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Counting Stars Trilogy #3
All the Stars in Heaven
Ever since the woman he once adored told Jay Kendrich he was a chivalrous hero, he has tried to live up to the praise. But when things don't work out with Jane, moving on and dating other girls proves to be a chore. That is until he meets fellow Harvard student Sarah Morgan. Although Sarah is a freshman studying music and Jay is in his third year of law school, he discovers they have much in common. He has also discovered that getting to know the shy pianist is painful. The last thing Jay expected from his friendly advances was to be assaulted by a brawny stranger. It is abundantly clear that someone wants him to stay away from Sarah. If only he could. As long as she can remember, Sarah has lived under a watchful eye. While her father insists it's for her own protection, Sarah feels imprisoned. As she begins to believe that those she has trusted most don't have her best interest at heart, she is driven further from her respected father and closer to Jay. But their love will come at a high price as the pair edges closer toward to a truth that is darker than either of them could have imagined.
373 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 2009
8 people are currently reading
346 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 92 reviews
September 27, 2018
Finally finished! I think I only got through it because I hate to not finish a book. I didn’t like the storyline and really didn’t enjoy the characters. The whole book felt like torture to read and was way too long, drawn out and detailed. I’m surprised I liked her other book so much because this one is close to a 1 star for me. I only went up to 2 because there were a handful of redeeming qualities. This one will be doing right back to DI where I found it.
February 11, 2010
Exciting book that keeps you guessing to what will happen next. Jay was able to get clean from his meth problem, but he lost Jane. He never thought he would find someone else that drew him to them...then he heard Sarah Morgon playing the piano at a ballet practice at Harvard where he was a 3rd year law student. When he approached her, he was surprised to wake up later in his apartment with a black and blue face. He thought that was it, but other chance meetings happened and he is drawn to Sarah, but finds that her life with an overprotective father has limited her experience such as not riding public transportation ever, not riding a bike, not attending museums, or even owning a blowdrier. He finds it a priveledge to show her some of her firsts and in the process learns that her father isn't only controlling but mixed up in something illegal as both their lives are in danger first from a hit and run, then a fire, then bullets and false drug accusations. They have friends, Kirk and Christa and their boy(good police officer), and Archie and Trisha, friends that can be bought with fear for their safety. In the process of living life from the outside of her father's control, Sarah falls in love with Jay and as she learns that she can trust him, things get exciting and revealing. Her mother, who she was told died of an overdose was actually killed to keep her father(the police chief) in the drug dealers pocket. There is a happy ending as Sarah gets her wedding on the beach where she can see all the stars in heaven with all the possibilities of a bright future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2009
All the Stars in Heaven – Michele Paige Holmes
Michele Paige Holmes burst on to the LDS fiction scene like a meteor shower with the release of her first novel, “Counting Stars,” which won a Whitney Award at the 2008 gala. Now she dazzles us with another book that is equally as good. “All the Stars in Heaven” takes Jay, a character from the first novel, and shows us what happens to him afterward.
Jay’s had a rough life. The woman he loved chose to marry someone else, he’s grown up thinking that his mother’s death was his fault, and he spent quite a long time addicted to drugs. Now he’s clean and attending law school, determined to put his life together and become the man he wants to be.
Sarah was raised by a domineering father who controlled her every move. Now that she’s in college, he sends a bodyguard with her to classes and doesn’t allow her any freedom at all. Her only escape is through music. While playing the piano on campus one day, she meets Jay, who is drawn to her composition. She finds Jay intriguing and wants to learn more about him, but her bodyguard puts the kibosh on the relationship before it even has a chance to start.
Just what will Sarah’s father do to keep her safe, and why does he feel this paranoid need to protect her? Why is Jay so determined to rescue her from her past? These questions, and the answers to them, create a story that is riveting, unique, and powerful. I sense another Whitney …
Michele Paige Holmes burst on to the LDS fiction scene like a meteor shower with the release of her first novel, “Counting Stars,” which won a Whitney Award at the 2008 gala. Now she dazzles us with another book that is equally as good. “All the Stars in Heaven” takes Jay, a character from the first novel, and shows us what happens to him afterward.
Jay’s had a rough life. The woman he loved chose to marry someone else, he’s grown up thinking that his mother’s death was his fault, and he spent quite a long time addicted to drugs. Now he’s clean and attending law school, determined to put his life together and become the man he wants to be.
Sarah was raised by a domineering father who controlled her every move. Now that she’s in college, he sends a bodyguard with her to classes and doesn’t allow her any freedom at all. Her only escape is through music. While playing the piano on campus one day, she meets Jay, who is drawn to her composition. She finds Jay intriguing and wants to learn more about him, but her bodyguard puts the kibosh on the relationship before it even has a chance to start.
Just what will Sarah’s father do to keep her safe, and why does he feel this paranoid need to protect her? Why is Jay so determined to rescue her from her past? These questions, and the answers to them, create a story that is riveting, unique, and powerful. I sense another Whitney …
June 22, 2009
I really liked the first book in this series and was expecting a similar story line, but it is very different.
November 7, 2011
It was pretty good but slow. I wanted it to move along at a faster more exciting pace. I did like that the author was more realistic than a lot of authors who write LDS fiction.
April 10, 2020
This one was more of a suspenseful romance but still pretty clean.
This story had several pieces that just seemed really implausible. I couldn't quite buy into the female main character being an adult in college, especially at Harvard, and being so sheltered and clueless. The male main character was a little beyond believable as well, too much perfection mixed with too much past baggage. I don't know exactly what it was that didn't work for me. It seems silly to complain that the villains were too villainous and the good guys were too squeaky clean. It just sort of felt like an over-acted cop show with a bunch of twists and then a happy ending.
The writer did a great job with the setting, pace, dialogue, and flow but I just couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to fall into the story.
Violence, no sex, mild language, themes of addiction, domestic violence, drugs and overdose
This story had several pieces that just seemed really implausible. I couldn't quite buy into the female main character being an adult in college, especially at Harvard, and being so sheltered and clueless. The male main character was a little beyond believable as well, too much perfection mixed with too much past baggage. I don't know exactly what it was that didn't work for me. It seems silly to complain that the villains were too villainous and the good guys were too squeaky clean. It just sort of felt like an over-acted cop show with a bunch of twists and then a happy ending.
The writer did a great job with the setting, pace, dialogue, and flow but I just couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to fall into the story.
Violence, no sex, mild language, themes of addiction, domestic violence, drugs and overdose
January 11, 2018
Crime, Love and Second Chances
This story would make a very good movie. It has flawed humans and ruthless criminals. Two emotionally wounded souls find each other. The author has this love story evolve and the reader is rooting for them. I stumbled upon this book and I was pleasantly surprised.
This story would make a very good movie. It has flawed humans and ruthless criminals. Two emotionally wounded souls find each other. The author has this love story evolve and the reader is rooting for them. I stumbled upon this book and I was pleasantly surprised.
March 4, 2019
Nice, light read in the midst of heavy reading. It was alright--interesting story, but the crazy plot twists had me laughing and rolling my eyes. It ends up being a pretty fast-paced-suspense kind of read.
August 9, 2025
Suspenceful. It wasn't how i thought it was going to be, but I still enjoyed it. Although part of a series, It works find as a stand alone. I read this book for the prompt read a book about the breaking of a curse or a cycle (hpootp 2025)
August 18, 2018
I didn’t really like book two very much but I quite enjoyed this book and it’s plot.
July 23, 2022
It was good then got slow. Mom loved it.
August 26, 2022
Mystery / romance - nice clean read. Sweet love story for Jay and Sarah at Harvard.
This is the second in a series and just briefly mentions the first. Could be read as stand-alone.
This is the second in a series and just briefly mentions the first. Could be read as stand-alone.
December 23, 2024
Didn't like it. So much of it seemed unbelievable, and even after the explanation in the book as to why it went this way, it still didn't seem believable.
May 4, 2010
All the Stars in Heaven is the story of Jay, a 28-year-old law student, who has succeeded in putting his troubled past behind him. When he meets Sarah, a 24-year-old Harvard freshman (just suspend disbelief), he feels a magnetic pull towards her. The problem? Sarah's father, the chief of police in a neighboring suburb, whose overprotectiveness long ago crossed the line from a little weird to downright pathological. She's never watched tv, never been on a date, never seen a movie. What she has done is bought lots of drugs for her father's undercover task force, become a musical virtuoso, and lived in the literal shadow of her cousin Carl, who (creepily) lusts after her and follows her everywhere.
The book is equal parts somewhat schmoopy love story (although less so than others I've read) and nail-biting suspense. Here's where I get confused. The book is classified in the romance section. So far I've read two other romances, Illuminations of the Heart and Santa Maybe. You know how I felt about Illuminations of the Heart. Santa Maybe was a cute book, and a straightforward romance, but it wasn't nearly as complicated or compelling as All the Stars in Heaven. But what made it compelling was the suspense, not the romance. I was genuinely surprised by the ending, and kept reading because I wanted to. I've also read three of the books in the mystery/suspense category, and All the Stars in Heaven had an equivalent amount of romance and better suspense than two of the books in that category: Methods of Madness and Lockdown. So what's a voter to do? Do we vote for All the Stars in Heaven because it's a better book overall, even if what makes it better is outside of the category in which it was nominated? I still have two more books to read in the category, so maybe it's a moot point.
The book is equal parts somewhat schmoopy love story (although less so than others I've read) and nail-biting suspense. Here's where I get confused. The book is classified in the romance section. So far I've read two other romances, Illuminations of the Heart and Santa Maybe. You know how I felt about Illuminations of the Heart. Santa Maybe was a cute book, and a straightforward romance, but it wasn't nearly as complicated or compelling as All the Stars in Heaven. But what made it compelling was the suspense, not the romance. I was genuinely surprised by the ending, and kept reading because I wanted to. I've also read three of the books in the mystery/suspense category, and All the Stars in Heaven had an equivalent amount of romance and better suspense than two of the books in that category: Methods of Madness and Lockdown. So what's a voter to do? Do we vote for All the Stars in Heaven because it's a better book overall, even if what makes it better is outside of the category in which it was nominated? I still have two more books to read in the category, so maybe it's a moot point.
July 13, 2010
The word that best describes this book for me -- Meh. I hadn't read the other "Star" book by the author and it wasn't really necessary. In fact, I don't have much of a desire to read it since I think this book was pretty blase. I felt the characters were unrelatable and unreal. Sarah (the main female character) is seriously repressed by her father and hasn't been allowed to experience a lot of regular every day things. One of those being something that struck me as annoyingly strange and over the top -- never eating on anything other than paper plates or with anything other than paper cups and plastic silverware. I know... what??? She mentions at one point that the meal she was eating is the first time she's eaten on actual dishes. Hmm...
I liked the general idea of the book and the plot. It just was a little slow with the characters and their interactions being somewhat unbelievable many times. I'd rate it a nearly 3 stars.
I liked the general idea of the book and the plot. It just was a little slow with the characters and their interactions being somewhat unbelievable many times. I'd rate it a nearly 3 stars.
July 2, 2009
I loved the first book in this series, and was delighted to find out that there was to be another in the series.
Jay was obnoxious and yet lovable in the first novel, and is even more likeable in this book. We get to learn even more about him. Sarah is an incredible character. It’s easy to write about characters changing and becoming better people, but it's another thing altogether to make it believable. Sarah is such a real character, easy to relate to. You follow her through everything she endures, and cheer for her every time she takes a step closer to becoming a better, more confident person.
Overall a very exciting read. With just the right amount of mystery, suspense, romance and humor, "All the Stars in Heaven" is a must read.
Jay was obnoxious and yet lovable in the first novel, and is even more likeable in this book. We get to learn even more about him. Sarah is an incredible character. It’s easy to write about characters changing and becoming better people, but it's another thing altogether to make it believable. Sarah is such a real character, easy to relate to. You follow her through everything she endures, and cheer for her every time she takes a step closer to becoming a better, more confident person.
Overall a very exciting read. With just the right amount of mystery, suspense, romance and humor, "All the Stars in Heaven" is a must read.
August 18, 2009
Good romance, action novel. A little hard to swallow at times but it is fiction and anything CAN happen. A character from her first book, Counting Stars, is the main character in this and sometimes it goes back to the old book in memory (more often than needed since the old book really isn't a big factor in this story). Jay meets Sarah. He is a Harvard law student and recovering addict. She, at 23, is finally attending classes in music because her father has smothered her in the name of protecting her. Does she really need that protection? Does Jay stay clean? Do they fall in love? Is it a romance, action novel?! I enjoyed it.
June 3, 2013
Ever since the woman he once adored told Jay Kendrich he was a chivalrous hero, he has tried to live up to the praise. But when things don't work out with Jane, moving on and dating other girls proves to be a chore. That is until he meets fellow Harvard student Sarah Morgan. Although Sarah is a freshman studying music and Jay is in his third year of law school, he discovers they have much in common. He has also discovered that getting to know the shy pianist is painful.
I thought this started out quite slow and a bit over the top but I persevered and soon it was humming along quite quickly into many twists and turns.
I thought this started out quite slow and a bit over the top but I persevered and soon it was humming along quite quickly into many twists and turns.
August 31, 2009
Really Really like this book. It was so so good! the characters were engaging and downright likeable. It is so fun to read a book that has a real "growth" factor with the character. I liked Sarah anyway. but she didn't "suddenly" blossom into this strong woman. It took her a while to become that person. Loved how Michele did that! Jay scared me a little in "counting stars", but was very strong and charasimatic in this book, where you forgive him his past and hope that sarah will too. Excellent book. Well-written- FANTASTIC SUSPENSE!
July 7, 2009
Whitney Award Winning author Michele Paige Holmes' newest novel All the Stars in Heaven is a fantastic read. As a companion novel to Counting Stars, this new book tells the story of Jay as he turns his life around and goes to Harvard law school. There he meets a talented musician, Sarah, the trouble is that her father and her cousin will do anything to keep a man out of her life. Literally. In this book, romance blends with a fast-paced suspense plot. I also loved the details surrounding the campus and life in this historic town. You will love the characters--the perfect summer read!
May 21, 2011
I liked it, but thought it was very unrealistic. I know that dads (and/or moms) can be rpetty protective, but he goes way beyond bizarre. How he treats her made me cringe, a lot! As a mom, I can't even begin to imagine treating my kids that way. The things she was deprived of, huh? I don't think so. I don't see what dishes have to do with anything. And how could that dad (being a man) not see how incredibly creepy Carl looked at this daughter. YIKES! At one point I turned to my husband and read one of Jay's lines and said, "No way would a guy say that!" I could be wrong though!
September 16, 2009
I liked it, but not as much as Counting Stars. The story was still entertaining, but I felt like the end was a bit rushed and everything worked out a little too perfectly in some instances during the story. Also, this being a sequel, I was still greatly attached to the main characters in the first novel which made it a little harder to bond to these new characters. I think I could have read the first book without having to read the sequel.
April 14, 2010
I forgot to review this after I read it...really enjoyed it. It surprised me that it was a mystery after reading Michele's first book. Way to go Michele in tackling the challenge of pulling together all the clues that a mystery involves! I thought Michele's detail in describing the Harvard area was superb. She did a good job creating an image for those who have never been there in person.
Looking forward to more books from Michele in the future!
Looking forward to more books from Michele in the future!
April 4, 2011
not as good as the first one. Pretty exciting and the action was overall pretty intriguing. The ending was weird. You get to the big climax, you hear a gun shot, and then... 4 months later. So that was strange.
Didn't like how Archer didn't get his comeuppance for planting drugs on his roommate... didn't sound like he even got in trouble.
Good love story et. all.
Not a waste of time, but not the BEST book, either.
Didn't like how Archer didn't get his comeuppance for planting drugs on his roommate... didn't sound like he even got in trouble.
Good love story et. all.
Not a waste of time, but not the BEST book, either.
August 11, 2016
This is an interesting book because it is presented as a romance but really reads like a thriller. I thought it was a fun read and I really enjoyed the story. The main characters were complex and the story was unique enough to be engaging without being completely unbelievable. I thought it was fun to read a Mormon version of the genre that was suspenseful and gritty without being explicit or violent.
June 24, 2009
Loved this! I was expecting something similar to her first book, but it wasn't. And how rare for an LDS book to have the main characters neither LDS nor converted by the end. I thought that was very realistic and refreshing. I felt a lot of sympathy for Sarah and her relationship with her father, and both Jay and Sarah dealing with the effect of drugs in their lives.
June 24, 2009
More like 3 3/4 stars.
A totally different kind of story than it's predecessor companion novel, COUNTING STARS, but still a fun read. I have a hard time when "sequel" stories are about different characters than I already fell in love with, so any book that does that is going to have a major obstacle to overcome. This one did okay in that department.
A totally different kind of story than it's predecessor companion novel, COUNTING STARS, but still a fun read. I have a hard time when "sequel" stories are about different characters than I already fell in love with, so any book that does that is going to have a major obstacle to overcome. This one did okay in that department.
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July 26, 2009I felt like this book was a liitle slow to start, but it picked up and I got into it. I liked all the chararcters but was a little weirded out by how quickley the main romantic relationship formed and where it ended up in the book, but I liked the characters themselves. I do have to say I like the first book the best so far.
October 5, 2009
I just read this book and really liked it. It's a fun romance/suspense. It's a fast easy weekend read. I guess there is another book she wrote before this one called Counting Stars, but I never felt like I was reading part 2 of a story. It has it's own story line. I would love to go back and read her previous book.
October 26, 2009
Pretty good storyline. It kept me entertained, but not in a "I can't put it down" kind of way. I liked the characters, but it was a little unrealistic in some areas, I'm still confused a little about her father's conections to everything. It was still a good book, but the author's first book was way better.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews