there is a strong character arc. The plot moves quickly, but the pacing isn't break speed. And the ending? Very, very satisfying.
A five-star read--highly recommended!
Doesn't matter that I'd read it back when Xio was still trying to decide if Falling Stars would be a series or one book. Reading it again, now with Starlight as its own novel, I fell in love with the characters all over again.
Xio really knows how to pull you into a story, and this continuation of Val and Sam's love story seriously hooks you. We pick up where Falling Stars left off, with Sam and Val finally seeing one another again after a summer of We the People being on hiatus. The chemistry between them is still smoking hot and--no matter how hard they try to deny it--everyone around them senses that there is more going on than simply a deep friendship. How long can they keep it platonic--even when they cannot seem to resist one another? Well, you have to read Starlight and find out yourself. I'm not giving anything away. :)
Sexy, romantic, and a total page-turner, I loved every moment of reading Starlight, and I think you will too. The characters are three-dimensional and there is a strong character arc. The plot moves quickly, but the pacing isn't break speed. And the ending? Very, very satisfying.
A five-star read--highly recommended!
June 4, 2025
I'm sad the saga is over. This was such a good romance story lmao.
I will say that even though the drama was delicious, the way it was dragging on was driving me crazy. I can appreciate wanting to protect the person you love but the way Val and Sam repeatedly beat around the bush and made decisions for each other was too much for me. Moreso on Sam's part.
Karen (lol) was a nasty piece of work and I was happy when she got dragged for the filth she was in the end. I wish the takedown came earlier in the story though. Like the entire story was basically focused on Val & Sam having to avoid each other because she was insane. Like girl PACK IT UP.
I also wish we saw more of the actual tv show since that's how the whole thing began. We saw a little bit of acting, but I was looking forward to seeing their dynamic on the show like we did in book 1.
Either way, I ate this up and like I said I'm sad it's over. I'll probably re-read it to feel something at some point 😂
I will say that even though the drama was delicious, the way it was dragging on was driving me crazy. I can appreciate wanting to protect the person you love but the way Val and Sam repeatedly beat around the bush and made decisions for each other was too much for me. Moreso on Sam's part.
Karen (lol) was a nasty piece of work and I was happy when she got dragged for the filth she was in the end. I wish the takedown came earlier in the story though. Like the entire story was basically focused on Val & Sam having to avoid each other because she was insane. Like girl PACK IT UP.
I also wish we saw more of the actual tv show since that's how the whole thing began. We saw a little bit of acting, but I was looking forward to seeing their dynamic on the show like we did in book 1.
Either way, I ate this up and like I said I'm sad it's over. I'll probably re-read it to feel something at some point 😂
February 6, 2016
If 'Falling Stars' was the foreplay to a grand romance, 'Starlight' was definitely the climax. Sam and Val don't last too long in this second and final part to their story before they have to acknowledge and act on their considerable pull toward each other. And if what they hoped for was a quenching of that impulse, well, let's just say they fail miserably. Xio Axelrod delivered on the build-up and anticipation by writing incredibly steamy scenes of Sam and Val's consummation, and then did even better than that by still managing to maintain the mood of longing and threatened loss between them.
If I had to identify one thing (besides the unquestionably great writing) that stood out in this book for me, that would be it: the author's ability to keep the angst and ache going. In lots of romances, once the couple does the deed, your curiosity about them ends. Not so in this one -- Sam and Val keep the reader guessing for about as long as they keep each other guessing. You know, given the genre you're reading that they will more than likely get together, but you just don't quite know how.
The most significant drawback, for me at least (and this is purely a matter of personal taste) was that at points the crescendo of continuing crises lasted a little too long, and I started imagining myself as one of Val's friends, telling her to break it off with Sam and get on with her life. I also didn't need the added drama and evil plots being hatched because I thought the characters and their backstories, and the author's writing skill was plenty enough to keep me reading. But I understand from the author's foreword (in 'Falling Stars' I think) that this story was originally in serial format, which explains why the twists were necessary, since that often drives a reader's impulse to seek out the next installment.
But back to the good stuff: I especially LOVED the detail and obvious thought Xio Axelrod put into the complicated intertwining history among Sam, his wife and her sister. There was some fascinating and utterly believable human elements to their story, and the dynamics there could, by itself, make for a very interesting women's fiction novel about relationships between family members and lovers. The sister's character, though secondary, was one that had a lot of dimension to it. She could have been just filler, but she wasn't -- I could see and hear her in those scenes where she appeared.
But I will say this, if you like a lot of twists and turns, steamy sex depicted in an original and not at all hackneyed fashion, Xio Axelrod delivers. Again.
I will definitely be reading more of her work and look forward to whatever she puts out next.
If I had to identify one thing (besides the unquestionably great writing) that stood out in this book for me, that would be it: the author's ability to keep the angst and ache going. In lots of romances, once the couple does the deed, your curiosity about them ends. Not so in this one -- Sam and Val keep the reader guessing for about as long as they keep each other guessing. You know, given the genre you're reading that they will more than likely get together, but you just don't quite know how.
The most significant drawback, for me at least (and this is purely a matter of personal taste) was that at points the crescendo of continuing crises lasted a little too long, and I started imagining myself as one of Val's friends, telling her to break it off with Sam and get on with her life. I also didn't need the added drama and evil plots being hatched because I thought the characters and their backstories, and the author's writing skill was plenty enough to keep me reading. But I understand from the author's foreword (in 'Falling Stars' I think) that this story was originally in serial format, which explains why the twists were necessary, since that often drives a reader's impulse to seek out the next installment.
But back to the good stuff: I especially LOVED the detail and obvious thought Xio Axelrod put into the complicated intertwining history among Sam, his wife and her sister. There was some fascinating and utterly believable human elements to their story, and the dynamics there could, by itself, make for a very interesting women's fiction novel about relationships between family members and lovers. The sister's character, though secondary, was one that had a lot of dimension to it. She could have been just filler, but she wasn't -- I could see and hear her in those scenes where she appeared.
But I will say this, if you like a lot of twists and turns, steamy sex depicted in an original and not at all hackneyed fashion, Xio Axelrod delivers. Again.
I will definitely be reading more of her work and look forward to whatever she puts out next.
January 29, 2016
What an emotional roller coaster. This author writes body language so well (descriptive yet unobtrusive) that you literally fall into the story. My heart and breathing rate increased along with the characters, and my heart broke with them too. I yelled at the main characters (in my head) quite a few times during this book.
The characters are well-developed and just feel so real. I feel like I've known them for years. I loved powering my way through this book but, as is the case with any great book, was a sad when it was over.
5 solid stars for this honest, gritty, steamy romance that (happily) does not end in a cliffhanger.
The characters are well-developed and just feel so real. I feel like I've known them for years. I loved powering my way through this book but, as is the case with any great book, was a sad when it was over.
5 solid stars for this honest, gritty, steamy romance that (happily) does not end in a cliffhanger.
February 16, 2016
I read and enjoyed Falling Stars, and have been eagerly awaiting the second part of Sam and Val’s story. Well, if Falling Stars was the tasty appetizer, Stardust was an epic feast. And it was so good. Facing one road block after another on their journey to be together, these star-crossed lovers have a tough roadway to their “happy ever after,” with soul-crushing lows, amazing highs, and love scenes that sizzle off the page. 5 stars. (I’d give it more if I could.) An incredibly satisfying read.
February 17, 2019
So i kinda got whiplash between the back and forth of the two main characters, they spend most of the book avoiding each other then making up. That being said the conclusion was quite satisfying so still happy I read it.
March 4, 2016
Rather annoying in parts. The weakness of the hero grated on my nerves. The I've got to leave you to protect you became like nails on a chalkboard.
August 13, 2017
This book picks up right where Falling Stars ended. Val and Sam are not speaking and Sam's wife is still in the picture.
Sam decides to make a move while Karen is planning her own shenanigans. You want to feel one thing about Sam and Val's relationship even though you are feeling something else. You don't know whether to feel sorry for Val or scream at her than you realize it takes two for a relationship and there are many people on their side helping them move along.
This is an emotional roller coaster, and the perfect ending.
Sam decides to make a move while Karen is planning her own shenanigans. You want to feel one thing about Sam and Val's relationship even though you are feeling something else. You don't know whether to feel sorry for Val or scream at her than you realize it takes two for a relationship and there are many people on their side helping them move along.
This is an emotional roller coaster, and the perfect ending.
August 21, 2017
I loved the first book so much that this continuation didn't really live up to my expectations. The whole storyline with his wife didn't work for me. I felt there was enough conflict with out the additional crazy that this storyline generated. As a consequence of this storyline the hero was really rather passive for most of the book. I wanted to like this as much as I liked the first book but it ended up not being my cup of tea. I will still look up other books from this author but I won't be rushing to reread this book.
June 30, 2016
Didn't like
Although written well, the main characters were pitiful. We have an almost 40 year old man that is so weak that I can't understand why someone would be attracted to that. Looks are not everything. He loves Val so much that he doesn't have the self control to wait until he cleans up his own mess. And Val is alright being a side piece because...I don't know why.
Although written well, the main characters were pitiful. We have an almost 40 year old man that is so weak that I can't understand why someone would be attracted to that. Looks are not everything. He loves Val so much that he doesn't have the self control to wait until he cleans up his own mess. And Val is alright being a side piece because...I don't know why.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews