Nia Forrester's Reviews > Starlight

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.