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Shenandoah Album #4
Touching Stars
Gayle Fortman has built a good life for herself and her three sons as an innkeeper in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. She has even maintained a cordial relationship with her ex, charismatic broadcast journalist Eric Fortman, covering with the boys for his absences and broken promises. Luckily Travis Allen, her closest neighbor, has been a loving surrogate father to the boys and her own best friend.
Then, on the eve of oldest son Jared's graduation, Eric returns, having nearly lost his life in Afghanistan. Worse, he has lost his way and his courage, and needs a place to recover. Gayle realizes this might be the last chance for her sons to establish a real bond with their father, and offers him a summer at the inn and a chance to put things right. Gayle and Eric are all too aware that their onetime love and attraction are still there. But can the pieces of their broken lives be mended, or are they better laid to rest?
Then, on the eve of oldest son Jared's graduation, Eric returns, having nearly lost his life in Afghanistan. Worse, he has lost his way and his courage, and needs a place to recover. Gayle realizes this might be the last chance for her sons to establish a real bond with their father, and offers him a summer at the inn and a chance to put things right. Gayle and Eric are all too aware that their onetime love and attraction are still there. But can the pieces of their broken lives be mended, or are they better laid to rest?
528 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2007
58 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
About the author
Emilie Richards
188 books945 followersI'm the author of seventy-something novels, including romance, women's fiction and mystery. When We Were Sisters debuted in June 2016, a stand alone novel about two foster sisters traveling back into their past together. I loved writing it and love the cover my publisher chose.
I'm also excited about my recent series, Goddesses Anonymous, which started with One Mountain Away and was followed by Somewhere Between Luck and Trust. The third book in the series, A River Too Wide, came out in July 2014. The Color of Light debuted in August 2015. Will there be more? We'll see.
I'm also putting up my newly edited romance backlist and love re-reading and updating them a bit.
Last year my husband and I moved from Virginia, to Osprey, Florida, the state where both of us were raised, met, and married. In the summer we live in Chautauqua, New York. I'm a quilter, knitter, kayaker, and the mother of four children, whom I regard as my greatest creative endeavors. And now there are four wonderful grandchildren to spoil.
Visit me at my web site, emilierichards.com, and my blog, www.emilierichards.com/blog. You can also find me at Twitter and on my Facebook reader page.
I'm also excited about my recent series, Goddesses Anonymous, which started with One Mountain Away and was followed by Somewhere Between Luck and Trust. The third book in the series, A River Too Wide, came out in July 2014. The Color of Light debuted in August 2015. Will there be more? We'll see.
I'm also putting up my newly edited romance backlist and love re-reading and updating them a bit.
Last year my husband and I moved from Virginia, to Osprey, Florida, the state where both of us were raised, met, and married. In the summer we live in Chautauqua, New York. I'm a quilter, knitter, kayaker, and the mother of four children, whom I regard as my greatest creative endeavors. And now there are four wonderful grandchildren to spoil.
Visit me at my web site, emilierichards.com, and my blog, www.emilierichards.com/blog. You can also find me at Twitter and on my Facebook reader page.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
March 28, 2010
I've been going back and forth on how to rate this book and i think i finally settle on something that satisfy me.
This story was very well written and the characters were all very likable. My problem with this story had more to do with the ending or perhaps how the relationship between the main characters developed in this book. From the blurb you're given the impression that this is about two people who have been divorced and are now back together to consider a reconciliation. While this still stands true throughout the book, it's not really the main story.
The story is really about how to people come to grips with the end of a marriage and how they deal with their children. See even though these two people were divorced for about 12 years, they never dealt with their divorced, they simply signed the papers and separated.Had i been told this from the very beginning i would have been ok with the ending but due to the misconception all i wanted to do was throw the book against the wall.
While i may have found the author recently i have read the previous 3 books in the series and although the books are not predominantly romances, they are still part of the story. Not to mention we actually get to know the characters that end up together in the end and in this case, the heroine's chosen is not a person we really got to know in the book other than in passing. It may seem more realistic by the way things ended but to me it made no sense. Why give me hope if that was not what was planned. I could have just skipped to the end and get it over with and be happy with that....perhaps that's where i made a mistake.
This story was very well written and the characters were all very likable. My problem with this story had more to do with the ending or perhaps how the relationship between the main characters developed in this book. From the blurb you're given the impression that this is about two people who have been divorced and are now back together to consider a reconciliation. While this still stands true throughout the book, it's not really the main story.
The story is really about how to people come to grips with the end of a marriage and how they deal with their children. See even though these two people were divorced for about 12 years, they never dealt with their divorced, they simply signed the papers and separated.Had i been told this from the very beginning i would have been ok with the ending but due to the misconception all i wanted to do was throw the book against the wall.
While i may have found the author recently i have read the previous 3 books in the series and although the books are not predominantly romances, they are still part of the story. Not to mention we actually get to know the characters that end up together in the end and in this case, the heroine's chosen is not a person we really got to know in the book other than in passing. It may seem more realistic by the way things ended but to me it made no sense. Why give me hope if that was not what was planned. I could have just skipped to the end and get it over with and be happy with that....perhaps that's where i made a mistake.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2010
I have just finished this and very much enjoyed it. Gives so much character detail and really delves into relationships. The relationship of Eric and Gayle - divorced. The relationhip of each of them with their three sons. This book would probably fit into the genre of women's fiction, Gayle eventually grows in herself as a woman by the time the book ends. Yet this is about Eric too. And then there is Travis. These books have hooked me in, I like women's fiction so long as its not too heavy!! I like the way she incorporates cameo sections of earlier times, this one set just at the end of the Civil War. Not being American it takes me a while to sort out sides!
And oh I want a quilt. Can't see myself ever being able to make one, but I want to buy one for my bed. Have a quilting colleague, now I wonder........
And oh I want a quilt. Can't see myself ever being able to make one, but I want to buy one for my bed. Have a quilting colleague, now I wonder........
July 16, 2008
Ex-husband Eric comes back to the inn for rehabilition. He tries to reconcile with his three sons. A few characters are from her previous shenandoah album books. I did not like this book as well as the earlier ones.
May 16, 2015
The summary left out quite a bit of info. I didn't really care for the historical part. I also felt let down by the ending.
August 17, 2012
Why is it that I remember the prior books in this series to have a religious angle to them? I kept waiting for that slant to appear and if it had, I completely missed it.
Gayle Fortman has been raising her sons alone for the last twelve or so years since her charming husband Eric chose his career as a broadcast journalist over being a father and husband. Now returned home after a near death experience in Afghanistan, Eric is trying to rebuild his life and a relationship with his boys.
When Gayle divorced Eric, she and her sons built a life in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, they run the Daughter of the Stars bed and breakfast inn, and with the help of Travis Allen, a neighbor down the road, the little family has built a very good life together.
Now that Eric has moved into the inn during his recovery, the family is a bit off balance. Being described as the most married divorced woman anyone has known, Gayle must revisit her feeling for Eric. Is Gayle ready to come to terms with her emotions and decide once and for all, what is best for her sons?
The boys have grown up without a father and they too must decide what bond they wish to have with a man that has been absent most of their lives. Not without squabbles and door slamming, this family finds their answers and goes into the direction that will suit each of them.
Played against a backdrop of a local historical play, Touching Stars entwines the past and present leaving the reader mesmerized with two different but completely related stories that easily entertains and fascinates.
As you are reading, do not assume that you know the outcome of either storyline. Ms Richards weaves a tale that encompasses both the people and history of the Shenandoah Valley. Characters from previous books appear and hopefully, characters from this book will reappear in the next.
Very much in the same tenor as Robin Carr, you will find Emilie Richards to be a gifted writer and dreamer.
Gayle Fortman has been raising her sons alone for the last twelve or so years since her charming husband Eric chose his career as a broadcast journalist over being a father and husband. Now returned home after a near death experience in Afghanistan, Eric is trying to rebuild his life and a relationship with his boys.
When Gayle divorced Eric, she and her sons built a life in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, they run the Daughter of the Stars bed and breakfast inn, and with the help of Travis Allen, a neighbor down the road, the little family has built a very good life together.
Now that Eric has moved into the inn during his recovery, the family is a bit off balance. Being described as the most married divorced woman anyone has known, Gayle must revisit her feeling for Eric. Is Gayle ready to come to terms with her emotions and decide once and for all, what is best for her sons?
The boys have grown up without a father and they too must decide what bond they wish to have with a man that has been absent most of their lives. Not without squabbles and door slamming, this family finds their answers and goes into the direction that will suit each of them.
Played against a backdrop of a local historical play, Touching Stars entwines the past and present leaving the reader mesmerized with two different but completely related stories that easily entertains and fascinates.
As you are reading, do not assume that you know the outcome of either storyline. Ms Richards weaves a tale that encompasses both the people and history of the Shenandoah Valley. Characters from previous books appear and hopefully, characters from this book will reappear in the next.
Very much in the same tenor as Robin Carr, you will find Emilie Richards to be a gifted writer and dreamer.
August 27, 2019
A well written, heartwarming story, that keeps you wanting to read more. Many other familiar characters from this series make appearances, but this story focuses on Gayle, her 3 teenage boys plus a semi-adopted 4th, her ex-husband, the handsome widower best friend that lives next door and the life of a family that lived across the street a century before them all. I'm usually a sci-fi or suspense book reader, but I have really enjoyed this series. The way it's written keeps you entertained and yearning to know what happens next.
December 1, 2017
A very interesting book about the Shenandoah Valley( Va) in current and Civil War days, a youth archaeology camp, a divorced couple, teenage boys, an alternative story of Lincoln's assassination, PSTD, and quilting. I enjoyed the people who were faced with extraordinary and every days problems and working on each finding their way through.Should be rate 3.5- seemed a bit long for the sotries- although well written.
July 4, 2017
Emilie Richards has done a great job of combining family drama, action, historical fiction and facts, human rights issues and romance all into the books of this series. So far the 3rd book was my favorite, but this 4th book was really good and makes me want to continue to read more books by this author.
February 28, 2018
This 4th installment of the Shenandoah series is okay. I did not love this book as much as I did the first one "Wedding Ring" and the third one "Lovers Knot". It started slow and gained some steam as it went along. It was obvious to me from the beginning how this book would end, however there is some good storytelling in between.
October 13, 2022
So, I loved the first few books of the series. This one was not doing it for me. I was convinced I knew exactly how it was going to end, less than 100 pages into a book with 521 pages. I continued on, and, of course, was so wrong. This did not only not end how I thought, it went places I never expected. Great series!
July 27, 2025
I thought I'd read all of Emilie Richards' books but somehow missed this one. I don't know if she is still writing, but this like all her books, is a feel good book. I hadn't read anything by her in quite awhile. This one affirmed why I always loved her books. I'll have to dig to see if there are anymore that I missed. Maybe reread some.
September 22, 2020
It was okay, nothing really special about it. But it was a decent read, haven't read many second chance romances where the couple been married before, and I liked that they had older kids. But I didn't like the historical twist.
November 9, 2020
Emilie Richards writes beautifully...rich word descriptions where you can actually "see" the story. This story revolves around an innkeeper in the Shenandoah Valley with 2 sons, separated from her husband. The sons have no real relationship with their dad. Mom tries to change that.....
October 17, 2022
While not my favorite in the Shenandoah series, I love how Richards combines quilts, history, geography and good characters in her books. It’s fun to have the overlap in characters in these four books.
June 7, 2024
The Wedding Ring, Endless Chain and Lovers Knot, I enjoyed much more than Touching Stars (although I love the title! The last book of this series "Sisters Choice" I plan to read too. Yes, I would recommend all of these books too💖
January 8, 2025
I thought Touching Stars was hopeful and kind. I liked how Gayle, Eric, Jared, Noah, and Dillon learned to be a family again. The family dynamics felt realistic. I liked how Gayle and Eric handled their relationship. I also liked the friendships.
November 8, 2017
This is the case of I love these books, can't wait to read them and will hate it when the series is finished
February 13, 2018
Sad when it was finished.
March 4, 2018
The back-story wasn't quite as good as in the previous books, hence the 4 star rating.
March 12, 2018
Long and tedious at points. Really enjoyed the historical story woven in.
July 9, 2018
This was a terrific read. I really really enjoyed turning the pages and discovering more about the amazing woman in this story, her family and friends. The historical aspect of the story was a definite plus as well. There were times I wished I was at the inn and enjoying the scenery, the quilts, eavesdropping on family conversations and taking it all in person. At the end of the story it certainly didn't turn out like I had thought and I was pleasantly surprised how it did turn out and it definitely left me wanting more. A very good, feel good, story. I will definitely be reading more from this author Emilie Richards.
April 25, 2021
Fabulous story! So many layers. A delight.
August 7, 2021
This book wasn't what I expected, but I dig the way it wrapped up.
January 9, 2022
Once again, Emilie Richards does it again! A fantastic heart warming story! I will stay, for me, this one took a little bit to get going but once it did it was amazing! The ending was fantastic.
February 26, 2022
very entertaining
April 25, 2022
Loved this series. Hope to read more.
June 28, 2022
The book was good, slow to grab my attention. About half way through I started to get into the story. I liked how she wove historical events into the story.
July 6, 2022
I have read this book before but forgot a lot of the details…glad I got to read it again. Excellent!!
June 23, 2023
This is my second try at a book by this author. Unfortunately I did not finish this one either. Too slow and predictable for my taste.
October 25, 2024
Just ok….
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews