I love returning to Cottonbloom and the Abbott brothers are feeding my addiction to this town and the characters that live in it.

Willa and Jackson have been working side by side at the Abbott family garage but they've both kept things friendly, professional and strictly platonic. I love the friends to lovers trope and Jackson and Willa were both sweet and likable characters.

I finished this with a smile on my face and all around feel good vibe. It was sweet, funny, flirty and laid back. There was some angst but it mild and helped move the plot along. I felt for Willa, the guilt and shame she carries over a mistake in her past when she was young, really messed with her. So much that she really believed she was an unforgivable human being. It took a lot to pull her out of that mind set but I loved that Jackson and her friends/family really helped her through it. Especially Jackson, who also has some family issues to deal with, but was strong enough to grab hold of her and have her back when she needed it.

Jackson and Willa are now up there with Nash and Tally as favorite books in this series :)

Favorite Lines:
* * * * * * * * * *
If they had sex, it would be on a bed of her lies.

The melodramatic turn of her thoughts brought her back to earth and injected some much needed humor, even if it was black.

What would a bed of lies be made of? Porcupine quills? Or maybe old diapers because she was full of you-know-what.
* * * * * * * * * *

He wanted Willa next to him, holding his hand and telling him without words she would back him up. Willa was stronger than any of them.
* * * * * * * * * *

Would I recommend? Yes, this whole series is awesome. If you want low angst, sweet small town romance with humor and a dash of heat, this is worth a read. All books can be read as a stand alone.

Willa tries hard to escape notice. She keeps herself hidden in thrift store clothes, bad hair cuts, a battered baseball cap...and mechanics overalls. Men don't notice a woman who keeps her head under the hood of a car, especially her boss Jackson, one of the hottest men in Cottonbloom.

Jackson has little time for anything but the garage he and his 3 brothers inherited from their father...and his car. The Abbot men stick together, especially after their mother disappeared years ago. He knows that business and pleasure don't mix. It takes the threat of Willa disappearing from his life for him to notice how empty life would be without her...and how utterly desirable she is.

The attraction between them is strong, but is it enough to overcome everything that is holding them apart?

I love Laura Trenthem's strong heroes and stronger heroines, and When the Stars Come Out is a great example of her well written contemporary romances. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and I am willingly giving this review.

The storyline was good and the characters were detailed which kept my interest throughout the entire book!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

Welcome to Cottonbloom where we meet the Abbott family. This story is about Willa, a beautiful girl with a troubled past who finds comfort in the Abbott family and their small town business. Willa isn’t your usual girl. She can go toe to toe with the Abbott brothers with her mechanic skills, but she is also harboring secrets. A secret in her past, but also her secret crush on Jackson Abbott. Does he even notice her as more than a mechanic? Is it only her stealing those sideways glances at him during the day? This story is the discovery of a new love, a second chance and a family that has to work through some serious issues.
It is the 5th book in the Cottonbloom series by Laura Trentham, but can easily be read as a standalone novel. This is the first book I have read, and I will be going back to read all the books in order. A beautiful read. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of the book to review.

I’ve just finished “When The Stars Come Out” by Laura Trentham. It’s the 5th book in the CottonBloom saga and it was good! It’s a contemporary series. I reviewed the 4th book on here a year or so ago.

I read this for the Popsugar Reading Challenge of “Book the involves a bookstore or library” because it briefly does feature a library.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this for you all.

2.75 Stars!

It follows the same characters as “Leave The Night On” , except we get insights into a different romance, this time. In “Leave The Night On”, we followed Wyatt and Sutton, but in this story we follow Wyatt’s twin brother, Jackson and an employee at their garage, Willa.

“When The Stars Come Out” includes some explicit sex scenes throughout the second half of the novel. I don’t think it would be suitable for anyone under 17 years of age.

Spoilers Below...

Willa has worked at the garage for a while before “When The Stars Come Out”. She was there in the previous novel. She lives in a trailer so she’s not had the best life. Attraction starts to build between Willa and Jackson straight away. There’s always been something between them.

“While she’d learned the ins and outs of car mechanics from her father, she’d gained an appreciation of the classics over the last two years working with the brothers. Jackson in particular”

I could tell in the previous novel that they’d probably end up together but this quote solidified that this novel would be about Willa and Jackson’s relationship.

“She wasn’t cute, godamnit, she was beautiful. Yet she was hiding under coveralls in their garage. The clamp around his heart ratcheted higher”

This shows that Jackson is in love with Willa. Seeing her as beautiful rather than just an employee, how he used to see her makes his heart speed up. The “their” refers to Jackson and Wyatt’s garage because they’re twins. Jackson wants to see all of Willa, which he’s able to do later in the novel.

There are more sexy times in “When The Stars Come Out” than “Leave The Night On”. The author didn’t seem afraid to write them, here. Maybe because Jackson and Willa have known each other longer than Wyatt and Sutton had and so they trusted each other before they started dating, I’m not sure, but as I said above it shouldn’t be read by anyone younger than 17, I don’t think.

Another significant thing to note about this novel is that Willa isn’t who she says she is.

“He didn’t know her real name, and she was good at disappearing”

She’s been on the run for years and lives in a trailer. It’s only when Jackson sees this that he delves deeper into Willa’s past. To be honest, I didn’t think this part really added anything to the story. Yes, it gave Willa some backstory but was it central to the overall plot of the book? No, I didn’t think it was. Jackson would have ended up with Willa, no matter what.

“Pack. She needed to pack up and move on”

When Willa thinks that Jackson doesn’t trust her, she decides to move away and start her life somewhere else. Of course, Jackson isn’t going to let her go, easily.

The point about Willa not being her real name is brought up a lot in “When The Stars Come Out”. I thought that when her real name was revealed it would be shocking, but it wasn’t. The reason why she’s on the run, because her ex killed her friend by selling her drugs wasn’t the thrill ride I thought it’d be, either. I couldn’t work out why Willa felt guilty about that aspect. Derrick, her ex was to blame, sure, but Willa wasn’t.

Willa was a quite a weak character to me. She didn’t have any get up and go. When things started to get tough she just wanted to pack up and move on. She wasn’t interested in staying for Jackson. It was Jackson that came running after her after all, all the time. The relationship seemed quite forced at the end. In the middle it was fine but the end put me off, unfortunately.

At the end of “When The Stars Come Out” when Willa is reunited with her dad, everything is just okay. There’s no ruckus or rowing, like there would be in real life. Her dad just accepts Jackson, too, without any questions.

“Jackson’s my boyfriend”...
“Nice to meet you sir”
Her father nodded but his attention was squarely on Willa.

This is basically the only interaction Willa’s father and Jackson get. I didn’t think this was at all realistic, so although I did love the romance in this book, the family dynamics could have been written about better, I think.

As a side note, this novel follows Wyatt and Sutton’s still ongoing relationship as well. They get engaged in “When The Stars Come Out”.

What did I like about “When The Stars Come Out”?

* I liked how characters from previous books were involved. This series is a little like a soap opera, I think.

* I liked how we got more emotional development in this novel. I think this was because the main characters already knew each other.

What didn’t I like about “When The Stars Come Out”

* I didn’t like how weak Willa seemed as a character. Jackson seemed to do everything to move them forward. Willa did nothing except complain about her past it seemed.

* I didn’t like how the big mystery was a let down. Would Willa have been a spy sent on a mission, no. But could there have been more of a reason that she had run away? Yes.

* I didn’t like how Willa’s dad didn’t seem interested in who Jackson was. I don’t think a parent would just turn a blind eye to the guy that their daughter calls their boyfriend. There would be questions before acceptance, at least.

* I didn’t understand what the title had to do with the actual story.

I’m a romance reader at heart so did I like this “When The Stars Come Out”? Yes! Were there problems with it? Yes!! Will I be reading the next book in the CottonBloom saga? Yes. I think that the next book, which is about Mack, Wyatt and Jackson’s elder brother finding love will be better. I just didn’t like Willa much here. I thought she was more a tool to move the plot along, rather than a character you’re meant to root for!

This book is part of the CottonwoodBloom series, but it is totally a standalone. I had read the previous book in this series but only generally remembered it as I started reading this book. The story centers around the Abbott garage in the small town of Cottonbloom. I really enjoyed this small town book about Jackson, one of the Abbott sons, and Willa, a mechanic in the garage. She has lots of secrets and a past that is hurting her. The conflict was good and I thought was resolved in a timely manner, not too fast and yet I didn’t feel like it dragged on. Jackson and Willa had a chemistry that I could feel while reading the book and that is due to the strength of the author’s writing. An enjoyable small town story and I will visit it again.

This is actually the 5th book in the Cottonbloom series. I have not read the other books, but I was able to follow the story without being lost. This series revolves around the Abbot brothers. They are trying to keep their family auto body shop from falling apart after their father’s death. This is Jackson’s story.

Mr. Abbot hired Willa around two years ago. I loved that Willa was a mechanic. She is a very private person with secrets she guards closely. She has been living a secret life that on one knows about. Willa has a crush on Jackson but Jackson just sees her as another mechanic. Once Jackson finally admits to his attraction to her, he tries to get to know her. When Jackson starts asking questions about her background, Willa realizes she will have to run again. Jackson is desperate to keep her from running away. There wasn’t much trust from either of them at first. I loved how they danced around each other before realizing they belonged together.

I loved this small town romance. It has everything I look for in a romance. The characters were believable and fun. I look forward to the next book in this series. I had not read the previous books in this series, but I did enjoy this book enough to go back and read the preceding books. I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

There is nothing better then reading a series that you love. That's how I feel about Laura Trentham's Cottonbloom series. I just really enjoy them.

I will admit that even though I've loved the whole series I have a soft spot for the Abbott brothers. Not sure why, but for some reason the call to me. They each have such a complex relationship with each other.

Some of it is good, some of it not...

All the brothers stick together and have worked hard at the business their father has left them, or I should say all but Ford. Ford reminds me of the fact that you can't pick family. The other three bothers have a great relationship and I enjoyed their interactions. They stood for each other.

I find it funny that sometimes in life you don't see what's standing besides you until that someone might leave you. That's how poor Jackson's realized that he really cared for Willa. Fear of losing someone is a good motivator.

Of course Jackson wouldn't be in fear of losing Willa if she could only think about her past clearly. Guilt and fear is a huge road block in life. Even with her past always there for her I really liked these two together. They really cared and respected each other. I like how Willa was always there for Jackson when he was dealing with his mother and brother Jackson, just like Jackson was there with her when she started to deal with her past. Hell, even his brothers stood for her. I also liked how she had Clayton Preston to talk to. I so hope he gets his own book.

As you can clearly tell by my words up above I really enjoyed this story. I really can't wait for Mark and Ella's story. At the moment I'm not liking her. Of course that's not her fault. Any women that is upsetting the Abbott brothers is upsetting me too. Since Mark's story, Set the Night on Fire isn't out till the end of July I have a bit of a wait. Why!!!!!

While I wait I will have to wonder about Ford and if he'll get his own story. Not sure how she would redeem him. It would take a ton of work. Maybe after I read Mark's story I'll think differently. I want to put it out there about that I'd love Clayton's story! Just say...

I hope you get a chance to read When The Stars Come Out. Heck, read the whole series I promise you it's very enjoyable.

After having read and reviewed Leave the Night On (Cottonbloom #4 ) awhile ago which was my first ever Laura Trentham book, I was happy to get to read and review book 5 in the series.

In When the Stars Come Out, we learn more about Willa and Jackson. Willa is the only female mechanic at the Abbot Brothers' Garage in Cottonbloom.

I've liked Jackson since book #4 which is so far the only other Laura Trentham ARC I have read and reviewed, His twin Wyatt features a little here, as does Sutton Mize, who were main characters in book #4.

As always with Laura Trentham's books, there are secrets and truths. There's also and lots and lots of romance.

These things make a great book for me: well-fleshed out characters, realistic storylines and emotionally charged plots. I just love Cottonbloom and am really taken with Laura Trentham's writing which has a wonderful pace as well as all the above.

I can't wait for the next book!


I was delighted to participate in both the release blitz blog tour and blog review tour for the fifth book in the Cottonbloom series, When the Stars Come Out. Thanks to Laura Trentham and St Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Willa and Jackson took my breath away, broke my heart a bit, and gave hope for the better days to come. This story literally left me gasping for a breath with the heart-wrenching realities of how tough life can truly be, how sometimes we just have to survive, and if we stick it out life can spur a surprise that can change our destinies.
Jackson Abbott is a hardworking man who is trying to get a grasp of life after his father past away and one of his brothers got in trouble. The last thing that could tip the boat he is desperately trying to balance would be Willa leaving them and moving on. I loved Jackson. His honesty, his dignity, his kindness, tenderness, and protectiveness towards Willa made me admire him even more. He is just what Willa needs, they are so perfectly balanced with each other with their characteristics, talents, and imperfections, reading about them was like watching harmony in motion.
Willa, oh my gosh, her spunk, her ability to survive, to take care of herself, to find the little things that made her smile and happy when life was kicking her to the curve again and again - I admire her immensely and wanted to hug her tight like she was my sister. Her skittish heart and untrusting mind had developed naturally after being on her own and on the road for so long. With the Abbott's she felt like she belonged, she fit in and was safe, she was truly an equal even though an employee. I loved her confidence in her skills with the cars, wished she learned to appreciate her other attributes as well.
The story took a little time to set the stage, I haven't read the book one in the series, yet when the tale starting rolling, I could not put the book down. When the issues with the Abbott family is added to the troubles Willa has faced, to the secrets that needed to be unraveled, it all created drama and turbulence that rocked the foundation of all of their lives. There are heartbreak and sadness, yet there's optimism, there's hope for the silver lining, there's a heartfelt wish for normalcy in a life that could be filled with love, acceptance, and feeling safe and secure.
An absolutely beautiful, touching story that woke my interest to the rest of the series, a desire to know more and keep living in the moment and find out how things will shape up to the Abbott clan.
~ Five Spoons

Willa and Jackson were great characters I wanted to root for. I always love the idea that your one true love was right underneath your nose all along. Jackson was clueless at times and very determined at others. Willa's issue were a litlle hard to relate to. The romance develloped slowly and not very smoothly.
Willa wasn't one to communicate and that type of character always frustrates me inmensely.
All in all a fine read.

Be still my heart – I just want to give every Abbott brother a hug! Abandoned by their mother as small boys, they were loved by their father and their aunts, but they definitely missed out on something without that motherly love. And now with the sudden death of their dad, things are even more complicated.

For Jackson it all comes to a head when he realizes that he might lose his right-hand woman. Willa has been running from her past and trying her best to lie low. And while she’s had a crush on Jackson for years, having him finally notice her as more than a great employee doesn’t fit her plan for hiding.

Trentham is one of the best at delivering character driven small-town romances. There is such a feeling of community (here it shines with the closeness of the brothers) and when trouble happens they rally around each other. And while Willa doesn’t think that’s what she wants, it is definitely what she needs. It is time that she faces up to what happened so she can finally start living again. Unfortunately she’s been on her own for so long, scared and hesitant to trust thanks to some bad experiences, so it is going to take a lot of patience and understanding on Jackson’s part to get her to that point. Good thing the more self-contained Abbott brother has both in spades!

We return to Cottonbloom, a magical city that is definitely a strong character in the series.
It is this city that makes the mechanics Willa delighted and decides to stop for a few days, instead of going on with her "escape."
There, she meets Jackson, the owner of the garage and a man focused on his work, with no time for relationships.

But Willa's way of being -and, of course, the secret she hid-fascinated him, and he would do anything to make her trust him and let him help her.

In this novel, Laura brings the pure romance to the pages, in a story about family, trust and the chances that life gives to us.
4 stars

Ms. Trentham has done it again and added a great entry to the Cottonbloom series.
Jackson and Mia are characters that were introduced in the previous book of the series and it was fun to get to know them better here. I found myself genuinely liking and rooting for both characters to find their happy ending.
It was a pleasure to watch the emotional blossoming that took place, especially in Willa as she learned to embrace the people around her - not just Jackson - and to also face the demons in her past.
One of the things I have enjoyed most about the Cottonbloom series is the way Ms. Trentham has the books structured. Each is connected to the others and previous main characters will make cameos, but each entry in the series truly stands on it's own and could easily be picked up and read independently.
If you have read and enjoyed authors like Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery, then Ms. Trentham's Cottonbloom series would be right up your alley too.

This is an enjoyable small town romance touching on trust with secrets and also with a little danger. I loved Jackson and Willa, their chemistry is awesome

I received a copy from NetGalley and voluntarily leave my own thoughts

I had jumped into this series at #4, and though, I felt like I did feel slightly discombobulated, I knew I was coming into a well-written and solidly written series. I was looking forward to the remaining series, but #5 did not hold up as well as its predecessor.

The writing was still sure-footed. There was wonderful language used to evoke imagery and mood, BUT Willa's backstory felt cliched and the romance between her and Jackson felt somewhat shallow. I hoped for more from Laura Trentham. I can only hope the others in this series are better.

Cottonbloom #5, I'm so glad we didn't have to wait for Willa and Jackson's story for too long. I am so loving this series, this town, and these people. This second story arc with the Abbott brothers is just as good if not better than the first three books. In this story arc the Abbott brothers, Mack, Ford, Wyatt and Jackson, inherited their father's garage, a four way split that left Ford annoyed and keep threatening to sell his share of the garage. The other three just added on to the garage and turned into Abbott Brother's Garage and Restoration and can't afford to buy him out. Ford wants more he wants it now and the tension and animosity between the brothers just keeps getting worse and worse.

Willa Brown was hired by the boys father almost two years ago, she was there when he collapsed and died and she stuck around after that because they needed her, but now that Ford threat to sell his share has a ring of truth in it and the fate of the garage is up in the air Willa isn't sure she can stay no matter how much cares about Jackson. It wasn't supposed to be a permanent thing anyways but Mr. Abbott reminded her of her own father and she stayed because of Jackson. When Mr. Abbott hired Willa he agreed to pay her in cash off the books but now that he is gone and Mack is charge he wants everything on the up and up including having her SSN on file, Willa knows her time to leave is getting closer.

Jackson sees the look of panic in Willa's eyes when he brings up her SSN, the guys always knew she was on the run from something but they figured she would tell them when she was ready but it wasn't until that moment that Jackson realized she might run and it hit him that he didn't want her to leave, ever. Jackson decides to insert himself a little bit more into her life and try to figure out what or who she is on the run from; and in doing so finds himself falling for her. When they finally admit to each other that they want one another they start a friends with benefits type relationship that quickly turns into more. But Willa isn't the only one Jackson is worried about, Ford is missing and his bookies start showing up to collect.

Overall, this is an easy four star read, Willa is a little overly stubborn, but if I had a guy try and spoil me like Jackson was doing for her I would cave so freakin' fast. I have a soft spot for the strong silent types. I enjoy Trentham's writing she really brings Cottonbloom to life with the detailed active setting and the quirky characters. P.S. I don't think Ford deserves a HEA.

When the Stars Come Out by Laura Trentham is the 5th book in her wonderful Cottonbloom series. I have enjoyed every book in this series, and this book is no different….I loved When The Stars Come Out.

Willa Brown, our heroine, has worked at the Abbot garage for the two years she has been in Cottonbloom. Willa loves her job, as she grew up fixing cars, but she keeps secrets about her past life, knowing when anyone gets too close, she will run. Jackson Abbot and the rest of the Abbot boys think highly of Willa, as one of the best mechanics. Jackson has always befriended Willa, as his whole life is about cars, but now he begins to see her in another light. Willa has always been attracted to Jackson, but hides how she feels. Jackson and the family sense that Willa is hiding something, and Jackson begins to fear she will leave, and gives her a big raise to keep her. In a short time, both will begin to spend more time out of the garage, as Jackson tries to help her, since her makeshift living quarters are bad. When a mutt comes to Willa one day, she feeds him and earns his trust, and soon River (the mutt) will follow her to work, and the boys will also accept River.

Soon Willa and Jackson, will act on their feelings, and a steamy romance will start. Willa still looks over her shoulder, not trusting how happy she is with Jackson. He is determined to get her to talk and find out what she is running from. He never thought he would fall in love, but now that he loves Willa, he will do anything to keep her. I really did enjoy Sutton’s new friendship with Willa, and the fun of watching her help Willa dress up to attend a New Year’s Party. When she realizes that she loves Jackson, she does reveal some truths to him, and though scared, will go back home to bring some kind of closure. Jackson will get help from his family to find and help Willa, which was very nicely done.

There is a side story about the bad brother, Ford, who is putting the garage at risk by selling his share to someone else. This will lead to the next book, with I think Mack as the hero.
I really loved Jackson and Willa together; as their romance was sweet, sexy and emotional. Jackson was not only sweet and caring, but he was a hunk. Willa was a strong, independent & likable heroine; with some sassy humor.

When The Stars Come Out reads very well as a standalone. It was a wonderful storyline, and great to see all the other characters that we have come to know from the previous books. Laura Trentham once again gives us a wonderful story, great characters, fabulous couple, heartwarming small town atmosphere, and a sweet wonderful romance. You should be reading this series, and I can’t wait to return to Cottonbloom.

There is a reason why I do not like reading Contemporary Romance.

This was the 5th book of the series, and i thought i had to read the rest of the series to understand it, but it had it own tear jerking story.

The book is about running away and confronting your past. Each turn of the page, gave us a glimpse of how Willa had live and her reasons for running away.

Sadly, this is the truth in today's youth. They tend to run away than facing the consequence of their actions. Sometimes, when people face their problems head on, they are greeted by criticism by the people around them. They will look at how you live your life, rather than doing something about theirs. At some point, when you confront them of the truth, they are blinded, hence, they will not listen.

I live how this book was written. How each events lead to the beautiful ending that was presented. Things like this may not happen in real life, but the fact that we can read about it gives us a chance to look forward to.

I would like to read what will happen to Mack.

Willa Brown never planned to stay in Cottonbloom. She was on the way to somewhere else when she landed there and found work at the Abbot brothers’ garage. . .and a sense of comfort and safety that she had never known. The same holds true for Jackson Abbott himself. With one glance in her direction, he can make Willa’s heart melt. But what begins as an unrequited crush turns into something far more powerful than Willa could have ever imagined. Jackson’s most meaningful relationship has always been with his car—and he’s not afraid to admit it. Still, he can’t help but become emotionally entangled with his new star mechanic Willa, who is definitely hiding some dark secrets of her own beneath the hood.
This is the first Cottonbloom novel I’ve read & I’m now going to buy the rest & read from the beginning. A very enjoyable read, the book is well written & the characters are well fleshed. At last Jackson realises that Willa is a female & things develop from there. I lost myself in the book & (after reading previous books) look forward to more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read